Ch. 1011..1020

Chapter 1011 - 1011 – Future

In front of the Gate of Death, three beings stood.

Yet, in Arc's perception, he was alone.

The other two were invisible to him.

"Don't try anything funny," the Opposer said to the person beside him.

The other person didn't answer.

This was the highest Heaven, and it was looking at the Gate of Death with fascination and anticipation.

It had no idea if Gravis would survive or not.

The chances were overwhelmingly in favor of Gravis dying, but it couldn't be sure.

For the first time, the highest Heaven had no idea if something happened or not.

Why?

Because the area behind the Gate of Death was not inside its own Cosmos.

It couldn't look into it, and it couldn't grasp the full extent of the Force of Death.

Everything that happened inside there was beyond its ability to foresee.

If it cut off the Gate of Death right now from its Cosmos, Gravis wouldn't be able to return.

After all, as long as the Gate of Death was banished from the highest Heaven's Cosmos, even if Gravis survived, he would reappear in the Primordial Chaos.

Gravis would immediately be torn apart if that happened.

The Opposer stood beside the highest Heaven exactly to stop it from doing that.

If it did, the Opposer would destroy everything that he could.

He might even destroy the entire highest world.

He would do his best to destroy the highest Heaven's entire Cosmos.

If he did that, the highest Heaven could probably still survive, but the chances were very high that both of them wouldn't be able to kill each other.

Yet, all the gathered Energy in the last 50 billion years would vanish.

This was true for both the Opposer and the highest Heaven.

Everything would return to how it had been 50 billion years ago.

Because of that, the highest Heaven didn't dare to do anything.

After all, even if Gravis survived, the highest Heaven had an alarming number of other plans to fall back on.

These were the highest Heaven's thoughts.

What about the Opposer's thoughts?

Well, for the first time in the Opposer's life, his perception of what would happen eclipsed the highest Heaven's perception.

The Opposer was 100% certain that Gravis would return, and he was also 100% certain that the highest Heaven wouldn't do anything stupid.

There was literally no doubt in his mind.

Why?

Because he had seen the future Gravis.

However, the future Gravis hadn't appeared in the past yet.

Therefore, Gravis must still exist in the future.

For the first time, the highest Heaven had no idea about the future, while the Opposer did.

He only stood here to fool the highest Heaven.

He only had to act like he knew nothing.

Step!

Suddenly, Gravis reappeared in the cave as he stepped out of the Gate of Death.

The highest Heaven's eyes glittered as it saw Gravis.

He actually managed to survive!

This was the second biggest shock Gravis had ever given the highest Heaven, second only to the time Gravis had become the manifested concept of lightning.

"Now, there are three of us," the Opposer said to the highest Heaven.

The highest Heaven didn't react as it only looked at Gravis.

SHING!

Then, it vanished.

Nobody knew what it was thinking.

The Opposer also looked at his son, and a smirk appeared on his face.

'Well done, Gravis!' the Opposer thought with pride.

Then, he also vanished.

Arc also looked with shock at Gravis.

Then, he smiled with excitement.

"Congratulations! You did it!" Arc shouted. "You now know a Law that not even I know!"

Gravis didn't smile as he looked at Arc.

Arc noticed Gravis' emotions.

"I take it your worries about Mortis were not unfounded?" he asked.

Gravis nodded.

"I have once been Mortis, and I had a guess about his feelings."

"I didn't confront him because I trusted that he would know what to do."

"Sadly, he still went through with it."

Arc looked with a complex expression at Gravis. "So, Mortis killed himself?" he asked.

Gravis nodded with cold eyes.

"I don't know why, but I know that I have a way to resurrect Mortis, even if he dies inside the Gate of Death."

"Mortis is dead, and I forgot all the concepts of my Avatar. I don't even know what Law I had used as my Avatar."

"Yet, I know that I have made some preparations to regain that Law quickly and to resurrect Mortis."

"I don't remember what preparations I have made, but I know I have made some."

"Apparently, I had suspected that something like this would happen."

Arc nodded. "You did."

"You know?" Gravis asked.

His memory of everything that had to do with the Laws of Perceived Reality had vanished.

SHING!

Arc took out the object that Gravis had handed him before he entered the Gate of Death.

It was a saber.

And the saber had Samsara loaded into it.

"You gave me this," Arc said. "You may have forgotten Samsara, but it's your self-created attack made out of the Law of Perceived Reality. It allows you to see someone's life from all perspectives."

"I know why you gave this to me, and I'm willing to help you," Arc said.

Gravis didn't fully understand all the words Arc spoke since he had forgotten everything about Perceived Reality.

Yet, Gravis nodded. "I trust in the past me. The past me knows more than the current me, and if he was confident, I should be confident."

Arc nodded.

"Then, prepare yourself."

"This might take a while."

"Also, don't think about me. I might also see your life, but what's a couple million years to me?"

"You will go through your own life once again, but from all different perspectives, including your own."

