Apocalypse healer a litr.., p.26
Apocalypse Healer: A LitRPG Adventure, page 26
There was another Warrior like that, but the broadsword-wielder before David was stronger…and more fearless. The man didn’t even look at him. His eyes remained locked onto his target. David could see the man’s desire burning in his eyes and resonated with him. He felt the same way. David hadn’t given up.
The Warrior retrieved a small object – a crystal David recognized immediately – and put it into his mouth. He crushed the crystal and swallowed the shards in one go.
What are you doing?
David watched the Warrior as his skin burst, a gruesome sight that made him flinch. Blood spurted everywhere, splattering across David’s arms. He flinched but couldn’t tear his eyes away from the terrifying transformation.
The white in the man’s eyes turned red, and more blood gushed out as his muscles bulged. It almost felt like the man was expanding, like an unknown power surged through him.
“Felix swallowed the Fragment,” someone near David commented. He recognized him as one of the few Mages who’d decided to join the Mini-Boss raid.
David caught a curse.
“Fuck. He’s as good as dead then.”
The words stuck with him, gnawing at his mind.
As good as dead?
The Warrior’s veins turned purple, and his most grievous wounds started regenerating rapidly. David didn’t need to be a Cleric to feel the shift in the man’s presence. The vigor in his eyes intensified significantly while his posture improved. An overbearing sense of confidence and rage surged out of the man. It almost felt like David could touch it.
The broadsword-wielder was much stronger than before. His feet pressed deep into the ground, leaving behind a mark as he burled forward. Each step carried him much farther than before.
“Let’s not waste his sacrifice. Attack that damn demon!!”
David’s heart skipped a beat as confusion and excitement mixed. The scenery unfolding before him was exciting, but the words ringing in his ears were confusing.
As good as dead? Sacrifice?
The man reminded David of Melach. They weren’t of the same race, but their veins and presence looked and felt similar. Melach wasn’t as bad as this guy, but it was similar.
Did Melach also use a Fragment of Power?
That was when David remembered the chat with Torb and Melach. Melach must have used the Fragment of Power, but before the fight started. That was how he’d grown so much in such a short time.
But he said he wasn’t going to die. It didn’t feel like he was lying, either.
David shrugged. That wasn’t important right now.
He watched the Warrior sever one of the Mini-Boss’ wings while the others bombarded him with mana bullets, slashes, and deep cuts. The wounds weren’t too bad, not even losing a wing seemed like a big problem, but it was all owed to the shift of power. That was the important part.
David leaped forward and disappeared behind the remaining Warrior, catching sight of Felix, the broadsword-wielding Warrior, as he parried a claw sweep and large fireball simultaneously. David emerged, shot forward, and trusted the other warriors to block or parry the other claw coming their way. He didn’t see what was going on, but a resounding screeching rang in his ears. It brought a smile to his lips as he lowered his body to pass through underneath the demon’s arm.
The Obsidian Blade slashed into the Mini-Boss’ flesh, carving through its tough skin with ease. David dashed around the creature, forcing the blade deeper as he circled to its back. David’s wrist hurt as he kept the blade from falling out, and it got even worse as he pushed the soulbound weapon even deeper once the massive Darkai’s back was all he could see.
The Darkai’s remaining wing struck David frontally, and a crack swept through his body, whipping him off of his feet.
Broken nose – probably some ribs as well. It could have been worse.
David pulled back, but he kept the weapon where it was: Stuck deep in the Mini-Boss’ back.
His heart was racing. Did his plan fail? Nothing happened for a moment. The Mini-Boss turned to David and was about to blow him into oblivion when several mana bullets crashed simultaneously into its face. The Warriors didn’t slow either. There was no time to stay idle.
They attacked the massive Darkai and inflicted light to mild wounds all over its body. However, no more serious wounds were inflicted for a good minute.
But that wasn’t necessary. David’s lips curled upward.
“It’s growing weaker!” Someone shouted, their excitement palpable.
