Damned Healer-Chapter 547: First Rule

After the first sun was born in that galaxy, everything started to change on the nearby planets. Darian returned to the Academy and met everyone again, and just like Niara said, all the Spiritual Guardians were extremely calm and well; they knew they had only been expelled from their homes temporarily.

Millions of humans from Earth were living there. The common humans, now that there was a sun and Shadowheart Planet had a Gaia again, could live there indefinitely. But Darian didn't plan to make them wait for long.

Darian told everyone about the Rank S mission that would happen a year from now, in Earth universe time. Then he started the preparations, selecting 700 outstanding humans.

He didn't forget to check their karma. Most of them had a normal black karma, with about a dozen being a bit lighter than the rest.

After that, he focused on the black core in his fist. Inside it, a massive amount of energy from Heaven's Will was stored. It was the stolen blessing from those 700 in that past event.

Darian killed all of them, using the same thing his Heart Demon used to kill that blessed girl a long time ago. The technique, which he now named Nightmare Flames, had that very specific potential. In the past, the blessing had been given to Irana, and now that he discovered people with that had a higher chance of becoming immortals, he used that event to steal everything he could. (Chapter 285)

Quickly, 700 new blessed ones were born. Then Darian made them each select 5 common Spiritual Guardians and form a group. They would all go to the Rank S mission together, and from now on, train day and night.

Lucy, Lucius, and the others from the clan who received the blessing as a reward from the Rookie Tournament also created their groups.

They had one year. But because of the time difference between the two universes, it would take 365 years if they stayed only in this universe.

Darian wouldn't make them train that long, because having extra time doesn't mean they would become stronger. The Risen Lords wouldn't throw themselves at them to help them train, so they would quickly reach their peak strength, then find no worthy opponents, and stop evolving.

Reaching nine rings while fighting only weak Risen like ants wouldn't bring real power; if they did that, once they went on the mission, they would be crushed by people who actually trained and fought for real.

So, since Niara could take them back whenever they wanted, Darian came up with a more solid training schedule. They would train for a time in each universe, going to Dharma Planet, Vadise, and Devil World, and taking missions as Spiritual Guardians of those planets.

Darian had already asked Aurix before: any Spiritual Guardian could do missions for any planet, as long as they met the mission's requirements. That obviously almost never happened, because the profit would end up going to the planet that received them.

They could even return to Earth and stay in the other two allied territories. But they could be attacked again at any moment by the Wube family, and Niara and Darian couldn't stay there all the time to save them in emergencies.

So everyone focused as much as possible on improving themselves.

***

Time passed very quickly. Right now, Darian was on Shadowheart Planet, focused on absorbing all the Merit Power into his four cores.

*Crack*

In that instant, Gaia's core shattered and reformed again. In the end, Darian took a deep breath.

'Seventh Realm... finally, all four cores matched my seven rings.' he thought, relieved and satisfied.

Currently, in the Divine Protection Universe, he had already recovered 5 galaxies. As for those who would go on the mission, almost all who hadn't reached nine rings before had now reached that mark.

Only Lucius, who was blessed but lost the power to advance his seven rings, stayed at seven. But the power of the Shadow Lord that Darian created in him advanced to the limit thanks to Veyle's pills. Meaning, he wasn't left behind, though he still needed to test that power in practice.

Darian hadn't gone beyond seven rings either, but his power... he felt it had at least tripled now that he managed to evolve all four cores.

'It's like I have five sets of seven rings...' Darian murmured mentally, completely stunned, feeling terrifying power flowing through his body. All the effort was worth it.

Darian opened his eyes. Then he saw Niara in front of him, waiting with a slight smile on her face.

"Did you manage it?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm in the seventh realm of my four cores, too. We're on equal levels, hehe..."

Darian nodded, still a bit confused, not understanding why she was so excited about that. She didn't have rings, but she had the primordial core, which had been drastically improved after absorbing the three primordial hearts earlier. Now, with four cores, Niara also multiplied her strength and didn't depend only on her blessing or her Bloodline power to fight.

"It's time to go back. I also have to select the five members of my group." Darian murmured, standing up.

Niara narrowed her eyes with a very complicated expression. "About that... she still hasn't come back. Did you really have to promise her that?"

"Couldn't avoid it." Darian huffed, "Trust her a little. You worked so hard to teach her, after all."

Niara nodded with a very worried look. Darian moved and took her hand, gently leading her outside the Academy's main building.

Outside, a crowd of thousands awaited him.

When Darian arrived, he looked at the common Spiritual Guardians who still didn't have a group; they all trained together, even those who wouldn't go on the mission.

Their expressions were absolutely tense, full of expectations. After a few seconds...

"Lihan and Tizol, you two improved a lot during this time."

He called those two beasts of the Crimson Storm Talon race, whom he met and helped in Vadise. Now they had nine rings and had devoted themselves to the maximum day and night, dreaming of this day. Their eyes trembled as they felt the joy of being recognized.

