Overpowered Wizard-Chapter B4 Ch30: Return to Carrowmore
βHusband, Iβve made a grave mistake.β The voice of Zarianβs wife transmitted through the ring, choking down a sob that wanted to come out. ππ»πππππ«π£π€πππ΅.ππ€π’
That alone tainted the demolished area around Zarian.
Shadowfell tears pooled up from the ground, as if the world was crying with Lucy. The beaming lights from above turned shadowy, her tears dripping from the skies in thick, ropy splatters.
Was it spreading elsewhere across the universe? Or was it only happening around Zarian because heβd evoked her presence?
Heart hammering, Zarian racked his brain to think of what to say. Then he realized that he and Lovewar never got to fix what was broken between them.
Heβd never heard from her again. He still missed when sheβd called him little brother in the tone of a tomboyish goddess. Losing that relationship was one of the biggest regrets Zarian had carried from his decision to unleash the true depths of the darkness.
Is she really dead? Like dead, dead? A coldness spread through Zarianβs chest as Lucy choked back more sobs.
βI pushed her,β she said. βI told her sweet tidings that sheβll become like me once sheβs committed enough service under my name. Then she overextended in battle, and he struck in a way that I hadnβt accounted for. I β¦ feel so foolish and wretched. Iβm so sorry, husband.β
The coldness inside Zarian shifted quickly. He glanced at the remaining countdown. There was not enough time and too much of a mess to sort through before the Final Round. The avatars of the gods would be there at attendance, he reasoned. But two of their number would be missing. Never had the good gods looked so weak.
That wasnβt his true concern, though. Rising heat filled his body, getting closer to scalding.
βWho did it?β Zarian asked.
βSinfeast.β
His breaths came out ragged and infuriated. For a moment, he thought of turning his rage upon the entire Mega World and just annihilating it. His Willpower held him back, but the rage inside roiled through his veins, goosebumps appearing all over his skin.
βYou couldβve stopped him. You have his tears,β Zarian muttered.
βI held them as a measure to invoke fear. If I had carried forth in consuming them, I wouldβve ended him. He is yours to end, after all.β
Even in her misery, her words were like a slap to his face. The timer wound down closer to the end of the Second Round, but Zarian didnβt care about that. He wanted to snap at her. How could she be so stupid? What good was letting Sinfeast eliminate a close friend just because she wanted to appease her husband?
This is the problem with our marriage. Sheβs not a person. She hadnβt developed her own sense of will. Sheβs going to be my shadow constantly, even to the detriment of her own friendships. How can I stay married to someone like that knowingly?
Zarian wanted to rage against his own bloodline and all that heβd come from. How could they have allowed this to happen? Why would they force this marriage upon him when Lucy Shadowfell hadnβt the chance to grow up for real? Even if it wasnβt his familyβs fault and it was mostly the machinations of Lucyβs family, this couldnβt last.
Lovewarβs dead.
And Shadowfell was going to weep and spread unimaginable chaos across the Infinita Star System. This shouldnβt be his problem. It should be Sinfeastβs. It should be Lucyβs problem, in fact.
Unless she allowed it on purpose. Sheβs a goddess of tragedy. Lovewarβs death would produce the most of it.
Would Lucy really go that far? Or was it an unconscious choice? Like how Zarian invited chaos by accident. He couldnβt say, and that didnβt matter in the moment. Since Zarian was the most experienced person with cosmic crash outs and bringing everyone down, it was up to him to save the universe from a premature demise. He knew what to do.
βLucy, I need you to listen to me,β he said calmly, holding his wedding ring close to his mouth, funneling all of his anger and sorrow into purpose. βI need you to do something thatβs going to hurt you a little further, but help you in the long run. The tournamentβs heading into the Final Round, so Iβll leave you with these instructions to pour yourself into.β
Every display of Shadowfell froze. The universe held its breath as Lucyβs attention concentrated wholly on Zarian. He could feel the weight of it. It was almost crushing. The Infinita System wasnβt doing much to block the divine power landing on him β the System knew Zarian was everyoneβs best hope of containing the outbreak.
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βI want you to draw in all of your pain and sorrow and weep not a tear. Then youβre going to divorce me. Go hunt down Sinfeast and have your revenge. And contemplate your life and what you truly want. And if you want our marriage to continue, we will have a proper wedding when Infinita becomes safe again.β
From the moment Zarian had learned he was married to Lucy, heβd always threatened to divorce her. Sometimes, heβd tried to go about it in a roundabout way of convincing her to be free of him.
He realized that neither way was the solution. Lucy needed the assurance that Zarianβs was hers before they could break this bond even if temporarily. He was willing to do that if it meant she could finally have room to reconsider her own life. αΉΠβΕΚΓαΉ£
βIf the option to re-continue remains mine, then I find this arrangement agreeable. It is safer for me. And I can act as I see fit and without risk. Yes, I see. I agree.β Her words were slow and uncertain, but her consent was final.
