Am I a Healer? You'd Better Think So!-Chapter 23: Disgust And Hatred

The moment the Ice Eagle froze the mark inside Ceug's body, that Risen Lord felt the interference and tried to reverse it at all costs—but failed.

But as soon as the ice shattered, urgency took over, and he sacrificed part of his soul to activate the mark, taking control of Ceug's body.

The abyssal nest seemed to tremble.

At this point, the Risen had already massacred nearly 60% of the Summoners. But at that moment, they all stopped moving.

Every Risen was created and maintained a connection to a Risen Lord. However, they could never dream of resisting another Risen Lord.

After the arrival of that entity, he immediately sensed a nearby presence. It felt like a Risen Lord, yet at the same time, it was different—unique. An anomaly that shouldn't exist.

He didn't know what had caused all these unexpected events or who this figure was. Without hesitation, he activated his abyssal heart.

Even though he could only use 10% of its power—since this wasn't his original body—it was enough to confirm: there was no other Risen Lord's mark infiltrated within the nest.

The Summoners were done for. The few still breathing were wounded, on the brink of death.

Everything was under control. He had arrived in time. Then, his crimson eyes gleamed. Maybe this situation was a golden opportunity.

He decided to stop everything.

In an instant, he appeared before Darian.

"Hm? The Celestial Shadow created you?"

His cold voice echoed, staring at the center of Niara, where that small Spiritual Guardian was located.

The next second, he answered his own question:

"No... You're under contract, a legitimate Spiritual Guardian. But how do you have the Celestial Shadow's power?"

Darian felt the pressure on his soul ease up a little. But he was already as good as dead, and despair started creeping in.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm. No matter the situation, he had to fight until the end.

"I don't know what you're talking about... This is just my blessing," he replied, trying to mask his emotions.

"Your blessing? That's impossible. Our power comes from the Celestial Shadow, an entity that transcended the heavenly laws. Blessings can distort reality, sure, but they have limits. They don't break the most fundamental rules."

He explained it calmly, as if it weren't some great secret.

"Our power absorbs people's karmic energy. It sounds simple, but karma influences fate and life—it can be devastating... or the complete opposite. When we take it all, the heavenly laws are forced to burn their own power to return that energy to people in another life. Losing energy means weakening the universe. If this happens beyond the natural replenishment limit... the universe can die."

His eyes narrowed.

"Understand? What we do goes completely against the rules. It can't be a blessing."

Darian already had some understanding of karma and the heavenly laws. It all came from that book. But he couldn't blindly believe what was written without finding proof first. It was just a guide, after all.

Now, having confirmation that his power wasn't exactly a blessing, he didn't know what to think. He had simply awakened it as a child... but why?

The Lord Risen noticed the confusion in his eyes and scoffed.

"If you don't know, it doesn't matter. The Celestial Shadow once said: 'Sometimes, the will of the heavens subtly interferes in things. But it never acts directly. Mortal problems must be solved by mortals themselves.'"

He took a step forward and continued:

"Since we're relatively alike, we don't have to be enemies. This universe has nothing to do with you. It's just a place to get stronger, remember? We can benefit each other."

His cold eyes met Darian's.

However, Darian felt an overwhelming hatred and fear. But it wasn't his own.

It came from Niara.

That figure continued, lightly: "I will eliminate all the Risen and destroy this nest. Then, I'll escape. Things among the Summoners will stabilize, and then you—"

"Fuck off."

Darian cut the entity's words off without hesitation.

The red eyes zeroed in on him, making his presence even sharper and more threatening. Still, he kept his cool and went on:

"Don't be rash. Are you scared of what your summoner might do? Don't worry. Your power's similar to mine. I can teach you to—"

"Fuck it." Darian cut him off again, not even wanting to hear the rest. "I was summoned to this place and agreed to help them in this fight. As long as my partner and all of them trust me, I won't betray them. No matter the benefits or the pain I might feel. I could even die here, but I won't go back on my word."

The figure snorted, like he'd just heard the biggest joke in the world.

"What a sentimental load of crap. You just made a deal with them. As long as both sides win, that's fine. I guarantee your gains would be way bigger if you were with me. The Celestial Shadow only wants loyalty—"

"Cut the crap. You're nothing but a puppet for some other bastard." Darian spat the words, his voice thick with a hatred he didn't even understand himself. Something inside him was boiling at the mention of that "Celestial Shadow."

It didn't come from Niara, but from him. It was a visceral disgust, like he'd been through something similar before... but there was no confusion, just a burning desire to destroy anything that tried to make him submit again.

Suddenly, the entity started radiating a dense, black miasma. The whole nest began to crack subtly, all because of its overwhelming will.

"Well..." His voice turned hoarse, distorted. "That doesn't matter. I've got all the time in the world to study you. You know, it's funny... You really think you'll die and just go back home? Hahahaha..."

He raised his hand, and Ceug's body began to crack, like it was shattering from the inside. Black fissures spread across his skin, oozing a pulsing darkness.

The entity watched the process for a moment, sizing up the limits of that body. Then it snorted. The cracks stopped growing.

Darian, meanwhile, was racing with thoughts, looking for a way out.

That figure is testing the limits of that body... he realized he couldn't use more than 10% of the abyssal heart's power. He must be frustrated. But even that much in his hands was more than enough.

Then, the sound of a heartbeat echoed.

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"I'll be quick in cleaning all this up, and soon I'll deal with you."

He said it, and a dozen black, ethereal hands emerged from Ceug's body, advancing straight toward Darian.

'Huh?'

For a split second, something inside Darian stirred. Those hands... that energy...

He reacted on instinct.

He waved.

And everything froze just inches from his body.

The entity's eyes widened.

"What...?"

Darian was momentarily stunned too. Those hands were identical to the karma energy he used to manipulate, to pull things closer. The difference was the crushing density... But, in the end, it was still something he could influence.

Could this figure, with just a fraction of his power, really control it properly?

He tested it.

It worked.

Then he smiled coldly.

"You wanna play with that?"