Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death

The Mini-Boss blurred and reappeared beside its brethren, licking its bloody claws. It growled low, its stance submissive as it lowered its head before the Rift Boss.

The massive wolf growled hoarsely, its eyes trailing to the Fangs—frozen at their leader's arrival—spurring them back into motion. What had been a slow fight of attrition transformed into bloody carnage. The Fangs, as if driven to insanity, charged ahead in unison, lunging at the closest enemy. The Mini-Bosses followed a similar tactic. They dashed forward but circled the group, studying their every move.

Why aren't they charging like before? The Mini-Bosses are too fast to evade, or was the initial attack something special?

David scrutinized the Mini-Bosses. They appeared almost identical in size, but only one had blurred twice.

As for the Rift Boss, David's eyes lingered on the massive pack leader long enough to discern it wouldn't attack. It stood motionless behind its pack, watching intently—or so it seemed.

Was the Rift Boss bored? Why didn't it charge ahead to kill everyone while the Fangs and Mini-Bosses distracted them? Was it a power play?

Whatever.

David shrugged inwardly. The Rift Boss's inaction worked to their advantage, though his heart pounded at the thought of facing the massive wolf in the chaos of the battlefield. One step at a time.

The air was heavy with despair. Even without looking, David could feel the weight of the Bronze Rank's sudden death pressing on the group.

Melach was right. How annoying.

There was no time to dwell on regrets. In the first place, David had nothing to regret. Not since the integration reached the Earthen Union.

He unsheathed the kobold shortsword and pressed it firmly against the warrior longsword as he shifted into a more defensive stance. Taking a deep breath, he activated [Holy Touch] and wreathed both weapons in a faint, glowing hue.

That should do something…

David licked his lips and used the last boon he'd received from the Pantheon temple.

[One Attribute Point has been used to enhance the User's Body.]

Middle (Basic) → Middle (+)(Basic)

Surviving divine lightning twice has its perks.

Strength surged through his body as his muscles bulged. Planting his feet firmly into the ground, he propelled himself forward, charging toward the mass of Fangs.

[Bless]!

The Skill Rune encompassed everyone within range, increasing their power and durability considerably. Casting [Bless] three times, David strengthened the remaining survivors amidst the chorus of bloodthirsty growls and desperate shouts.

The combatants shifted, gripping their weapons tighter.

As the final instance of [Bless] took effect, David surged forward. Leaning into his stride, he beheaded a pouncing Fang with the longsword and stabbed another with the kobold shortsword. He twisted the blade in the Fang's heart, ripping it free in a swift spin. The weapon whirled in his hand, smashing into the side of another Fang's head and piercing its skull.

[Fang (Common) has been defeated.]

[Fang (Common) has been defeated.]

[Fang (Common) has been defeated.]

David barely registered the notifications. His eyes narrowed to slits as blood flooded his view. He twisted his body, evading a claw aimed for his neck, and drove the shortsword into a Fang's eye.

His chest burned as claws raked across it, but he pushed forward, severing the front legs of another Fang in a fierce sweep. The longsword danced in tandem with the kobold shortsword as David spun, his blood pooling on the ground alongside his enemies'.

His movements were dangerous—not only to him, as his blood splattered everywhere—but lethal to his foes.

David pressed on, his body screaming in pain and defiance. He held firm, transforming his deadly momentum into a dance of blood and death.

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His blades tore through Fangs faster than he could register, their bodies crumpling around him. He caught sight of Torb crushing the spine of a nearby Fang and glimpsed the Hunter from the other group—his head clamped between the jaws of one of the three Mini-Bosses.

A fireball flashed past David, missing his head by inches—though the divine lightning from the temple had already handled most of his hair.

The fireball, larger than any David had seen before, collided with three Fangs and exploded in their faces. They yelped and thrashed in agony, only to be struck by several [Mana Bullets] that barreled toward them, dealing the final blow.

David saw the mana projectiles approaching, but his hair stood at its end until the monsters died.

His body tensed suddenly, and questions surfaced, but he didn't have time to question what was happening. He kicked off the ground and jumped to the side. Something sharp slashed his leg, forcing him to cast [Cure Wounds]. The stab of pain was intense, but he could still feel his legs. Rolling on the ground, he jumped to his feet.

His left leg buckled, forcing him to cast [Cure Wounds] again. Simultaneously, he channeled bits of [Holy Touch] to fill several energy pathways, altering the natural Aether within. His Holy Sea strained under the constant use, struggling to keep up with the extensive demands of his Skill Runes.

A faint headache crept up the back of his mind, but it was bearable—for now. He could endure that much.

But David wasn't sure how long it would stay that way. Not with a wolf the size of an average human adult towering before him, growling deeply and glancing at the deep wound it had inflicted moments ago.

The wolf lunged. It was fast, but David's reaction wasn't far behind. He moved instinctively, compressing the [Holy Touch] coating his kobold shortsword at the tip and releasing all of it in one burst. Instead of creating a magical projectile infused with holiness, he produced a dazzling light.

The Mini-Boss looked directly into the brilliance and yelped. Almost simultaneously, a massive projectile—likely Melach's [Arcane Blast]—whizzed past David and smashed heavily into the wolf's face. A crunch resounded, followed by a deep growl. Seizing the moment, David surged forward. The Mini-Boss thrashed blindly, its eyes shut tight.

Was it still blinded or simply afraid of another dazzling light? David wasn't sure, but he knew how to capitalize on the opportunity. Torb's sudden movements suggested he had the same idea. The dwarf appeared beside the Mini-Boss, his mace vibrating, while David emerged on the opposite side, channeling even more holy power into his longsword's [Holy Touch] coating.

Torb's mace slammed into the wolf's neck with tremendous force. The blow was far stronger than the dwarf's usual attacks. Cracking noises echoed as the wolf hit the ground. David's eyes narrowed slightly while Torb grinned triumphantly.

The wolf wasn't dead. It could still move. A deep howl escaped its throat, its eyes locked on the dwarf—until David shoved his glowing sword into its maw. Twisting the blade deep in the creature's throat, he ended its struggle.

The monster tried to retaliate. Its fur expanded, and its muscles bulged. But everything stopped abruptly as David wrenched the warrior's longsword free. He tore it mercilessly from the wolf's throat.

The massive creature collapsed. Torb didn't hesitate, smashing the Mini-Boss's head with his mace. Its skull burst open, and a kill notification appeared.

"I just wanted to make sure it was dead," Torb muttered, his tone unapologetic.

David waved a hand dismissively. "Keep going."

Spinning around, David surveyed the battlefield. Most of the Fangs lay dead. Only a few remained alive, though they were injured.

Unfortunately, the same could be said for the other Familia members. Only two of the seven combatants from the allied group were still standing. David pressed his lips together in frustration. Their only advantage was that the remaining Mini-Bosses weren't faring well either.

The allied group had crippled one Mini-Boss, while the other bore severe burns—likely from fireballs and arcane blasts. It was probably Melach's handiwork.

The Rift Boss, however, remained unscathed. It still hadn't moved.

The great wolf didn't even flinch as the second Mini-Boss fell. The creature vanished into a blur and reappeared behind Melach, repeating the attack it had used to kill the Bronze Rank Warrior.

But instead of succumbing to the ambush, Melach's stance shifted subtly, almost as if he had been waiting for this moment.

With a single move, the elf turned the tide.

David's eyes widened as Melach flashed a knowing smile. A flash of blue light erupted behind the elf, so bright that David had to blink. The energy compressed instantly, shooting forward and piercing the Mini-Boss's chest without resistance.

Melach collapsed, but the faint smile lingered on his face. He writhed on the ground, his work done. The Mini-Boss slumped lifelessly to the ground.

To David's surprise, the Rift Boss didn't retaliate, even as its subordinate fell. Instead, it watched the final Fang's death with an eerie indifference. Did it not care about its pack? That was beyond everything he knew about packs.

David's confusion deepened as the Rift Boss moved. It approached the crippled Mini-Boss with a low growl.

The Rift Boss's claws flashed, and a fountain of blood spurted in all directions, staining the massive wolf crimson.

The last Mini-Boss collapsed, slain by its alpha.

What was that?

David's eyes narrowed, his body tense. The battlefield's atmosphere shifted suddenly. Sparkling crimson motes materialized everywhere, emerging from the blood and corpses strewn across the ground. The scene transformed into one of haunting beauty, with the motes resembling crimson fireflies... all converging on the Rift Boss.

A deep howl escaped the monster's throat, tugging at David's nerves as it began to transform.

The Rift Boss grew larger, its yellow eyes turning crimson. The bloodlust in the air thickened, pressing down on David with suffocating intensity.