Damned Healer

The strongest demons of the Devil World, along with the Charming Eyes race members from planet Dharma, showed up at the same time.

When they saw that figure, their eyes and expressions completely froze.

There stood a human man, dressed in black clothes with a rustic and strange style. His long, dark green hair hung loose, framing a face that radiated youthful and vigorous energy. Still, his red eyes hid a coldness forged through ten long years of tribulations.

His body was solid and well-defined, without exaggeration, shaped like a warrior who lived every single day in battle. He still resembled the skinny, simple young man the demons had once known, but...

...his aura, his skin, and his very temperament had gone through a radical transformation. The result was an abnormal presence, a forced maturity that transcended age.

"D-Darian…?" Suddenly, a clearly shaken voice rang out among the demons.

The unknown figure turned, staring at Beleth, who was visibly in shock.

After all he'd been through, Darian was already very different from his past self. But after the Nirvanic Rebirth, his entire being had been rewritten by primordial fire.

It wasn't just physical... the moment they laid eyes on him, everyone felt their very souls tremble.

He gave off a shocking duality. For some, his aura was noble, domineering, and sinister. For others, that same presence felt warm, kind, and protective. It was like Darian had become Yin and Yang in the flesh; each person could only sense the side that resonated with their own essence.

"Yes, I told you I'd come back." Darian's answer to Beleth was completely emotionless.

Then, he turned toward the cracked mirror behind him.

With a wave, a grayish aura flowed out of him, and another figure emerged. It was a beautiful woman with bright, colorful hair. She turned, looking at everyone with a mocking expression.

Next... Darian waved again. Everyone then watched as the mirror simply vanished. Clearly, he stored it away.

All their eyes widened.

"YOU!"

They snapped out of their stupor, and the strongest among them roared.

Darian turned slightly toward them. "What? You're the ones who sent me to that place. I won and came back. So now, it's all mine."

Hearing that, they finally understood. That really was the human kid who had shaken the universe ten years ago, the one they themselves had sent to the trial of the Supreme Artifact.

Their senses sharpened, and they immediately began measuring him. Their expressions changed instantly. He was just a human with four rings. A mere insect daring to claim what was theirs?

"Darian... I'm glad you came back." Beleth's voice sounded as he stepped forward. "But we already had an agreement, if you managed to return."

No one had ever expected him to come back after so long, since they had no idea what was on the other side.

They thought it was just a difficult trial, one that might last only a few days until the result showed. On top of that... since Darian had been taken away by demonic power, at best, they figured he'd only be able to conquer the Yin side of the artifact. In their minds, there were two trials and two separate winners. So him trying to take it all was spitting in the face of both races.

"I don't recall agreeing to that." Darian's calm voice suddenly rang out. "I was forced in every possible way to be dragged into this trial. And you only gave me an empty promise, one no idiot would ever believe you'd actually keep..."

"YOU INSOLENT BRAT!!"

In an instant, all the powerful demons roared with frozen fury. His words sounded like a joke to them. They didn't know what he had gotten his hands on, but they were determined to tear every drop of it from him without mercy.

"Young Darian." Suddenly, a calm voice echoed from the opposite side of the demons.

Darian turned toward the army of figures from the Charming Eyes race. His mind quickly recalled everything he knew about them.

Physically, they looked almost identical to humans, but they had feathered wings like angels, and every one of them was frighteningly beautiful. The main highlight, though, were their eyes...

...in all sorts of colors, but when you looked into them, they revealed a mystical, indescribable power. It was like they had a second spiritual root. Every single member of this race was born with terrifying power, and when they became Spiritual Guardians, that power only multiplied.

Right now, they were definitely one of the most powerful races in the universe. But... that still wasn't the peak of their strength. In fact, from birth, their eyes and their Bloodline carried a seal that restricted 90% of their abilities.

That was like a curse placed upon their race by the Heaven's Will. The reason for that... millions of years ago, before the current Heaven's Will saved the world, this race had been like invincible gods to mortals.

There was simply no way to compete with them. People of that race were literally blessed and untouchable. That, of course, went straight to their heads, and they really came to believe they were the supreme rulers.

Until one standout figure among them found a way to truly dominate everything and everyone in the world. A divine queen rose up and began to control the minds, lives, and very existence of everything in the world. Everything and everyone came to exist under her will.

That was the spark that started the entire war back then. After she was defeated, any ordinary person would've wanted to wipe that race out forever. But the Heaven's Will allowed them to continue existing, imposing heavy limits on them.

If he had truly erased them from the world, what would he differ from that queen?

Despite his hatred, he wasn't an absolute god whose will had to be followed. That race had always existed across universes and should continue — but with fixes, so future problems wouldn't happen.

Darian fixed his eyes on the owner of the voice. It was an older-looking man with long blond hair and black wings. He had nine rings and stood at the center of his people — probably their ruler.

Darian said calmly, "You didn't threaten me, so we've got no karma yet. Half of that mirror did belong to you. If you want to talk, I won't be unfair."

"Hahahahaha..."

"How ridiculous! This human actually thinks he can—negotiate?"

Laughter and mockery exploded across that race's ranks. These were all figures with seven to nine rings, thousands of them. The world's laws were written by the strong, and someone with only four rings daring to demand or negotiate was, frankly, laughable.

The man who'd spoken calmly before merely sighed heavily. Darian noticed clearly that he didn't agree with the others of his race. But as their leader, he could only act according to his people's will. If all the major figures of his race disagreed with him, he had no choice but to accept it and try to minimize the damage.

It was the same on the demons' side. Everyone looked at Darian with contempt. Beleth's expression was heavy, but he didn't have many options to help, so he thought about what he could do to help as much as possible.

Remira, standing beside Darian, had a wide, mocking grin on her face. To her, it all looked like a comedy show.

Darian stayed proudly still amid the taunts. Everything had happened fast — it'd been less than five minutes since he'd arrived.

Then he just signaled once.

At that moment, a black-and-white glow lit up in his eyes. Instantly, everyone there felt their souls and bodies freeze.

Silence fell.

Their eyes were the only thing they could move. Everyone turned toward the figure, calmly staring back.

"You pathetic bunch of demons and Charming Eyes—how dare you act so reckless in front of me?"

He spoke in a calm, indifferent voice, but to everyone there it sounded like the crack of a celestial thunder.

Darian snorted coldly: "Kneel before me!!"