(~˘▾˘)~~(˘▾˘~)
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The wizard has lived for thousands of years, and his decaying body can no longer bear the power of Shazam. Before the end of his physical life, he must find a successor to inherit the power of Shazam and continue to protect humanity.
"I initially wanted to find someone with a pure heart."
He struggled to stand, supporting himself with a staff.
"But I never found one all this time.
Originally, I had some time left until someone broke into the Rock of Eternity just now."
"Perhaps someone with a completely pure heart is just an impractical fantasy.
Even children have moments when jealousy and anger completely occupy their hearts."
The wizard looked disheartened and somewhat lost.
"A completely pure heart?
That kind of saint is rarer in this age than a bird with three wings."
David felt that the wizard had gone through a psychological shadow after Black Adam, falling into a harsh extreme.
Afraid of handing the power to another Black Adam, the wizard insisted on selecting a saint, but it took thousands of years without success.
Once, the Council of Eternity, where the wizard belonged, chose a person to inherit the power of Shazam—Black Adam. He was endowed with the abilities of the Egyptian gods but did not use that power to protect humanity. Instead, he first used it for vengeance against the dictator Khandaq, leading to a violent outburst that leveled Khandaq's capital, causing the death of millions. The Council of Eternity regretted choosing the wrong person and sealed him away.
"I saw in the news recently that Black Adam has been freed and is ruling Khandaq."
"Perhaps."
Approaching David, the wizard shook his head, revealing a bitter smile.
When he considered whether he, who had protected humanity for thousands of years, was a person with a pure heart, he dared not call himself one.
"I once thought of passing my power to you, the Beyonder."
A solemn expression appeared on his aged face.
"I sought a person with a pure heart to find someone capable of shouldering the responsibility of protecting humanity without being lost to sudden, god-like powers. But humanity already has protectors with great power who have proven themselves in multiple world-threatening crises."
It seemed there was no need to dwell on the prerequisite any longer.
"From your tone, it seems like you had given up on the idea of giving me the power," David perceptively noted.
"But why have you changed your mind now?" he continued.
The wizard fell silent, glancing at his old and heavily injured body, the answer evident without being spoken. He didn't have time to select another candidate.
"There have been others who saved the world, not just me," David added.
The wizard was surprised that David didn't seem particularly eager for his power. With a heavy tap of his staff on the ground, lightning scattered, and with a serious expression, the wizard's ancient and sacred voice echoed in the hall.
"You might not know how powerful the Shazam power I'm passing to you is. With this power, you'll have the strength of the six gods, Solomon's wisdom, Hercules'..."
David interrupted his chanting with a wave of his hand.
"You haven't answered my question."
Even though obtaining the power of the six gods would significantly boost his current abilities, David wasn't desperate for it. With the template system in place, he could easily gain a template more powerful than Shazam's in the near future if he continued. He wanted to understand the situation and didn't want unexplained power.
"If we talk about pure hearts and protecting humanity, there's someone more fitting than me. He flies around the city every day, acting as a kind of fireman, ready to help wherever needed," David said, referring to Clark.
"Clark might not be the epitome of selflessness, but there are few on Earth with a purer heart. He willingly risks danger and even sacrifices his life without hesitation to protect humanity and strangers," he added.
"He's not human."
The wizard shook his head, stating a simple yet unavoidable reason. When it comes to protecting humanity, it means protecting Earthlings; aliens are not included. He wouldn't entrust the power of Shazam to an alien, no matter how just and kind that alien may seem. He couldn't take that risk.
As for Clark being more active than David in fighting crime and saving others, the wizard didn't value that. The Council of Eternity only cared about crises that truly threatened human destiny, appearing only in absolute emergencies. This aligned with David's own approach.
David raised an eyebrow, unable to discern if the old wizard was a racist.
"My body has no time left, Beyonder."
He gestured for David to stop talking, gripping the staff in his hands.
David's series of actions only strengthened the wizard's determination to pass the power to him. Despite the formidable power at stake and David's recommendation of other candidates, the wizard wasn't concerned. For certain reasons, he wasn't worried that David, if ambitious, would pose a perpetual threat to the world using the power of the six gods.
