Damned Healer-Chapter 531: Secret Technique

"Older brother, I'm Thulon, and she's Thulya. May I know your name?" the Golem man asked.

"Darian."

"Sir Darian, the mountain valley is right ahead. If it weren't for the invaders... we would've made it." The young man called Thulon spoke while clenching his fists in anger as they walked.

Darian murmured indifferently, "You were really unlucky. This forest looks pretty simple compared to the others on the planet. There shouldn't be anyone here, but even in such a huge place, you still managed to run into them."

"Hehe, you can't say it like that. Didn't we also run into Sir? That means our luck isn't that bad," the woman called Thulya laughed. She had already recovered from the shock and fear.

Darian noticed that both had a subtle energy flowing outward only through their four limbs, not through their whole bodies. Aurix had explained to him before that this was a trait of people in this universe who were in the eighth Celestial realm.

In theory, the two of them, at that power level, using the secret technique only the Golems of this planet knew, could've put up a decent fight against those five with seven rings. This couple looked very inexperienced in real battles, so they likely wouldn't win; but even so, they should have been able to fight back at least a little.

Something was wrong with them. Even after the Spiritual Guardian's curse disappeared, they still felt way too weak. Darian thought about asking, but stayed quiet.

"Actually, we..." Thulon noticed Darian's gaze and, after a moment of hesitation, opened his mouth to explain.

"We're here." Darian cut him off quickly, "Let's split up to search, but don't go too far. Everyone needs to stay within sight. If you find anything dangerous, shout."

Thulon was grateful. Darian was trying not to make things hard for him. After all, this was related to the Golems' secrets.

The three entered the mountain valley and scattered. They stayed within a kilometer of each other, so Darian could handle any sudden change.

Darian searched with his senses through each nearby herb, analyzing carefully. These two Golems had said that a Star-Lotus existed here, since they could sense it because of their connection to the earth.

Tir had the same ability, and Darian could use him to find it quickly. But to do that properly, Tir would need to assume his metamorphosis and use only his Earth power at full strength.

Right now, the three of them, when in that form, were extremely vulnerable to surprise attacks. If a strong power hit them, the metamorphosed body would vanish, and a wound would appear in their souls. Darian could heal that without any problem, but in the middle of a possible battle, that could be troublesome.

So he agreed with the three that whenever they were in a dangerous environment, they should stay quiet, in dagger form, ready to fight.

"AH!"

A few minutes later, a scream from Thulya echoed. Darian rushed over immediately, his dagger already in hand.

He didn't feel any karma from nearby Spiritual Guardians. But he didn't know much about these Golems, and maybe there were divisions and conflicts among them. So he thought it could be an aggressive Golem.

But when he arrived, he didn't see anything near Thulya. She hadn't been attacked. Seeing her completely fine, Darian scolded her, "Why are you screaming?"

Thulya blushed and spoke quickly, "I'm sorry, I found the Star-Lotus!" She pointed to a small lotus with a glow that constantly shifted colors, just a few centimeters tall, floating softly in a corner of the vegetation.

Darian sighed, then moved and carefully extracted the lotus, sealing its energy entirely. When Thulon approached, he handed it to him.

"Thank you, Sir Darian!" Thulon was infinitely grateful.

Darian nodded. He was about to say something...

...when suddenly he turned around and punched the ground.

*BOOM!*

Darian's fist hit a metal spear rising from the soil. The entire ground shook. A powerful shockwave threw Thulon and Thulya through the air.

Darian was surprised because this attack had a peculiar, subtle power mixed with the Earth element. Without hesitation, he slashed backward with the dagger.

Their ambusher was just a few meters away, and Darian hadn't sensed him approaching at all. He was a tall man, half his body covered in silver and white metals. Without a doubt, a Golem.

The reason Darian hadn't sensed him was because he was getting used to not feeling people's karma; this situation with the Golems was a very new experience. And also... because there wasn't even the slightest chance this person could do anything to him. He was just an ant, and Darian's instincts simply ignored him.

The Golem was clearly shocked, not expecting Darian to block his attack.

Without exchanging a single word, Darian's dagger moved with the wind; it was like an enraged lightning bolt. His attack angle was exactly the hardest for the Golem man to block.

The Golem felt it was too late to use his spear, so he used his arms instead, which pulsed with Earth power.

*BOOM!*

With a loud crash, both of the man's arms were thrown back violently.

