Chương 95: Ch 70 – Chaos Healer (Part 2)

The old demon burst into laughter,

"Haha! Great! I'll give it to you then. Come here."

I walked toward him, my injuries making me meek and hesitant. I wasn't fully trusting the old demon, but with death looming, there seemed to be no point in resisting.

The old demon moved his finger and summoned a black flame on the ground. In place of the flames, a knife appeared.

"Get that knife," he commanded.

I grabbed the knife with my feeble hands. The old demon nodded, seemingly pleased with my obedience.

"Grab that knife and cut open my chest. If you manage to eat my heart, you'll gain all my powers," he said, grinning widely.

I was baffled by this gruesome suggestion. "What?"

The old demon looked at me with a sinister grin. "I am serious. That's the only way to obtain power, or you can die like a dog while your enemies roam freely."

I waited for him to say it was all a horrible joke, but he didn't.

"Kill me and feast on my heart. Only real chaos can bring order to this world. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, kid. I am going to die anyway, so I'll let you take my power as the last good thing I do in this life."

I took a deep breath and made a grim decision. I desperately needed the power.

"Alright, old man, I'll do it," I said with resolute eyes.

"Good! You are truly a ruthless demon. This power should be quite compatible with you," he said with a laugh.

"Enough talking. Any last wishes before you die?" I asked, holding the knife steady.

The old man looked at me, his grin unwavering. "I already had my fun in this realm. Well, if you really want to do something, maybe you can unite all the demon kingdoms and become their ruler. Then no one shall look down on you."

"Alright, I'll just do that," I replied, determined to see this through.

Without hesitation, I stabbed him, ending his life.

During his dying moments, he chuckled,

"I really… have high hopes… for you, kid."

Following his instructions, I cut open his chest and consumed his heart raw. As soon as I did, a miraculous transformation took place. All my wounds closed, and my broken bones mended themselves. The old man had spoken the truth; I had gained a powerful regenerative ability along with control over the enigmatic black flames.

I could summon these flames at will, and they possessed a voracious appetite, devouring everything they touched. Strangely, these flames emitted no heat, making their effects all the more mysterious. I struggled to pronounce the original name of this ability, so I decided to call it 'Chaos Heart.'

Upon recovering from my wounds, I returned to my desolate town. In the town square, the militants had hung Revelia's lifeless, naked body for all to see. They aimed to make an example out of her, displaying her as a warning to others.

To my disgust, the townsfolk, instead of retrieving her body, watched from a distance, ridiculing her fate. They made no attempt to take down her corpse or show any respect.

In a grotesque turn of events, it was the townsfolk themselves who had stripped Revelia's body bare. I even spotted one of the thieves among the crowd, shamelessly wearing Revelia's yellow dress. They had looted her house and stole all her possessions upon hearing that she had died.

Seeing the thief wearing Revelia's stolen dress, I couldn't contain my anger. I picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the thief, instantly killing her. The townsfolk were shocked by my sudden act, and in the next moment, they all charged at me. They attacked me relentlessly, but my memory went blank after that.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself standing in a vast crater that had once been my desolate town. Black flames raged around me, consuming everything in their path. I was the sole survivor of this fiery devastation, and I knew it was time to leave that place in search of the militants who had caused all of this.

With time, I honed my mastery over the Chaos Heart's abilities. This power was nearly god-like, making me an unstoppable force. The engulfing black flames I wielded had the capacity to annihilate entire armies of demons in the blink of an eye. My physical strength and resilience matched that of a dragon, and the mere presence of my black flames sent shivers down the spines of even the mightiest demons.

In the beginning, when I was first learning to control this formidable power, there was significant collateral damage. Sometimes, my own allies would fall victim to the devastating flames I unleashed. Recognizing the need to mitigate this, I began to exercise greater restraint in the use of my abilities. Nevertheless, by that point, I had already earned the infamous title of 'The Harbinger of Chaos.'

Later, I learned from a demonic shaman that my black flames possessed a mysterious spatial property. Wherever the things consumed by my flames went, I neither knew nor cared.

I proceeded to systematically defeat the mightiest demons, conquer entire nations, and wage wars with other realms. Always at the forefront, my flames devoured my enemies, and it was only a matter of time before I succeeded in uniting the entire demon realm keeping my promise.

