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Overpowered Wizard B3 Ch88: Leaving Home A New Man
🕑 Added 2025-02-11 05:14:19 +0000 UTCThere was no training on the last night before Zarian left for Carrowmore. Instead, his teacher wanted him to enjoy some time off.
It wasn’t easy for Zarian to do that. Hell, having leisure time felt almost as cruel or crueler than what he’d gone through during his absolute training.
Still, he did it. The other Floridians were already gone, off to their own solo adventures or, in Naomi’s case, still in deep sleep amid a cosmic tribulation.
So, Zarian sat in a special dining room inside the tower with just a few people who deserved to see him before he headed off.
Foodie cooked a feast that all the kings, queens, emperors, and such across the many Lesser Worlds would’ve paid a ransom to have. Arnold of Ambrose and Boots came around to pay their respects or to mess with him, though they were quick to notice the intense ‘energy’ surrounding their emperor and found better company in other guests.
Princess Administer Rhea Hemlock did a great job of entertaining everyone while Zarian sat in the back and just watched or ate or drank water. He was willing to relax, but alcohol was a no go, at least until after the tournament.
He didn’t remain alone in his booth, of course, not with how Ezda seemed possessed by something. The human-shifted gnoll acted without much thought, snuggling his side and pawing at him. She even made ridiculous mewling sounds.
“My alpha … you’re like a gnoll berserker king of my ancient history,” Ezda murmured, her tall amazonian body all over him. “What has the elf monster done to you? And how can I thank her for making you so?”
“She did nothing I didn’t ask for,” Zarian said simply. “But I must ask you to give me a little space, Ezda. I’m not in the mood.”
He ignored the want in Ezda’s eyes until she finally got the signal and wandered off to mess with the other guests, specifically Arnold.
Ezda looked great. Tall. Powerful. Her human form was eye-catching, sociable and attractive, with deep dark skin and spotted dreadlocks while adorned in a dress and heels that accentuated her fit and shapely body.
She’d transformed herself from a brute to someone who was both exotic and mesmerizing, making her a great asset to the empire, able to conduct diplomacy or brutalize a room filled with political rivals who fucked around too much.
Maybe he might indulge.
Maybe.
He wasn’t exactly locked down yet, but there were a lot of powerful women jockeying for his attention, and Ezda wouldn’t be able to stand among them even with her being a Master Ranker now.
And Zarian didn’t care for that distraction before the tournament.
Everything inside of him thrummed with anticipation and violence that he barely kept under wraps. Para felt it all while doing a bit more socializing than Zarian, at least for his sake.
She was getting better at it, even though she was filled with a monstrous bloodlust that she kept under wraps.
“Father,” Foodie chirped, sliding into the booth next to him.
Zarian softened at the sight of her.
She’d grown taller and more lady-like so quickly it was hard not to feel a pang of regret. It was like being a busy parent who missed out on all of the childish years before your daughter suddenly became her own woman.
She was half a head shorter than him, but she had a steadiness to her that was raw and strong, and her beauty had multiple would-be suitors turning their heads or tripping over themselves to talk to the Daughter of the Dark Emperor and Shadowfell Goddess.
That wouldn’t be much of a problem if it wasn’t for Wallen looking like a doormat.
Zarian glanced over at the Bug Alchemist, who was getting fussed over by others from the Dragon Slayer Corps. They weren’t official or anything, but Wallen and Foodie were rarely seen away from each other.
“Don’t hurt him.” Foodie pouted, big ears drooping down to touch her shoulders, her hands playing with the single purple braid she had behind her head. “I know he’s not very strong and–”
“He cares about you,” Zarian said, cutting her off. “He cares about you as a person and the two of you like cooking stuff up. He doesn’t have to be strong as long as it works for you.”
Foodie bobbed her head, her green cheeks turning a deeper shade. “I still want to grow stronger. Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll grow too strong for … anything nice.”
“Is he afraid of you?”
“Only a little, which is appropriate. But he doesn’t really fear me in a bad way. He’s supportive. And he’s smart and good in the kitchen.”
Zarian nodded. “Then all is well. Maybe you’ll outgrow him. But as long as he can ascend and become immortal, you can figure things out. Or he’ll keep trying to keep up enough to stand a little on his own while living merrily in your shadow.”
Foodie bobbed her head up and down. She hesitated about what she wanted to say next, her teeth biting the edge of her bottom lip. Then, with a sigh, she shifted over and placed her head on his shoulder.