Darian turned to two other familiar faces, nodding in approval. "Matteo and Zelkov, I'll need two Tanks to protect those two."

Matteo was an old face from the Earth clan. Zelkov, surprisingly, had developed a lot in combat during this time, even though that wasn't his focus. Out of the four, he was still the weakest, even though all had nine rings, but he had something none of the others had: wisdom and lots of study.

With Zelkov in the group, Darian didn't need to worry about commanding them. And his combat skills had reached a decent and acceptable level, so he was very welcome in the group.

After those four, Darian needed one last member. He had two Fighters and two Tanks, so he needed a support or a mage to complete the team. He carefully observed all the options. Until...

*Buzz*

The skies trembled, and Darian lifted his gaze.

In the blue sky, brightly lit by a newborn sun, a stunningly beautiful female figure appeared.

Her dark wings moved with a subtle grace, while her brown hair danced in the wind. Her face, bathed in daylight, held a delicate beauty that highlighted her emerald-green eyes and the two violet-toned horns.

Her black corset dress, with its wide white sleeves, outlined her feminine curves, giving her a magnetic charm impossible to ignore. From just above the knees downward, her legs and long tail were covered in bright violet scales that matched her horns, giving her an exotic and fascinating air.

No one could deny it: she was a terrifyingly beautiful Dragoness, a sight that, beside Niara, would be a calamity for the hearts of any young men.

With a sharp and determined look, she locked her eyes on Darian as she descended from the clouds.

She landed lightly in front of him and Niara. Her height was slightly below the two of them, standing at one meter and sixty-five.

"Papa Dan... you promised. I got enough." Her voice came out serious and steady as she clenched her fists tightly.

Lucy and Veyle, nearby, sighed with a small smile. That little girl they once cared for and taught was now a grown, determined woman.

During the time Darian had to prepare for the mission, with him and everyone switching between universes, a total of 16 years passed for Alear. She was now 17, and with her fast physical growth, she had a very mature appearance.

Since the egg had been rebuilt from zero and sealed, when Darian removed the seal on Earth, the laws of that universe automatically connected to her, as if she had been conceived by people from that universe. When she was born, she became someone of that universe entirely.

Darian didn't notice that detail until, at 13, Alear went through an awakening.

She was technically a Mannaz, but she had everything necessary to become a Spiritual Guardian. That shocked everyone, but soon that shock turned into something much greater...

...Alear was an abomination, because all awakened ones needed a Mannaz partner to use their primordial Bloodline and ascend their spiritual root. But she... already had everything within herself.

Because of that, she used her own Bloodline and created her own spiritual root, becoming the first Mannaz Spiritual Guardian, and that without any partner or contract. She was self-sufficient and, even worse... had a terrifying, almost unbelievable talent.

That was because her body had been nurtured and purified by primordial power, and also because... in her other life, when she was Darian's and the twins' mother, even though she never awakened, she was trained to be a Spiritual Guardian from early on. Everyone in the family said she was a rare talent, but unfortunately, was doomed to remain just an ordinary human.

Meaning, she was a perfect combination of natural talent of soul and body. Because of that, in just four years, she reached six rings.

Knowing about the mission Darian would go on, and with less than a month before his departure, Alear made Darian promise to take her if she reached seven rings, which was the bare minimum. Darian couldn't deny her anything, so he simply agreed.

So, she ran off alone to a galaxy dominated by the Risen and killed the strongest ones day and night; all that without drawing the attention of any Risen Lords, or she'd be doomed.

Niara and Lucy were extremely worried and tried to make Darian go after her and bring her back. But... Darian couldn't do that. He himself had done things far more dangerous while being much weaker and having far fewer abilities than she.

He trusted that the one he raised as his daughter, and helped train and grow with the utmost care, would be capable of it.

Now, she arrived at the last moment.

Darian observed her carefully, sensing a dense Merit Power in her. She still had six rings, but with that amount, she would reach seven effortlessly when they returned.

He took a deep breath. "It'll be very dangerous and risky. But..." He looked into those beautiful green eyes, sensing an unbreakable will. She knew all the responsibility he carried, so she gave everything she had to help him.

"We raised you to be a strong woman who can handle herself. Alright, if this is truly what you want. From today on, you'll fight at my side as an ally I trust. No longer as someone I need to protect."

Her eyes trembled, but she bit her lips, forcing herself to hold back her tears.

Darian narrowed his eyes at that. "First rule: I can't stand people pretending to be tough or someone they're not. You're not a child anymore. If you want to do something, do it without fear. Who has the guts to judge you? Being strong doesn't mean being emotionless."

"Y-yes!" After hearing that, she spoke with a wide smile. It was like a dam had burst open. But now, she didn't hesitate and jumped into him, hugging him tight so no one could see her cry.