Damned Healer
Chapter 132: Good Opportunity

Chapter 132: Good Opportunity

Three hours later, Niara woke up. She checked her body and was surprised at how fast she’d recovered. Her life force and Bloodline—which had been drained—were now completely restored.

Darian waved from his shoulder, "You took a high-level pill and potion. This stuff came from other universes and was chosen specifically to help the Spiritual Guardians back home. Luckily, I’ve got plenty."

She turned to him, surprised. That gear was definitely on another level compared to anything at the Academy.

The slug nodded, then produced a ring in midair. He briefly explained that he’d gotten this ring and could move anything between universes by putting it inside—also revealing the unfortunate origin of those supplies.

"I’ve got a bunch of low-level potions and weapons that the clan kept in its treasury. You don’t want the Mannaz dying in vain, right? Let’s help out a bit, then come back in three days," Darian said casually.

Niara looked confused and asked, "If you came on day one, everyone else heading out for the assault also came and must be preparing to depart. If we wait too long, you’ll miss the activation of the Academy’s main inscription. It takes a ton of energy and can only be used once. If you miss it, you won’t be in the battle."

"No worries. They have to wait at least three days before leaving, since there’s a duty to help the rookies. This’ll be our golden opportunity," Darian replied, then snorted.

"Those Elders and other traitors must be plotting all sorts of things to block victory in this assault. Going the same route as everyone else seems foolish. Like I said before, let’s take this chance to settle our score with that Elder and try to get some info. No Summoners around the Academy—that’ll make things easier."

Niara nodded, understanding. Although it seemed impossible to attack an Elder without drawing attention... Darian seemed confident he could pull it off, so she didn’t hesitate. Without Summoners, it really did look like a good opportunity.

But... she instinctively felt something in his eyes. Like he was sizing her up in secret.

Darian froze—female instincts were scary. He quickly changed the subject: "And also... I’ve got some other stuff to handle, like helping my little brother and sister who are in the rookie trials. Anyway, let’s go."

Niara stopped.

"Brother and sister?"

"Yeah—complicated stuff went down. They’re my only family, and I want to introduce them to you. Just... don’t try to tease them. Especially Lucy. She’s a bit aggressive toward anyone she doesn’t trust," Darian answered with a worried sigh.

He knew both of them well. Lucius got along with anyone—always calm and quick to learn how to deal with people. Lucy... was incredibly clingy to those she trusted. At the same time, she tended to be harsh with anyone outside that circle.

They’d both suffered a lot in childhood, and learned early on that anyone but family was potentially dangerous. Each developed their own defensive style.

Up on the surface, Lucius tried to be friendly while closely observing people. Lucy took a different approach: she acted in a way that pushed others away or made it clear they couldn’t mess with her.

Niara nodded, mixed emotions swirling, and they left the cave.

That little planet was already clear of Risen. Darian had killed every last one, but there hadn’t even been five thousand total.

Besides random incursions within the galaxy, the Risen also had a pattern of attacking the galactic edges. They came in waves, concentrated in certain sectors.

Celestia Academy divided the defensive lines into twelve sectors, like a circular clock. They were in sector number six—the far south.

The attacks came in waves. After one batch of enemies was wiped out, days could pass before another hit that region. The exact location and timing were easily tracked by patrolling inscriptions, which sent alerts to the defenders.

Niara had a badge she’d received that showed where current attacks were happening, thanks to those inscriptions.

Plus, there were fast-travel methods available for defenders to move and help other regions. Any defender could use them—provided they weren’t under attack.

At that very moment, seven other sectors were being attacked, but the situation was under control. Many Mannaz were fighting—and dying—to keep it that way.

Darian nodded, then took a deep breath.

Niara saw countless black lines flowing out from Darian, spreading in every direction. He’d already devoured all the enemies’ karma during the fight, so what was he—?

"!"

She widened her eyes when she saw thousands of corrupted weapons floating, being pulled along by those black lines.

Darian had learned to wield his dark power correctly. Evil attracts evil—this was one of the core teachings of Meru.

He could remotely control the dark power, feel it, and pull it in easily. Those weapons held the Risen’s dark energy, and now that they were ownerless, it was simple to gather them up.

There were thousands. Darian gave them a quick glance and discarded any that were broken or just too weird. He picked out only swords, sabers, and spears—simple, easy-to-use weapons.

He tossed out a third of them. Then, the little slug trembled and pulsed.

A blinding white flash erupted.

It took five seconds.

Niara forgot to breathe as she watched every single weapon become completely purified.

"Each one’s got a core," Darian murmured, waving his hand as he poured a bit of white power into them. "That way, they’ll fight with way fewer deaths."

After stashing them all in his inventory, he told Niara to take them to another defensive sector under attack.

...

High above the dark skies of a planet, a Dragoness appeared, beating her wings.

It was a moon-sized planet—once covered in rivers and dense forests. Now, it was one step from total death. The entire surface was coated in miasma.

Below, the sounds of battle and intense screams echoed.

Countless bodies lay in pieces on the ground—90% of them were Mannaz of various races.

Those with Dragon Bloodlines had the best chance of survival and power. They formed the front lines, trying to hold back the enemies.

But because birth rates were so low, their numbers were just one one-hundredth of the other Mannaz... and they weren’t Summoners. Against these enemies, this fight was nearly suicidal.

On average, every twenty deaths of Mannaz took down a single weak Risen. And the common Risen leaders? It took almost three hundred deaths to eliminate just one of them.

Even so, the galaxy was teeming with Mannaz. They could’ve sustained those losses for over a year, as long as nothing else went horribly wrong.

Still... Niara clenched her fists, eyes blazing red at the sight of so many deaths.

The Summoners and the Academy could have done things differently. Maybe kept a handful of Summoners strategically positioned to help out. Or even something way simpler... they could’ve just given the Academy’s resources—pills, weapons, inscriptions.

If they’d had those resources, more than half of these deaths could have been avoided. But who cared about the ordinary Mannaz?

The slug snorted, painfully. The situation in this universe wasn’t so different from Earth. If he wanted to help regular humans, he was damn well going to help these Mannaz too.

Niara felt intense power flow through her spiritual root.

She turned to the slug, feeling a surge of emotion. She thought she’d never feel like this again.

Her body pulsed. She shut her eyes.

Her green scales turned white. When she reopened her eyes, her amber irises were replaced with the same blue as her beautiful hair.

"White Dragon Armor!"

She roared, flapping her wings. At the same time, her body shone, and a blinding light spread in every direction.