"The world is on the brink, and if you doubt this power, you can pass it on to someone with a pure heart in the future!"
Seeing the urgency and a hint of plea in the wizard's expression, David slowly placed his hand on the staff.
Others in the room might harbor suspicions due to the urgency and lack of clear explanations, except for those consumed by a greedy desire for power. However, David understood that the power of Shazam came without any hidden agendas.
Considering how Black Adam, once a slave, transformed into the most powerful mortal on Earth, David knew that even the wizard, who handed over the power willingly, couldn't strip it away. They had to join forces with others to seal Black Adam away after he betrayed the Council of Eternity. The same principle applied when passing the Shazam power to Billy Batson.
Facing David's indifference and impoliteness, the wizard had no choice but to urge him to address threats to humanity.
"Shazam!"
As he uttered the word under the wizard's anxious gaze, a dazzling thunderbolt struck down. David's body was covered by a layer of red battle armor, a bold and golden lightning-like symbol faintly radiating on his chest. A white cape fluttered behind him, and his entire appearance matured, resembling how he might look in his late twenties or early thirties, exuding a powerful and majestic divine aura.
A tremendous power filled his entire being. He raised his palm, and the godly lightning between his fingers seemed capable of piercing through anything. His physical strength doubled, and as he looked around, time in the hall seemed to slow down to a fraction, indicating he now possessed the lightning-fast abilities akin to a god.
"All right, now you have the power of Shazam."
The wizard weakly retreated, plopping back onto the stone throne.
"Compared to the person I chose before; you are unique in various aspects. While there's still time, I... I need to explain the final things to you."
...
"After all, we share the same blood."
Whoosh!
A cold, biting wind rushed in through the shattered windows of the towering building.
In the luxurious soundproof conference room, the floor was covered in ash, the remnants of bodies turned to dust.
Sivana hovered at the edge of the window, looking down at the blurred mass of flesh that used to be his older brother. Just moments ago, he had done what he had always wanted to do: prove that he wasn't insane and then throw his own brother from the 46th floor of the building.
Compared to the others who were burned to ashes by his lightning, he showed a bit of mercy due to the blood connection.
"At least there's still a body, right?"
Sivana's eyes flickered with cold sarcasm as he murmured softly.
Drip, drip, drip!
The sharp and piercing sound of sirens echoed from the distant streets. Police cars raced towards the scene of the attack, where fatalities occurred at an alarming rate.
If it were any other perpetrator, they would have turned and fled upon hearing the sirens. However, Sivana remained suspended in place, his eyes displaying a long-suppressed resentment and madness.
Now, nothing could stop him.
He wanted to prove to those who had mocked him for years that he had no mental issues; that he wasn't crazy.
Let them witness the formidable power he had acquired after years of pursuit!
"Beyonder? Superman?..."
In this world, Sivana estimated that only two individuals could pose a threat to him. However, these two superheroes, one mainly appearing in Metropolis and this was Fawcett City, the other rarely showed up unless there was a global crisis.
Moreover, Superman was only a possibility. Sivana felt the boundless power surging within him like an ocean. He unleashed a lightning bolt that spanned hundreds of meters, causing an approaching police car to explode instantly, propelled into the sky with shrapnel scattering and glass shattering in the surrounding area.
Like a bomb explosion, numerous people screamed and fell to the ground.
"Oh God, help!"
"What is that? Attack, it's a terrorist attack!"
"Something pierced into my stomach, help, I'm bleeding!"
"I think I saw a lightning bolt?!"
'Even if we really fight, Superman might not be my opponent.'
Ignoring the terrified screams of the crowd on the street, Sivana's eyes gleamed with intensity as he looked at his fingertips, which had just unleashed a devastating attack.
Now he was incredibly powerful, almost god-like.
'I've heard that Superman and Beyonder have a deep connection. Beyonder rarely intervenes except when saving the world. Besides the incident where he seemingly killed Luthor, the rest were instances where he appeared when Superman was in danger!'
A wild joy flashed in Sivana's eyes.
