Damned Healer-Chapter 678: Desperate Moves (2)

The entire sea of scarlet magma began to evaporate. Then, countless tiny runes, shining like stars, appeared and drifted in every direction. Those were primordial bloodline runes, belonging to the countless Mannaz who had died in the past.

"Since you came in person to hand over your life, I'll finish you once and for all!"

The Celestial Shadow shouted, and then the world lost its color as all the runes pulsed with their full power and violently rushed toward him.

Darian took a deep breath. This idiot was truly desperate to choose to absorb that.

In that cemetery, only the Enfield and Divine Dragon bloodlines existed. Since the three of them were Primordial Beasts, there was a familial connection between them. Because of that, the Celestial Shadow could forcibly absorb it.

But even if it was close to him, it didn't belong to him. Darian knew this was possible, but he didn't expect him to actually do it. That was because once he absorbed everything, there would be no turning back; his physical body would collapse shortly after.

It was like taking a poisonous medicine. The instant he swallowed it, it would fix his problems and give him massive energy. But at the same time, the poison would seep into his entire existence.

Doing this would grant him tremendous temporary power. But shortly after, his primordial body would no longer be usable. He chose to sacrifice something extremely special, something created by the universe itself.

His soul could still exist within the universe, and he wouldn't completely lose his abilities, but he would never again have such a perfect body. Even if he found a way to create something similar, it would never be the same. Without his primordial body, he could never break his limits and go beyond.

"HAHAHAH!"

His thunderous laughter echoed, full of malice. Not just inside the cemetery, but throughout the entire universe, everyone could hear it.

All the bloodline runes moved and were absorbed into his body, so fast that it was impossible to do anything.

Alear had a tense expression, then turned toward Darian and Niara…

…the calm on Darian's face and the ironic smile on Niara's made her stop breathing.

No one moved, and after ten seconds, everything vanished.

The sea of scarlet magma was gone.

At the center of it all, a diabolical colossus trembled, making the world shake with it.

His figure radiated power. He had healed his bodily wounds by sacrificing the Risen Lords. Now, he had fully recovered all of his internal power. Not only that, his strength was above its peak. A level he had never possessed before now flowed through his body.

"Oh? Is it fun to play with what isn't yours?" Niara's mocking voice suddenly echoed.

The Celestial Shadow turned toward her coldly.

Then, within her hypnotic amber eyes, he felt something instinctively.

"!"

Every scale on his body bristled.

"You! N-no, that's impossible!"

He stammered, shaken, trying to escape those thoughts.

Staring into those eyes, it was as if he was thrown back in time, to a distant era, when a very similar pair of eyes had humiliated and beaten him. That was the greatest turning point of his life, when he decided never to trust anyone again, and especially never to be weak.

Niara placed her hand at the center of her chest. Then, a light emerged.

*Resurgence of the Divine Dragon*

The entire environment suddenly froze.

The whole universe resonated in sync with her.

The Primordial Cemetery seemed to be covered by a pure greenish aura, like primordial mist, something that only existed at the very beginning of time.

The Celestial Shadow was completely paralyzed, eyes locked forward.

Then, a gigantic pair of eyes opened in the void. The shadow of a colossal serpentine body twisted above his head. The manifestation of the Divine Dragon appeared in all its glory.

"N-no… impossible!"

He shouted in complete shock.

Niara snorted, her body shining as if she were the center of the world.

"Give back what's mine!"

*CRACK!*

Suddenly, the sound of the Celestial Shadow's scales shattering echoed violently.

It was as if he had been completely pierced through, and from every part of his body, points of light leaked outward.

The Celestial Shadow felt indescribable pain in both soul and mind, yet his eyes didn't move, remaining locked onto that Dragoness.

Because the Primordial Dragon bloodline was incomparable to Enfield's, in the distant past of the universe, the Mannaz with draconic bloodlines were the greatest force in existence.

Because of that, two-thirds of the Mannaz who refined to create that cemetery possessed the draconic bloodline.

Now…

Everything was returning to its true owner. Everything was absorbed effortlessly into her body, like a child returning home after a long time away.

Niara took a deep breath, and the manifestation of the Divine Dragon behind her breathed in perfect sync.

"How did you come back!!" the Celestial Shadow shouted, trembling completely, revealing a fear he never imagined he could feel again.

Now the Celestial Shadow was certain. That shadow in the form of the Divine Dragon wasn't an illusion, but a reflection born from the very core of that Dragoness.

Niara relaxed her body, feeling the vast bloodline within her settle with ease. She looked at him without any expression.

"Came back? I never went anywhere," she replied plainly, not truly understanding why he asked. Even so, her answer was strangely accurate.

Darian took a step forward, Tir appearing in his hands.

Niara also stepped forward.

The two of them weren't here to play around, and they didn't want to give him any extra chances. Darian had only waited until now because he wanted to see this enemy's hidden cards; now, he was convinced the Celestial Shadow had used everything, or he wouldn't have made such a desperate move.

At that moment, the Celestial Shadow instinctively retreated.

He was genuinely terrified. The Divine Dragon couldn't have reincarnated as a mortal; she had only escaped because she completely destroyed her own soul!

"Where did all that courage from before go?" Niara mocked.

At that instant, that figure lost two-thirds of his newly acquired power. To make things worse, when Niara forcibly expelled his bloodline, due to his mental instability, the poisonous part from Enfield began to surface earlier, contaminating him.

The Celestial Shadow gritted his teeth. His body stabilized, and the contamination froze in place.

He still had plenty of power and could fight, but all his momentum was gone, and the remaining time with that body became far shorter.

*Violet Sky Manifest* 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

With a shout, Alear also activated her manifestation.

She seemed to vanish, entering the void. At the same time, the entire sky turned a brilliant violet. It didn't clash with Niara's manifestation, instead intertwining and merging with it perfectly.

Before the Celestial Shadow could even process what was happening…

Darian appeared behind him like a ghost. In his hands, Tir lit up with a yellow, earthen power, blazing intensely.

But…

The yellow light suddenly changed, taking on purple and black hues, like pulsing, demonic veins.

"Anti-life!" the Celestial Shadow roared in despair, recognizing it.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.