Darian was slightly surprised. What kind of person used only bare arms to block his attack? It wasn't just the defense from the Earth element; that other strange and powerful energy had helped him.

But even though this person managed to block the strike, he still couldn't withstand the immense force. He lost his balance and was thrown far away.

When he hurried to stand again, Darian took just one step; his image blurred, then he appeared behind the Golem.

His dagger slashed again, and now he intended to finish it.

"Sir Darian, don't do it!" Thulon and Thulya screamed in panic.

Everything happened way too fast, and Darian was simply far too quick. But he sighed and withdrew his killing intent, striking the man's back with only his physical strength.

*CRACK!*

The man shot off like a falling star. He crashed into the ground and kept rolling for several kilometers. The whole valley trembled; along the way, he vomited a good amount of blood... but he didn't die.

Thulon and Thulya let out a relieved sigh. They were pale from fear. Now there were more than ten people beside them, and the leader was a tall woman, with her body almost completely humanoid; only the most critical parts were covered by white metal. She stared at Darian intently.

"Next time, can you scream faster?" Darian muttered harshly.

If they hadn't screamed, Darian would've killed that Golem and then gone after all the others for real, killing everyone in a few seconds. It had been *very* close. But it seemed they weren't exactly enemies.

Thulon swallowed hard, feeling his heart racing. That man, and all the others, were in the ninth Celestial realm; even so, Darian didn't seem to take any of them seriously. He hadn't expected Darian to be *that* powerful.

"Who are you? What's your goal in getting close to Thulon?" the leader woman asked coldly, staring at Darian with caution.

"Big sister Lutecia, Sir Darian isn't a bad person. He-" Thulya tried to explain quickly.

"What the hell are you talking about?! The invaders are all extremely evil people. They use all kinds of sinister schemes. Maybe he can fool you two, but he won't fool me." The woman spoke sharply, then glared coldly at Thulon. "Who told you two you could run off like that? Do you have any idea how worried everyone was?"

"I know, sister Lutecia. We were looking for the Star-Lotus for Aunt Thulina", Thulon murmured and lowered his head.

"You… you're about to turn three hundred years old. When are you going to grow up?! I know a Star-Lotus appearing is extremely rare, but this is the worst possible time to harvest it. You don't want to see your aunt Thulina suffering, but if something happened to you now, wouldn't that make her suffer even more?"

That woman's tone was harsh, but the way she gently stroked Thulon's cheek showed something else.

"Humph, how many times have we told you already? Invaders are all despicable, shameless tricksters. How could you be stupid enough to trust them, for fuck's sake?!" The Golem man who had been thrown by Darian now stood in front of Thulon, roaring furiously.

"Sir Darian isn't a bad person!" Thulon didn't talk back to the woman's words, but he instantly got angry when that man spoke.

"Don't be pathetic, brat. Invaders are enemies, and how can enemies be good people?!" the man growled imperiously.

"Don't use that tone. Thulon is the future heir of the tribe. Respect his position." That leader woman called Lutecia immediately countered, protecting Thulon.

"Humph, someone without a brain is only going to cause trouble for everyone else," that Golem man grumbled disdainfully, "How can someone who can't even understand the bigger picture be the tribe's leader? Besides, his talent is only average at best. People are supposed to accept being led by someone like that?"

"Gaddol, you've gone too far!" Lutecia snapped.

"How did I go too far? This is just my temper. You know me," Gaddol said stubbornly.

"How dramatic..." Darian finally cut into the argument with a lazy voice. "I still have things to do, so I'm leaving. Little bro, see you later!" Darian waved at Thulon and turned to leave.

"Who said you could leave!" Gaddol shouted. Everyone immediately surrounded Darian. They were at the peak of this universe's power, wearing very hostile expressions.

Darian narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "I didn't kill you back there because of those two. But if anyone tries to stop me now, don't blame me for starting a massacre."

"Big sister Lutecia, don't do that! Sir Darian saved our lives and also helped us find the Star-Lotus! Look!"

Thulon panicked when he saw a battle about to start and quickly showed the Star-Lotus. He hurriedly explained everything they had experienced with Darian.

"You're telling the truth?" Lutecia asked, surprised.

"Of course it's the truth! Don't fight! We're all on the same side!" Thulya said.

"Everyone, fall back!" Lutecia ordered. Most people moved closer to her. Only three kept surrounding Darian, and one of them was Gaddol.

