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Apocalypse Healer - B1 Chapter 52
🕑 Added 2024-12-02 11:00:09 +0000 UTCThe Runes of his Class Skills had yet to fully form, but David was already tapping into the instincts nestled in his mind. Even though his understanding of the Class Skills and the Law of Blood was low—really low – he could still use them just fine. Once everything was complete, that is.
The Runes of [Weave of Life] and [Equivalent Exchange] illuminated his mind space, dazzling him. Yet, it was the Law of Blood that intrigued David the most. Unlike his other Skill Runes, which revolved around the Source, the Law of Blood didn’t form a Rune, catching him by surprise.
Instead, the Law of Blood was etched on the Source. The Law of Blood wasn’t a mere rune, a single symbol, imbued with some magical abilities. David felt like it was much more than that. His mind was caught up in the symbols etched on his Source, ignoring everything happening around him for a moment.
There had to be hundreds of symbols, each distinct from the other. At first glance, they seemed ordinary—but not to David. To him, they were far more.
He could only decipher a dozen, but that was enough to tell him the symbols were words—words filled with power.
David’s hair stood on end as the words of power echoed through his mind, jolting him to his feet. His gaze locked onto the Herculean Darkai, which wasted no time after its claws shattered. It hurled three fireballs in rapid succession, all of which David narrowly evaded. He side-stepped to evade the first fireball and narrowly escaped the destructive power of the other blazing balls.
He was stronger, faster, and more perceptive than ever. Details he would have missed before now stood out, sharpening his focus against his foes.
Pushing all stats to High was a good decision.
David was satisfied with the changes he had experienced. It wasn’t easy to adapt to the sudden improvements in his Body, Mind, and Soul, but he was confident. He would be fine in a few minutes.
Pain surged through him, a brutal reminder of what four Serums, a lost arm, and a mid-battle Class Advancement ritual could do to a body. Even more so when one was already on the verge of death when the Class Advancement started.
But he was alive. In pain, but alive and kicking!
David kicked off the ground and attacked. He ducked under the Herculean Darkai’s incoming attack and conjured the Obsidian Blade in his hand. His hand flicked quickly to the demon’s leg and cut easily through hide and flesh in one go. Before his advancement, David would have to use more strength to injure the Herculean Darkai, but the blade pierced easily through its leg now that he was stronger.
However, David wasn’t satisfied. A nagging feeling stirred his heart and Source, and he followed it. Words he’d hardly comprehended trickled from his mouth, filling him with excitement and power. It felt like his blood started boiling as some symbols engraved on his Source lit up.
A portion of his Blood was consumed, strengthening the glowing symbols that resonated with David’s being.
The Herculean Darkai screeched, and David turned back to block a potentially deadly attack, only to see the distance to the Mini-Boss growing. It retreated as the words filled with power continued trickling out of David. Every word felt stronger than the last, but nothing happened for a good second.
The air thickened with tension as the words rolled from his lips. Only when the final word escaped did something shift. An otherworldly force surged through him, weighing heavily on him until it gushed out. Then, chaos erupted.
He didn’t know what was happening at first. Despite that, his eyes were trained on the retreating Herculean Darkai. A wave of weakness overcame him, and he broke into a cold sweat, but his attention never left the Mini-Boss.
The following seconds felt like an eternity to David. The Herculean Darkai roared in defiance at first. However, the defiant roar transformed quickly into a pained screech as the gash in its leg burst apart. To David, it looked like the Herculean Darkai’s legs exploded. Blood spurted in all directions en masse. It surged out of the demon like it was on the run.
So much blood.
Even after the countless injuries he’d endured over the past week, David had never witnessed such a torrent of blood from a single being.
The injury was deep, but not that deep—it shouldn’t have caused this much damage. How was this even possible?
David could barely comprehend what was unfolding before him. The sight was grotesque, more horrific than anything he had endured. But was it really?
