Am I a Healer? You'd Better Think So!-Chapter 24: Feeling The Anticipation

"YOU!"

The Risen Lord roared, his voice reverberating through the abyssal nest.

He tried to push forward with his power, forcing that body to its limits. But the black cracks spread even further. His body was already at the breaking point, and instead of attacking, the 'black hands' started retreating rapidly.

"Hohoho! Looks like the great Risen boss is struggling quite a bit... Careful not to end up spilling something you shouldn't!"

In the end, Ceug's body was just a regular vessel, no different from any other native of this universe. All his abilities came from his partner. Now, that entity could only use the power of the abyssal heart.

The Risen Lord clenched his teeth so hard that a grinding sound echoed. Then, an idea flashed in his mind.

"Think you're brave, huh? Hahaha... Let's see how much you can really take."

His eyes glowed an intense crimson. Suddenly, all the miasma around started swirling and distorting violently.

"!"

Niara felt a searing pain and widened her eyes.

Darian turned to her, alarmed, immediately loosening his control over the 'black hands.' The miasma was trying to rip her soul out, sucking her karma straight from her body. The abyssal heart didn't just absorb karma—it manipulated the miasma in twisted ways.

Darian instantly blocked the attempt. But...

He saw an intense black mass moving across the sky, flowing straight toward the entity.

He narrowed his eyes. That bastard was reaping the Summoners' lives like weeds. Fortunately, it stopped after a few seconds.

Darian let out a bitter sigh. He was too weak to save everyone. Too many had died. But at least the enemy didn't have the power to absorb everyone inside the nest at once. He had probably only managed to take those in the second line. The weaker ones in the third and fourth lines—who were the most numerous—were still fine for now.

"Hahaha!"

The Risen Lord laughed, his body pulsing with blackness. His gaze returned to Darian, now filled with anticipation.

That slug had shown an even more terrifying ability, despite being so weak. He was definitely his greatest opportunity.

Once he got out of there, the other Risen Lords would hunt him down. But he could run for a while. If he had this power to study and possibly absorb, he could turn the tide in a massive way.

The black hands multiplied. Hundreds. Thousands.

With a single motion, they surged forward like a tsunami toward the slug.

Niara froze.

The air was ripped from her lungs. She couldn't even breathe, let alone move.

She had turned useless again...

And then... she felt it.

The tiny figure nestled between her breasts leaped forward.

"N...!"

She tried to scream, but her body didn't respond. Only her eyes widened as she watched him jump.

A single message flowed into her mind:

'It's okay, partner. Just trust me.'

In the next instant, Darian was swallowed by the black hands.

And a second later...

The pain hit her.

It was like her soul was being torn in half.

It was the pain of a contract breaking.

Something that only happened when the partner was dying. This was the ultimate warning that the contract was being severed.

The black sphere that trapped him closed completely, sealing him inside a five-meter prison of pure darkness.

Niara's eyes filled with tears. But she couldn't do anything. She couldn't move a single muscle.

Until...

A small hole opened in that sphere.

A bright white light escaped, like a beacon in the middle of the abyss.

Then, another hole.

And another.

And another.

Niara shuddered. The Risen Lord's eyes widened.

"FUCK OFF!!"

The roar echoed like thunder.

The black sphere disintegrated.

And at its center, a white sun blazed.

Inside, a small figure stood, his gaze defiant.

"What the hell...?"

The Risen Lord blinked, stunned. Then, his expression twisted into pure euphoria.

"Good... good! Excellent!"

The Risen Lord waved again, this time with full force.

A million black arms emerged, consuming all the accumulated dark power at once.

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, Darian was completely swallowed. There was no resistance.

"Save your mental strength. We'll have plenty of time to have fun later."

The figure spoke coldly before moving the entire black mass toward itself.

Niara watched as the Risen Lord opened its mouth, absorbing everything slowly. But it wasn't going to his stomach—it moved straight to the abyssal heart, sealing Darian inside. Just a soul now, stored like a precious artifact.

'No... no... no...'

Niara murmured internally, feeling the pain of the contract breaking fade away. That could only mean one thing: The contract was almost destroyed, and their connection was close to disappearing.

"Let's finish this alrea-"

The figure suddenly stopped speaking.

"!"

Niara turned and saw those red eyes widen. He trembled, then opened his mouth and spat out a clear, ashen substance.