From there, everything happened at once. Zarianβs wedding ring dissolved from around his finger, leaving a scar that wouldnβt heal as a promise/threat that he could be bound again at Lucyβs choosing. All the Shadowfell Tears faded away, returning to the source, saving the universe from ultra catastrophe.
Zarian half expected a message with Evil God Sinfeast being dead, but none came, just the usual ramble of Infinita. The Second Round came to a close, and a guiding force wrapped around him softly. Zarian allowed it to do what it must as everything else froze.
Notifications arrived.
<The Second Round of the Carrowmore Tournament has concluded! Tournament Points have been tallied! Eight Tournament Contestants can proceed forward to the Final Round! Behold those who remain to the end!>
<1. Valin Storm-Skull, Star System.>
<2. Slim Caper, Shifter System.>
<3. Bukka the Chopper, Star System.>
<4. Princess Para Darkrun, Star System.>
<5. Emperor Zarian Sainte-Darkrun, Star System.>
<6. Huntress Nia, Gold System.>
<7. Simian Lox, Gold System.>
<.8 Dynamo, Assimilator System.>
<Because there were multiple means of reaching the Final Round, it is of no use to show the final tournament point tally. Nonetheless, these are our Final Round Contestants! All other surviving contestants will be returnedβ¦>
Something was wrong. Zarian felt it before Infinita had to say anything.
<Hm, it has come to my attention that our foreign guests from other universes cannot return to their original universes. This is due to risks of contaminants found in the Infinita Star System.>
It was easy for Zarian to imagine what those contaminants were. The other systems were probably afraid of corruption from Lucy. Then again, there was also the risk of Paraβs parasitic powers spreading, too.
What if Para could delay the takeover from her parasites? What if she could hide her parasites in other bodies? After what happened to Cal, Zarian could see why most universes would want to practice the extra precaution, especially when Para could resist the Systems somewhat.
The originally wanted Zarian. Now they were afraid of all the other freaky stuff in the Infinita System. Funny that.
Dammit all, Lovewarβs dead.
<So, the Infinita System will find a way to make a home for our remaining survivors of the tournaments! Now, let us proceed to the original site for a short break before the Final Round commences at Carrowmore!>
Once again, Zarian felt the snap, whoosh, and pop of being repositioned quickly across the universe. He had a better idea that the System sacrificed a significant portion of his resources when he did so, but the ease of instant teleportation via the System couldnβt be beat.
Zarian still had his Gravity Devil Avatar spell running, and he didnβt see a reason to end it. That was until he was back in Carrowmore and forced to feel like a fish out of water.
Zarian staggered as the nearest buildings and driders became flattened around him. There were two issues happening at once that made Zarian feel delirious and starved while killing the nearest creatures indiscriminately.
One, there wasnβt enough aura. The density was far too low for him. It was like being in a Dying World, making all of Zarianβs intense power unravel.
Second, he was far too powerful for the setting. It didnβt matter that the surrounding buildings in the underground cavern city were made of mythical material. His mere presence crushed them.
Hundreds of driders and thousands of other visitors died in an instant. Zarian didnβt like the indiscriminate killing that was out of his control. He focused on containing his power, but the power of the gravity devil spell reared its ugly head fully.
The energy horns and the spade at the end of his tail wouldnβt disappear. The evil spell fed on his aura directly regardless of the low aura density around him. It would drain him dry first before it was finally forced to depart, and Zarian was struggling to use his aura abilities to rein the avatar down.
Carrowmore shook. The cavern cityβs faulty integrity was being pummeled. The gravity devilβs power was reaching further than what was immediately around him, crushing more structures and others caught in the wake.
Zarian grunted as he tried to stop his out-of-control spell from tearing everything down. He wasnβt done with this place yet!
βDamn, youβre so freaking strong, itβs almost scary.β Her voice broke through the frustration and the groaning destruction around him. Zarianβs attention snapped toward her, and there she stood ten feet away, Naomi Washington.
The gravity devil tried to crush her like an irritable bug. The yellow-orange bonfire covering her body, the Third Stage of Aura Ignition, was just enough protection for Naomi to endure it. Within all of that colorful power, she stood dynamically with a fist on her hip, and her body adorned in light, skin-tight leathers that left her hands and feet bare.
Her hair was a voluminous and free bundle of curls that swayed like a palm tree on a windy day. And when he expected a cocky smile on her face, Zarian saw a serene and happy one. He knew immediately that whatever trial Naomi had faced gave her something she needed for a long time, which should be celebrated.
Yet, Zarian felt an intense sadness bloomed inside of him instead. It was finally time to face his issues with Naomi.
βNot now,β she said, one step ahead. βLetβs just calm things down first, huh?β