It works!
The Obsidian Blade was still stuck in the demon’s back, and David felt grim satisfaction.
It was working, draining the demon’s blood just like he’d planned.
39
HUNT OR BE HUNTED
It didn’t take long for the Mini-Boss to succumb. Felix and his Warriors were growing stronger; whether it was a boost in confidence or their Skill Runes improving, it didn’t matter. The massive Darkai was suffering.
Its strength faded with each passing second. The wounds spread across its body worsened, and it almost looked like it was deflating.
[You have contributed to the Herculean Darkai (Mini Boss)’s defeat.]
The message was pleasant to his eyes, and so was the distortion in space as something materialized near the collapsing Herculean Darkai. David couldn’t see what had materialized as one of the Warriors immediately picked it up. It almost looked like the Warrior threw his longsword aside to catch the drop before anyone else could take it.
David didn’t mind. He wasn’t particularly interested in the drop. His attention lingered on the Obsidian Blade and its crimson connecting link. It glimmered vibrantly, appearing thicker and more intense than before.
In fact, he could sense the thread growing. The battle was over, but his soulbound weapon’s growth had yet to end. The Herculean Darkai had yet to be drained of all of its blood.
David let it absorb as much potent blood as possible while attempting to access the surrounding Aether. He felt the Aether flow into his energy pathways, slowing and settling almost stubbornly, refusing to move as he’d hoped.
David accessed the natural Aether in his pathways and tried to pull them closer to the Holy Sea. At first, a trace of Aether obeyed. It was only a tiny fraction, but it was something. However, before it got too close to his Holy Sea, the Aether retaliated. It wouldn’t budge an inch and reacted violently. David feared the destruction of his energy pathways for a moment. Instead of risking everything, he cleansed his body.
He tried to expel everything in one go, but his body appeared to revolt against that as well. It didn’t want to surrender the Aether it needed for survival—to overcome the fight ahead.
This is such nonsense!
Thus, since nothing worked the way he wanted, David used [Cleanse]. Reaching Rank V, [Cleanse] was stronger than ever. It ought to expel everything that harmed the target’s body. His Holy Sea pulled the natural Aether closer. It was a slow process, and it would take a while before the Aether would reach his Holy Sea, but if it reacted as violently as the trace of Aether had…David would suffer much more than he already had.
[Hibernating traces of Demonic Essence have been detected and cleansed.]
The natural Aether in his energy pathways responded amiably to his Holy Sea’s suctioning force when the notification popped up. Simultaneously, a dark gas oozed out of his pores and into the surroundings. Additionally, the ambient Aether no longer entered his body; it resisted David’s attempt and absorbed even more.
The shockwave altered the ambient Aether…somehow. It doesn’t resist Mages or being converted to Mana but resists holy power!
The realization hit hard. What would happen to the traces of Demonic Essence once they’ve rooted deep into the Mages’ Mana Cores? Would they do something in the first place? David had no clue. All he could tell was that he had to drain his body of holy power as long as he wished to absorb the ambient Aether on the battlefield.
That was interesting but also complicated.
It has to work.
His eyes drifted to Felix, who hadn’t even glanced at the Herculean Darkai’s loot. David noticed Felix’s pained expression and labored breaths, but despite this, Felix continued.
He charged into the masses of ordinary demons, who had no time to react before succumbing to his blade.
Felix was a force to be reckoned with, even if it was obvious that his strength was fading. Felix had long since reached peak condition and was now deteriorating. He’d survived the Herculean Darkai and contributed majorly to its death, but that was it. His power deteriorated, and the Fragment of Power he’d consumed started to feast on him, taking away every bit of power it had granted him.
David expected Felix to be sad, perhaps even on the verge of tears, yet the Warrior’s gaze was only filled with grim determination.
