Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy-Chapter 1241: The Knights

Vale stood among the professors, and of course, his disguise was flawless to mortal eyes.

To the crowd, he was nothing more than another instructor from Marshall Academy, watching over his students.

Yet any Immortal present could see the truth. He was not hiding his Divinity, and the aura of shadow that clung to him was unmistakable.

As Queen Sabrina's voice carried across the coliseum, Vale's gaze focused onher… He recognized that face.

'Impossible…' he thought. 'Sabrina Hoffman?'

He had seen her before, several years ago, when he was still exploring the Shadow Realm. Her hair color was different now, and she seemed older, but Vale knew it was only a transformation technique. The shadow divinity, the physique, the aura, they were the same!

"What is she doing here?" He couldn't help but blurt out after confirming her presence.

He recalled the time he first met her in that realm.

Well, the Shadow Realm was not a place of endless darkness, despite its name. It was a vast plane, filled with countries and cities, where the Dark Arts were dominant, but other paths also thrived. And within Hymn City, he met her…

Sabrina was supposedly working as the Regional Commander of the organization known as Luminis Hold.

Vale had thought he would never see her again. Yet here she was, standing as queen in the Human Realm.

He had no idea about her purpose, but being a Queen was definitely not something he would associate with her.

'Did she follow me here? Or… did she already know how to cross between realms?'

The thought unsettled him.

If she had found her way to the Human Realm, then her knowledge of paths between worlds was far greater than he had assumed.

Still, this revelation solidified his suspicion. She most likely belonged to the Hoffman Family, one of the founding members of the Dark Arts factions of this land.

But was she an enemy?

Vale could not be certain. He had already eliminated Lesley, the prodigy of the Hoffman Family. If Sabrina had learned of that, she might hold him responsible.

Yet there was also a chance he was overthinking. Perhaps she was not tied to the Hoffman Family at all, and her presence here was a coincidence.

Vale's instincts told him caution was best.

His name had already spread far and wide, and it means that she already knew of his existence… However, she had not approached him, and that meant she had her own plans.

He exhaled slowly, suppressing the tension in his chest.

Instead of confronting her, Vale turned back to his group of students.

He used his telepathy and gave them words of advice.

"Do not let yourselves be pressured," he told them. "Focus on the competition. Ignore the noise. We are here to prove ourselves…"

The students nodded, their determination renewed.

Although their opponents were students from a specialized Academy that literally teaches specific Arcane Arts, they were still confident.

Even if the Marshall Academy had decided to teach all branches of Arcane Arts, they knew that the quality of education wasn't low compared to the specialized Arcane Academies…

They had a high chance of winning here!

In the meantime, Vale's eyes lingered on Queen Sabrina one last time.

He would not speak to her... Not yet. Whatever her intentions were, she would reveal them in time.

For now, he decided to just guide his students through the trials ahead, and to ensure that Marshall Academy becomes the best Arcane Academy!

***

After some time, the coliseum shifted its attention as the announcers declared the start of the Knight's Path battles.

Unlike the Combat Path, which relied on soul‑forged Aura and mostly bare-handed techniques, the Knight's Path was a discipline that mainly used weapons and arcane spells. They were even called Spellswords in some countries.

Instead of Aura, the Knights channeled Arcane Energy from their bodies to strengthen their heavy armor and weapons…

In this competition, the rules were simple. Elimination rounds.

One loss, and you were out. No second chances.

Apparently, eighteen academies had earned the prestige to field Knight Path students in this tournament.

Needless to say, all the students were allowed to wear their armor and weapons, ready to prove themselves.

There wasn't even a limitation on their weapon grades! If they could wield Sovereign Artifacts, they could do so.

It may sound unfair, but if they truly had the power to sustain the Sovereign Artifacts that eat up a lot of Arcane Energy even for First-Class Arcanists, then they truly deserve it. After all, most Artifacts of such levels could literally kill their owners in most cases…

"Let's start!"

"Finally! Let's see those Knights!"

"Bring it on! The Yun Academy will win this!"

"Only the Kildare can win this!"

"Empire's Hervont is number one!"

The crowd roared as the first matches began. They also cheered for whoever they were trying to support.

Just like that, the clang of steel echoed across the coliseum…

Knight Trainees or students fought with straightforward manner compared to the elaborate spellcasting of other paths.

They would see shields shatter, swords raised, and even if there were Spells used, it wasn't all too flashy…

Kildare Knights Academy of Milton Kingdom was the favorite to win this… Their three students were disciplined and their techniques were already honed through centuries of tradition.

However, Hervont Knights Academy of the Palham Empire followed closely, known for producing champions who had fought in imperial wars.

As for Vale's Marshall Academy, they were an unknown. Their Knight branch had only been established this year. No records, no history, no expectations whatsoever aside from the fact that the Shadow Immortal built it.

Even the journalists had little information about their instructors, making it hard for everyone to judge their strength.

Yet Vale watched his three Knight Path students with quiet confidence.

They had not learned Forbidden Spells like those others or even carried mystical bloodlines in their bodies. But each of them bore the Dragon Blessing of Zerel, the Ancient Lightning Dragon!

However, as Vale thought that this would be an easy win for his Academy, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura at the coaching staff of Hervont Academy...

'Adam?'

Vale didn't expect that the Golden Immortal would be here!