Magnus's smile waned as Faith's words reached his ears, prompting a shift in his expression from surprise to indifference.

He had foreseen that individuals would eventually seek out the two practitioners of Dark Arts he had hidden, yet the swift arrival of these intruders caught him off guard.

'I did not expect their scouts, or perhaps Dark Seers, to have progressed to this extent' Magnus ruminated, realizing the alarming speed at which they had located the Arcanists he had captured.

Despite his internal musings, he was firm in his resolve not to divulge any such information.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about... Should you wish to search this castle, you shall have to contend with me" Magnus declared, driving his staff forcefully into the ground.

Boom!

This move didn't destroy the floor, but it actually activated the ancient Formation Circle embedded within the castle.

Vale and the others didn't have the time to stop the activation as they could only watch the light emerging from every crack in the walls and ceiling.

The Formation Circle stirred to life as arcane symbols started appearing in a mesmerizing display of luminescence.

The Trap Formation was set into motion!

Sinister energies coalesced, creating an intricate web of malevolence designed to ensnare and subdue anyone.

As the Formation was fully activated, the castle itself seemed to awaken, ready to either kill or repel intruders.

***

Vale looked at the Trap Formation, and he couldn't help but feel wary of it. For the first time, he felt that this Trap Formation could not be sabotaged just by cutting off the supply of Arcane Energy.

It was all because of the complex link of Formation Circles all around the castle.

If he wanted to stop the energy linked to the Trap Formation to deactivate it, he had to destroy everything instead.

'Is this a Formation Circle arranged by a Grandmaster?' Vale mused as he looked above them.

As the Trap Formation completed its activation, a number of otherworldly entities materialized, encircling Vale's group with an ominous presence.

"Blood Specters?" Faith murmured after identifying the entities.

"Holy Arts and Mystic Arts are effective against them... I'll deal with it." She declared, producing a talisman with practiced swiftness.

Without delay, she exhaled sharply. Her breath sets the arcane symbols adorning the Talisman ablaze with otherworldly energy.

Whom~

Faith's invocation of a high-level talisman resonated through the chamber. Soon, the mystical forces imbued within the T0alisman surged forth to repel the encroaching specters.

Screech!

With a harrowing noise, the specters unleashed a disturbing cacophony that sought to paralyze the trio.

Yet, the radiant mystic light emanating from Faith's Talisman mitigated its paralyzing effect, much to her satisfaction.

Apparently, this was no ordinary talismanit was a formidable artifact worth 4,000 zen, and its potency far exceeded that of a common charm.

Whom~

The luminous radiance persisted, intensifying in brilliance as it continued to engulf the blood specters

It didn't last long, but it gradually eroded their essence until they were naught but dissipating wisps of malevolent energy.

"Impressive," Vale remarked in awe while Pearl nodded in solemn acknowledgment.

However, their respite was short-lived. The trap formation was still active, and soon, a fresh contingent of blood specters materialized with an eerie wail.

The renewed onslaught of specters, now numbering more than twenty, assailed Vale's party with renewed ferocity.

"Screech!"

They attacked once again with the same sound spell Furthermore, as soon as the Blood Specters felt that they had constrained them, they started moving closer as if they wanted to take a bite off of them!

In the face of this overwhelming assault, Faith prepared to unleash her formidable Spirit Art, only to be halted by Vale's decisive intervention.

"Not yet... Slaying the blood specters will only increase their number... Pearl, shield us while I dismantle the formation circle." Vale commanded, his gaze fixed upon the arcane symbols etched into the ground.

It was as if he had seen through the Trap Formation already.

Though initially taken aback, Faith agreed to Vale's strategy, recognizing that his words sounded reliable.

However, amidst the chaos, she discerned a peculiar transformation in Vale.

"Those eyes... and the aura you exude... Are you a dragon?" she inquired in astonishment, her gaze lingering upon him with incredulity.

Vale didn't answer and simply smiled at this.

Anyway, it wasn't important right now.

As soon as he activated his Dragon's True Sight, he realized that the Trap Formation doesn't just weaken the Spells of all Arcane Paths, but it was slowly absorbing their Arcane Energy as well.

The longer they use their Spells, the faster they get exhausted

'What a sinister Trap Formation That Vampire is also good. He knows that he'll get killed if he fights us directly. He must've realized that we're not ordinary Arcanists.' Vale mused as he focused on the matter at hand.

***

"Not killing the Blood Specters is a lot more difficult than you think. Please do it quickly" Pearl said.

As she maintained her Spiritual Domain to fend off the encroaching Blood Specters, Vale knelt upon the floor. He seemed so focused as if he was truly trying to understand the mysteries of this Formation Circle.

However, his thoughts say otherwise.

'Divine Extraction System, activate' Vale silently prayed as he was trying to make the system recognize the Trap Formation as an 'extractable' target.

The system was designed to swiftly identify extractable entities such as corpses, living beings, and immortal items, promptly triggering a notification upon their detection.

However, Vale was keenly aware of the system's potential to extract other entities, provided they met the requisite criteria.

Having used the system in unconventional ways previously, he understood the inherent challenges that accompanied such endeavors.

It was difficult but not impossible.

In the meantime, Magnus was watching everything from a distance and was unsure what they were trying to do

'They immediately realize that the Blood Specters will just multiply if killed That was impressive, but are they thinking of destroying my Formation Circle?' Magnus smirked as he observed the young man in the group.

'Arrogant Not even the finest Formation Experts of this era can destroy that. I guess I'll have a few more slaves.'