However, I let my guard down when I thought I finally had achieved happiness, and the tragic result— death and losing my dear wife. I swear that one day, I will find my way back to exact vengeance upon those treacherous backstabbers. The flame of vengeance was still burning bright under my heart.

As my past memories flooded back, I realized how surreal and chaotic those times had been. The journey from a young boy grappling with newfound powers to a commanding demon lord had shaped me in ways I could hardly have imagined. It almost felt like a dream.

It felt like a dream… dream?

But then, a troubling thought crept in, like an unwelcome guest.

Could it be possible that my past memories of being a Demon Overlord were nothing more than a fabrication?

What if these vivid recollections I have were just an elaborate dream, a figment of my imagination?

The uncertainty gnawed at me. There was no concrete evidence to verify the authenticity of these memories of mine. I couldn't prove my own existence, let alone the existence of other people from my past life memories. The tales of my demon conquests, battles, and generals could potentially be fake and planted in my brain.

What if I had never been a Demon Overlord in my past life?

Everything that happened in the past seemed so hazy, like a bad nightmare.

Suddenly, the wagon jolted, and my head smacked against the wagon's back.

I let out a soft exclamation of pain, "Ow!"

That sudden jolt of the wagon brought me back to the present.

I finally woke up from the train of bad thoughts.

The other occupants of the wagon appeared undisturbed, as if accustomed to such bumps. The Celestia officials were still sleeping quite peacefully.

I realized that I was having a defeatist mentality, entertaining thoughts that were out of character for me. I almost mentally scolded myself for even doubting myself. It must be that I had grown complacent after coming to this world.

Maybe having a family has made me grow soft.

I pinched myself on the cheek, forcing my thoughts to refocus. I couldn't afford to lose my edge because of self-doubt. I had become too comfortable, and it was high time I rekindled my determination, just like in the past.

With renewed resolve, I leaned back against the wagon's seat, my mind now laser-focused on carving out a clear path forward.

It was important to find the dimensional gates and seek revenge, but even more critical was my need to become strong enough to face them.

I once united the demon realm, and everyone cowered before me.

I can do it again in this new life, even if I'm a healer.

Perhaps life has given me this handicap to challenge me. I'll embrace this role and twist it until no one dares look down on me or my family. I'll be the healer who evokes fear and dread with just my name.

How will I achieve this? I have no idea, but I'll find a way eventually.

And when I do, I'll unleash the same chaos I once wreaked in the demon realm.

Every mage has a flashy title, right? What should mine be?

As I pondered potential titles for myself, I considered paying homage to my previous abilities, perhaps something like 'Chaos Healer.' However, after a second thought, I was like, nah I could come up with a better mage title.

Suddenly, a new idea sprang to mind.

In an abrupt moment of inspiration, I muttered, "The Murder Healer."

It had a certain ring to it, and it carried a sense of fear and dread that I found appealing. I even quietly congratulated myself on coming up with such a suitable name.

"Young lad," suddenly the grumpy woman spoke, her voice tinged with annoyance.

Startled, I opened my eyes and looked at her, "Yes, ma'am?"

She gestured toward the white-cloaked girls beside me,

"You've been muttering and grinning like a lunatic for some time. And now, you even said something ominous. What's wrong with you? You're scaring those poor girls half to death."

Glancing at the frightened girls, I realized these girls certainly didn't like my new mage title. Thinking quickly, I attempted to salvage the situation, "Oh, I apologize. I was just having a bad dream, that's all."

The grumpy woman, however, didn't seem convinced,

"A bad dream, huh? You looked like a possessed demon with that grin of yours."

In a feeble attempt to deflect, I retorted, "I'm just a kid, harmless really."

"Just go to sleep quietly!" she instructed.

I nodded in agreement, and with that, peace was restored. Even the girls settled down, and I resolved to keep my thoughts confined to my mind, not wanting to disturb my fellow travelers any further.

Over the course of five days and five nights, the wagon carried us steadily toward Celestia's Mercy. The journey remained relatively peaceful, with only a few wild mana beast attacks, all of which the mercenary handled with ease. During this time, I closely observed the mercenary and managed to pick up a few valuable lessons.

On the morning of the sixth day, we finally arrived at Celestia's Mercy, safe and sound.