Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 53B1 - Lifeweaver II

David’s instincts took over as he jumped into action. His body trembled violently as his legs dug deep into the blood-soaked ground, but he pushed forward.

His eyes trailed the battlefield, and he quickly found a few squirming bodies. David arrived quickly, only to see the life fading from their eyes. David’s stomach churned at the sight of mutilated bodies—some half-burned, others shredded by Darkai claws or missing limbs, yet they were still alive.

He gritted his teeth and trusted in the intent etched into his mind as he cast [Weave of Life]. Following his instincts, David stomped heavily onto the ground, sending his power through his leg. Searing heat surged through his leg as his foot struck the blood-soaked soil, tending to his wounds and soreness as it moved along. As his foot came in contact with the ground, [Weave of Life] seeped into it.

The blood-soaked soil started glowing. At first, it shimmered faintly, but it quickly flared into an intense beacon of light. [Weave of Life] appeared to seep into the soil before David before it expanded, fueling the soil around him with power. The beacon of light pushed forward and spread out. It dimmed ever so slightly as the light split into multiple streams, creating a pristine network engulfing the wounded humans and elves.

David felt the ground beneath the writhing bodies overflow with life, its energy surging toward the wounded and preserving their lives. The injured stopped writhing in pain, and their expressions eased up. Their faintest wounds appeared to stop bleeding, and the floods of blood pouring from the most grievous wounds lessened.

They would make it. A single cast of [Weave of Life] protected several mortally injured combatants from certain death!

For now, that was good enough.

A satisfied smile blossomed on his lips as beads of sweat poured down his temples.

He spun around, his body emitting a faint crimson hue as he cast [Bless] on himself. His gaze shifted to a group of Darkai battling a handful of lone defenders. The defenders’ expressions were distorted in pain and desperation. It was clear to David they were at their limit, but they didn’t retreat. They couldn’t, not with several unconscious bodies sprawled behind them. The defenders protected them.

David moved quickly. He rushed to the Darkai from behind and thrust the Obsidian Blade into one of their necks. A twist of the soulbound blade was enough to eliminate the threat.

He kicked another Darkai while retrieving the Obsidian Blade. The demon fell to the ground, which one of the injured Warriors took advantage of. His blade descended and dug deep into the Darkai. David plunged his blade into another Darkai, spinning swiftly to behead a third. The force behind his attack was to kill a Demon without slowing down. He pushed forward, cutting down another pair of Darkai before joining the defenders.

David cast [Bless] on the defenders while his gaze lingered on the dying men and women around him. There were nine bodies, but only three were still alive. The others didn’t make it.

“Fuck.” The word slipped from his lips as his gaze fell on Melach among the bodies. Relief clashed with dread as he realized the elf was still alive, though barely. Melach was as pale as paper if one ignored the sick purple veins pressing tightly against his skin.

David didn’t know how, but his heightened senses let him perceive life in others, and Melach’s presence was barely a flicker.

[Weave of Life] won’t do it.

His newest Skill Rune was powerful, but it spread its healing power evenly in its area of effect. Since he had no experience at controlling the area of effect: [Weave of Life]’s range was too large to cover only three targets: David wasn’t confident at rescuing Melach.

He cast [Restore] on Melach first and used it two more times at a lower level to bring the others back from the brink of death. As long as the Darkai didn’t return, they would have a fair chance at survival. At least, that was what David hoped.

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“Kill as many Darkai as you can,” David ordered, though he didn’t think it was necessary. He glanced at the defenders again and nibbled his lower lip, “And fall back with the injured as soon as you’re spent.”

He didn’t wait for a response and continued his killstreak. [Bless] had yet to wear off, granting him enough power to kill Darkai without wasting any more of his precious Blood. The droplet of Blood in his Source wasn’t fully consumed yet, but David could feel its dwindling power.

His expression remained stiff as he cut down the ordinary Darkai around him, his hair standing on end as he closed in on the Rift Boss. The Rift Boss was covered in cuts—wounds that would have killed ordinary Darkai and crippled Herculean ones—but they barely seemed to slow it down.

David considered his options for a moment, his mind racing.

The Law of Blood should work. It won’t be enough, though.

He cursed under his breath, his gaze shifting to the remaining defenders battling the Rift Boss—if one could even call it a battle in the first place. Half the Protectors wavered on their feet, their exhaustion obvious even to David. If the Rift Boss turned its attention to them, it would spell a massacre. To David, they were nothing more than baggage.

“If you’re too tired to fight the Rift Boss, get the fuck out of here. I am not going to nurse you back to life, you fuckers!” David growled loudly once he was close enough to be heard.

The Protectors grunted, but David couldn’t hear if they said anything at all. He used the remnants of [Bless] to rush to the Rift Boss, Words of Power rolling from his tongue. A mind-splitting headache threatened to consume David as he added [Holy Touch] into the fray. He applied the Skill Rune to the Obsidian Blade and pierced it into the massive Rift Boss’ leg.

[Holy Touch]’s power surged to the tip of the soulbound blade as it cut through the thick hide. David’s sense of danger perked up, forcing him to retreat. The Words of Power ceased, but whatever he had said seemed enough to unleash a portion of [Law of Blood]. The wound inflicted by the soulbound blade tore wide open.

Black blood erupted from the wound as David stumbled back, his heart hammering in his chest.

Please work!

He prayed while recalling the Obsidian Blade back to his mind space. It took a moment until his view was clear again, but David watched as [Holy Touch]'s power seeped into the bleeding wound, spreading its influence. Since all Demons, or the Darkai at the very least, appeared weak against holy power, especially [Holy Touch], David could only hope the same applied to the Rift Boss.

The Rift Boss confirmed his hopes, clawing at its leg to tear away chunks of flesh around the fresh wound. It took only a moment to do so, but that was enough for David. His smile widened as the Rift Boss concluded its ‘surgery’ by burning the self-inflicted wound, just like the Herculean Darkai did before.

A glance at the Rift Boss was enough to tell that the attack weakened it. The Rift Boss turned to David, its void-like eyes focusing solely on him. The Protectors dealing with the monstrosity attacked it, but none of their attacks appeared good enough. The Rift Boss moved toward David, and for the first time, its trajectory diverted away from the Sanctuary.

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It wasn’t much, but it felt like a victory. The pressure weighing heavily on everyone seemed to drop visibly.

“Do what he said! Everyone who’s too weak to inflict serious injuries to the Boss…leave and protect Arc from the Darkai!!” The words rang over the battlefield, and David’s lips twitched into a grim smile. Finally, someone was listening. “As for the rest…focus on its leg! Once crippled, the Boss is as good as dead!!”

That seemed like a good enough plan. The Rift Boss had been shockingly fast for its humongous size and weight, but not anymore. Its tremendous weight ought to be pressing hard on its leg, probably forcing the monstrosity to slow down. The Rift Boss's left leg was half-destroyed, torn apart by its claws.

An idea popped up in his head as the Rift Boss rushed closer. One of its legs was already as good as gone. It shouldn’t be a problem for the Protectors to cripple it for good, given a few minutes. That left the other leg.

A close-range attack was no longer an option. The Rift Boss moved slowly, but its attacks were lightning-fast. Fireballs rained down, each one narrowly missing David. Every dodge felt like a brush with death. Facing it head-on was impossible. It was beyond suicidal.

David opted for the less suicidal approach.

He summoned the Obsidian Blade, cast [Equivalent Exchange], and watched his trembling hand as he aimed the blade at his chest.

With a grim smile, he whispered a silent prayed…and plunged the Obsidian Blade into himself.