In other words, as long as he didn't encounter Beyonder, there was no one in this world who could stop him.
Suddenly, a wisp of smoke rose from his shoulder, and several grotesque demon heads emerged, their eyes flashing dangerously in a crimson light.
"Just now, we sensed that the wizard found his successor. You must eliminate him before he fully masters the newly acquired power!" Envy, one of the Seven Deadly Sins with pointed goat-like ears, spoke with a sharp and hoarse voice.
"He might not have left the Rock of Eternity yet. If we hurry back now, you can easily kill him, even letting the wizard witness it all. But be quick!" Greed, with a massive blood-filled mouth, licked its lips with its long, coarse tongue.
The other demons couldn't contain their bloodlust and joy.
Before the wizard who had imprisoned them for thousands of years, killing the successor he had placed all his hopes on, even Sloth, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, felt a surge of excitement.
"How interesting. How long did he search? A dozen years or several decades?" Sivana spoke, enjoying the moment.
Just as he was reveling in his happiness, a piece of bad news arrived.
Sivana put on sunglasses, his tone as cold as the wind blowing from the abyss.
"No results all along, and just a short while before his death, he found someone with a pure heart? Let me go and see who the final candidate he picked is!"
Would it be someone genuinely purer of heart than his childhood self, or would it be a junkie forced to use magic on the subway in desperation before dying?
...
"Firstly, the Seven Deadly Sins and other powerful demons have escaped one after another. To prevent them from harming humanity, you must either eliminate or capture them and bring them back to the Rock of Eternity."
The wizard's voice was weak to the extreme, his life flickering like a candle in the wind.
After he sent away the Seven Deadly Sins, the other demons he had sealed began to rebel and escape as they saw him weakened to the extreme.
"I once encountered a guy in Khandaq. He could transform into a demonic form, and rumors have it that he's connected to the six Demon Princes of Hell."
David looked at him with a hint of curiosity.
"Do they have any connection? Is the combined power of the Seven Deadly Sins stronger than that person's?"
The Seven Deadly Sins and the six Demon Princes of Hell, including demons associated with anger, pride, and others, had significant overlap.
Was there a connection between them? Could a single demon lend out two sets of power?
"Could it be that a descendant of Akton found the Magic Crown?" the wizard's face turned grim as everything seemed to be converging. He explained to David, trying to clarify the confusion.
"The Demon King is not a singular entity; there have been multiple. Just as Satan had been served by more than one demon, the Seven Deadly Sins were seven demon kings from a previous era who caused havoc on Earth and were defeated by us. The descendants of Akton have made pacts with other demon kings through the Magic Crown."
"In other words, Sivana, who has the Seven Deadly Sins possessing him, might be stronger than Sabbac."
David inferred logically.
"And then there's Black Adam. He was the previous guardian chosen by the Council of Eternity when it still existed. But he misused the power for personal gain and caused great harm. He has broken free from our seal, and you'll need to deal with him as well."
The dying wizard continued his instructions.
Just as David had obtained immense power, he nodded to show that he understood and would remember.
"In any case, you now possess the power of the six gods, and the responsibility of protecting humanity falls upon you. I hope you won't disappoint with this power."
"Lastly, about this power, your body may not be able to coexist with it indefinitely. When your body rejects it, whether in ten years or a few decades, pass it on to someone else."
Taking a couple of breaths, the wizard's complexion improved slightly, and his voice was not as weak. David understood that this was a brief resurgence, but he didn't fully grasp the meaning of the wizard's words.
"What do you mean by my body?"
"I'm not sure if you're aware.
You have the blood of the gods flowing in you; you are a descendant of a god."
"Me? A descendant of a god?" David was initially puzzled.
Did his parents Jonathan and Martha have a background in which he was descended from a god?
But then he realized something.
'Thanos.'
With complete template integration, he possessed all the exceptional qualities of the Titan.
'Thanos is a descendant of a god; his grandfather is the god of time, Kronos. But wasn't Kronos supposed to become a god after his death?'
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(~˘▾˘)~Don't forget to send your power-stones!~(˘▾˘~)