[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke

The northern army quickly surrounded the outer edges of Suniva Province's capital.

At the border, although it took them some time to understand the situation of their dead comrades, they cut down Death Walkers as fast as they could.

When Darius and Nikolai thought they were closing in on Silas, they discovered he had vanished from the royal tents.

With their communications being infiltrated, they couldn't reach Suniva.

It was Michael and his horde of Death Walkers who kept them occupied until now.

Just as Berry had predicted, the true aim had always been Xion.

They wanted to seize him, break him, and use him as leverage to force Darius into surrender.

They hadn't expected Xion to endure this long.

Even now, the black-haired commander spared Darius only a fleeting glance before turning on his heel and slashing down an enemy creeping up behind him.

Another one fell, but two more closed in on Xion.

Red gurgled from Silas' mouth as he stared down at the silver blade now buried in him, slick with his own blood.

"H-how can this be…? It's impossible. I am the king! I am the ruler! No one can defeat me!"

Darius twisted the blade without a word, and Silas' scream tore across the field.

With their king crumbling before their eyes, the royal army surrendered at once.

Rules were rules, and not even the generals could oppose them.

The Death Walkers, however, obeyed no such laws. They circled the group, hissing and snarling.

"Brother, watch out!" Noxian shouted loud enough to reach Xion, driving his sword into one's temple.

The skull split with a sickening crunch as brain matter sprayed across the ground.

Xion turned just in time to evade Michael's mana blast.

"You've been tainted," Michael said, grief laced with venom as he sent a mana blade toward Xion. "I knew it. I should never have let you walk away. I should have taken you sooner. Now look at you, Xion, you've become so… ugly."

His tone trembled, torn between rage and mourning, as if grieving the soul trapped inside Xion's broken shell.

Michael's yellow mana blades multiplied, encircling Xion from every direction.

All the while, Death Walkers kept others away from reaching Xion, grabbing his legs and arms.

"I will help. I promise. I will make you new. Your soul won't be so unappealing then. There will be no more disgusting blood on you."

"You, of all people, have no right to call me disgusting." Xion sneered, his arms trembling as he carved through ravenous monsters.

Their exchange was out of the Archduke's earshot.

Darius threw Silas to the ground.

The young king was wounded, but still alive. As for whether Silas might escape Nikolai's grasp wasn't his concern.

Letting Nikolai drag Silas away from the hungry horde, he moved deeper.

With Xion pressing on Michael from the left, he cut in from the right.

Despite not speaking a word, their intent was perfectly aligned.

Both wanted to take Michael down before he slipped into another rat hole.

Meanwhile, Ray and Noxian hacked through the advancing horde, slashing throats and severing spines before driving blades into the creatures' brains.

It was the only efficient way to deal with the Death Walkers. First, break their nervous system to render them unmovable, and then break their brains.

The lessons his brother taught him were now painted in blood.

Noxian was proud.

When he looked toward the place where his brother was, his pride disappeared, replaced by dread.

Because his brother was dealing with too many at once.

Indeed, with his body nearly out of mana reserves, Xion couldn't snap their necks all in one go.

He had to do it manually.

His silver threads slashed through the snarling Death Walkers as they tried to latch onto him.

Each kill left his lungs burning and his muscles trembling, but he refused to give an inch.

Crimson dripped down his thin fingers as mana threads coiled around them.

Nonetheless, he curled his hands to tighten their grip.

Michael's voice rose above the chaos while yellow mana flared in his hands.

A wave of golden blades materialized in the air, converging on Xion.

Xion turned, cutting down another Death Walker, but the next strike came too fast.

Michael and the Death Walkers pressed together.

When Xion tried to dodge their attacks, Serena moved.

Her puppet body glided forward, small knife aimed straight for his neck.

Michael wanted to hurt Xion, and Serena could only obey.

Kicking the Death Walker away, he jumped to the side. The golden blade was now lodged in his arm instead of his torso.

Xion's ribs ached as he forced a sharp intake.

His heart thudded against his ribs, as if it would tear free and leap out.

When he looked up, Serena was so close. He could stop her, but only by killing her.

M-mother...The words died at the tip of his tongue.

"Xion!"

"Your Grace!"

"Brother!"

Before Xion could react, Berry threw himself between them.

The blade pierced his heart with a sickening crunch. His body jerked once, then fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

The world went silent. Even Xion's rapid heartbeat seemed to fade.

"Berry…" Xion whispered.

No booming voice replied to him.

Wild rage boiled over, and mana surged violently around him.

His outer robe shimmered, threads of silvery-white light twisting into wings that flickered like they remembered what they once were.

For a moment, he wasn't a human anymore—he was the angel he had once been.

With a single sweep of his hand, the golden mana blades shattered into shards, raining down over the Death Walkers, nailing them to the earth.

Michael staggered, blood trickling from his ears. He stared at Xion in near-reverence.

"H-how… how can you do that? You… you are truly divine," he whispered, voice trembling with twisted devotion.

Darius took this as his chance.

He lunged from the side, silver sword plunging into Michael's stomach.

The blade sank deep but...

Michael laughed.