The Demon Horde was horrifying. It overwhelmed the defenders. Several Mini Bosses had appeared across the battlefield, and it was only a matter of time before the defenders would lose. Everyone who survived long enough to defeat a few Demons had grown stronger, but even two dozen Bronze Ranks weren’t enough to handle both the Mini-Bosses and the Darkai simultaneously. If there were that many Bronze Ranks in the first place.
David’s eyes fell on a towering figure in the distance—a creature so massive and imposing, it couldn’t possibly be a Mini-Boss. It had to be the Rift Boss! Unease crept up his spine, and his heart skipped a beat as the creature moved around with great agility.
A small, well-armored figure barreled through the air as David inspected the Rift Boss. It had to be the Rift Boss. A creature like that couldn’t have been a mere Mini-Boss. David didn’t want to believe that.
However, instead of lingering on the Rift Boss, David’s attention pulled to the plated figure crashing into the ground near him. It was Torb. His armor was torn in multiple places, his shield missing, and he clutched the lower end of his mace, now almost destroyed.
But none of that mattered at this moment.
David’s heart clenched. Torb didn’t get up.
Fuck.
The others didn’t fare much better. Everyone could handle a few Darkai, but the Herculean Darkai and the Rift Boss didn’t make their lives easier. Most defenders pulled back. David saw the fear on the defenders' faces, the hesitation in their stances. It was as if death loomed close, and each of them knew it. Some looked ready to flee.
Their fighting spirit was crushed.
This won’t work. It’s not enough.
David saw the situation clearly. More than half the Darkai had been eliminated, but there were still three Herculean Darkai and one fat ass Darkai on the battlefield. Those four were already enough to kill the remnants of the defending forces. Maybe the chubby Darkai was enough to do so. After all, it looked like fewer than seventy defenders were still alive. It was probably less than that.
He took a deep breath. The situation looked bleak, giving up wouldn’t help anyone.
He had accumulated enough crimson motes to do a few things. Was that enough to kill the Mini-Bosses and the Rift Boss? Probably not. But fleeing was not an option either. It was a do-or-die situation.
He either had to be the hunter or be hunted. It was that simple.
David steadied his mind and heeded his heart’s call to charge back into the battlefield when screams reached him. He spun around and saw one of the Herculean Darkai as it appeared among the group of mages. They released a barrage of [Mana Bullet] and even [Arcane Blast], but the demon ignored the wounds. The holes in its chest and limbs seemed insignificant as it released a wave of flames into the surroundings, burning everyone to a cinder.
The dark flames spread rapidly, engulfing the mages’ robes and burning everything in their path. The desperate and pained screams of the helpless Mages rang out, but they didn’t last long. Their cries ceased briefly, and only the Herculean Darkai emerged from the flames. But the Darkai didn’t seem done. Its eyes flicked to the next target—David, standing near the fallen Mini-Boss.
The Herculean Darkai burst forward, a flash of motion that closed the distance in an instant.
He conjured a [Shield of Faith], which flickered in crimson-gold light, but the Herculean Darkai ignored his defense. It pierced through the shield and into his stomach in one go.
The Herculean Darkai let out a guttural roar, and David felt himself lifted into the air, blood trickling down his side. Pain seared through him, and David’s sight blurred as a wave of cold shrouded him.
His body grew weaker, and even [Cure Wounds] cast with crimson motes didn’t seem enough to stabilize his condition. His stomach was still pierced.
He was impaled and lifted from the ground like a trophy. That was exactly what he was, the demon’s trophy. Nothing more, nothing less.
Blood poured out of him as his body turned cold, and his consciousness threatened to drift away.
He wasn’t the hunter. He was the prey.
David barely noticed being thrown to the side. He was hurled through the air, landing on something soft—a large corpse, or maybe just the ground. He couldn't tell.
The pain he should have felt was gone, and it grew increasingly difficult to move or stay conscious.
But he could still issue simple mental commands. He overclocked [Cure Wounds] with crimson motes and felt his senses return slowly. First, the internal wounds were tended to. [Cure Wounds] spread through his body, closed the hole in his stomach, and moved onward to mend his other wounds.
