Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 42B1 - Horde III

David surveyed the chaos unfolding on the battlefield. Mages unleashed relentless barrages of Mana Bullets, feeding dozens of Darkai. Nearby, Hunters fired arrows in rapid succession.

He noticed that while some Hunters appeared ordinary, their arrows still pierced the demons’ thick hides with ease. Others released three arrows in five seconds, their accuracy unaffected.

It was a beautiful sight and would have put David at ease if the Darkai weren’t bloody dangerous. The Mages’ [Mana Bullets] were fast and lethal, but the Darkai shielded their vital organs by sacrificing non-essential body parts when evasion failed.

Some arrows and Mana Bullets hit the mark, eliminating more than a dozen Darkai, but most merely sustained light to mild injuries. Melach and a few other Mages used stronger Skill Runes than the others. Their attacks inflicted more grievous wounds and were more likely to eliminate a Darkai, sometimes even two or three at once.

But it was not like the Darkai weren’t retaliating. They had their share of fairly powerful demons on their side.

David hadn’t encountered any of those powerhouses, but the desperate screams and death throes around him hinted at their presence. Something was off, and it was most certainly not the mass of ordinary Demons charging at them.

Torb pushed past David, charged a Darkai, and stunned it before splitting its head with a fierce swing of his mace. The dwarf twisted his body as a barrage of black fireballs came his way. His large shield shifted quickly, protecting Torb from the worst damage. His [Block] Skill Rune must have leveled up considerably. The exploding fireballs didn’t affect Torb. He pushed through the fireballs and charged at the grimacing Darkai.

David used [Bless] on himself, Torb, and several nearby Warriors before surging forward. Another instance of [Cure Wounds] mended his wounds enough to focus on the battle ahead.

Torb blocked four Darkai simultaneously, but a fifth got him. Its claws scraped across his plated armor without leaving an injury. A scratch was all that was left. However, Torb seemed to be angry enough about this. He roared at the top of his lungs, bashed the nearby Darkai away, and crushed the head of the Darkai who had been daring enough to scratch his armor.

David stepped up beside Torb, beheading a Darkai in one swift motion. He dismissed the kill notification without a glance.

He spun around, coated the sword blade with a thin [Holy Touch] layer, and used the accumulated momentum to leave a deep gash in the closest Darkai’s chest. The attack would have killed the demon immediately if it hadn’t sacrificed its arm to slow David’s strike.

The demon’s arm split smoothly in two before David’s sword cut into the Darkai’s chest. David’s eyes narrowed, and he pushed forward. He ignored the claw coming his way and released the sword’s coat of [Holy Touch] inside the Darkai. The demon froze as [Holy Touch]’s pure, holy power invaded its insides. It rattled and screamed at the top of its lungs before its legs caved it. David rammed his blade deeper into the Demon, but that seemed overkill.

The Darkai’s kill notification popped up even before David could finish his attack.

Wait a moment!

David let go of the warrior longsword to make a smooth dive to the side. A black fireball exploded where he stood a moment ago. The explosion reached him and must have nearly set his pants on fire. The searing heat was tremendous. It momentarily overwhelmed David, but he still jumped to his feet. A slightly larger Darkai emerged before David. It clawed him and shattered the golden shield that materialized before David as if it were made of glass.

The golden shield shattered, but the Darkai’s attack didn’t end there. Its claws dug deep into David. He screamed in pain and defiance as Torb jumped into view. The dwarf accelerated suddenly and bashed into the demon with his shield first. The Darkai froze for a quarter of a second, which Torb used to smash its head. However, instead of dying, the Darkai regained control of its body and blocked the incoming attack.

David was surprised at how swiftly the Darkai escaped Torb’s [Charge], but he was already moving and hardly noticed what else was happening. He conjured the Obsidian Blade in his hand, coated it in [Holy Touch], and drove the blade deep into the stronger Darkai’s chest.

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A surprised squeal escaped the Darkai’s hideous mouth as it turned back to David, who released the holy power in a sudden burst. The Darkai’s face contorted, and it let out a furious snarl as it turned on David, only for Torb to block the attack.

