The consumption of every single Voidling strengthened the planetary bond. Oddly enough, it also reinforced the bonds with his other people, especially the Chimeras.

  A familiar roar resounded as the corpses of the Voidres disappeared in the maw of Vitae. He turned to Electra’s colossal form barreling toward him. Their bond rippled, and information flowed into his mind.

  You forced the Ascendants to come here and watch me fight? That…is actually not a bad idea. Good job, he thought, gently caressing her snout.

  “Do you want to fight the Voidlings of Kamia, or do you still have to get used to Vitae?” David turned to the Chimera Ascendant and the Sworn Chimeras. A cacophony of roars echoed through the wastelands, so he let them go. “Bring their corpses to me. Do not consume them when I’m not close by to help. The rewards may be great, but there’s no need to risk anything. Not when I’m here to cleanse the excessive harmful substances.”

  This time some disagreed. Not everyone shared his overly cautious nature, but so be it. They had seen what happened to the Chimera who chewed more than it could handle, and they knew what would happen to them if they did the same.

  Three beings David had only seen in Electra’s memories approached him with slow and careful strides. Their eyes met, and David saw everything he needed to know.

  “I could take away your territories and consume you and your people to grow stronger, but I don’t think that’s necessary. You will be punished for harming my people, and you are to atone for your sins; however, I will not kill you,” David said calmly. “If you submit to me, I’ll rule over your territories and redistribute your control of the lands as my vassals after you have paid for your actions.”

  While the Ascendants weren’t his enemies, they had killed some of his people. Orhain’s army—precisely Electra, Maja, and the Sworn—had thrashed the Ascendants’ forces in the past, but they were only defending their land. They had never acted as aggressors. Putting aside their hatred for each other would be challenging—there was no doubt about that—yet it was a necessity. The End moved fast and precise, unleashing its worst horrors upon the cosmos, and they had to rally their forces to fight their common enemy. Once the End was dealt with, they could bash each other’s heads in, but first they had to survive.

  “If you don’t submit, you either leave—once you have paid for your actions—or we will crush you.” Geysers of Vitae tore through the distant wastelands, removing the nothingness and Nihilum woven into the land, while also devouring weak Voidlings.

  “Decide before it is too late!”

  ***

  [The territories of three Ascendants have been claimed and transferred into your possession. All bonds formed by the Ascendants have been shared with you.]

  The citizens of Orhain were not particularly pleased with his decision to ally with the Ascendants, resulting in tension throughout the Sanctuary as well as a drastic shift in hundreds of bonds. However, as news reached them of his ‘conquest,’ and that the Ascendants had been forced into submission rather than standing on equal footing with David, their opinion shifted once again.

  The bonds did not reach the same level they used to, but all those who had seen or even fought the creatures of the End understood his actions. Some even praised him, as all who had suffered the loss of their beloved were compensated for the disasters that struck their families. It wouldn’t bring the dead back to the realm of the living, but the Ascendants honored the deceased.

  At the end of the day, all sides lost good people. The Ascendants may have invaded the Earthen Union, but the Chimeras, Wargus, as well as the people of Aquaton—who also originated from a planet of the same name—had been forced out. The Chimeras had been nearly hunted to extinction, and they used the Earthen Union as a way to escape the Dragon Gods hunting them. The Wargus, known for their physical might, had been forced to step onto the Earthen Union first to scout the area and make space for the Major Gods to descend once the Seals of the Weave grew weaker. Aquaton was a dying planet, killed and consumed by the End.

  Everyone had a story, and they all wanted to survive. David never thought it would be easy, but he hoped they could accept each other. In the worst case, they could simply ignore one another since they still lived in their own Sanctuaries.

  While Maja, Electra, and the Ascendants were busy with politics, training, raiding Rifts, and rescuing forces from outside Kamia, David focused his Vitae and Intent on cleansing Kamia.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  His territory expanded rapidly into the wastelands as he filled them with life and nutrients. He did not work alone; his people used the wide variety of their Skill Runes and Intents to fix the mess caused by the Voidlings. But it was not until the Voidlings of Kamia, as well as the nothingness within the wastelands, had been removed that things truly began to improve.

  For one, David used Pillar of Life almost constantly alongside Domain of Vitae. Following that, relying on Fountain of Life, he infused raw lifeforce into the ground, which created magnificent results within days. Not only was his territory expanding, but the wastelands were being repaired, and the planetary bond reached a new threshold.

  [Your tireless effort has paid off, Ascendant! Earthen Union’s planetary bond advanced.]

  Frail → Weak.

