Damned Healer-Chapter 474: Root World (2)

Darian stared at the Blood Race figures, sensing them carefully. There was, in fact, a faint trace of similarity to the Heavenly Beasts in them — though subtle, maybe because of the specific branch of those standing before him. So, he briefly explained to Niara what he had heard from Howlyn.

The Blood Race was divided into three branches: Black Blood, White Blood, and Golden Blood.

That race was completely different from humanoids in every possible way. First, physically — they didn't have a fixed form. When they reached adulthood, they could choose one permanent form to keep forever; their bodies would solidify and stay that way until the end.

The reason why all those in that army looked human was because, in that world, they always fought against the Mannaz — who were half-human. That led them to develop a cultural preference for humanoid forms.

As for their survival, they depended on absorbing energy to live. The type of energy they absorbed completely changed depending on their nature.

The Black Blood and White Blood branches were variations of the same origin — basically two sides of the same coin. They were all born with a grayish aura, something in between.

When they reached adulthood, they could choose: either they absorbed the natural energies of the environment — a slow and difficult process for survival — thus becoming White Blood, capable of living in higher worlds...

Or they could absorb the life force of others, whether from their own kind or not, turning into Black Blood.

The Black Blood were completely twisted and chaotic in mind. When they devoured someone, they felt ecstatic, frenzied, and incapable of regretting the path they'd chosen.

The Black Blood were considered the scum of their race, and the Array of that place would automatically expel them to the Root World, limiting their power. They were there to be slaughtered mercilessly.

Darian confirmed this, clearly sensing a level of black karma above the average in all of them.

In the Root World, these beings lived by hunting invaders who came to test themselves. On other lines of that place, there were also beasts, golems, and even Black Blood individuals who were part of their "menu." They had already made their choices in the past and were now drowned in sinister karma, deserving no pity.

In their eyes, you could see circular red lines indicating power level — the equivalent of the Spiritual Guardians' rings. All of them had between one and four circles, matching the world's four-ring restriction.

But the Root World had two major threats. The most direct were the regular Black Blood, but secretly, there were also something like "Raid Bosses," meant to create extra tension for the Array's participants.

Historically, only two of those existed, appearing randomly. They were still Black Blood, but with five circles. When anyone saw one, they had to flee — it was like facing someone with five rings while you only had four.

Niara listened and nodded without overthinking. "So basically, we just kill everything in front of us and don't waste time worrying about those Black Blood bastards, right? But what's the point of this place?"

"When people from the Blood Race die, their bodies release Celestial essence, which can be easily absorbed by those with Enfield Bloodline. Unfortunately, that happens with all three branches of this race. So, people usually end up killing the White and Golden ones too. Because of that, there's been an eternal war between them and the invaders from other worlds," Darian replied calmly.

Niara snorted. Enfield definitely wasn't stupid — leaving the scum at the start, so everyone would kill them, was a way to awaken greed and thirst for power; a test of character.

In the later worlds, the people of that race didn't deserve to be massacred at all. But greed made many kill them anyway. Of course, not all participants were that stupid; still, the trials in other locations often forced them to face each other, making battle almost unavoidable.

"KILL!"

At that moment, the enemies reached Darian's army. Without hesitation, the three groups united into a circular formation, with Darian and Niara at the center.

"Advance!!!"

The three leaders coordinated the formation together. The first phase of the tactic was simple: the tanks formed the defensive line, holding off the enemies at the front, while the Mages attacked from range. The supports, of course, assisted everyone. That way, they defeated enemies and advanced at a steady pace.

Meanwhile, the Fighters stayed back during this phase, waiting for the second one to begin. As the tanks got exhausted, the formation shifted completely — two-thirds of them fell back to rest while the Fighters moved up and took the front. That was the most delicate part; any mistake could cause total collapse.

Over time, the tanks would rotate until everyone had rested, then they'd return to the initial formation.

All this while fighting, killing enemies, and constantly moving forward together. The leaders had to coordinate everything, and their goal was to cover ten kilometers in one hour, reaching the next line in a single day.

Darian and Niara stayed silent, just watching.

They wouldn't let anyone die because of a single mistake. Niara would save them and bring them back for Darian to heal. But he had already told everyone: helping once was fine, but if someone recklessly put themselves in danger again, beyond what the supports could save, he wouldn't help a second time.

At first, the initial phase and formation worked perfectly. They were advancing at the planned pace.

The Black Blood didn't have physically strong bodies. The Mannaz could fight them with martial arts, while the Spiritual Guardians focused on taking them down.

That race left no corpses behind — when they died, their entire bodies exploded, releasing pure Celestial essence ready to be absorbed. Their Bloodline also splattered everywhere.

