Damned Healer-Chapter 526: Aggressor And Attacker

"Wow!"

The excited shout came from right next to Darian. He turned and saw Alear in Niara's arms, her eyes shining with excitement.

It was her first time in the Divine Protection Universe. Seeing herself on that peculiar planet, where there was no sun but everything was lit by a glow coming from the plants and the completely abnormal nature, she was fascinated. Everything on that planet was colorful and kind of gloomy, but still interesting and different.

Howlyn ran toward where Darian and the dozens of people who had arrived were. Then she saw little Alear, and her gaze grew distant.

Other people from the Academy also saw her, remembering Lanalia and feeling guilty inside for her death. But that only lasted a few seconds, because as soon as they saw that radiant child being cared for by Niara and the others, they felt Lanalia would be really happy now.

"Summon all warriors. We'll prepare the attack on the next galaxy. It's already time for us to take back the third one." Darian spoke lightly, making everyone in the Academy tremble with excitement.

They gathered with Howlyn. Then she explained all the nearby galaxy options. But Darian had other plans.

"Which galaxy has a big Academy that's the closest?"

Howlyn took a deep breath. "The Enfield Academy, which used to be number one of its kind in the past, is just a few galaxies away. But… a Risen Lord I know still watches over that place right now."

"Great, prepare everyone. We're attacking that place." Darian said indifferently, "The Celestial Shadow had its recovery drastically pushed back by me. He definitely won't act arrogantly or underestimate me anymore. He must have already understood that any chance he gives me, I'm going to use it to stab him in the back; next time, it might be his end."

Howlyn nodded, feeling her blood boil.

"Possibly, if we strike that galaxy with overwhelming force, even if the Risen Lord asks for help, the Celestial Shadow will ignore it and let him die. After all, he doesn't want to risk anything else and will focus on recovering with maximum safety. I already killed those two who were stronger than the Risen Lords; sending anyone now may as well be sending me an offering."

Niara, who was listening, clenched her fists. "He's definitely that kind of coward. Good, let's take back all the Academies!"

Darian sighed, shaking his head. "He's not an idiot. After I take back that other big Academy, he'll order all his subordinates guarding the others to make preparations. If I try attacking and conquering those places, they'll destroy everything without leaving anything for me."

Niara heard that, and her expression changed.

"Well, who cares about the Academies? We'll take back as many territories as we can, so people can live in them and multiply without fear. In the end, the galaxies are also full of Risen, and I'll be able to raise my rings along with everyone." Darian finished calmly.

After the orders, everyone who made up the combat army prepared themselves. Among them were the Heavenly Elemental Spirits and several other races that filled that entire galaxy.

Veyle wouldn't fight; she would stay in the Academy focused on making the pills, and she would also take care of Alear. That whole galaxy had been purified of the Risen, and there was no danger at all.

On the edges of the galaxy, where sometimes openings appeared, and weaker Risen managed to invade — just like in the other galaxy — Howlyn placed the most powerful races that Darian brought to live on the planets.

They were the guardians, preventing any invasion. And if something abnormal or stronger appeared, they could call everyone quickly. The whole galaxy had become a fortress.

...

A few days later, everyone was ready.

Besides the local army, Darian had hundreds of thousands of Spiritual Guardians coming from all his allied planets — including the fifty new, weaker planets that were just starting to train.

But they weren't the usual Spiritual Guardians of this universe. They were all in their true bodies; they would fight with 100% of their strength, not 30% like was normal when coming to this place. By their side were their partners, fully equipped with top-level weapons and pills.

The difference was absurd. In the past, it was almost impossible for a Risen Lord to die, because even the Spiritual Guardians with nine rings, having only a portion of their strength, couldn't match them.

But now, everything had changed completely.

"GO!"

Niara roared, her fist stretched forward and her wings spreading open, while she stood on top of a flying ship loaded with people.

"EEEEEH!"

On the ground, in Veyle's arms, little Alear also roared with her tiny fist raised up, imitating Niara.

Darian let out a light laugh. And so, everyone departed.

...

Just like in the other galaxies with a taken Academy, that one had four planets that were the pillars of the protective inscription. And the central planet, where everything was, was the core of all power.

And just like in the galaxy Darian took before, on those four planets tied to the inscription, Howlyn had created, in the past, the mechanism that made it easier to create weapons with cores.

In other words, in those places, there were thousands of souls of traitor Spiritual Guardians that Howlyn enslaved eternally to be used.

