Damned Healer
Chapter 212: Who’s Next?

Chapter 212: Who’s Next?

"What... what the hell just happened?" Nayara asked quickly. Just like most of the people there, she was completely confused.

"He really... crippled Mason with a single hit..." her clan leader muttered under his breath.

Nayara looked at him, still confused, but swallowed hard when she saw the sheer shock in his eyes too.

"Pathetic... Dan had to hold back so he wouldn’t kill him." Niara murmured over Lucy’s shoulder.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, bro was way too rushed. He should’ve taken his time beating the crap outta him... not giving him a chance to give up until... well, never mind."

Niara chuckled in agreement. Meanwhile, Lucius and Veyle sighed beside them, clearly feeling how sadistic and vengeful those two were.

"Take him away. He lost."

The military officer’s voice came out cold as he stepped into the martial stage. Even he was deeply shaken by the result.

Up until then, most people still didn’t believe what they’d just witnessed.

One single punch... and a tank was on the ground, badly injured, bleeding from every hole in his face. Even if Mason hadn’t used his blessing, just with the sheer power of his three rings, a support-type like Darian shouldn’t have had the slightest chance of hurting him.

But there it was — plain as day. Everyone’s gaze toward Darian changed completely.

"Darian..." the man muttered, trembling with rage after seeing how bad Mason’s injuries were. "How dare you do something this cruel to my son?!"

"Your son? Who gives a shit." Darian replied, completely indifferent, gesturing for them to hurry and take him away. "I won. Now get that trash off the stage. My time’s valuable."

The vice-leader’s eyes burned with fury. The senior military officer let out a cold snort, ready to step in and force the guy off before something worse happened.

Darian saw that and let out a small laugh. "He was the one who stood there like a statue, saying I could hit him ten times. I even asked again and again just to be sure — and I still didn’t use all my strength. Who’d have thought he was that weak and pathetic? Damn... collapsed from one light punch? Maybe your clan’s trash should have a little more self-awareness... that was kinda ridiculous, don’t you think?"

Eleanor’s injuries had been so severe she might end up paralyzed in the future. And Silas... his condition had been even worse — he would’ve died in agony from the poison.

Everyone in that clan had gone after them in the cruelest way possible, just because they left... which, clearly, had been the right call. Now the faces of all the Red River Pact members shifted between pale purple and pure red from sheer rage.

"I’m not gonna say it again. He lost. Get him out of here, now!" The senior military officer’s voice was loud and heavy.

"Just... wait!"

Mason’s injuries were too serious — there was no time to waste with treatment. The vice-leader shot Darian one last hateful glare, then took Mason off the stage.

Nobody there was dumb — everyone knew perfectly well that Darian had done it on purpose, as payback. And if that clan had even a shred of decency, the officers — everyone — would’ve stepped in and scolded Darian seriously for it.

The damage Mason took was so bad it was basically the same as killing him. But the karma from everything that group had done made everyone else just ignore what happened — and honestly feel kinda good about it.

The whole arena now had a weird vibe. All the other kids in the selection looked stunned. And the ones who had been laughing, mocking, and talking trash... were now staring at Darian like they’d just seen a ghost.

Mason was carried off by the military officers to a private area where he’d get more intense treatment.

’What the hell’s up with... his strength?’

When the vice-leader returned to the group, one of the three who hadn’t fought yet asked bitterly.

’My idiot son was just way too careless and didn’t defend himself with his blessing. He didn’t even activate his combat aura... that’s why he got wrecked so bad from just one hit,’ the vice-leader replied darkly. ’The kid’s punch was a little weird. He probably used some kind of hidden artifact; but that’s not against the rules. If Mason had taken it seriously, losing would’ve been impossible.’

All the young ones in the clan nodded like they understood. But none of them had a clue what kind of ’artifact’ Darian had supposedly used. Someone was gonna have to figure it out by fighting him...

Meanwhile, back on the martial stage, the military officer said to Darian:

"You’ve earned a victory. You may challenge anyone, except those who have already qualified."

Darian nodded slightly. Then he turned toward the bleachers, fixing his gaze on a single spot. The word "arrogance" was clearly stamped across his face. And the target of that arrogant stare... was obviously the members of the Red River Pact clan.

His expression showed he was too lazy to even choose. He looked at the three who were still left from that clan and asked casually:

"I don’t care who it’ll be. Unfortunately, I can only leave two of you half-dead... so, who’s next?"

None of the three reacted.

After ten seconds of silence, Darian laughed: "Red River Pact only brought a bunch of cowards?"

As soon as he said it, two people in the arena burst out laughing. Even an idiot would realize that, among the three left, none wanted to fight without first understanding what Darian had done earlier.

All of that clan turned to look at Lucy and Niara, who were laughing, and their expressions darkened.

If they could, they would’ve preferred not to fight Darian now. Facing an anomaly they knew nothing about was the scariest thing. If they got defeated, they’d be mocked throughout the whole empire... no, all over Earth, once this selection was broadcast.

As if the unprecedented humiliation the clan would suffer after Mason’s defeat being shown wasn’t enough. The next one to mess up even a little... they were scared of what the clan leader would do to them.

After a minute, one of the three figures snorted and moved forward bravely.

It was the other tank of the clan. In the center of the martial stage, a woman dressed in red stood before Darian. She was a tall young woman, with a well-trained physique, but still held a striking feminine aura.

"I’m Eulalia," she said coldly, keeping her head high and acting arrogantly.

Even though she was internally a bit tense before the enigma that was Darian, her arrogance — or maybe, more precisely, her insolence — hadn’t diminished at all.

"Do you have any idea how much of a clown you’re being right now? Heh, just because you beat Mason with your dirty tricks you suddenly think you’re invincible and can act so insolently?" She continued, with a sharp look. "It’s so ridiculous. If he had taken it a bit more seriously, any casual attack would’ve taken your life. He didn’t lose to you, but to himself."

Darian looked at her like he was facing a complete idiot. Everyone in the arena felt like she was saying all that to herself, trying to inflate her already-shaken confidence.

"Begin." The military officer’s voice sounded, starting the battle.