[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 192: A Broken Doll

Xion exhaled slowly, letting his mana settle over his hand. With a flick of his wrist, a faintly glowing blade formed. Its razor-sharp edges shimmered with white lustre.

It wasn’t steel, but pure mana, concentrated and stable.

He hovered it just above Darius’s already sterilized chest.

"Hold still," he murmured, more to himself than the man lying pale and motionless in front of him.

Then, he made a cut. A clean, controlled line down the center of Darius’s sternum. He slid the blade out as soon as the incision was deep enough.

Blood welled up immediately, but Xion was already pressing a cloth soaked in suppressant against the wound, slowing the bleeding.

With delicate care, he reached for the thin, transparent pipe resting in the sterilized tray beside him.

The tip of the pipe shimmered with enchantments. He pushed it into the open incision, guiding it gently until it found its place.

The pipe was now nestled between ribs, directly into the mana-rich artery below the heart. It would draw the corrupted energy directly from the source.

Much like freshly pumped blood, it would flow out in steady waves.

Once it was in, Xion grabbed the surgical tape, and a golden thread infused with sealing runes to secure the pipe in place.

The glow of the runes pulsed briefly as they activated, locking the pipeline against any leakage. This would also stop the blood from flowing out.

The other end of the pipe led to a massive vessel. The glass container was nearly as tall as a five-year-old child.

The thick, reinforced glass was braced with spell-scribed metal bands all over it.

Inside, the glass was lined with a faint white mist to keep the volatile mana contained. It was Xion’s mana.

No one had dared ask where Xion got it.

Allen, who had been watching quietly, had long since assumed it must be the artifact Xion had told him about before disappearing for hours.

It was no ordinary jar. It pulsed faintly with containment spells. Allen could feel that it was being reinforced by multiple layers of protection.

The vessel was ancient even for Allen’s practiced eyes.

And now, it was about to be filled with something dangerous.

Xion placed his hand flat against Darius’s chest, just above the incision, and whispered under his breath. "Trust me and don’t give up... please."

A faint smile tugged at Darius’s lips. Perhaps it was the rising sun peeking through the cracks, his eyes held a strange, flickering light as they fixed on Xion.

"Hmm," was all the archduke said.

Taking a deep breath, Xion closed his eyes. His first step was to extract the cursed mana. The only way to do that was to lure it out by using his own as bait.

A thin stream of pure white energy travelled inside Darius’ chest, just below the pipe.

The runes etched along the pipe began to glow. The glass trembled faintly as the first traces of dark, corrupted mana started to flow through the tube.

It was thick like smoke, even tinted with a reddish hue that flickered unnaturally. It was the marks of blood, making the already violent mana look even more scary.

Just as it reached inside the vessel, it coiled and twisted like a living thing. Almost like a deadly serpent.

Darius flinched.

The moment the draining began in earnest, the archduke’s fingers curled involuntarily. His breath started coming in short, shallow gasps.

"Just a bit more," Xion murmured softly. freewёbnoνel.com

One of his hands was busy channeling mana, while the other held onto Darius’s curled one.

He gently slipped his fingers into the tight grip, and after a moment, His Grace clutched back, holding onto him like a lifeline.

Even with his eyes closed Xion knew that Darius must be frowning now.

How could he not when extracting a large amount of mana was equivalent to scratching the insides with a knife?

However, the best he could do was watch the streams of two mana follow their aligned path properly.

Allen stood beside the vessel like a silent guard. His honey-brown eyes reflected the swirling green misty storm inside.

The mana was too violent now, lashing out in waves that sparked and sizzled against the glass like miniature lightning bolts.

Behind them, Ray could only watch everything with his jaw clenched.

None of them spoke. They did not dare to when fear had coiled tight around their hearts.

For they could see the deeper the extraction went, the more his grace’s body began to tremble.

The veins darkened beneath his pale skin, spreading out from the incision like a web. Soon, the area around the pipe turned an angry shade of dark green.

The pain forced him to arc his back, and a muffled groan rumbled in Darius’ throat.

Xion’s eyes snapped open. "Hang on..." he whispered, gently freeing his hand from Darius’s now lost grip to soothe him.

His fingers brushed through sweat-soaked silver hair with tender care.

Xion’s chest ached, a terrible pressure gripping his heart as he took in the sight before him.

Darius Rael Darkhelm was the devil archduke, he was always in control, always so strong, and now... he looked utterly broken doll.

So much so that even the simple act of blinking seemed to take everything he had.

Yet despite the ache, Darius stubbornly kept staring at him.

Those pale green eyes, which always looked so scary and venomous, were now shimmering with naked anguish.

So helpless. So full of silent suffering.

And just like that, Xion felt the burn rise in his throat. Just one look and Xion had the urge to cry.

He wished to cry on behalf of Darius, who was enduring it all in silence. Who had trusted him so completely, handing over his life without hesitation.

Yet he also wanted to cry for himself.

Because somewhere along the way, he, a doctor, had fallen for his patient.

And now, with his own hands, he was treating the man he shouldn’t.

Never treat your loved ones with your own hands, you might make a mistake.

With his trembling hands, he had crossed the taboo of the medical field.

However, it was about to get worse.