"What... the fuck..."

He growled, clutching his own body.

Then, his red eyes changed... a white light began shining from within.

"Son of a bitch!"

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He roared, trying to resist, but his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. Violent tremors wracked his body as white cracks spread across his black skin.

The miasma around him started evaporating like smoke carried away by the wind—he was being purified from the inside out.

"AHH!"

With a furious roar, the figure raised its fists and slammed them against the ground.

**BANG!**

The sound of breaking didn't come from the impact. A force had been transferred into the earth.

The ground beneath split into countless fractures, glowing white cracks spreading uncontrollably.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

He kept pounding the ground, but it was no longer his own will controlling him. Inside him, Darian was waging a silent war.

For a full minute, the cracks expanded at an alarming rate. When they finally covered the entire abyssal nest, the entity's body began to break apart.

"DIE!!!"

The figure roared, its eyes flickering chaotically between white and red.

Inside the abyssal heart, now completely white, Darian remained motionless. His soul was covered in cracks, his internal energy completely drained.

But...

"Fuck you, bastard. If you wanna play this game, let's take it to the end."

*CRACK!*

An intense light surged from the ground, engulfing the entire nest. Instantly, all the Risen felt their bodies corroding under the purification. Their lives extinguished like candles blown out by the wind, collapsing lifelessly.

The surviving Summoners watched in terror. But as they felt their bodies freed, they quickly understood—the nest was collapsing. Without hesitation, they started running toward the exit.

On the other side of the nest, in the region connected to the other side of the galaxy controlled by the Risen...

Initially, after Ceug had used the abyssal heart, all the nearby Risen who had sensed its power hesitated to enter. Instead, they only sent messages to the other Risen Lords.

Now, at the exact moment when several shadowy figures arrived, they saw the entrance—and the entire nest—beginning to crumble. Clenching their fists, they knew entering was no longer an option. Instead, they stood ready to capture anyone who emerged from that side.

Niara lay on the ground, unresponsive.

'Partner... run outside...'

The voice echoed weakly in her mind, but it was enough to make her jolt mentally. The connection between them still existed, thin as a thread about to snap, but it was there.

'Our partnership is built on mutual trust, right?'

She clenched her fists. Her heart pounded erratically. Then, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to believe. And she nodded.

"AAH! BASTARD!!!"

The demonic figure roared in agony. His eyes widened, and a primal howl shook the nest.

Suddenly, his mouth opened, and something was expelled—a sphere wrapped in pure white light.

It wasn't physical. It just floated in the air and, without resistance, moved straight toward Niara. It was something from the Risen Lord, but purified.

The light passed through her chest and vanished inside her, leaving her stunned.

'Run. You can't wait.'

Darian's voice echoed one last time. This time, weak... so weak. Niara felt a tightness in her chest. It wasn't the pain of that invasion or the contract. It was something worse. A silent farewell.

She clenched her fists and pulled out every last bit of strength she had. Without hesitation, without looking back, she stood up and ran.

Darian felt her silhouette fading away, a tired smile creeping onto his lips.

'Heh... feeling the anticipation, bastard? Did I make you wait too long? What a shame...'

"!!!"

The figure trembled violently.

His Abyssal Heart...

It was already gone.

Purified.

The connection to it had completely vanished, as if someone had plunged a cold blade into his true body and ripped out a vital organ.

Now, he was too weak to resist or do anything.

*Crack!*

The sound of something shattering echoed... but it wasn't just that body.

It came from Darian's soul.

Darian hadn't used his own strength to do all this—it was impossible. He had just poured oil onto an already blazing fire.

He had used the Abyssal Heart. And it turned out to be terrifyingly compatible with both of his power types. The moment it was placed inside him, he realized he could manipulate it with ease.

But the cost...

His Spiritual Guardian body couldn't withstand such an immense power. He knew that.

But he had no choice.

After dealing permanent damage to the Lord Risen by taking his heart, he left everything purified and gave it to Niara. The thing that entered her body was the Purified Abyssal Heart. He had a feeling she could hold onto it. Darian, however, had to stay behin with the Risen Lord in that body from Ceug that was breaking apart.

Now, he delivered the final blow.

And then...

**RUMBLE!**

The Abyssal Nest collapsed.

At the exact moment Niara escaped, her breath ragged, her eyes trembling.

And then...

Darian vanished.