“I want to fight at the tournament.” She raised a manicured finger before he could speak. “But I want our home to continue growing and be well defended. I have so much to do every day, and I’m growing in different ways. And my spars with Auntie Ariana is helping me grow even if it’s painful.”
Zarian snorted a little. “That’s to be expected when challenging The Dragoness almost every other day. Be glad she’s being gentle with you.”
Foodie bobbed her head again, cheek rubbing up and down against his shoulder. “I’ll be a Master Ranker soon. There are more and more of us who’ll reach Level 100 soon and maybe become rankers as well. And it’s because of you and your friends.
“You’ve changed everything. You’ve saved them. You’ve saved me. You’ve brought us freedom. And now we have an empire where humans, gnolls, goblins, and even trolls can thrive without the gods and their alignments manipulating us. We are all thankful, Father, and that is why I’m glad you’re going to the tournament for yourself.”
She straightened up and kissed him on the cheek before bumping her head on his shoulder. “You deserve it.”
Zarian took a long while to digest all of that before coming up with something to say. “Rhea can spin my time at the tournament as something great for the empire.”
“Maybe she will. But we all know the tournament will be for you. We’ll be rooting for you, Father. Go and fight and be happy and become stronger. This tournament is going to be the greatest ever witnessed, I imagine. And you deserve to have it as yours.”
Sighing, Zarian could see why his teacher had ordered him to have this leisure time.
The absolute training had sharpened him into something fierce, something monstrous, something that wanted to tear open his opponents and turn their blood into desolation. But that didn’t mean he should forget what he’d done here and all the people looking up to him.
He reached over and hugged his daughter before kissing her on her forehead. She made happy, chirpy goblin sounds and hugged him back.
“Hm,” she murmured. “You’re … more solid. You have more Strength.”
Zarian smiled. “Ah, well, you see, I’ve grown quite a bit. Enough to spread my points out a little more. I’m not as frail as I was before.”
Para’s serpent form appeared slithering around Zarian’s neck, her fork tongue flicking at Foodie’s face. “Even if our magic is under a debuff, they will not tread on us, that is for sure.”
Foodie let out an evil little laugh. “Nice!”
They ate plenty of delicious food. Zarian drank water while the others had alcohol. He loosened up a little more over time, enjoying the night with his people.
Eventually, when he was ready to go, he excused himself and went out into the hallways. He found Ezda trailing after him, still giving him those long and hungry gazes.
“I have a full plate, Ezda,” he said. “And on my plate are the types that would eat you alive. You can’t hang.”
“Please, my alpha, bless me before the carnage. I know I cannot stand among your stronger choices. But still, I must ask. I must beg. I cannot stand without trying,” she pleaded. “Have I not been … a good girl? Can you not let me have one night of your time? Just one time, is all I ask. Please?”
Zarian breathed in and out deeply. He let out a long and heavy sigh.
“Maybe afterward. Maybe. But don’t expect much.” He cast his new void spell and slipped away.
Exiting the void, he landed on the roof of the central tower and found Ruvaria dressed in a plain white gown that stopped mid-thigh. She wore flowers on her feet and flowers braided in her long silver-gold hair.
He found his place beside her and knelt down.
“No, that’s unnecessary now,” she said.
He stayed standing.
Turning to him, her eyes roved his body up and down. “I’ve done my best in the short time we had. Though, I feel as if I could’ve done more.”
“It isn’t your fault, only mine,” he said.
“Your gravity spell is left unfinished.” Her cheeks turned a tinge red. “I found myself stumped by its pages. It’s far more complex than I’ve given it credit for. Even my own gravity spells and arrays don’t stand against its full depths.”
“I think my gravity spell is an anomaly. That is not your fault.” Zarian turned to her fully and smiled. “It is because of you I’ve combined so many of my spells into greater and more cohesive versions of the prior parts.”
They’d narrowed thirty spells into fourteen completed spells and one unfinished spell.
Out of those fourteen completed spells, two were legendary and twelve were mythical.
Based on Ruvaria’s long experience, there were a miniscule amount of wizards across the many Lesser Worlds who had a mythically stacked repertoire of spells like he did while having the right mix of magical abilities needed to handle such power. There were even fewer that also had sorcery added to the mix.
They stayed side by side until dawn. Then Ruvaria turned to him and floated off her feet. She lay a soft kiss on his cheek.
“I miss our time in bed together,” she whispered into his ear. “You’ve become even more alluring, in flesh and spirit.”
He nearly chuckled, but he sensed her mood shift to something severe and waited on her to continue.
“I know our … relation outside of teacher and student isn’t a primary focus. But do note even I’ll be … upset … if you trifle a little too much beyond what you have here.”