His heart skipped a beat, torn between fear and excitement. Was he terrified, or was he thrilled? He couldn’t tell. Deep down, he understood exactly what was happening and what he had done, but a storm of emotions wreaked havoc within him, leaving him unsure of how to feel about his new power.
The Law of Blood.
David couldn’t understand the words he spoke, but his intent was unmistakable: to hunt the Herculean Darkai and wound it deeper than a mere cut. And that’s exactly what happened. The words had rolled from his lips naturally like he’d known them forever. And the result unfolded before him.
The Herculean Darkai’s leg was still intact, but the simple cut had deepened into a gash before his eyes. The injury might be lethal enough to kill the Mini-Boss eventually, but David wasn’t willing to wait. The battle with the Horde was far from over, and he couldn’t justify slowing down. The Herculean Darkai was still alive, and so were the Rift Boss and some ordinary Darkai.
The Law of Blood pulsed with power, but it left him drained. He hadn’t even infused much of his Source’s Blood into the incantation, and it still wore him down. Still, every word of the incantation was filled with great power; enough power to kill the Herculean Darkai if he’d used it better.
It shouldn’t have mattered, but it did. The Herculean Darkai was badly injured and slowed, an easy target now—so why did he feel like he’d failed?
David gritted his teeth and rushed at the Herculean Darkai, trying to disperse the guilt and doubts filling his heart and mind. He reached the Herculean Darkai as it released a barrage of fireballs. The fireballs shattered as a crimson shield materialized between them. David twisted his body, pushed past the explosions that rang painfully in his ears, and pounced on the demon.
A claw pierced his side, whereas David’s blade, coated in a thin layer of crimson glistening [Holy Touch], ended up in the Herculean Darkai’s chest.
David drove the Obsidian Blade deeper, pouring every ounce of strength from his battered body into the strike. A sharp crack echoed as the Herculean Darkai’s head snapped downward, its jaws lunging for his neck, but David had already moved.
He gathered [Holy Touch]’s coat at the soulbound blade’s tip and released it in the demon’s chest before recalling the blade to his mind space. A moment later, David’s hand shot toward the descending head. The Obsidian Blade conjured in his hands and cut cleanly through the bottom of the demon’s head.
David twisted the blade and tore it down. It wasn’t much, certainly not enough to kill a Mini-Boss, but all he wanted was to stall time. That he did.
The demon’s claw dug into his side, sending a searing wave of pain through him. The sensation flared and faded as adrenaline took over. The Herculean Darkai’s legs caved it, and its claw’s grip loosened.
David cast [Restore] before stabbing the Herculean Darkai again. This time, he pierced the demon’s heart, killing the creature for good.
[You have defeated Herculean Darkai (Mini Boss).]
[Your first attempt at wielding Words of Power succeeded.
Proficiency of Law of Blood increased.]
He dismissed most notifications about proficiency increases, but the last one was intriguing.
Words of Power? Was that how the words engraved on his Source were called?
David nodded subtly, accepting the new intel, as a surge of power filled him. New details of his new abilities burned themselves into his mind as the Skill Runes finalized.
His mind space resumed its original appearance, if one could still call it that at this point.
His Holy Sea was no more. It had been replaced by the Source, which was filled with Blood. He could still absorb the ambient Aether, yet the natural Aether didn’t do anything in his energy pathways. There was no need for more holy power, and he couldn’t tell what to do with the natural Aether. It was there but…useless?
Maybe Aether is needed to create Blood.
David shoved the thought aside. The last Mini-Boss had been defeated, but dozens of Darkai were still alive. That included the humongous Rift Boss, which had reached Arc’s outskirts.
Less than 30 Protectors still fought around the Rift Boss, their ranks thinning with every moment. He saw twitching bodies from the corner of his eyes, but they looked like they were hanging onto the last threads of their life. Surviving was already a struggle for them, let alone returning to a seemingly helpless fight.
Fight.
He thought the pull of the battle with the Rift Boss stirring his heart, but something deeper held him back.
Heal.
What good was fighting if everyone around him fell? If everything crumbled?
Fight and heal. That was all that mattered now.