Lutecia's expression hardened. That guy was getting more and more uncontrollable, "Gaddol, what do you think you're doing?"

"Humph, did you forget our ancestors' rules? Invaders are enemies who can't be trusted in any way! You intend to violate the ancestors' rules?" Gaddol shouted.

Darian's attack had humiliated him, and now he wanted to join the others to kill him.

Darian said nothing. He just watched. If any of them dared to attack, he would kill them, no matter what they said. He definitely wouldn't tolerate people like that.

The only Golem he had met in the past had a pure white karma and a childlike mind without any malice. That was because he spent his life sleeping and elevating himself for countless years; he had kept his natural body.

But on this planet, apparently taking on an almost completely flesh-and-bone form seemed to be a rule. So they lived day-to-day like normal people.

"I don't need you to teach me the rules. He saved Thulon and Thulya, so he is a benefactor to our tribe. Forgetting gratitude is also forbidden, according to the ancestral teachings. This matter can't be decided by me, nor by you. The tribe leader will naturally make the decision. For now, we must return as quickly as possible. Don't make me become hostile toward you." Lutecia spoke as her expression grew increasingly severe. Her position was clearly the highest there.

"Humph." Gaddol snorted and backed away with the other two, but he kept staring at Darian intently.

"Your name is Darian, right?" Lutecia asked with a slightly gentler expression.

"There's no need to waste time", Darian shook his head and was about to leave. "I only saved them because I saw they didn't abandon each other even when faced with death. No need to thank me. I just do whatever I want. So now I'm leaving, I'm really not in the mood to watch your melodramatic internal drama."

"Sir Darian, don't leave. Come back with us to the tribe so we can thank you," Thulya said sincerely, tugging on his sleeve.

"I appreciate the thought, but there's no need. You already helped me by saying the temple will open in seven days, that already repays your debt. Now I'll wait quietly for the days to pass." Darian pulled away politely.

Seeing Darian refuse to go back with them, Thulya and Thulon looked a bit disappointed. Gaddol suddenly sneered: "I knew he was scheming against you two. He's afraid of being exposed, that's why he doesn't dare to come."

"Save your shallow provocations for children. It's embarrassing to watch," Darian retorted. As expected, wherever there were people, there were always idiots.

"Darian, I can guarantee your safety with my own head. Our tribe has its own pride, and we would never harm someone who helped us. Besides, you've got these free days, and you intend to search for the treasures of our planet, right? Who knows this place better than us who live here?" Lutecia said calmly.

Darian sighed with a troubled expression, but inside, he was excited. He *did* want to understand these Golems better, so his plans could flow perfectly. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

That other Golem he'd met in the past was someone good and rare, but he didn't have Heaven's Will protecting him like these here. Since Darian couldn't see or feel their Karma, he could only rely on his instincts and experience.

He turned around, noticing the hopeful looks from Thulon and Thulya, as well as Lutecia's upright posture. They seemed trustworthy.

"Well… if I keep refusing, I'll look like someone who doesn't know how to appreciate kindness." Darian said with a faint sigh.

Seeing Darian agree, Thulon smiled excitedly. Gaddol just looked at him with a bit of disdain, but said nothing.

They continued on and crossed seven large mountains.

Darian still couldn't feel anything inside these Golems, but the subtle auras flowing out from everyone's bodies began to grow as they walked.

Lutecia was surprised when she noticed Darian's gaze; he had noticed something almost imperceptible. So she took the initiative and said:

"Yes, we can't use our full power when we're too far from home. Normally, it's not like this, but when invaders arrive, and the entire planet changes in anticipation of the Temple's opening, this happens. We're forced to stay hidden in our homes… but eventually we need to go out, to save the newborns and bring them from the temple. In the end, fighting is inevitable."

Darian nodded. Their secret technique was the cause of all this, and he was getting more and more curious. Receiving their technique in less than seven days sounded like a dream. But… seeing it being used to the max in battle would already be enough.

His senses focused on Gaddol. In that earlier attack, he had felt a trace of that power coming from him. Darian smiled lightly; that idiot just needed a bit more incentive.

They walked for a while longer until Lutecia suddenly stopped.

She touched a tree identical to all the others, then a white light appeared on the trunk.

Spatial runes flowed in an area around the group. After a few moments, a spatial distortion swallowed them. The next second, Darian noticed he had appeared in the middle of a huge tribe.