Ruvaria breathed deeply. “You’ve grown quite a lot, Zarian Sainte-Darkrun. And with that growth, you are certainly going to attract a lot of attention even if you aren’t going as the Dark Emperor.”
Zarian nodded. He didn’t have any plans for anything friendly or risque at the tournament. He was there strictly to handle business, kicking ass and testing his limits until he broke them even further.
Ruvaria’s eyes, real and glowing with an emerald light, looked into his eyes. Her hands, soft and real, touched his arm gingerly.
Zarian looked up and down, at her eyes and her arms, to reconfirm his investments in people had borne even more fruit – Gilbert’s growth had led to being able to repair soul damage.
The Rescue Ranger had returned Ruvaria’s missing eye and arm to her. He’d also reversed some of the severe aging on Arnold of Ambrose, giving the old man more time to reach ascension instead of dying of limited life energy in the next month or so.
Blessings upon blessing, all because Zarian had put others first before himself. Now it was his turn to put himself first, and he could do that without feeling guilty, since all of his friends were on their own solo adventures to grow stronger, too.
I’ve done a lot. I can be selfish. It’s okay.
He smiled a toothy smile.
“I’ll be hungry for something more than carnage after I’m done. You better be ready for me.” He grasped her chin and gave her a full and passionate kiss.
Then he left her floating upside down, all twitchy, her face beet red, her eyes fluttering. They hadn’t kissed like that in a while, and something about that kiss had more … oomph … than before.
The absolute training, as brutal and horrible as it was, had done him a lot of good, regardless of alignments.
With that, Zarian went down to the basement of the central tower. He entered the Legendary Level 105 Dancing Dragon Dungeon and took Reiki’s core, placing it in Para’s pocket dimension and closing down the secret cafe and library for the foreseeable future.
He and Para did a last inventory check of all the items in Para’s pocket dimension. They had two years worth of extra food from Foodie, magic scrolls and study material from Ruvaria, golems and crafts from Hannah, clothing tailored by Bianca, a few other odds and ends, and his marriage ring.
Next up, he landed in front of Ariana’s temple, right outside of the entrance.
“I’m heading to the tournament to become stronger, little sister. I’m going to prove you wrong and change your mind about things,” Zarian said.
“Your mortal form looks great. Much better than before. But it’s still pointless, big brother. You’re only delaying the inevitable,” Ariana said, lounging on her altar all the way at the back of her spatially widened temple. “But I won’t hold you back from having your fun with the little bugs. Go and represent our name well and squash any mortal who dare defy you.”
Zarian grinned. “Isaiah Skybreaker.”
“What?”
“That’s what I’m going by. I’m not doing this for the family. Not even for the empire. I’m doing this for me. So Isaiah Skybreaker will be my alias.”
“Going by any other name will weaken you, oh foolish brother of mine,” Ariana scoffed. “Don’t bring yourself lower than you already are.”
“I’m okay with that.”
Even with the great distance, he could hear Ariana’s boiling blood pulse with outrage. To go without the glory of their name and heritage felt wrong, like a crime, like a mistake.
Zarian could feel that discomfort inside of him. And that was reason enough for him to go off the beaten path and put aside his name, even if that meant he would suffer an Ultra God debuff and become weaker.
Fuck it.
What was one more challenge when fighting against an existential crisis to all life?
What was one more weakness when on the road to fighting the greatest monster, himself?
“You can’t. I’ll accept Sainte-Darkrun, but I will not accept that,” Ariana growled.
“I don’t give a fuck. I’m gonna do me. Isaiah, out.”
Ariana screamed in rage, her temple shaking, and Zarian slipped in and out of the void. He ended up deep underground where Naomi stayed put during her tribulation coma.
“I’ll be back,” Zarian said, touching her hand, “my chosen one.”
After a few seconds of looking over the woman he loved most, he took another trip through the void and landed on a well-paved road far north. From here, he took the moment to walk.
At this pace, it would take over a year to reach the north of the Walled Continent. If he traveled in and out of the void, he could get to Carrowmore in an hour, and he wouldn’t even waste that much aura doing so.
He still wanted to take a walk for a little while and just get familiar with being on his own.
That and he figured it would be a good way to get info from someone who he’d pushed aside for a while.
“Gonna walk a bit and get myself ready before showing up at Carrowmore.” Zarian asked. “Want to join me, Ekri?”
“To grant audience to this lowly tailor would be a blessing, milord,” said the well-dressed drider, servant of Ruvaria, and betrayer of Carrowmore.
