Wizard: Stronger through Marriage Chapter 1184 - 547: Soul-Sacrificing Chains_2

~6 minute read · 1,487 words
Previously on Wizard: Stronger through Marriage...
Three elders sacrificed themselves to activate a spiritual link array, forming soul-binding chains that halted the spread of corruption. David vowed to honor their sacrifice, and Reina, Amy, and Liya continued their efforts to cleanse the lingering effects of the catastrophe.

The sky revealed a faint purple-gold dawn as everyone gathered at the edge of the broken camp, gazing at the new sealing structure in the distance that, though swaying and swaying, remained indestructible.

At this moment, there were no words, only silence, yet that belief was sturdier and more solid than any rock—it belonged to this world and to those who sacrificed their lives for it!

The cold wind of the Far North remained harsh and merciless, sweeping past the edge of the crack, laced with the mixed scent of ice and snow and corrosion, piercing to the bone.

The thick gray clouds in the sky hung low, as if at any moment a giant beast might leap from the clouds to tear the earth into fragments.

The earth vein crack in the distance gaped open like a giant mouth, radiating a cold and eerie glow amidst the intertwining of endless darkness and scarlet veins.

It was the wound this land least wished to be touched, and also the place most heavily polluted, where the crisis was most severe.

David stood before this giant crack, his gaze as grave as ice.

He donned the Frost Wolf battle robe, surrounded by a ghostly blue flame, like a Northern hunter clad for battle.

He took a deep breath of the biting cold air, suppressing the unrest and agitation surging in his heart.

At this moment, he must delve into the earth vein devoured by pollution, using his own power to explore those secrets lurking in the dark.

"David," Zelros stood at the edge of the camp, an ancient rune stone slab hanging at his side, his face grim as ancient rock, "this crack is the largest infection source we’ve detected, you must bring back detailed data so we can formulate our next steps."

David nodded, without words.

He knew how heavy the responsibility on his shoulders was, and understood the kind of danger hidden ahead.

Under the cover of snow, he began to move, gradually approaching the large fault where the scarlet thread extended to the limit, as if it were to devour the world.

The crunching of broken ice underfoot seemed to awaken a long-dormant ancient power with each step—a strange existence that entangled time and reality, intertwined life and death, and destruction.

After entering the edge of the crack, a strong wave of unstable energy immediately overwhelmed him, shaking his body and soul as if a violent sea tide were crashing against a rock wall.

David clenched his fists, igniting the Frost Wolf Bloodline power within him to the limit, constructing a mental shield with the ghostly blue flames to ward off external interference.

The wind howled like a knife cutting his cheeks, yet his eyes grew more determined, unwavering; each step was steady and resolute.

At the point where the scarlet mycelium twisted and stretched, countless tiny parasitic spores floated in the wind, eroding every inch of space like living venomous needles, filling one’s breath with the bitter taste of decay.

"We cannot let them spread further..."

He muttered to himself, eyes fixed on the mottled obsidian-like cliff ahead, a fault relic stretching dozens of meters underground, resembling giant dry bones and marked with distorted spacetime imprints, where parasitic spores had most severely infected.

As he ventured deeper, the peculiar vibrations intensified.

Not far, a fragment of broken spacetime floated in the air, its surface gleaming with a cold blue-silver glow, yet continually forming tiny fractures, as sharp and potent as blades.

These fragments seemed to be some form of spatial debris, silently cutting the boundary between the real and the unreal, posing a lethal threat to anyone who neared.

Suddenly, a sharp, shrill sound pierced the silence, like shattering glass repeatedly clashing against the eardrum, tightening every nerve.

A larger and rapidly rotating fragment of spacetime suddenly shot out from the shadows at lightning speed, aiming directly for David!

"Damn!"

His eyes sharpened, the ghostly blue flames engulfed him in a wild blaze, pushing the Frost Wolf Bloodline power to its peak, simultaneously dodging with agility, yet still unable to completely avoid the excruciating pain of a sharp edge slicing his skin.