"The level five Law of Perceived Reality would only include the perspective of others, but you changed Samsara after you comprehended the level seven Law of Perceived Reality."

"The last perspective you will see will be your own."

"You will comprehend all the Laws you have learned in your life again."

"This is how you will relearn the level seven Law of Perceived Reality."

"However, you must surpass your past self within Samsara if you want to resurrect Mortis."

"You will understand when the time comes."

Gravis wasn't exactly sure what Arc meant, but he trusted his past self.

"Do it!" Gravis said with determined eyes.

Arc smiled, lifted the saber, and struck.

BANG!

Samsara hit Gravis!

"This one looks really good!"

Gravis' eyes widened in shock as he heard a female voice.

He knew that voice.

It was his mother!

Right now, Gravis was looking at his mother, who held a newborn infant in her eyes with an excited expression.

"I see."

A deep voice appeared in Gravis' head.

It was like the deep voice was speaking to him.

Gravis knew that voice.

It was his father!

For a second, Gravis felt like the Opposer was looking at him.

However, how was that possible!?

All of this wasn't real!

How could the Opposer notice something that had basically never happened?

"The level seven Law of Perceived Reality," the Opposer's voice said in Gravis' mind.

"You created an attack with that Law, and I can also guess how it works and who you are."

"Right now, only three people are in this room, and you don't feel like me. You also don't feel like my wife."

"This means you are the baby in front of me."

"To think that you will become so powerful in the future that you will even comprehend the level seven Law of Perceived Reality."

"I also feel someone else accompanying you."

"The old bastard's firstborn? Interesting."

"However, this attack has been created by you, not by him."

"Yet, since he uses it, it means you will visit the world of the old bastard's firstborn in the future, and you will even know the level seven Law of Perceived Reality in that world."

"That progress is terrifying."

"You will truly be powerful."

"Fine, I will allow you to witness your own life again, and I will also stop the old bastard from noticing."

"You are my son, and I trust you."

"After all, if, by the time you become this powerful, our relationship has broken down, you wouldn't be here right now."

"I would have killed you beforehand."

Gravis felt terror inside himself.

This was not the current Opposer.

This was the past Opposer, the one that was still cold and emotionless.

Killing an unknown child was not difficult for him.

Then, the Opposer's perception vanished from Gravis' senses as reality seemingly regained time.

This was the time when the Opposer had seen the future Gravis.

The Opposer had felt the effects of the Law of Perceived Reality being used on him, and he had deduced that this had to be Gravis.

Because of that, he hadn't feared for Gravis' life when he had entered the Gate of Death.

After all, this event hadn't happened yet.

And thus, Gravis began to see his own life from all the different perspectives.

Chapter 1012 - 1012 – Watching

Gravis' vision began, and his entire life repeated itself from the perspective of the Opposer.

The Opposer had always watched Gravis uninterrupted as soon as he got into any dangerous situations, but he didn't completely watch his life while he was in the highest world.

For the entire time, Gravis saw his life from the Opposer's perspective.

Yet, surprisingly, there was no change in perspective.

It was like the Opposer didn't have a concept of perceived reality.

It was like Gravis was watching objective reality.

Gravis remembered everything that had happened and was able to see his own life in a new light.

Everything appeared normal until a certain moment.

When Gravis had reached the Nascent Nourishing Realm, something happened that he didn't remember.

This was when Gravis had comprehended the level two Law of Suppression, and he had forgotten that part.

When Gravis saw that, it was like some memories returned to him.

Gravis re-comprehended the level two Law of Suppression even faster than the past Gravis before him.

'Suppression, huh?' Gravis thought. 'How ironic. To think that I have chased freedom all this time, but I actually made a Law that includes the Law of Suppression as my Avatar. Why? What have I been thinking back then?'

Right now, since Gravis had forgotten the Law of Freedom, taking a Law that includes the Law of Suppression as his Avatar felt unreal.

Sadly, Gravis couldn't remember the time he had condensed his Avatar.

After that, Gravis saw how he had comprehended the Law of Danger.

'Danger is also included in my Avatar?'

The next new memory was of the time Gravis had comprehended the level four Law of Suppression.

Then came the time when Gravis comprehended the Law of Freedom.

'I don't remember the Law of Freedom. So, this means that the Law of Freedom is also part of my Avatar.'

Gravis immediately realized what had happened.

'I probably used the Law of Freedom as my Avatar, and it fused with the Law of Suppression and Danger.'

The next new thing that happened was when the Black Magnate helped Gravis comprehend the Law of Control.

The next new thing was when he comprehended the Law of Safety in Arc's clearing.

'These five Laws create the Law of Perceived Reality,' Gravis thought. 'So, my Avatar was of the Law of Perceived Reality.'

Gravis' entire life played out before him.

The Opposer was rather thoughtful of Gravis, as he kept watch over Gravis and Mortis at the same time.

Because of that, Gravis also saw what Mortis was doing the entire time.

By now, the Opposer had changed to his current self.

This made Gravis realize that, in some weird way, the future him had been watching his past self the entire time.

