Damned Healer-Chapter 682: Timing Seems Perfect (2)

"B-but those three, after 18 years, should've recovered a lot of their strength by now," Lucy said quickly.

Darian had already heard from them about the outcome of that battle against the three Spiritual Sovereigns. In the end, all three had their bodies destroyed, with Haekla suffering severe damage to the soul and nearly disappearing.

Darian replied lightly, "A powerful body that's already fully formed ends up being shaped by the soul and the individual power of its user. Because of that, it's faster and more efficient for the three of them to create a new body from scratch; however, that requires a lot of time and effort. Besides, Caliris told me something peculiar..."

Basically, about five years ago, within their universe, Caliris's demon spies discovered something strange. Some people living on the planet Grandmist, the central planet of the Alvs, felt, for a brief moment, a subtle fluctuation that shouldn't have existed.

It was something everyone was sure about. Any Spiritual Guardian could easily recognize it. It was the same sensation as when the Mannaz activated their Bloodline to the maximum. In other words, it was the Bloodline of Enfield and the Divine Dragon.

"Most likely, planet Grandmist is where all five remaining weapons of the Divine Dragon and the seven of Enfield are being kept. Those three must have brought them into their universe to use them in some inscription or technique that helps nourish their new bodies," Darian explained.

"If my guess is right, they took bodies that were still in gestation, coming from their own race. Then, they nourished those bodies with primordial power coming from the weapons, so they'd be born far stronger than normal. After they were born, they had to wait for the bodies to mature naturally; they couldn't force it, or it would harm the future. Since they can't go to other universes besides the dead ones they control, these 18 years are actually far too short."

Darian explained something he had learned from that book. Taking over an already mature body was possible for powerful figures who had lost theirs; but the work of adaptation was so great that it wasn't worth it. Starting over from zero was always better, since it also gave the chance to create a body even more powerful than before.

Darian continued, "Knowing their arrogant mentality, after suffering such a huge loss in the last confrontation, they won't want to give me any chance at all. This is the best moment for us to strike. If we attack now, while they're not fully recovered and ready to fight; I'm sure they'll choose to abandon their domains. All their main weapons are inside their universes, so they'll prefer to wait until they reach their absolute peak and come up with a more reliable plan."

The people in the meeting room took a deep breath.

Darian smiled faintly, "We'll kill two birds with one stone. We'll wipe out their domain in our universe; they'll flee, but they won't have a home anymore. With that, we'll recover the Sacred Weapons and be able to deal with the Celestial Shadow in one go."

Everyone nodded, their hearts pounding. Now that they understood all the pieces and possibilities, and knowing those three, everything really did fit together. But... talking was easier than doing.

That universe had dozens of galaxies under the control of those three. On top of that, on the main planet, there were certainly powerful traps and defenses. Attacking a fortress was a thousand times harder than defending one, like in that previous fight.

"We'll use the long time we have in this universe to prepare properly. I have a few ideas. In one year, we'll move the entire army at once," Darian ended the meeting seriously.

---

A few hours later, Darian entered the forge and met Haruto.

"I need you to make wooden arrows for me. I want as many as possible, and every single one must have wiring with runic seals. During this year, that's all you'll be working on."

When the forgers saw Darian pull out a wooden branch almost a meter thick and several hundred meters long, they were completely dumbfounded. The arrows they usually made were always forged from high-quality metal, not wood. However, when they examined the wood, they discovered it was harder than metal, which made them jump in shock.

Even Haruto was stunned. Although he had read countless books, he didn't recognize that wood. He had never seen wood that resilient.

"This wood belongs to a divinity from Alear's universe, called the Nether Tree. You don't need to worry about wasting it, just focus on making the best arrows possible. Our stock is practically infinite," Darian said calmly.

Earlier, he had asked Alear to go and request this from that tree, which was the divinity of the island where Ailik was born.

At present, the Nether Tree has already been discovered by everyone in that universe. Everyone believed there were no more divinities, but in truth, one had been living hidden right beside them the whole time.

However, this wood was so hard that turning it into arrows would take a lot of work. On top of that, Darian wanted a runic seal on every single one.

Fortunately, the forgers under Haruto's command were extremely skilled. They quickly found suitable tools to shape the wood, turning the branch into as many arrows as possible.

Almost a day later, as soon as the first arrow was finished, Darian examined it.

Without delay, he sent a call to Udynes. She was the elf who also came from the Milky Way, and whom he had met during the mission where he received the legacies of the two phoenixes.

Udynes arrived at the forge in a hurry. Darian quickly handed her the arrow and asked her to test it.

Outside, she drew her bow and fired.

The arrow vanished instantly, and an explosion occurred in the distance. It struck a thick metal shield, shattering it into pieces.

"What a sharp arrow!" Udynes exclaimed, stunned. It was the first time she had ever seen an arrow with such terrifying power.

More importantly, it disappeared from sight the moment it left the bowstring and made no sound at all. It was as if it had fused with space itself, becoming impossible to track.

"With the sharpening runic seal, its power will be a thousand times greater," Darian said with an excited smile. "All elves know how to use bows well and have blessings that favor this weapon. I'll be counting on you for this."

"Yes!" Udynes replied quickly, bowing politely.

Darian nodded; then Udynes immediately summoned everyone from her planet. As new arrows were completed, Darian didn't hesitate to hand them over for testing.

Darian was surprised to see that they actually used a living target in the test. It was a tank with nine rings. He equipped full armor and even activated his defensive blessing.

At that moment, an arrow struck his shoulder.

As a result, the tank's body stiffened instantly. His body became covered in a texture similar to the bark of a black tree, and he was completely unable to move.

That was a curse from the Nether, originating from the body of the Nether Tree. When the arrow was pulled out, the Heavenly Elemental Spirits, who had officially become the army's healers, tried to heal him. They spent a full hour working on him until he was completely recovered.

Darian only watched, without interfering, so he could feel and be certain of the effects.

That terrifying arrow shocked and amazed everyone. The elves hadn't even activated any blessing or anything. When they go all out, the power of this would be unbelievable.

---

After leaving the forgers to work and organizing the plans with everyone, Darian finally managed to relax a bit.

That night, he and Niara moved together to a large hall inside the Academy.

Darian had a small she-wolf on his shoulder that wouldn't leave his side.

When they arrived, the interior revealed a large table with chairs, where plenty of food was waiting for them. Already seated were all the family members.

Lucy and Leander were side by side, both with affectionate looks. Over these years, Leander's efforts seemed to have paid off, and Lucy had softened a little. They were officially in a relationship now.

In one corner, Camille was drinking, already quite lively, alongside Nikolai and Painita.

Amara wasn't present, as she was at the forge helping Haruto and the other forgers. Over the years, she discovered that she enjoyed working at the forge more than fighting. Because of that, she stayed close to Haruto, learning new things and using the distinct techniques of her house, blending them with his.

On the other side, Lucius and Veyle had looks full of meaning.

They were staring ahead, where Alear and Alirio were standing side by side. She didn't seem to like being there and kept a cold expression. Alirio looked a bit awkward, but he tried to talk to her in his own way.

Darian snorted. It was as if his adopted daughter felt a strong connection and, at the same time, an inexplicable anger toward Alirio.

Thinking a bit about the past of those two, it made sense.

In her previous life, she lived alone for a long time, feeling tremendous pain over his death. She was left alone with their three children, and that mix of love and pain marked her so deeply that it carried over to the present.

So now Alirio, even without knowing why, had to make her forgive him first. He had a long road ahead to soften her heart and make her forget that feeling, building something new together.

Darian and Niara arrived quietly. When everyone noticed them, they all focused on them with excitement.

Darian immediately felt a weight the size of the world lift from his shoulders.

His expression and aura changed completely. He no longer needed to be the leader, responsible for so many people. Now, he could just be Darian and relax a little beside his family.

He could finally meet his nephew and talk to him simply as his father's brother. He could also talk with everyone, telling them everything that had happened in that other universe, without worrying about the future or the next plans.

That big family spent the entire night eating and enjoying the moment together. It was a rare moment of peace, one that all of them had learned to value as much as their own lives.