Damned Healer
Chapter 209: Make An Example

Chapter 209: Make An Example

A brutal fight unfolded, with both fighters clashing nonstop, but neither of them could gain the upper hand. Despite how intense it got, the match didn’t last more than ten minutes.

Amelia’s artifact ran out of power, while Joseph reappeared in the arena, panting hard. His blessing wasn’t something that could be used repeatedly or for long.

The two of them charged at each other for a final clash.

Joseph’s dagger missed its mark.

*BANG!*

Amelia was clearly well-trained and quick on her feet — no surprise, considering the hellish training under her clan leader. She landed a clean punch on her opponent.

He was sent flying and hit the ground. That was it.

After her victory, Amelia didn’t celebrate. She just stood there, out of breath, looking completely exhausted. Her ring’s power was mostly spent, and her glove artifact had no more energy.

"The winner’s been decided. Now, next up..."

Since there were only four supports and Darian couldn’t be challenged, the only one left to fight was Eleanor. The officer paused for a moment and looked at Darian. It was the perfect chance for him to challenge Amelia while she was injured.

If he did, she wouldn’t be allowed to refuse, and the match would happen.

But Darian showed no reaction at all and stayed quiet.

Eleanor took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage. This was her shot too.

Everyone needed to win a match, but if they wore themselves out too much, it could bite them later. Amelia didn’t have that option — if she hadn’t gone all out against an invisible enemy, she’d have been stabbed by poison-coated daggers and lost.

Eleanor walked onto the martial platform and drew a short, sharp sword.

"Begin."

The moment the officer gave the signal, Eleanor launched forward with everything she had. Her body lit up with a yellowish aura — the raw power of her ring.

Amelia stayed silent, eyes locked on her charging opponent.

When Eleanor was less than ten meters away, her eyes flared.

Suddenly, the air around Amelia shifted. The rules of the world bent under her blessing. Strange chains — a mix of wind and space elements — appeared and quickly latched onto Eleanor, sealing her movements.

Eleanor’s blade cut through empty air.

Standing there, Amelia suddenly let out an ironic smile. Her slim, unimposing body burst with intense energy... and the gloves on her hands glowed blood-red.

Her earlier silence hadn’t been arrogance or underestimation... she’d been quietly building up her power! And now it exploded at that exact moment!

The more experienced observers narrowed their eyes. They recognized that power, surprised. It was combat aura — a technique created by Anbon, the leader of the Red River Pact clan.

That technique, after tons of training, let the user fuse ring power with their life force, creating extreme physical strength. But... no one had ever managed to use it with fewer than six rings — before that, the ring energy just wasn’t dense enough.

Anbon had clearly done something — and probably paid a heavy price — to make it possible for this girl to use it... Considering everything that had happened with him and his clan recently, he was probably furious and dead set on restoring his reputation, no matter the cost.

Was this support the only one who had this technique? No one was that naive — it didn’t make sense for just one support, someone who didn’t even fight on the front lines, to be the only one with it. Odds were all five of them from that clan could use it too... which made them straight-up terrifying.

The military officials watched it all with a glint of excitement in their eyes. This meant that, in the tournament, their empire might actually shine — maybe even make it to second place this time.

*CRACK!*

The chains shattered instantly. Amelia suddenly looked like a raging tsunami about to crash. "TAKE THIS, BITCH!"

Since Eleanor had gone in with a full-force strike — and didn’t expect her seemingly exhausted opponent to blow up with such a fierce counterattack — she had no way to dodge.

All she could do was brace for it...

*BANG!*

A red light sphere exploded violently right then... and at the same time, all the members of the Red River Pact flashed smug, ironic grins.

The sound of bones snapping echoed across the arena. With a brutal uppercut to the gut, Eleanor was launched into the air.

Suddenly, Amelia jumped up and appeared right in front of her midair.

"No!" Silas roared from the stands, panic and fury taking over.

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

Amelia started hitting before Eleanor even hit the ground.

As soon as she got on the fighting stage, she kept punching her multiple times, giving no chance...

...not that she needed to — Eleanor was already badly hurt and out of the fight from the first hit.

It was a clear, brutal show of unnecessary violence. Eleanor’s face quickly became disfigured. Her clothes, once light yellow, were now completely soaked in blood.

Then Amelia stopped — or she would have killed her. Next, she grabbed her by the neck and threw her away like a piece of trash.

"Boy, what we want isn’t just to win, but to make you lose in the ugliest way possible!!"

A low, mocking whisper echoed in Silas’s ears as he watched Eleanor being thrown off the fighting stage.

"Eleanor!!!" Silas yelled and ran to her.

The military officer sighed and quickly stepped forward, catching Eleanor in the air since she’d been thrown far while bleeding heavily.

She was badly hurt — several broken bones and internal injuries...

"Eleanor! Eleanor!" Silas approached, panicked as he examined her. "Quick!! Quick, get the medicine! I’ll pay anything!"

Several military officers quickly came closer. One took out a pill and handed it over; after putting it in her throat, color came back to Eleanor’s face almost immediately.

"She’s disqualified," the officer declared coldly. Using that kind of aid was obviously forbidden.

Silas stared at her badly injured body without blinking.

"She won’t die, but the wounds are pretty deep," another officer concluded, and Silas nodded with a grim expression.

His eyes fixed on Amelia. Noticing it, she let out a dry laugh.

"What’s wrong? Thought after joining my clan, using our stuff, and taking advantage of us, you could just leave and be fine? Two little shits like you are lucky you’re still alive."

Her words were cold. Then she turned and calmly left the arena.

Everyone went silent. The twins clenched their fists, holding back from attacking her. They looked at Darian, who just nodded for them to wait.

"Two wins. Amelia’s the first to qualify."

Darian, Niara, and the veterans in the stands sighed. They clearly understood: Joseph had been bought by that clan, setting everything up to get back at the couple.

Leaving a clan was taboo for everyone. That powerful clan wouldn’t rest until they wiped out the so-called "traitors." Defeating them wasn’t enough — they wanted to make an example. They needed to make them lose in the worst, most miserable, humiliating way possible, crushing their dignity and pride.

Silas let the military officers take Eleanor somewhere else, along with a doctor. All his — and her — savings would now be spent on the pill and medical care for her deeper wounds.

Then he climbed the stands and sat in a quiet corner.

Nayara and the twins stared at him from afar, their looks full of pain.

"I’ll draw the next one," the military officer announced.

The names shuffled again until only one was left.

"Tank class, Mason."

He had called another member of the Red River Pact clan. Mason smiled excitedly and got down from the stands.

When he got to the stage:

"I challenge you, Silas. Don’t want to get revenge? Here’s your chance! Hahaha!"

Everyone in the stands scoffed. The result was obvious already, but Silas couldn’t refuse the challenge. His only option would be to forfeit before the fight even started and accept the humiliation. Something that... judging by his hateful glare, he obviously wouldn’t do.

Silas moved toward the fighting stage. Nobody could convince him to back down.