David twisted the black blade in the demon’s chest while simultaneously unleashing a second burst of [Holy Touch].

The demon screamed in pain and slumped to the ground as if something bad had happened to it. Its claws slid out of David’s chest, releasing a burst of blood, yet David could only stare at the dying Darkai.

Holy power is their bane!

But how could he take advantage of that? He didn’t have much holy power left, and the Recovery Serum didn’t replenish his health and holy power fast enough to waste any more precious resources. David had already used too much holy power to defeat the stronger Darkai. Still, it had been necessary: a fact made clear as his eyes flicked to the kill notification materializing before his eyes.

[You have defeated Darkai(Bronze I)]

“There are Bronze Rank Darkai in the Horde!” David shouted, casting [Cure Wounds] to mend his injuries.

He spun around, applying [Oasis of Harmony] and [Bless] to several Warriors. The toughest frontline fighters received [Bless], while the sneaky, light-armored Warriors benefited from reduced interference by the demons, thanks to [Oasis of Harmony].

One young warrior dual-wielding a set of daggers escaped the scrutiny of a few Darkai thanks to David’s Skill. David watched the young man drive a blade into a Darkai’s neck, twisting it in one smooth motion before spinning and thrusting his other blade into another demon’s throat.

The man moved swiftly, with an agility and strength that even David and most other frontline fighters couldn’t match. He cast [Bless] on the man, further enhancing his physical attributes.

David noticed the man’s eyes linger on him for a moment. The man nodded subtly and turned away to utilize his newfound strength to kill a few more Darkai.

The effect of [Oasis of Harmony] shielded him from most demon attacks while it lasted.

That was for the best, as he eliminated more than a dozen Darkai in that time. Once [Oasis of Harmony] wore off, the tiny, pristine dove hovering above him dissipated. He saw that from the corner of his eyes. Yet, instead of pulling back, the man seemed to accelerate. He had grown stronger!

“Level up!” Torb shouted, attracting David’s attention. The duo worked together to kill a few demons silently, but the dwarf’s exclamation got to him.

Torb accelerated suddenly. He was faster now than he had been before with [Bless]’s effect on him and bashed heavily into a demon’s chest. The Darkai was stunned even longer than usual and succumbed to the fierce hit to its head.

“[Charge] leveled up?” David asked, conjuring [Shield of Faith] to deflect nearly a dozen fireballs. The golden shield shattered after the fifth fireball exploded, but Torb was there to block the rest.

“That and my Rank.” Torb chuckled while beads of sweat trickled down his temples. He attacked the Darkai before him and blocked six enemies simultaneously without losing ground against them.

David quickly understood Torb’s tactic: The dwarf’s rank had increased during the battle, and he had used the Attribute Point to strengthen his Body property. Now that he was stronger, faster, and more durable, Torb charged ahead to fight more fiercely, fighting his enemies while simultaneously protecting his allies, thus fulfilling all criteria to progress rapidly as a Shield Warrior.

You’re close to advancing to Bronze, aren’t you?

David licked his lips. He’d heard it was best to undergo the First Class Advancement in a safe environment, but perhaps Torb had a plan in mind

He’d better pick something useful.

He joined Torb in the battle and wasn’t the only one. Several arrows whistled past their heads, hitting the demons where it hurt the most. Several instances of [Mana Bullet] also headed their way, but most Mages slowed the barrage of mana projectiles. Hunters could release as many arrows as they had stored in their quiver. They could switch to cold steel once their quiver was empty or retreat to the makeshift camp to restock.

David knew Hunters had the strength to hold the frontlines. They weren’t as equipped for melee as Warriors, but they had better chances at survival than Mages. Mages focused more on the Mind and Soul properties, leaving their bodies relatively unprotected.

David, as a Cleric, should have done the same. Maybe it would have been best to upgrade his Soul slightly more. A larger Holy Sea with pure holy power would drastically augment the defenders’ prowess.

But that wasn’t him. David couldn’t stay in the backlines and watch others fight with their lives on the line while he merely supported them.

He belonged here: amidst the bloody battlefield, surrounded by danger and death.

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