Damned Healer

After Darian's punch, the enemy leader got back up from the rocks, covered in blood. Everyone just stared in shock at his miserable state. That shadowy figure's speed was terrifying, and every single move carried a crushing amount of force.

At that moment, the enemy leader coughed up blood, his teeth flying through the air. His army quickly fell into chaos.

"Get inside the city!"

Darian's voice rang out. He grabbed the woman by the waist and shot toward the city; the others rushed after him immediately.

By the time the enemy leader managed to stabilize himself, Darian and the rest were already right in front of the city.

"Bastard!" His face went pale with rage seeing them make it inside. Their whole plan was ruined.

He had needed that leader to be lured out and killed outside the barrier; that part had gone perfectly. But now, with her back inside, she could focus all her power on reinforcing the barrier and buying time.

With a heavy snort, he ordered, "Surround the city. I refuse to believe they'll send reinforcements to die. Even if they do, we can still swallow them whole."

Everyone listened in silence, turning their eyes to the city. For some reason, just thinking of that dark figure filled them with unease and fear.

…

"Thank you so much for saving my life." As soon as they made it inside, the Chromaraic woman bowed to Darian respectfully. "My name is Hirel, I'm the one in charge of this city."

The others also gathered around, looking at Darian with admiration. He wasn't that figure cloaked in darkness anymore; the shadow had faded, revealing a hybrid with Chromaraic blood—just like them.

If it hadn't been for that unexpected reinforcement, that enemy would've completely wiped them out in a brutal, humiliating way, crushing the sect's morale. That's why they all felt grateful to him. At least now they could regroup, plan, and fight properly, using the barrier.

"That person you called Remira—she's a hybrid woman, kinda aggressive, dresses in a way that shows a lot of skin, right?"

Darian asked directly. He had his doubts, since they'd only called her General. Before, Remira had said she was a vice leader of the sect, and from the stories about her, her power sounded way too high for someone ranked as just a general.

"Yes, yes, yes! She said her mother taught her to be free and dress however she wanted. Do you know our general?" Hirel confirmed excitedly. The others stared at Darian in surprise.

"Yeah, I know her a bit…" Darian answered with a nod. A small bluish stone appeared in his hand, glowing faintly.

Everyone's eyes lit up when they saw it: that was the general's mark!

After that confirmation, they all warmed up to him. Even though Darian had saved them, they still had to keep their guard up.

Seeing that, Darian asked a bit more about Remira. From their explanation, he learned something intriguing. They said she was actually a young woman, frighteningly talented, who had shown up in the Heavenly World around six years ago.

At first, she had seemed strange—claiming to be someone from the past, which was obviously a lie, since dozens of generations had already passed since the person she mentioned. And on top of that, she was clearly a beginner back then.

Even so, she stood out among the disciples, rising from an ordinary one to becoming one of the Four War Generals of the Divine Seven-Star Sect.

What surprised Darian the most was that they basically just described her as "talented." Talent was everywhere; that word alone didn't mean much.

While Darian asked questions to the soldiers and the wounded were recovering inside the city, Hirel went to check their remaining resources. When she came back, she approached Darian and the others like she wanted to discuss battle plans.

"Sir, I still don't know your name," Hirel asked with a friendly look.

He nodded. "I'm Darian."

"What!?"

Hearing that name, everyone jumped in shock.

"Y-you… you're the missionary?!" Hirel asked, stunned.

Darian froze at her question and their reaction. Then he asked first—how did they know that title?

To them, Remira was a huge inspiration. She had personally helped them, and the entire sect looked up to her as an idol. That genius often mentioned a name: the missionary called Darian, a mysterious figure who…

She claimed was her Boss.

When Remira had first joined the sect, still weak, she became a target for many disciples—obviously out of jealousy for her talent.

She suffered a lot on her own. But… she started using the missionary's name to threaten them. She said the missionary was a messenger sent by the gods to complete the Trial, that his power and ability couldn't even be measured. He'd soon arrive in the Heavenly World to win the war. He was her Boss, and everyone would pay for what they'd done.

Those people thought it was ridiculous and ignored it, but...

Two years after she joined the sect, strange reports reached the high council — spy intel from the biggest city in Radiant King Dohans's domain.

There was a huge stir in the royal family, like something terrible had happened and someone important had died.

A few years later, a piece of news left the whole sect baffled.

Radiant King Dohans mobilized his troops hard, hunting for soul-power pills — top-tier ones, and in endless quantities.

No ordinary person, even at very high level, needed that many. Also, there were no reports of a battle, and his greatest enemies couldn't wound the soul.

Remira, by then a standout disciple, said without hesitation when she heard this: "My Boss has been working hard elsewhere. He definitely caused that whole thing and hurt that bastard Dohans!"

Of course, nobody believed it at first. But even up to this day, they kept searching for and collecting every pill of that type. It was impossible they were for anyone other than that ruler.

Rumors that the Missionary had done it spread through the sect. Remira gained huge prestige and, less than a year ago, became a General. Maybe because the sect's top brass started to take her seriously.

So all the disciples grew curious about this mysterious man. When Darian revealed his name, everyone was stunned: could he really be the legendary figure the General claimed was coming?

Darian, for his part, was even more shocked to hear all that. What the hell had happened to that woman?! Why was she using his name and status to benefit herself?

She definitely knew Darian would cause a commotion, and that would certainly be felt in the final phase at some point.

Darian snorted. "Yeah, I'm that so-called missionary..."

When he admitted it, everyone looked at him like he was a monster — they fully believed Remira's words, so he... had even managed to wound that invincible enemy!

"What happened to make this city a target? I only have info about the past of the Heavenly World." Darian changed the subject, focusing on the current situation.

Hirel explained the current state of the Wild World.

Basically, all the countless sects Darian knew had ceased to exist; the only survivor was the Divine Seven-Star Sect.

Radiant King Dohans had absorbed all the others into his realm. The Divine Seven-Star refused, because it followed a principle written by its founder: bowing to a bloodthirsty ruler gives him free rein to make you bleed and weaken you slowly, until the day he cuts your head off.

That ruler's acts of violence were many. He completely destroyed countless clans and sects that refused to submit peacefully; he didn't just try to defeat those who fought — he ordered places annihilated, killing every inhabitant to set an example.

The Divine Seven-Star Sect itself suffered a lot, but since it had been the largest sect in the Heavenly World in the past, it managed to hold on. Luckily, it was in a strategic spot, protected by a massive defensive inscription.

"You passed through the Wild World. The nine sects there were founded by nine demons. When they came to the Heavenly World, they joined our sect and improved their techniques, creating the current defensive inscription. Not even that army can fully defeat us to this day." Hirel said.

Even so, the current situation was terrible.

Over the years, the sect lost more and more territory, forced to stay confined in a small region where the inscription's power was strongest.

Currently, they had three large cities forming the inscription's pillars, plus a dozen small towns like the one they were in — important only because of nearby resources.

Besides the sect, there were some technically neutral clans; for some reason, Radiant King Dohans left them alone instead of destroying them.

As for the attack on this city... it happened because a Chromaraic clan that did business with the sect betrayed them, letting the enemy army approach undetected.

So the sect didn't block them. And now that the invaders were already here, it wasn't worth sending the few powerful warriors of the sect to die defending a city of so little value.

"Lord Darian, now that you're here, if we send word to the sect, they might send help," Hirel said, eyes shining.

"No need." Darian denied it without hesitation, leaving everyone surprised.

"Prepare yourselves. Soon, I'll lead you to wipe out all those outsiders."

"What?!" Practically no one believed what they were hearing.