Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Chapter 1292: Captured

The Order of the Sky Sword moved carefully.

After a few more discussions, they decided against confronting the Dawnblades directly, especially not in Atrium City where Ruth and the other core members were stationed.

If their suspicions were correct, then attacking the organization openly would only alert whoever was truly behind it.

Instead, Commander Arthur ordered the knights to investigate the Dawnblades’ members in other cities.

Several days later, the Order finally found a suitable target.

The city of Valenridge was located nearly a hundred kilometers away from Atrium City and had recently become an important destination for the Dawnblades. The organization had established a small branch there, primarily to handle commissions, supply transportation, and monster extermination requests.

It was far enough from Atrium City that Ruth and the others were unlikely to notice anything immediately.

More importantly, four Dawnblades members had recently arrived in the city.

Their names were Gar, Mira, Holden, and Hera.

According to the information gathered by the Order, all four had joined the Dawnblades only two months earlier.

Before that, they had been ordinary Gold-Rank adventurers.

Nothing about their backgrounds seemed particularly suspicious.

They were not nobles and had no powerful families supporting them.

They had not even possessed particularly impressive talents before joining the Dawnblades.

Yet their recent achievements were completely different.

The four had completed numerous dangerous missions around Valenridge, including the extermination of a pack of mutated Dire Wolves and the protection of a merchant caravan that had been attacked by a group of high-ranking monsters.

Their records were impressive.

That was why Knight Roland personally led the operation.

“We’ll capture them alive,” Roland ordered as the group of knights hid within an abandoned building overlooking the street.

“There will be no unnecessary killing.”

The knights nodded.

Roland looked through the window as they knew that the four Dawnblades members had just left a small Adventurers Guild branch.

They appeared relaxed.

Gar, the largest of the four, carried a greatsword across his back. Mira walked beside him with a bow hanging from her shoulder, while Holden and Hera followed behind them.

They looked completely ordinary.

Roland couldn’t help but frown as he failed to recognize their true power despite learning about it through reports.

“Wait until they’re somewhere isolated.” He muttered.

The knights patiently followed them.

Eventually, the four entered a narrow street behind the city walls.

Roland immediately raised his hand.

“Now.”

The knights moved immediately…

Several figures descended from the rooftops while others blocked both ends of the street.

At the same time, Roland stepped forward and released his aura.

“You are surrounded by the Order of the Sky Sword.”

The four adventurers immediately stopped.

Gar slowly turned around and was quite surprised at the mention of the Order…

“Order of the Sky Sword?”

Mira’s hand moved toward her bow.

“What’s going on?”

“You are being detained for questioning regarding the Dawnblades.”

Roland’s expression remained cold.

“Do not resist.”

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then Gar sighed.

“I was hoping we’d get back before dinner.”

Hera glanced at him.

“You’re worried about dinner?”

“I skipped lunch.”

Roland frowned.

Something about their reaction was strange. They weren’t frightened…

As a matter of fact, they weren’t even particularly nervous.

“Take them.”

The knights immediately attacked.

Clang!

A sword struck Gar’s greatsword as Roland’s eyes widened in shock.

The impact sent the attacking knight stumbling backward… But Gar had blocked the attack with one hand.

Then something even more shocking happened.

A faint force spread from Gar’s body.

Will.

The knight’s expression changed.

“He’s using Will?!”

Before anyone could react, Gar swung his greatsword.

Boom!

The knight was sent flying across the street!

“Impossible!”

Roland’s expression became grim.

The reports had said that these people were Gold-Rank adventurers.

They had never mentioned Will.

Mira’s bow suddenly flashed.

Several arrows shot through the air, forcing three knights to retreat.

Holden charged directly into another group… Of course, he had his fists surrounded by a strange force that strengthened every attack!

Hera moved like a shadow, appearing behind one of the knights before knocking his weapon away.

All four were using Will.

And they were using it proficiently.

Roland’s expression became increasingly serious.

“Don’t underestimate them!”

The battle quickly became far more difficult than the Order had anticipated.

The four Dawnblades members fought together with remarkable coordination. They clearly had experience fighting alongside one another, and their equipment was considerably better than what ordinary Gold-Rank adventurers should have possessed.

The knights gradually gained the upper hand through superior numbers and experience, but capturing the four alive proved extremely difficult.

Nearly twenty minutes passed before Roland finally managed to restrain Gar.

Two knights pinned his arms down while another placed a binding artifact around his wrists.

Even then, Gar continued struggling.

“Stay still!”

One of the knights shouted.

“I’m trying!”

Gar gritted his teeth.

“You people are surprisingly strong!”

Roland stared at him.

The compliment was almost absurd.

The Order had sent some of its finest knights specifically to capture four Gold-Rank adventurers.

Yet they had needed nearly twenty minutes to bring them down.

And these four had only joined the Dawnblades two months ago.

Roland walked toward Gar.

“Where did you learn to use Will?”

Gar looked at him suspiciously.

“What?”

“Your Will. Where did you learn it?”

The four exchanged glances. To be honest, it was not a secret.

Ruth and the others were even telling the public about their ability to help people overcome their problems.

Mira finally answered.

“From the Dawnblades.”

Roland’s expression changed.

He had spent his entire life within the Order of the Sky Sword.

He knew exactly how difficult it was to awaken Will. Yet these four people had apparently learned it after joining the Dawnblades…

They had learned to use Will in just a few months.

Roland looked toward the other captured adventurers.

Two months… Only two months.

He suddenly remembered Bon.

His expression became even colder.

“Take them away.”

The knights began escorting the four adventurers toward their waiting carriage.

Roland followed behind them as he knew that whatever method the Dawnblades used, it must be an evil or otherworldly method.

“Mennena’s Prophecy must be true.”

The Dawnblades were no longer merely suspicious.

They were producing Will users.

And if what these four had said was true, then the organization’s greatest secret was far more dangerous than the Order had originally imagined.

“We need to know how they’re doing this. Before they become strong enough that we can no longer stop them.”