That was Darian's third major prize in that galaxy. The number of his Shadow Heroes was pretty limited, and he wanted to start distributing everything to as many people as possible. So he needed more.

That's why Lucy, Lucius, Zelkov, and Camille would lead four armies to attack those planets and seize the inscription. Meanwhile, Darian would attack his second main prize.

He quickly saw it ahead of him.

The central planet of that galaxy, in the past, was known as the 'Primordial Forest World'. That's because the planet was absurdly large — bigger than Jupiter from Earth's solar system — and all of it was covered by an enormous forest spanning every continent.

It was a paradise for the Mannaz with Enfield Bloodline who, unlike those with the Draconic Bloodline, preferred living close to nature.

But right now, that place was a colossal, round, black rock. All life had been gone forever.

At that moment, Darian, along with a dozen flying ships, arrived at the planet. He was anything but subtle.

Enough of always hiding and doing everything in fear. Now, he had finally become the aggressor and attacker.

"Destroy and kill."

His words were calm, but they echoed through the extreme darkness and emptiness of that planet.

*KILL!*

All the thousands on the flying ships leapt and roared with an unstoppable drive, yet still organized.

They moved in a perfect circle, advancing from all directions and clearing every Risen that existed there.

When the first deaths began to happen, Darian took a deep breath, feeling the karma of all the Risen being drawn to him and devoured.

He nodded, and his white power flowed like a sun, illuminating and cleansing the entire planet as the army advanced. With that, they had no fear of any corruption. If they were injured, they only needed to retreat a little and step into the white light to heal, then advance again.

Crashes, explosions, and beastly roars from the Risen echoed from all directions.

The divine, purifying light began to take over the whole planet slowly, until it reached a third of it. Then...

**RUMBLE!!**

A wave of extreme celestial corruption burst upward like an erupting volcano.

"Finally!"

Niara roared beside Darian, excited. She turned to him, and he nodded.

The two of them jumped together, heading straight toward the vile epicenter.

Inside, they saw an immense bestial figure, looking like a mix between an alligator and some dinosaur with wings. It was grotesque, but its red eyes and the celestial corruption left no doubt.

"Risen Lord!"

Everyone on the ground who was fighting shouted, seeing its appearance in the skies.

But soon, a green light illuminated the world, alongside another with the seven colors of the rainbow.

Everyone felt their hearts race. Then they watched the brutal clash that made time and space around the entire planet shatter completely.

Niara was the shield and the frontline, unleashing devastating punches and kicks that forced the Risen Lord back and cracked its body.

Darian, meanwhile, moved like a ghost through the shadows, wielding two daggers in his hands.

Every time he appeared, Eleri and Tir used their elemental forces to invade the enemy's body. Ice could freeze, and earth could petrify when used at a high level at the moment of weakness.

At the same time, when the Risen Lord tried to counterattack, a dagger appeared from the void at its blind spot, creating an even deeper wound in its body.

There was no possibility of defense. Niara and Darian worked together in perfect harmony as they slowly cornered that enemy toward its end.

Darian didn't want to use his white power to restrain it, as he needed every bit of it afterward. And besides, there was no need.

That Risen Lord was known by Howlyn, and she had told them she had fought him several times in the past. He wasn't particularly powerful; his attack patterns and weaknesses were known to her.

Compared to a Spiritual Guardian with nine rings, that Risen Lord would be below average in power, equal to the Earth Emperors. But thanks to the advantage that Spiritual Guardians could only fight with 30% of their power in this universe, he would never be defeated by them normally.

Darian, however, was the nemesis of the Risen, able to completely ignore corruption, which was their main force.

Adding these factors together, he and Niara were more than enough to finish this enemy quickly without losing much.

The battle stretched on for half an hour.

Fortunately, it went exactly as Darian expected. No help came to assist that Risen Lord; he was abandoned.

Until, with a piercing roar and consumed by hatred, Darian's dagger pierced its core, ending its life.

*BANG!*

The body plummeted from the skies with a crash.

In that instant, Niara froze, her eyes trembling and her fists clenched with all her strength.

"We defeated a Risen Lord..."

She murmured, feeling an indescribable emotion.

Her whole life of suffering, hardship, and effort... that she dedicated entirely to trying to save this universe... even with all her will, she never imagined she would truly reach this level.

Darian approached her calmly and gently held her hand.

She woke from her stupor as she felt his warmth, then turned to him. In front of those red eyes, it was as if her entire being had been warmed.

"We took the first step, and finally became the hunter instead of the prey. Come on, we still have a lot of work to do." He spoke calmly.