It was so unreal.

If Gravis hadn't regained his Law of Perceived Reality by now, he wouldn't even be able to grasp such an abstract concept.

Sadly, as time passed, the current Gravis fell behind the past Gravis.

Comprehending some level five Laws was easy by watching thanks to Gravis' Law Comprehension experience, but the level six Laws of Perceived Reality didn't appear in Gravis' mind.

He couldn't comprehend them just by watching.

He had to feel them to comprehend them.

In the end, Gravis saw how he stepped out of the Gate of Death.

Then, when Arc lifted his saber, the Opposer was throwing one last look at the Gravis currently residing in his perception.

"Sorry for saying that I would have killed you," he said.

He had changed severely since Gravis had entered his perception.

Hearing an apology from the Opposer would have been impossible in the past.

Sadly, Gravis couldn't answer.

Then, when Arc hit Gravis with Samsara, everything ended.

Surprisingly, the next perspective Gravis entered wasn't the one of his mother.

Gravis was pretty sure that his Law of Perceived Reality hadn't been powerful to grasp the perception of a Heaven's Magnate.

The only reason why he had been able to see himself from his father's eyes was that his father had felt the surreal perception and used his own power to pull Gravis' perception into his own before it could leave.

Then, he had changed Samsara in such a way that it wouldn't even try to enter the highest Heaven's perception.

He also isolated it from anyone that would notice it, which would be all the people that knew the True law of Perceived Reality.

The Opposer's actions had allowed Gravis' Samsara to stay secret.

Father and son were working together.

The next perspective Gravis saw was from some random bystander in the highest world.

It was rather short, and Gravis looked like a poisonous plant in their perspective.

Don't touch it!

Don't interact with it!

This was the fear of every onlooker in Opposer City when they saw Gravis' Obsidian Ring.

Gravis went through a ridiculous number of repetitions as he watched himself through every person or beast that had ever observed him.

It was beyond tedious.

Over 99.99% of all perspectives were of irrelevant bystanders Gravis had actually never interacted with.

However, the perspectives of the people Gravis interacted with were interesting to him.

Ballor, Gravis' friend in the Research Institute, saw Gravis as a great man.

Forneus, Gravis' teacher in the Research Institute, looked at him like he was any other student. At least until Gravis condensed his Will-Aura. Then, he looked at Gravis like an arrogant youngster.

Orpheus looked at Gravis like an innocent little brother he had to protect.

This had never changed.

The Hunting Guild saw Gravis as an arrogant youngster initially, but he quickly transformed into a terrifying demon.

Joyce saw Gravis as someone with talent until her perception of him changed into hatred and then love.

Her teacher's impression of him changed from good to bad over time.

Gorn looked at Gravis like a bright star.

He wanted to hang onto that star and shine just as brightly!

Jaimy and his brother looked at Gravis like he was a sinister and dishonest person.

Skye looked at Gravis as a close friend.

Skye's parent simply looked at Gravis as a friend of her daughter.

Aion saw the shadow of Heaven in Gravis.

Wendy saw Gravis like a weapon pointed at Heaven.

Byron looked at Gravis as an innocent kid that knew nothing about the world.

Old Man Lightning looked at Gravis as a talented student he had to teach.

Lasar looked at Gravis as a shining beacon of hope for the Lightning Sect.

Manuel looked at Gravis as a mighty warrior that needed some emotional guidance.

Nero looked at Gravis as an elder.

Claude saw Gravis the same way.

The High Priest saw Gravis as an ant beneath him.

The lower Heaven saw Gravis as an insect it just couldn't get rid of.

Gravis went through an uncountable number of perspectives as he rewatched his actions time and time again.

Gravis had no idea how long he had been watching his own life, but he was certain that it was many times longer than when he had watched Nira's life.

It had been several million years, according to his guess.

Gravis knew perfectly who he was at this moment.

He knew whatever he had thought at any given time.

Then, finally, Gravis entered his own perception.

All his memories had returned, and he was only missing the level six Laws of Perceived Reality.

Gravis went through his own perception, but everything felt different now.

Right now, he was no longer looking at the people around him like his previous self.

Everything was different.

Everyone had a story.

Everyone had a complex personality.

Gravis went through his life through his past perception, and he was able to see things very differently now.

Eventually, Gravis reached the time when he broke apart the emotional connection between himself and Mortis.

Gravis knew what he had to do.

Gravis had to comprehend the level seven Law of Perceived Reality right now!

Only with the level seven Law of Perceived Reality could he break apart the physical reality of a higher world!

He had to break apart physical reality and substitute part of his Perceived Reality!

He had to extend his reach into Perceived Reality and pull out Mortis' Law fragments!

He had to pull them from Perceived Reality into physical reality!

He had to make something unreal, real.

Gravis extended his hand towards Mortis' Law fragments, and he went through everything he knew.

He had to comprehend the level seven Law of Perceived Reality right now!

That was the only way how he could get Mortis back!

Chapter 1013 - 1013 – