Am I a Healer? You'd Better Think So!-Chapter 48: Judgment

Darian waved his hand, and his daggers returned to him. Right after, he used a bit of his white power. In an instant, the dagger wounds on Raon's body were healed.

Then, Darian placed his hand on his chest and withdrew the black power he had placed into the group crystal.

'I wasn't sure if I should destroy this crystal later or not. But now, this is perfect,' he thought, excited.

With his power, he completely nullified all effects of the artifact. That meant it definitely wasn't recording anything—like unplugging a household appliance; without energy, it couldn't do a damn thing.

But now, this recording had become incredibly valuable.

Physically, aside from his wrinkled and aged skin, Raon had no visible proof of what had just happened to him.

The Empire would definitely question what went down, but Darian could just say vague, random things. All they would see was an image of Raon charging at him, trying to kill him, and then the scene cutting to him collapsed, writhing in agony.

It'd be easy to claim Raon messed with his clan's artifact and somehow affected the group crystal. Maybe that action attracted this universe's law and triggered his death? Who knows. Darian had no idea—and no one would ever get an answer. Without proof against him, they couldn't accuse him of anything.

"..."

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After that first scream, Raon kept writhing, groaning in agony, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. The veins in his neck stuck out grotesquely as his voice turned into a raspy wheeze. Anyone who saw him now would be terrified, unable to even imagine what he was going through.

At the same time... even more people would be incredibly satisfied with this sight. And without a doubt, some of them would help Darian cover it up later.

All the dark karma in Raon slowly started to fade. That was the fuel for everything he was experiencing.

One minute later.

"!"

Darian's eyes widened. He felt the black mark on Raon pulse. Then, it synced with the mark inside his own soul.

'What the hell?' Darian's face twisted. He felt a connection with Raon—something eerily similar to what he had felt with Niara.

Raon kept writhing in agony.

The connection between them grew and grew, making Darian feel a deep disgust, but he realized he should wait.

A few minutes later...

Darian used this to his advantage, trying to understand more. With this soul connection, he attempted to sense what Raon was experiencing. Now, he could grasp a little of it. Beyond the indescribable pain...

'He's seeing images?' Darian realized, stunned. It was a combo of torture and visions. 'His karma is burning his soul, and his mind is showing him... is he reliving all the evil he's done?'

The most obvious conclusion clicked into place. And feeling just a sliver of Raon's distress and fear, that theory became even more solid.

'My mark... is it some kind of judgment? But why did his mark connect to mine...'

He stopped mid-thought.

Even in this wretched state, in every possible sense, Raon didn't seem like he was going to die. Now, his eyes started to refocus, his mind snapping back to reality.

But his soul was so weak it was like a flickering candle in the wind.

The connection between them was almost solidifying. But both Raon and Darian could tell—it could be broken easily. Just a simple act of mental rejection, and the connection would vanish.

Meanwhile, Raon felt something pulling him away... not physically, but his consciousness was being dragged off somewhere.

It was the heavenly law trying to take his soul for reincarnation. He was sure of it. He could feel it—his life had ended. The only thing keeping him inside his body was that mark linked to his soul.

With that, two options became painfully clear.

His soul was merging with the mark that connected to Darian. If he let that connection solidify, he'd become a slave.

At the same time, he had just relived every crime he had committed—both in this life and past lives. Everything had stopped. His black karma had almost completely burned away. He hadn't seen it happen, but he could feel something truly terrible had turned against him and was now temporarily gone.

No need to be a genius to get it. Becoming a slave was just another kind of punishment. It was an 'opportunity' to atone for everything he had done—while still in this life.

Or... he could just let go. Break the connection and allow the laws to take him away.

Atone for his sins... or simply leave?

What an easy choice.

At the same time Raon reached his conclusion, Darian felt a glimpse of his thoughts and emotions.

Darian scoffed. 'Running away? Not even in your dreams.'

The moment Raon rejected the connection with the mark, Darian wished for his complete death.

*BOOM!*

A rain of blood followed.

His body exploded.

At the same time, his soul was erased. But not by the explosion.

Darian felt the black mark return to him. Then, as it merged with his body, a unique and powerful energy surged within him.

'The mark refined and absorbed all of his soul's power?' Darian reflected, surprised, before becoming incredibly excited. 'Great. If I do this, I lose the ability to absorb his karma. But I still get something in return.'

Darian clenched his fists, feeling something shift inside him.

It wasn't the power of the ring, nor the white or black power, but his soul. The very essence he once used to become a Spiritual Guardian in another universe had now grown stronger. What benefits this would bring, he could only discover in time.

His thoughts were quick—he had to act. He rushed to what remained of Raon's body and, amidst the blood and viscera, found his spatial ring.

Inside, he saw countless artifacts. He couldn't keep them due to the Empire's rules. But he did pull out a round, gleaming artifact—the core of the Red River Pact clan's artifact. A fragment of the supreme artifact.

Then, he searched the surroundings...

Quickly, he spotted another crystal buried in the dirt. Another still-active artifact—the one maintaining the spatial prison.

Darian grasped the crystal, feeling an immediate connection to it.

Fortunately, he had studied with Leander the best ways to merge the power of blessings with artifacts. There was a standard method to establish the connection. Doing it carelessly could result in backlash—or even an explosion.

Because of that, he fully understood how to use it without alerting the other side.

In no time, he was sure. That support woman had been using her blessing, combined with this artifact, to maintain everything. Once the trap was set, the artifact's energy was being drained slowly, also serving as the core control.

Raon had complete control over this place through the artifact. The woman was only helping to sustain it, but the artifact itself was the one in charge.

Darian sighed. 'I need to stay calm and think everything through... I can't afford mistakes.'

Recalling Niara's cold demeanor, which rarely wavered, he mimicked the indifference he had learned from her. Then, he turned around and took several steps.

Moments later, he waved the artifact, controlling it. The invisible walls opened in multiple places at once.

The first thing Darian saw was a pair of round, teary eyes staring ahead, unfocused.

A look of utter despair.

Veyle had already collapsed on the ground, certain she was about to die.

When everything shifted, her body jolted in shock, and she scrambled to her feet. Then, she stared at Darian, pale.

She wasn't the only one.

All nine others were freed and saw Darian appear just ahead. His expression was completely blank... or so Darian thought.

But they all felt it.

Beneath his mask, he was hiding something cruel and twisted. A silent, macabre satisfaction.