Lightning Is the Only Way

It was hard.

Gravis could deal with Cera's death. He could deal with his friends' death.

But Aris.

Aris' death was hard on him.

When was the last time the two of them had talked with each other?

Gravis remembered that the last time they had talked, they had been on their way to the tournament of the Lightning Peak Sect.

Back then, Gravis had joked with Aris about the fact that he was acting like a grandpa.

Gravis hadn't thought that this would have been the last time he would talk with his only son.

Gravis still remembered looking at his three children when they had grown up.

Back when Aris had been a newborn, he had stupidly tried to chase after stronger and faster beasts, which led to him being slower in this growth than his two sisters.

Cera had gone for a disarming approach while Yersi had gone with an ambush approach.

But things turned around pretty quickly when Aris gained more experience. He was the first one to truly jump levels. Cera had it difficult, and Yersi, who had been the strongest up to that point, had needed the help of her father to allow her to go outside.

When Aris was a newborn, he had just been an innocent kid that wanted to fight.

Then, after only staying inside a closed space with weaker opponents, he had grown incredibly arrogant.

Gravis and other beasts had needed to show him that his arrogance was misplaced several times until he finally got it.

In comparison, Cera hadn't changed very much in her earlier years. She had chased after Aris, wanting to become stronger than him. Sadly, even though Aris had been very arrogant, he had also been very talented.

Only Yersi had been more talented in terms of Cultivation. Sadly, the problem with her was her mindset. She had played it too safe her entire life, and she didn't like to join any fights that were too risky.

So, even though Aris' talent wasn't at the same level as Yersi's, he had managed to overtake her and stay in the lead ever since.

Then, Aris completely changed when he came back from the higher world. He had truly matured.

From a battle-hungry child to an arrogant adolescent to a responsible adult.

Gravis had been incredibly proud of Aris. Aris had even been talented enough to count as one of the favorites in the Lightning Peak Sect's tournament.

That was outstanding!

With enough time and resources, he could have become a genius on the level of the Peak Sects' geniuses.

And sure enough, he hadn't disappointed.

In just three million years, Aris had gone from a level one Ancestral God to a level six Divine God.

With some more resources and more time, he could have also become a Core Elder figure.

Sadly, there had been no more time.

Aris had had only three million years to reach that level. One million more, and he could have probably become an average Core Elder. One had to remember that every single Core Elder had been one of the peak geniuses of the Peak Sects.

Aris could have then focused on the True Law of the Dead World. Gravis was sure that Aris would have comprehended it long before his longevity ran out.

The Life Laws also wouldn't have spelled a problem for Aris.

The Emotional Laws wouldn't have been easy, but Aris had had enough experiences with life that he had gained an affinity for basically all emotions.

The only problem would have been the Law of Control.

Aris' mindset had always focused on freedom and doing what he wanted, and the Law of Control would have been a huge issue for him.

Yes, Aris had been incredibly talented, but that would have probably been where his growth in power ended.

Aris would have become a powerful Ancestor of a Peak Sect.

However, that was already far beyond impressive.

Sadly, Aris simply hadn't had the time.

The other Peak Sects had attacked the Heavenly Divine Sect before Aris could fully realize his potential.

Aris had been put before a choice.

Fight or flee?

Aris hadn't needed to fight. He could have simply fled to Opposer City and stay there.

Yet, he hadn't wanted to abandon his new home and his friends.

If he didn't join, their group might lose the fight.

If he didn't join, one of the Core Elders might have finished the fight too early, and they would have attacked the Formation Array, maybe even destroying it in the process.

At that time, Arc's and Manuel's carefully crafted plans would have been thrown out the window.

Additionally, if the Formation Array had collapsed, all the attackers would be able to communicate with each other again.

Aris knew Gravis, and he knew that Gravis would have attacked one of the Peak Sects.

If the Formation Array broke too early, several Ancestors might have decided to retreat to kill Gravis.

So, the last reason for Aris' choice to fight was Gravis.

Gravis probably didn't even know that Aris would be part of this war, but his actions would have still supported the Heavenly Divine Sect.

In a way, without knowing it, Gravis had been supporting Aris' fight from a distance, and Aris would reciprocate.

He would support Gravis from afar.

Gravis didn't know that they were fighting together, but Aris knew it.

And that was enough.

They had all joined the battle, knowing that several of them would die.

Sadly, Aris hadn't been able to triumph over his opponent.

Had his decision to fight made a difference?

Nobody knew.

It had been unknown before the fight, and it had remained unknown after it.

Nobody knew if Aris joining the fight had made a significant impact, but the same could be said for nearly everyone else.

Many people had lost their lives, and those people had also had a choice in the matter.

Gravis had been incredibly proud of Aris.

Aris had become a better person than Gravis could have imagined.

And even in the end, Aris had been one of the many small candles that represented the bonfire of hope and victory for the Heavenly Divine Sect.

Gravis talked a long time with Yersi about Aris and Cera.

After some time, Gravis also couldn't keep his tears in check anymore, and he cried together with his last remaining child.

This time, it wasn't Gravis being there for Yersi, but Yersi being there for her father.

It was difficult.

It was so difficult.

It had never been so difficult.

Aris' life and growth shot through Gravis' mind again and again.

He missed him.

He wanted to see him again.

And the worst thing of all was that Gravis had the ability.

He knew the True Law of Sentient Life.

He could recreate Aris.

However, that was the problem.

Gravis could recreate Aris, not resurrect him.

Also, if Gravis recreated him and looked at him again, would Gravis still feel like Aris was his son?

To Gravis, he would just be a construct.

A complex mechanism he created.

Something that absolutely perfectly copied Aris.

Yet, would he be Aris?

It was so hard to resist the draw.

Gravis had the power now.

He had full control over life.

Yet, what was the point?

That power couldn't help him here.

It was so hard to resist, but Gravis managed to pull through.

The only remaining solace was the thought that no more of his loved ones would die abruptly.

Manuel, Azure, Stella, Meadow, Narcissus, Yersi, Orpheus, and Arc were all that was left.

The first five had reached a level where tempering wasn't important anymore. They would be focusing on Laws.

Arc's survival had never been a problem.

Orpheus didn't belong to any Sect, and he was simply traveling the world. He might be the only one that could suddenly vanish.

And Yersi?

The only reason why Yersi had even continued cultivating was Jake.

Yersi was now a level one Divine God, thanks to the Law Comprehension Life Fruits the Economistress had given her.

She had nearly ten million years of life left.

Yet, with Jake gone, Yersi wasn't interested in cultivating anymore.

She might have considered it if the last step to becoming a Heaven's Magnate wasn't so incredibly hard to take. However, the reality was that there was basically no chance for her to reach the Heaven's Magnate Realm.

Just like Aris, her mind had nearly no affinity with the Law of Control.

In the end, Yersi decided to go to Opposer City. She didn't know yet what exactly she wanted to do there, but she would simply live there for the next period of time.

She needed to find a reason to live.

After a long while, Gravis separated from Yersi again.

Yersi left pretty quickly towards Opposer City after that.

When Gravis separated from Yersi, he thought about everyone he had lost.