Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy Chapter 1222: Against the Asura’s Disciple

The five students assembled swiftly prior to ascending the stage. Amaya's lynx-like eyes squinted while she examined the pair selected to accompany them.

"What's your transformation?" she inquired, her voice sharp yet without malice.

The initial one, a slender lad with fidgety fingers, gulped deeply. "I... I can turn into a mole. I picked it up initially since I prefer tranquility. I simply aimed to conceal myself fast, dig into the earth, and stay secure."

The trio of gifted students shared looks.

Brannic's eyebrows knitted together, Vin's mouth quirked, and Amaya cocked her head. Transforming into a mole was far from the savage creature they anticipated battling beside.

Nevertheless, Vin dipped his head. "Digging underground offers advantages. You could explore under the roots, perhaps unsettle Eryn's stance."

Vin personally doubted its effectiveness, yet he recognized their peer lacked any fighting background, so acceptance was necessary.

The youth appeared eased upon realizing he faced no reprimand whatsoever. These individuals were undoubtedly superior to his kin.

The other participant, more statuesque and sturdy-built, declared with greater assurance.

"I can shift into a boulder. An enormous one. It might seem odd, but I can tumble, shield, and... essentially, withstand mostly."

Brannic's eyes widened briefly before he emitted a brief chuckle. "A boulder? That's... surprising."

Such a form had never crossed their minds for transformation. Yet, it could prove handy.

Amaya exhaled, her gaze warming slightly. "It's decent. A boulder serves as a raised base or shield. Protection counts."

Vin inclined his head once more. "We'll adapt it. Each person contributes."

Having sketched a rough strategy, the quintet advanced.

Eryn's treant figure towered ahead, roots twisting over the arena's surface, limbs rustling like caught in an invisible breeze. His emerald gaze shone, and he regarded them steadily.

"So, you've picked me," he stated.

"As in prior rounds, five versus one. Reveal your gut feelings, your teamwork, and your cleverness."

The audience fell silent, eager to witness the abilities of these three hopefuls.

Amaya bent low, and shortly, pelt surged over her frame as her Shadow Lynx shape materialized. Vin's wings spread wide too, whereas Brannic bellowed, his Demonic Bear shape expanding with primal might.

Next, the mole learner dwindled, his talons stretching, snout quivering while his figure morphed into a tunneling beast.

Following that, the boulder learner toughened, hide coarsening, arms pulling in until he formed a colossal rock, unyielding and sturdy.

The observing pupils were stunned by their shifts, particularly Vin's change. Bird-like shifts proved truly challenging. Soaring wasn't a natural human skill, after all. Certain bird forms typically couldn't take flight...

Yet, Vin stood apart clearly. The instant he shifted, he soared right over the treant's limbs!

"Incredible!"

"They all appear strong!"

"The mole and boulder seem awful, but perhaps it'll function... See, he's burrowing already!"

"Do you suppose he's targeting the treant's roots?"

"That's clever indeed... Though I'm certain those roots will counter him too."

Eryn merely grinned, observing each shift... Once he verified their preparedness, he uttered, "Come."

With that, the clash ignited.

Amaya lunged initially, her lynx form blurring with speed...

She targeted the treant's side using her talons. Yet, Eryn's limb descended, not to smash but to divert, steering her swipe toward nothingness.

Thud! Thud!

"Well done... That's swift. Attempt it once more!" Eryn remarked.

Meanwhile, Vin plunged from above, pinions cutting through the breeze. He plummeted amid a barrage of wind blades encircling him!

Boom!

Eryn's limbs wove skyward, crafting a cone. Vin spiraled, seeking an escape, but the cone tightened, compelling him earthward. He crashed firmly, wings grating against rind.

His wind blades scarcely marred the treant!

"Insufficient... Focus your power and retry. You possess greater speed." Eryn urged.

Eryn intended to add further words, but Brannic barreled in, his bear shape a barrier of brawn. He hammered the treant's core, rind splintering from the blow.

For an instant, success appeared near. However, Eryn's roots erupted, altering the terrain under Brannic's paws. The bear faltered, his blow deflected.

Disrupting his onslaught proved remarkably simple!

"Power lacking stability... Improve upon it."

The mole learner tunneled, talons scraping the arena's base.

He vanished under the roots, intending to unsettle Eryn's motions from below. But the treant's roots detected him right away, coiling low, grazing his passage. One root hoisted him softly, placing him atop the ground anew.

"Tunnels become tombs without surfacing." Eryn noted, aware he must handle this mole delicately. It was overly delicate, and a cave-in below could truly end him. His mentor, Sreas, would definitely discipline him for a student's demise.

Still, precisely then, the boulder lumbered ahead, weighty and deliberate. He collided with Eryn's core, the collision muted yet firm.

Eryn's limbs drooped, prodding the rock gently.

"This entertains... I believe my present limbs struggle to shatter this." Eryn pondered. He truly lacked certainty on cracking it. In truth, his Treant Transformation fell short from the start. It wasn't his strongest shift, and the Spell Level reached merely Level 4.

Due to this, its limbs lacked the hardness to shatter so vast a boulder.

Yet, with no damage to himself either, he merely shoved it away.

Shortly, the five pupils withdrew...

Their opening strike had been effortlessly unraveled.

Amaya scowled. "He's anticipating our every move like an open tome."

Vin concurred, "Then we alter the strategy."

Brannic's talons scraped the stone ground. "We strike as one."

They advanced once more.

Amaya bolted ahead, zeroing in on the exposed roots. This round, she intended to rip them using her teeth!

Vin ascended while amassing additional Arcane Energy to loose a mighty wind blade.

Brannic, meanwhile, refused to be predicted easily again, so he faked a leftward dash, then right, before surging directly.

He understood he could repel this treant, needing only the buildup...

If he managed to grip it briefly for seconds, he could unleash his hidden technique...

For the mole, he dug once more, now seeking to surface rearward of Eryn as the boulder veered broadly, setting up as a barrier.

Yet, they remained oblivious that Vale’s Avatar had begun observing the fight by now!