Damned Healer

The tyrannical command from Darian to those two races sounded like the furious roar of a majestic dragon.

It completely erased their lineage, as if they were ordinary beasts, utterly crushed by a Primordial Dragon. At the same time, it snuffed out the light in their eyes… and nearly destroyed their souls.

*Bang, bang, bang…*

Their bodies dropped violently to the ground like puppets with cut strings. Once they hit the floor, they trembled and convulsed like crushed insects.

"Urgh…"

Trembling groans slipped involuntarily from their lips. It wasn't something they wanted to do—it came purely from the terror their souls were feeling.

All the light in the world had vanished, and they could no longer even sense what surrounded them. Everything they had—whether the power of their rings, their lineage, or anything else—became pathetically small and meaningless… they felt their existence weak and dry, every hair on their bodies standing on end.

After several seconds, they struggled to lift their heads… their vision filled entirely with him, as if nothing else mattered.

Both the demons and the Charming Eyes were affected in the same way. Those with nine rings, who considered themselves invincible… now knelt before someone they had once seen as insignificant.

Every single one of them, without exception, could only kneel, without making a sound.

Even Beleth was on his knees, completely stunned. He remembered the moment he handed Darian a Celestial Fragment as a test, and Darian used it before all the demons. (Chapter 291/292)

At that moment, all the demons felt their lineages freeze. Their bodies and souls trembled, completely suppressed. Back then, it was brief and not even 1% of what they felt now. But… this was definitely the result of Darian becoming a Devil King.

Now that he had returned, it was as if he had become an Emperor, ascending to his rightful throne.

Remira let out a light chuckle, "What idiots."

Darian stared coldly at them. After absorbing all the reward, his soul now held divine power, almost at immortal level. He had fused with all the primordial Yin and Yang of that world, and that was one of the main benefits he gained by completing the trial.

Lian had explained that, as Darian grew stronger, new abilities and potentials would arise from it. But at first, the simplest way to use it was to burn the power of his soul directly. That way, he could activate the Primordial Yin and Yang Domain.

The demons were a race born of the purest Yin. The Charming Eyes, after many generations benefiting from the primordial Yang leaking from the mirror, had bodies deeply marked by that power.

With the domain active, those two races were instantly subdued.

The number of rings or their power didn't matter. This was an incomparably oppressive mental domination that threw a person into a state like waking from a nightmare. In that state, it was impossible to use force, attack, or defend.

But…

That only severely affected mortals.

Beleth, caught by surprise, fell to his knees like the rest. But after taking a deep breath, he managed to stabilize and rise slowly. He had transcended mortality and was immortal, so the domain didn't fully affect him, though it still bothered him.

Like him, Darian saw four figures in the sky still trembling but already stable.

They were three demons and one Charming Eyes.

Two were "known": the red and blue immortal demons from planets eight and nine of the universe, Cinderia and Frostra.

Near them was a figure Darian had glimpsed before losing consciousness when the demons attacked Earth. A Demoness, the only complete Spiritual Sovereign among the demons.

She was two meters tall and relatively slim, wearing a simple scarlet armor that covered only the essentials. Her deep sky-blue skin, almost ethereal, contrasted sharply with the long black hair that fell like a night cascade. Her eyes, glowing with an incandescent red, shone coldly beneath a golden mark on her forehead.

A little farther from the three stood a man with white hair and beard. His skin was grayish, and his wings black. His eyes radiated a magical, enchanting gold. Like the Demoness, he was a complete Spiritual Sovereign, belonging to the Charming Eyes race.

Beleth took a deep breath, realizing that only immortals could resist. He turned to the Charming Eyes' Spiritual Sovereign:

"Lord Aurix, in the name of our old friendship, please, hear the young Darian."

The man sighed but looked at Darian with seriousness. He had never felt so bothered and oppressed since becoming immortal.

Darian looked like a weak human, but irresistibly tempting. Greed and the desire to understand what this was was natural for him and for the other three as well.

No words were needed—he simply nodded to Beleth in agreement. Even though his will was different, he definitely wouldn't do something malicious without reason. Beleth felt relieved; this man wouldn't go back on his word once he agreed.

"Hahahahaha…" The two immortal demons began to laugh darkly.

The red one spoke, "Amazing, who would've thought he could come back? Now he's brought many incredible secrets for us to enjoy."

The blue demon turned to the Demoness, "Lady Caliris, let's divide everything correctly, as agreed."

She snorted, keeping her cold expression.

Her aura gave off neither pure malice nor pure kindness—she looked at Darian purely with curiosity and pragmatism. To her, he was like a treasure chest she wouldn't hesitate to break open to take everything inside.

With her nod, the other two smiled. Then…

"You bitch…" suddenly, Remira's voice rang out, full of fury.

Only then did they focus on the woman who had stayed close to Darian the whole time.

Caliris looked at her coldly, unmoved by the insult. But…

Suddenly, Remira's blue eyes changed. A strange glow appeared.

Caliris's expression shifted—first into surprise, then into sheer terror.

Suddenly, Beleth and the other two demons felt something terrifying. It was a demonic lineage erupting out of nowhere, but… it was suffocating their bodies and souls. Their hearts raced.

*BANG!*

Caliris fell from the sky of her own will, landing before Remira and Darian. She immediately dropped to her knees, trembling.

"Lady… you are…"

"Pathetic!" Remira spat, cutting her off. "My mother trusted your own Soul Eater race and asked for you to be brought to this special universe. How could you betray her like this?!"

Darian heard her and understood. Remira had half Soul Eater blood, the same race as Caliris. He had always wondered how such powerful demon races—or the Charming Eyes—could have been born naturally in his universe.

So that was it: Heaven's Will had brought certain races here to populate this universe and make them Spiritual Guardians. That must be the case for those two, and maybe others as well.

"N-no… we would never betray the Goddess…" Caliris stammered, trembling in despair.

"You didn't betray her? Darian, what's her karma like?" Remira spat firmly.

Darian answered in a low voice: "Black and dense to an extreme level."

Caliris shuddered.

"My mother told me she left many directives to guide your race in this universe… but you dared act greedily and vile… excellent… I will purge all of you completely." Every word from Remira carried malice; the scent of blood seemed to hang in the air.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Suddenly, the two demons roared and charged.

To them and the others, Remira had given off no sign of power—she seemed like an ordinary mortal.

At that moment, she turned toward them.

"!"

Her body pulsed with a multicolored light. When it appeared, whether it was Beleth or any other immortal, everyone felt a vast gap in power, like the difference between heaven and earth.

She made a gesture.

**BOOM!**

With a violent crash, the space around the two shattered. They were thrown away, out of the planet and piercing through space, covered in blood, like kites with their strings cut.

A single subtle movement was enough to sweep them aside as if they were pathetic flies.

The three remaining immortals widened their eyes, cold sweat running down their spines.

They were immortals, but they knew they belonged to the lower ranks—they had lived long enough and seen records in other universes of what someone like this could do. If this woman wanted, they wouldn't have the slightest chance to escape before being crushed.

Darian snorted; Remira's power had fully returned the moment she was freed from the trial. Her father had sent her to complete it as punishment. But even without finishing it, seeing that she had matured and learned, he had removed everything.

"Divided daughter! I beg you, have mercy. It's my fault! Don't destroy our race!" Caliris struggled, completely desperate before her.

"Oh? Now you repent?" Remira spat, turning to Darian. "What do you think? This universe is your home, after all. I owe you one—I could wipe out all demons here if I wanted."

At those words, Caliris and Beleth froze. They had never felt fear like this in their lives.

Remira's murderous will was palpable; they were certain that with a simple nod from Darian… this universe wouldn't have a single demon left alive for long.

But…

"You don't need to burn yourself with their karma. I'm sure there are good demons, just as there are good Soul Eaters. They're no longer a problem for me, just this immortal one…"

Remira nodded, controlling her rage. Indeed, no common demon could threaten Darian now: he could activate his domain and eliminate them easily—except that immortal and the other two.

"I understand, she deserves to die… but it would be too easy for her," Remira said, then turned to Caliris. "From today on, all demons… no!"

Remira stopped and turned instantly to the immortal of the Charming Eyes race. Aurix trembled from head to toe under her gaze. Then, like lightning, he descended to the ground and knelt.

"I will obey and fulfill anything. I remember all the rules and directives left by Heaven's Will to my race when we were granted permission to live in this universe. I swear, we never broke your word."

Darian watched him and saw his karma: black, but common like most.

He wasn't holy, but he didn't seem malicious or a liar. Before, he hadn't radiated malice before Darian either, and he had silently promised Beleth he would listen and negotiate.

Remira noticed Darian's nod, then turned to Caliris.

She snorted, and a multicolored rune appeared before her, pulsing like a star. The next second, it sank into Caliris's forehead and vanished.

"Dare resist, and I swear I'll exorcise this universe of demons."

Remira spat; Caliris bowed even lower, showing no trace of rebellion.

Within seconds, the aura of that Demoness completely changed.

Beleth and Aurix swallowed hard at the sight… Caliris's immortal soul was completely bound by a slave seal. For an immortal, receiving that should have been impossible—but before someone so superior, now an immortal had become a slave.