  The notification felt like a reward, which was precisely what it was. The Divine Seed unraveled in anticipation. David barely had any time to prepare himself before a flood of Might struck him. The Weave flared up. David froze in his tracks, groaning as too much Might for him to handle surged through his body. He wasn’t quite sure if it was supposed to be that way, but Might coursed through his veins. It sloshed through every cell of his body, threatening to tear him apart from the inside out.

  The Divine Seed rattled and churned through the flood of Might, as it tried to absorb and digest as much as possible. It was difficult, and it forced David to stay rooted if he didn’t want to risk losing the flood forever.

  “Bring the statues,” David called to Electra, who split from his body in an instant. She transformed into a flash and vanished into the distance, only to emerge from a glistening golden portal with Maja.

  “I am pretty sure you told me you wanted to wait a little longer,” Maja said. She regarded David, shook her head, and slipped back through the portal for a split second. When she re-emerged, Maja brought the Unitas Siblings, Lukas, and the other Sworn of Orhain with her, as well as a few dozen statues resembling Electra’s magnificent serpentine form.

  “I did not expect the Weave to be so generous,” David said, shrugging as he released tendrils of Might through his fingers, mixed with pure Blood, Origin Essence, and Vitae. The tendrils latched onto the statues and initiated the process of Idolification, slowly decreasing the burden on him. However, as it turned out, David had more than enough Might to invest in his Sworn.

  Vitae and Might surged out of him in waves, echoing the flood that had struck him. They briefly clashed, then passed one another after moments of tension. The next thing David knew, four Peak Sworn, five High Sworn, and a dozen Low Sworn were rewarded with a portion of his Might. He should have granted them more power a long time ago, especially after he learned how hard Lukas, Frey, and the other Sworn had worked in his absence.

  They deserved this power more than anyone.

  Hours passed—hours in which the flood of Might had long since subsided—but David continued. He elevated the Peak and High Sworn to the pedestal of full-fledged Champions, while the Unitas Siblings were promoted to Low Champions. If he had had enough Might, Vitae, and life force to spare, he would have promoted them again; alas, he did not.

  [You have successfully created two Guardian Idols and eight Basic Idols.]

  [Four existing Guardian Idols have been repaired and improved.]

  More notifications materialized before his eyes, but David discarded them.

  “You can place the Basic Idols throughout the towns you and your friends have built, Lukas,” David offered. “They won’t attack perpetrators, but they will erect a defensive barrier when hostile creatures enter the territory.”

  Lukas nodded, trying—and failing—to hide his pride. He felt stronger than ever, and that was painfully obvious. His chest was thrust forward, and Lukas held his head high.

  “The Guardian Idols can be placed in Orhain or in the Portal Hub, depending on where you want them to be. As long as the Idols are connected to the territory, they will channel the Might of all those with Favor and Conflict bonds to strengthen and expand the territory.” Maja nodded, but she looked a little conflicted.

  “What’s the issue?”

  Maja hesitated, but only for a moment. “Will you leave Kamia now that you’ve cleansed most of the country? The Chimeras and our people can probably take care of the rest.”

  The truth was that the situation outside Kamia looked bleak—worse than it had been a few days ago. It didn’t look like the wastelands had expanded much, but snippets of news reached them through the Familia’s information network. More than a dozen Ascendants had already been killed and consumed by Voidlings, and it appeared that a few Minor Gods had been injured as well. Close to a dozen Voidre were on the hunt, devouring powerful Classers and weak Ascendants rather than infesting the Earthen Union, yet the cosmic forces had not rallied. Sure enough, many worked in teams to survive, but the information network rarely carried good news these days.

  “I have to. Not only to help, but to grow stronger.” David smiled wryly at his lover. “I know you don’t like it, but as dangerous as the Voidlings are, they empower me. You know who’s been seen on the other side of the continent, and you know as well as I that he’s coming for us—for me. I need power to keep everything under control, and I sincerely doubt I will ascend to godhood within the next few months, since I’m only a 3-Star Ascendant right now. I need more Might than others to advance.”

  He could only use his secret weapon to grow stronger. Vitae Nihilum. Cleansing wastelands would strengthen his connection to the Earthen Union while also enhancing his physique. Furthermore, Vitae was the perfect energy to fight creatures of the cosmos, as well as Voidlings.

  Maja looked uncomfortable, but she did not stop David. She knew she couldn’t stop him—that it was selfish thinking and that her demands would come back to bite her. David needed this.

  Read the rest of Apocalypse Healer on!

  Or check out the first volume published onOr if you're more of a listener, check out the (It's amazing!)

  If you've already read the first volume, check out the second volume on or(if you like audiobooks)