The crimson motes in his Holy Sea decreased rapidly, but the overclocked Skill Rune worked wonders. He felt slightly better, even if he was still too weak to move. He channeled bits of transformed Aether through his pathways to cast [Cure Wounds] again, using his reserves to guide [Holy Touch] through his body, converting Aether into holy power.
A few seconds may have passed, though to David, it felt like hours before he regained control of his body. He pressed his hands against the soft ground and pushed his upper body upright.
His gaze trailed the Herculean Darkai’s carcass underneath. It must have softened his fall. David patted the disgusting carcass lightly and turned to the Obsidian Blade. It was still stuck in the Mini-Boss’ corpse and absorbing its blood. He willed it back to his mind space and jumped to his feet.
After one more use of [Cure Wounds], David felt much better. His Holy Sea had recovered and was now half full, though its pristine appearance was gone. All David could see at this point was a glistening, crimson lake. It looked like ‘fancy’ blood.
That’s not enough. The Mini-Bosses are too strong.
The Horde’s momentum had yet to die while the defenders struggled to keep up. Either the minds or the bodies of the remaining defenders had been crushed, leaving little to be desired for a fair fight.
Relying on holy power isn’t an option—not with the traces of Demonic Essence polluting it. And crimson motes… using too many at once could kill me. It’s too draining.
Were they fated to die here? Is that the path the cogs of fate had picked?
David gritted his teeth, materialized the Obsidian Blade in his right hand, and retrieved the only item he could think of using to change their fate.
It was a small crimson crystal. The Fragment of Blood.
“I am not going to die here,” David said, his voice eerily calm. His heartbeat slowed while his mind was cleansed.
Everything was going to be alright. All it took was enough effort.
He popped the Fragment of Power in his mouth and swallowed it whole.
To survive, you need power. Power is all it takes. It is everything you need to shatter all odds. To go above and beyond…
David didn’t notice any changes right away. The Fragment of Blood didn’t seem to work instantaneously as had been the case with Felix. Maybe he should have crushed the Fragment of Blood before swallowing its shards, but David felt like he was using the Fragment of Blood like it was supposed to be used.
A pulse throbbed through his entire body, jolting him to full awareness. At first, there was only a single pulse, but a second and third followed shortly after, each wave stronger than the last. With every beat, raw power surged through him. The power reached every part of his body and fueled him. It filled him to the brim and beyond.
His vision shifted; a faint crimson hue now overlaying everything he saw. David’s skin burst open, but no blood flowed. Instead, a bloody red mist seeped from his torn skin, wrapping around him like a second layer.
A shiver ran down his spine, and goosebumps prickled all over his skin. Every inch of his body hurt, but not from wounds. He was in pain from the power surging through him. It was blissful pain.
His attention drifted across the battlefield, and he soon sensed something even more exhilarating nearby.
David’s lips twisted into a devious smile as he sensed more crimson motes in the air and within himself. He reached out with his mist-shrouded hand and grabbed one of the crimson motes. The mote entered his body without resistance.
The crimson mote did not even resist his attempts at pulling it into his Holy Sea, which was exactly what David did. He reached out to more crimson motes and repeated the process. There weren’t many crimson motes left near the Herculean Darkai’s corpse, but the surroundings were overflowing with fresh corpses. To David, the battlefield felt like a farm full of them, ripe for harvesting.
He took a deep breath, which was far more painful than David expected, and approached the closest enemy. The ordinary Darkai had ignored him until now. They must have considered him as good as dead already, an unworthy prey to play with. That changed now that he was back on his feet.
A dozen Darkai rushed at him, their faces filled with glee, eager to tear him to shreds.
If they were strong enough to do so.
David cast overclocked [Bless] on himself before conjuring three crimson shields to cover his left side as half a dozen Darkai pounced on him. The demons clawed the shields, but they didn’t budge. They rippled a little and lost some of their bright luster, but they were far from empty.