Among the Mannaz, 99% carried the Enfield Bloodline, and as they absorbed it, a powerful aura began to flow from them.

For the first time, Darian saw a Mannaz grow much stronger on their own, without any help from their partner. With each defeated enemy, they became visibly stronger and more euphoric. That place was truly a paradise for them.

After almost two hours, it was time to shift formation. Within minutes, Niara started moving, saving several people in quick succession.

"Damn it! Are you stupid? Don't get carried away by that feeling building up inside you! You pushed too far and almost got yourself killed!" Niara roared at a Mannaz after saving him and Darian healing him.

That was another part of the test. After a Mannaz absorbed Celestial essence, a feeling similar to what the Black Blood felt when devouring life began to rise within them. It made them drunk with excitement, reckless enough to die like idiots.

"B-Boss, something's weird. So many of them died, but why's their morale still fine? They even look like they're getting stronger?"

Suddenly, leader Yancy turned to Darian with a thoughtful expression. Darian sighed — thanks to Remira, he was already used to being called Boss. But she was right, showing sharp observation.

The Black Blood kept advancing, completely ignoring their losses. Even knowing they'd die the next second, they still rushed forward. What kind of terrifying willpower did it take to keep fighting like that?

"This is their innate nature, inherited from the Heavenly Beasts. They're all connected and can even send mental messages to each other over long distances. But these bastards here are a bit different... when one of them dies, besides releasing celestial essence, it also releases a bit of Bloodline blood that stimulates the others around it. It seems to be a defense mechanism of their race, one that drives them insane and makes them lose their sanity."

"Once they're affected by that stimulus, their minds go blank, and all they know is how to kill. You can't judge them the same way you judge humans from Earth. Right now, they're nothing more than humanoid killing beasts. They might even be more deranged than the worst human you've ever seen. They've already lost their sense of identity — and only death can make them stop."

Hearing that, the three leaders took deep breaths, feeling a rush of excitement. Darian had just given them a major hint — a reward for one of their observations.

Now that they understood the madness of their enemies, controlling the flow of battle became much easier. They were like brainless beasts, just charging forward and attacking without thinking. By using their weapons, pills, talismans, and every resource they had prepared, they could create countless traps that only completely idiotic enemies would fall for.

After that, everything changed, and the situation stabilized.

The three leaders started focusing on supporting those who had already received aid and could die if they failed, all while continuing to kill and move forward.

Darian and Niara just watched, observing the situation with satisfaction. Soon, Caius and Norio began asking questions about the formation after realizing they could adapt it. Darian answered calmly, approving their insight.

And so, instead of slowing down, their advance became even faster.

The army formation was like a spinning blade cutting forward, slaughtering everything in its path. As they advanced, the entire ground behind them became drenched with the Bloodline of those creatures.

...

Time passed slowly — precisely twenty hours.

At that point, they could already see a sunlit area ahead. It was the next line, where they could finally rest.

All two hundred and fifty thousand had escaped death countless times during those hours, but in the end, they all managed to survive.

However, as time went on, the power of their rings started to fade, and their recovery pills were running out. Even though they were still fighting bravely, they were utterly exhausted.

But... they were almost there...

**ROOOAR!!!**

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the Root World. The ground shook, and gigantic figures started appearing... they were coming from the Line of Life ahead!

"What the hell..." Niara muttered in shock.

According to Darian's explanation, that shouldn't have been possible. And the worst part...

They were hundreds of humanoid figures, each over five meters tall — and in every one of their eyes...

...there were five circles.

Because they were so tall, everyone in the army could clearly see them — and their hearts froze. The morale and joy they'd felt were completely replaced by fear.

There should have been only two of those beings in that world. But...

At the center of them, a figure suddenly gave a sinister smile. In that instant, even Darian narrowed his eyes, his expression turning deadly serious.

"Eight... eight circles..." Yancy stammered, feeling like his soul had just left his body.

**ROAAAAR!!!**

The initial roar had come from that figure — and now it roared again. But this time, the entire world lit up, swallowed by a terrifying red energy.

It opened its mouth, and the world fell silent.

The Bloodline blood of the dead, staining the ground along the entire path the army had marched, began to rise into the air, flying toward it — merging with its body and granting it even more power.

Its radiance grew and grew, making time and space crack around it.

From its mouth, an overwhelming aura made it painfully clear what was about to happen...

It was gathering energy for a devastating long-range attack.

"Holy shit... that level of power... Dan..." Niara sensed it and turned toward Darian.

He snorted and nodded. "It's got offensive power equal to someone with nine rings. Possibly, not even the three Emperors of Earth together could unleash an attack on that level."

Hearing that, the three leaders went completely pale. That level of power was simply impossible to resist. They were as good as dead.