Khate never knew what had happened. She did not understand the suppression, nor why the soldiers outside had suddenly started dying so easily. But one thing was certain.
Something was terribly wrong.
The guards protecting the manor had fallen too quickly.
Truthfully, they were not the strongest force within the clan, but they were never supposed to die this fast. Their duty was simple. Hold the line long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Yet now, silence covered the area outside.
Khate slowly exhaled before giving another glance toward the approaching army. There were hundreds of them, while she alone stood before the manor.
Behind her were civilians, servants, wounded soldiers, and Three.
She could not retreat.
Without another word, Khate closed the large doors behind her and stepped forward alone.
On the enemy side, several soldiers visibly relaxed after seeing only a single woman standing before them. After fighting for so long, many of them were already exhausted from the endless battle across the island.
The captain of the group stepped out first while resting a black spear across his shoulder.
"Woman, stand aside and we may spare your life."
Khate looked at him coldly.
"You think I would follow your instructions? Am I your officer or something like that?"
The next moment, a powerful aura erupted from her body and crashed onto the battlefield.
Several soldiers staggered backward immediately as pressure descended onto their shoulders.
The captain's expression changed.
"A Primarch."
His earlier confidence disappeared almost instantly.
"Form ranks!" he shouted while tightening his grip on the spear.
Khate raised one hand calmly.
A black staff engraved with glowing emerald patterns appeared within her grasp. The moment it touched the ground, a deep thud echoed outward.
Green light spread across the battlefield like flowing water.
The soldiers instinctively raised their defenses, expecting poison or some hidden curse. But after several seconds passed, confusion appeared on their faces.
Nothing hurt them.
Instead, the exhaustion inside their bodies started disappearing.
Old wounds stopped aching.
Their breathing became smoother.
Some even felt strength returning to their limbs.
"A healer?" one soldier muttered in disbelief.
The captain frowned before letting out a mocking laugh.
"So you are only a healer." He pointed his spear toward her. "What are you planning to do? Heal us to death?"
Khate remained motionless.
Then slowly, a faint smile appeared across her face.
She loved that expression.
That look people gave whenever they discovered she was a healer.
Pity, relief, or even a bit of underestimation.
Her emerald eyes slowly brightened.
You think healing is just fixing cuts?" Khate laughed, her voice echoing off the battle grounds.
"Let me show you what pure life feels like."
The first wave of soldiers charged toward her immediately after the captain's signal.
Heavy footsteps shook the ground as dozens rushed forward together.
Khate did not dodge.
She slammed her staff downward once more.
A second wave of green light spread outward.
This time, the reaction was different.
Several charging soldiers suddenly stopped moving as veins bulged violently beneath their skin. Their muscles tightened unnaturally while sharp cries escaped their mouths.
One soldier dropped his weapon and grabbed his arm in horror.
The flesh beneath his armor was growing uncontrollably.
Another collapsed onto his knees as blood poured from his nose.
Their bodies were healing beyond balance.
Bones hardened too quickly.
Muscles expanded faster than the body could endure.
Their life force was increasing wildly, but their bodies could no longer stabilize it.
Panic spread instantly across the battlefield.
"What is happening?!"
"Stop the energy!"
"My body...."
Boom.
One soldier exploded into flesh and blood.
Then another.
The charging formation instantly collapsed into chaos.
The captain's face paled.
"Archers!" he roared immediately. "Kill her!"
A rain of arrows descended toward Khate.
Several pierced through her shoulders and legs.
The enemy soldiers finally sighed in relief after seeing blood spill from her body.
But Khate simply looked down at the wounds calmly.
Emerald light flashed.
The arrows were slowly pushed out as flesh regenerated around them almost instantly. Within moments, her skin had completely restored itself without leaving behind even a scar.
Fear slowly appeared within the enemy ranks.
Khate lifted her head and smiled faintly.
"My turn."
Her figure shot forward.
The ground beneath her cracked as green light trailed behind her movements.
A soldier swung his axe downward, but Khate caught the weapon with one hand. Blood appeared briefly across her palm before the wound regenerated immediately around the blade itself, trapping the axe completely.
The soldier's eyes widened.
Khate twisted her wrist.
Crack.
The heavy axe shattered apart.
Before the soldier could retreat, Khate placed her hand against his chest.
Green light entered his body.
The soldier suddenly froze before collapsing onto the ground while gasping violently for air. His body trembled uncontrollably as his own organs started failing under the overwhelming surge of vitality forced into them.
"Monster..." someone muttered in fear.
The captain felt cold sweat forming behind his back while watching his soldiers fall apart one after another.
Every injury Khate received disappeared instantly.
Every touch from her brought death.
The battlefield had completely descended into panic.
Some soldiers tried retreating while others attacked recklessly in fear.
Khate raised her staff once more.
A soft green mist spread outward across the battlefield.
The moment several soldiers inhaled it, their bodies relaxed uncontrollably. Weapons slipped from their hands as exhaustion flooded their minds.
One after another, soldiers collapsed onto the ground unconscious.
Within minutes, the entire battlefield had quieted down.
Corpses and unconscious bodies covered the area outside the manor.
Khate stood alone at the center while resting her staff against her shoulder.
The emerald light surrounding her slowly faded.
Then her expression changed.
Blood.
A thin trail of blood was flowing from beneath the manor doors behind her.
Khate's pupils contracted instantly.
The soldiers outside...
Were they only a distraction?
Had the enemies sneaked inside?