A trickle of blood silently ran down his arm, but his gaze grew deeper and more steadfast, with no hesitation as he pressed forward!

Venturing into a deeper zone, the atmosphere thickened with chaos, resembling the depths of a nightmare, an invisible pressure locking onto his breathing rhythm, making each lung expansion feel like a testament to the will of life.

All around, muffled whispers seemed to emerge intermittently, sounding as if from an ancient abyss, or as though they’d traversed the currents of time, softly echoing in his mind with the foreboding magic of luring a doomed soul to its destructive end...

David stopped, closed his eyes to listen, and felt hazy images rising in his mind: dark abyss with turbulent waves, filled with tentacles entangling, ever-changing among stars; bloodthirsty creatures swarming to devour all light; an endless supply of corrupt energy poised to fully erode every living element...

"No... can’t..."

His lips trembled, yet he struggled mightily against the invasion of his mind.

But the whispers grew clearer, with certain words seemingly tailored to understand his inner fears and desires, gently yet filled with temptation: "Abandon resistance... join us... accept the true power... you will transcend the mundane, embraced by the stars..."

In the moment he opened his eyes, he saw the intertwining of illusion and reality, even the moss-covered frozen ground warped into eerie patterns.

His entire body tautened with muscle tension, inwardly repeating a special clan incantation in an effort to stabilize his mental core, refusing to be swept away into temptation whirlpools, though every effort felt like struggling to swim upstream in a stormy tidal center...

And at this moment—

A sudden tremendous force attacked from behind!

It was Reina arriving just in time, wielding the Silver Blade Longsword to sever the tendrils of mycelium attempting to wrap around him, shouting, "David! You must hold on! We have not lost yet!"

Her face was pale, yet her gaze remained resolute, using all her strength to fend off those parasitic entities emerging from the shadows attempting to hijack her ally’s mind.

Beside her, Amy quickly cast healing magic to infuse the severely wounded yet tenacious David with holy energy, gradually restoring part of his awareness.

Simultaneously, Liya raised the Sacred Shield, setting up a protective barrier for the entire team, repelling the spreading interference from external forces...

Time flowed slowly and cruelly, with each moment akin to enduring trials of purgatory.

Yet with firm faith and team collaboration, they finally pulled back the awareness that was on the brink of being engulfed in darkness, preventing it from becoming part of the pollution chain!

Finally, after a long and painful ordeal—

The skin’s excruciating surface decomposition slowly waned, scabbed wounds congealed and froze into crystal-clear scars emitting a faint blue glow.

These scars embedded like inscriptions in his strong muscles, symbolizing the temporary end of a mental war, though merely a brief pause before the real battle begins...

The entire camp lay under a solemn and oppressive atmosphere, snow continued to fall unceasingly, while they knew this was merely the prelude to unveiling a larger catastrophe, a glimpse of a greater, more terrifying, and unpredictable fate looming to face their challenge.

The summoning from the depths, with whispers, awaited to strike again on a sleepless night in the future, stealthily invading each person’s dreams with an irresistible and fearsome stance...

Under the night veil, the earth remained silent yet broadcast its indescribable and terrifying presence.

The warriors, bearing the pressure, stood firm within, building a line of defense with blood, taming chaos with conviction, slowly extending hope.

The Far North wind continued to cut like knives, as if to tear the earth and sky as one.

The night grew heavy, thick clouds hung low, hiding the stars, leaving only endless darkness and frost weaving a harsh cold night.

The oppressive air at the edge of the crack suffocated, brought by the deathly silence and chill of earth vein pollution.

In the camp, people stood around the last rune array before the crack, weariness and tension written across every face.

Amy stood at the center, clad in a white magic robe, her silver hair tousled by the cold wind, yet her eyes shone with unwavering and fiery brilliance.

She took a deep breath of the freezing air, slowly closing her eyes, sinking her consciousness into her core.

"This is the only way to stop the expansion of the crack," she spoke softly to those around her, her voice light yet immensely firm, "and the greatest sacrifice."

Reina gripped her blades tightly, responding word by word: "No matter the cost, we cannot give up any hope."