"A bitch like you doesn't deserve an easy death. From today on, the entire Soul Eater race, the Charming Eyes, and all demons in the universe will be ruled by Darian. Anyone who dares disobey him will be killed without mercy. You will be responsible for keeping them in line, especially the Charming Eyes!"

Remira spoke coldly, then turned to Darian. "My power can only enslave an immortal for a hundred years; after that, the rune weakens and disappears. For you, that should be enough time. In the end, you decide whether they deserve forgiveness or not."

Darian nodded, satisfied. Aurix seemed reasonable, and now, with the immortal Demoness fully under his control, he had no reason to fear.

"I'll kill those two…" Remira murmured, referring to the red and blue demons she had driven away earlier.

"No, leave them alive." Darian interrupted, "In this universe, I have many hidden enemies. Keeping them alive will make things easier for me."

Remira listened and agreed. Those two had unstable, weak power for immortals; they would soon seek help among Darian's enemies to survive. That would give him the chance to discover and profit from his opponents.

She created another multicolored rune and handed it to Darian. He quickly stored it — with that, he would have full control over Caliris.

"…with this… my debt is paid…" Remira murmured, staring into Darian's eyes with a hint of pain.

Darian nodded and sighed. They'd spent many years together, and he considered her a great friend. But now, the time to part had come.

"Debt? Don't be ridiculous. Whenever I can help you in the future, I'll do it without caring about any of this." Darian answered softly.

"…thank you… I feel the same. I hope you come visit me in the future." Remira nodded and gave a faint smile.

She could have stayed as long as she wanted, but… it was better to go home so her feelings wouldn't change.

Any romantic bond had already been erased. But if she stayed close, it might return one day. Keeping distance would keep things stable, allowing her to live her new life and worldview fully.

Darian knew what she was suppressing, but he was certain Remira had become a good woman, someone who considered her actions in the world. It wouldn't be long before she found someone who truly matched her.

She had only seen one side of him — when he was consumed by rage and the thirst to kill his enemy. But that wasn't entirely who he was, just a facet he preferred not to show all the time. Only one person knew his most pathetic sides and yet seemed to genuinely like them, matching him perfectly… just thinking of her made Darian want to run to her immediately.

Remira took a deep breath, and her body pulsed with multicolored light.

She gave one last look at Beleth and Aurix, who both felt a cold sweat at understanding her silent message.

"See you…" she said without turning, as the space before her opened like a portal.

The moment she jumped in, it closed and vanished.

"…"

Darian let out a soft, somewhat melancholy snort. Then he turned to everyone still kneeling, motionless.

His eyes fixed on Caliris, who immediately raised her gaze toward him.

"Take all the demons back. Then gather all the races and spread among them the words and rules left to the Soul Eaters. You will be responsible for watching over them and making sure they obey everything. If they disobey, eliminate them completely, without negotiation."

"YES!"

Her voice echoed loudly, full of energy, completely unlike her usual cold indifference. This wasn't truly Caliris, but it proved her complete obedience.

At that moment, Darian lifted his domain over the people. Everyone kneeling felt as if a mountain had been lifted from their shoulders.

As she stood, Caliris's demonic aura flared, her eyes pulsing.

"Move!"

She roared, commanding them with absolute obedience.

Every demon knew that if they delayed even a second, she would attack without mercy. Without looking back, they quickly left.

Only the Charming Eyes remained.

Darian turned to Aurix. "I don't need to say it, but you must make sure they actually follow the rules left by Heaven's Will, correct?"

"Yes!" Aurix answered immediately. "I will carry out a thorough inspection and review even the smallest reports of suspicious activity."

Darian snorted. "Good. But don't be so servile. I don't want to be an Emperor or God who must always be obeyed. If your race is right and just, we'll be equal allies. For now, take everyone back. I'll visit in the future."

Aurix sighed deeply at those words.

He was worried: if Darian wished to harm or dominate them badly, he would be forced to fight him — and with Caliris and Beleth at his side, it would probably be a lost battle that would doom his entire race.

But now, he saw in Darian's eyes a rare honesty and certainty. He radiated the aura of a natural leader. He felt that following him, if he truly acted justly toward everyone, would not be a bad choice. For now, he would just watch and listen.

He gave the order, and everyone of his race left quickly.

Now, only Darian and Beleth remained on that planet.

Darian took a deep breath and looked toward space… then focused on feeling the connection with Niara.

He wanted to see her, to reunite with his family.

But…

"!"

Suddenly, he felt something terrifying.

His eyes immediately locked on Beleth, burning with intensity.

"What happened to Niara?!"

Beleth swallowed hard.

"This… calm yourself… it's a complex… and terrible situation."