Chapter 166: B2: C66: Concepts and Religion 2
“We know,” Gilbert replied. “I knew it the moment you faced down that Sinfeast false idol and didn’t call on us.”
Zarian swallowed his shame and kept speaking. “I want to avoid that for the next time. Things got way out of hand. Again.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “The growth was great. Really, really great. But what it could’ve cost us was too much. So I have ideas about an auxiliary SOP we should use. It’s going to be important now, because we will attract even bigger and badder enemies the further along we go.”
“They want to eat you, Zarian,” Hannah said. “I can tell that much from the worldwide notifications and speculate what this means with the evil side. It won’t just be Sinfeast looking for a way to have your power. Maybe not just the major gods, either. Maybe the lesser divine beings would try, too. Maybe there are other mortals along our journey who can consume you and take Overwhelming Darkness.”
“And the fake good guys want to lock you up and throw away the key, regardless of how that can ruin the sanctity of redemption,” Gilbert said, looking out to the lake. “It seems like we’re entering the deeper waters, and out here there are a bunch of big critters swimming like they smelled blood.”
“Yeah, yup, everything you guys are saying is what I’m thinking and feeling,” Zarian said. “So I want to try being more careful. Not just because of our enemies, either. My Overwhelming Darkness is evolving as I cultivate it more. It’s becoming different, and along the way, it’s becoming more personal, and more dangerous.”
Bianca stopped what she was doing to look at him. “How can we help?”
“I’m going to cultivate at night, which will make things easier on me but also still leave me vulnerable. From now on, let’s assume that one or two mistakes can lead to me getting eaten or sealed away for tens of thousands of years. The night time is the best time for our enemies to strike unless I have time to switch from cultivation to Controlled Darkness or get back to baseline.”
“Ah, then we’ll have to rely on the good old fire watch,” Naomi drawled.