Lightning Is the Only Way

"Broad Walker is dead?" Gravis asked in surprise.

"Yeah, a lot of our members died. We're lucky that he's the only one to die in like 500,000 years," Ferris said.

"500,000 years?" Gravis repeated with a shocked expression.

"Yeah, it has been something like 500,000 since you had to deal with the entire Sin Aura thing. It's been a really, really long time!" Ferris said.

Ferris' words hit Gravis hard.

500,000 years.

It had been 500,000 years since Liam, Skye, and the others had died.

That was so long!

Gravis looked at his hands absentmindedly. 'But it feels like it happened only recently. Yet, it's been 500,000 years?' he thought in shock.

Gravis did some calculations, and he realized that he had already been a Star God for over 600,000 years.

'I have been a Star God for so long already? I haven't even truly fought another Star God during that time. My friends go through one tempering experience after the other while I simply don't. It's surreal.'

Of course, Gravis knew why he hadn't gone through as many temperings as the others.

First of all, Gravis had received a lot of tempering from Samsara and then even more from the Sin Aura. In essence, Gravis had skipped two to three temperings with those.

However, that wasn't everything.

Gravis knew exactly what the main reason was.

He had to comprehend so many Laws.

Gravis wasn't willing to fall a level in Battle-Strength, but everyone's Battle-Strength took a huge leap starting at the Star God Realm. In the higher world, comprehending a level seven Law as an Immortal Emperor would be the stuff of legends. No one was even certain if that had ever happened before.

Yet, to become a Star God, it was necessary to achieve exactly that in the highest world.

On top of that, Gravis always had either the advantage in terms of Energy and Spirit or in terms of physical power due to his special beast body. However, that also changed with the Heavenly Treasure everyone received.

If Gravis hadn't known the Law of Sentience, it would be impossible to jump six levels.

The Law of Sentience alone would have made him nearly unkillable in the Immortal Emperor Realm, even if he were only an Early Minor Circulation Immortal Emperor.

However, now, the Law of Sentience only allowed Gravis an entry token to fighting someone six levels above himself.

The Law that had boosted Gravis to unimaginable heights in the Immortal Emperor Realm now only gave him a slight chance at keeping his current Battle-Strength in relation to others.

Then, there was also the Major Law of Death. Without that, fighting six levels above himself would also be impossible for Gravis.

At this very moment, Gravis had comprehended a whopping 21 level seven Laws, not counting the level eight Law of Suffering and the level nine Law of Heavenly Lightning.

21 level seven Laws!

This was absolute insanity for someone in the Star God Realm!

The most powerful Star Gods might have comprehended five level seven Laws, but that was it. Five level seven Laws would be more than enough to comprehend a really powerful level eight Law.

'It's my Battle-Strength,' Gravis thought. 'I refuse to compromise on my Battle-Strength, but I have to pay a price. That price is the lack of personality progression and the unreal wastage of time.'

Gravis looked at the people in Manuel's faction.

'Everyone went through so many experiences. I spent the last 500,000 years sitting in a room and comprehending Laws, while everyone else was dealing with enemies, administrating the faction, building up forces, teaching forces, and seeing their forces get decimated.'

'Right now, they probably don't even feel like they are the Myriad Sect anymore. After all, they have spent far more time in the Eternal Fire Sect than in the Myriad Sect. The Myriad Sect had probably become a distant, fond memory of theirs. It's like it isn't real anymore or like someone else has lived their life in the past.'

Gravis looked at all his friends again with his Spirit Sense, and he felt like a slight thorn had buried itself into his heart.

'And they've all gotten used to living without me.'

Gravis' Spirit Sense focused on Stella, and a grimace appeared on his face.

'Stella loves me just as much as I love her, and she hasn't seen me for over 150,000 years. On top of that, the time we were together was only a thousand years long.'

'I don't even see her for 1% of my life.'

'It's like I only visit for one day every four months. That's fine for extended family and children since they have their own life, but it's different for a romantic partner.'

Gravis looked at Stella with pain.

Stella was already on the seventh level of the Star God Realm, making it hard for Gravis to see all of her Law fragments, but he still managed to glean some things.

Her love for Gravis was basically frozen.

It was still there, but it wasn't something she had been thinking about many times.

'How often has she thought of me in the last 150,000 years?'

Silence.

'She probably thought about me a lot in the first few years, but I probably slowly vanished from her mind.'

Gravis felt a deep pain in his heart.

He felt guilty for not being there.

He felt hurt that Stella had basically forgotten him.

However, most of all, Gravis felt guilty for not having missed Stella for the past 150,000 years.

Gravis had been completely focused on his Laws, and the time had also passed very quickly.

To Gravis, it literally felt like he had just taken two short naps.

'Stella probably wanted to see me so badly, but I haven't even really thought about her.'

'This is just like that time in the middle world.'

Back then, when Gravis had been alone, he had thought about his home. Gravis still remembered that he had forgotten the faces and voices of his parents and friends. Everything had been so distant from his life in the middle world, making it feel like his friends and family actually didn't exist.

Stella was going through something similar.

Her love for Gravis was like a plant that hadn't been watered in a very long time.

It basically looked dead, and it didn't react to anything.

However, Gravis knew that he only had to water the plant carefully for the foreseeable future.

'I've been neglecting everyone for too long,' Gravis thought. 'I have to remember that becoming powerful is not my main priority. Freedom and happiness are my main priorities!'

'I've been focusing too much on my power, which is only a secondary goal.'

'I have to make this right!'

However, before Gravis went to Stella, he contacted Mortis.

Mortis should have gone through something similar, and Mortis probably had some advice on this issue.

"Your case is worse than mine, but I've gone through something similar," Mortis said. "Just be yourself and spend time with her. It will be like you two are getting to know each other again, but your personalities will quickly get attuned to each other again."

"Thanks, Mortis," Gravis answered.

Then, Gravis went to Stella after telling Ferris that he wanted to have some private time with Stella.