Of course, Vale could've used Holy Smite to instantly kill these Spirits, but that could slightly injure the students' souls.

Though the injury might be insignificant since it could be healed, he still decided to go with the safest method.

The Avatar raised his hand and cast his Celestial Art… "Radiant Wave."

A circle of light expanded from his palm, spreading across the eastern wing.

Unlike destructive spells, this one was gentle yet absolute. Threads of luminous energy wrapped around each possessed student, calmly wrapping around their bodies that separated spirit from host.

The Evil Spirits shrieked as the calm holy energy tightened, forcing them out of the bodies they clung to. One by one, they were dragged into the open, their shadowy forms writhing against the radiant net that Vale had created.

It was incredibly effective!

"Leave them," the Avatar commanded, his tone calm but filled with authority.

The veil pulsed, releasing waves of cleansing light. The weaker spirits dissolved instantly, their cries fading into silence.

Just like that, the students collapsed, freed but exhausted… Thankfully, their souls were untouched. Although it was strained, their souls were still perfectly fine…

Professors nearby gasped at the sight. "That spell… is it from Vale? He's purging them without harming the hosts!"

The Avatar's eyes narrowed as he maintained the Spell.

It was costing him a lot of Divinity Points, but it was necessary…

"This is the safest way. No soul will be scarred under my watch."

But some spirits were stronger. They resisted, clawing at their hosts, forcing them to attack even as the veil tried to pull them free…

They were certainly evolved Evil Spirits, and he had to make another move to ensure that they wouldn't hurt the students.

The Avatar's eyes glowed with Shadow Divinity.

"Then I'll suppress you."

Dark chains erupted from the ground, binding the spirits in place. The students collapsed, freed but drained of strength.

Still, more spirits surged forward. The Avatar spread his arms wide, summoning his allies.

"Moonlight Specters… arise."

Ghostly figures of pale light appeared, their forms were like a silver mist. They charged into battle, clashing with the Evil Spirits.

The students gasped as the Specters fought for them, their ethereal blades were even cutting through the shadows!

It was such a satisfying sight to see those Evil Spirits die from the blades of the Moonlight Specters!

One professor who had no idea where this came from shouted, "Who… who is that?!"

Chad glanced toward the eastern wing and smiled…

"Don't worry about them… It's Vale… or at least one of his Avatars. Good. I needed this."

The Avatar noticed his gaze and nodded to him. "You hold the center. I'll cleanse the surrounding areas."

"Got it!

Together, they fought the Evil Spirits… Chad would use his Draconic Energy while the Avatar would use Celestial Arts for purification and Dark Arts for shadow suppression…

***

In the meantime, the Second Avatar was still chasing the possible culprit of this all.

His shadow‑formed Avatar raced through the Shadow Domain…

They even entered another town, as the enemy was trying to ensure that there would be a lot of people that he could use as a shield.

"Tsk… You're not going anywhere!" The Avatar shouted.

Ahead of him, the cloaked figure darted through alleys and rooftops, desperate to escape the Shadow Domain.

However, the mark Vale had placed glowed faintly on the fugitive's back. No matter how fast he ran, no matter how many illusions he cast, the Avatar could see him clearly.

"You can run, but you're already mine…" the Avatar muttered as he even placed a curse with those words to weaken the enemy. It was so subtle, and the man failed to notice it until the curse hit his body.

The fugitive suddenly turned, hurling a barrier of runes across the street.

"Useless…"

The Avatar sliced through it with a blade of shadow, and it easily destroyed the man's protection.

"Who sent you?" the Avatar demanded as he got closer…

However, the figure didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a crystal… It was glowing violently and was unstable. He hurled it behind him, and the explosion shook the ground!

Boom!

It tore apart walls and scattering debris.

Thankfully, the Avatar was quick and saved everyone about to get hit by the explosion. He also weakened the explosion with his own control over the Darkness…

The Avatar then leapt through the smoke as he looked at the shattered pieces of the crystal... "Divine Crystals… modified into bombs."

'Good thing I noticed it quickly…'

He also noticed that the man was carrying dozens of these crystals when he pulled out one of them just now…

This wasn't a simple infiltrator. The fugitive was a Half‑Immortal, armed with dozens of these crystals strapped to his body. Each one pulsed with destructive energy, enough to level entire blocks.

The Avatar's expression hardened. "So that's why you were able to tear space and release the Spirits."

The fugitive laughed, with his voice distorted to ensure that he wouldn't get recognized. "You think you can stop me? These crystals are enough to kill even an Immortal… One wrong move, and I'll take half the Domain with me!"

Well, it was not impossible, but considering the formation circles they had placed here and his presence, that was unlikely to happen.

The Avatar's shadow aura flared, suppressing the blast waves as another crystal detonated nearby. He gritted his teeth.

He couldn't just let this guy do as he pleased…

But as he was about to use his Shadow Mutilation after getting in range, the fugitive decided not to fight and instead, sprinted faster…

He was now focused on escape!

In just a few moments, his body started glowing with Divinity, boosting his speed.

Each step left cracks in the ground as the Avatar followed relentlessly…

"You won't get away," the Avatar growled…

"Die!"

The fugitive hurled another crystal, lighting up the night sky… However, the Avatar shielded himself with layers of shadow, the blast had certainly cut off a huge chunk of his Divinity, but it failed to destroy him.

"Modified Divine Crystals… whoever armed you with those, they will pay the price."

***

A few moments ago, within the Academy, in the midst of the chaos, when screams echoed through the halls, and students collapsed under the grip of Evil Spirits, two figures stood firm.

Galatea and Irene, first-year students of the Holy Arts Curriculum, were untouched by the possession. While their classmates fell one after another with their eyes turning black, the two remained steady, their auras shining faintly with holy light.

It wasn't luck.

Each of them wore two Sovereign Artifacts, gifts from their saintess sisters.

Around their necks hung necklaces that could detect spies, killing intent, curses, illusions, hidden malice, and many others…

On their arms gleamed armbands that shielded them from physical and mystical attacks like curses, possession, spells, and more.

The Evil Spirits tried to claw at them, whispering madness into their ears, but the artifacts flared, repelling every attempt.

They were completely fine…

Galatea clenched her fists. "Irene, we can't just stand here. Our classmates are suffering."

Irene nodded as she also wanted to help…

"Then let's help them. We'll hold them until the Headmaster or the reinforcements arrive."

Together, they moved through the chaos.

When a possessed student charged at them, Galatea raised her necklace, with holy energy bursting forth…

The spirit inside the host shrieked, and its presence was revealed. Irene followed with a prayer, her armband glowed as it shielded them from the student's corrupted spell.

"Stay with me!" Irene shouted, grabbing the student's hand. The holy aura from her artifact spread, weakening the spirit's grip.

Galatea pressed her palm against the student's chest, whispering a hymn. "Be freed."

As expected of the younger sisters of the Saintesses of the Untainted Sentinel, they were incredibly reliable…

The spirit recoiled, forced to retreat, and the student collapsed, gasping for breath.

They repeated this again and again, moving from one classmate to another. Their artifacts gave them the strength to resist, but the strain was starting to get heavy.

"Galatea, behind you!" Irene cried.

A group of possessed students charged, their spells were even made of black fire. Galatea's necklace pulsed, detecting the incoming curse. She raised her hand, and her artifact swiftly shielded them both. The flames broke against the barrier, scattering harmlessly.

It was a Sovereign Grade Artifact after all.

Irene countered with a burst of holy light, forcing the spirits back just enough to buy time.

Still, they were only first‑years. Their holy arts were limited, and the stronger spirits resisted their efforts.

It also consumes their Holy Energy, and if they use it without enough energy, they might get eaten up by this artifact instead.

Galatea's breath grew heavy. "We can't hold them forever…"

Irene agreed on this…

At that moment, Vale's Avatar finally appeared in the eastern wing. His Radiant Wave swept across the hall, pulling the spirits out of their hosts.

Chains of shadow bound the stronger ones, and Moonlight Specters rose to cut down the rest.

The students collapsed, freed at last.

Galatea and Irene froze, watching the holy and shadow energies work together…

"It's him…" Galatea whispered.

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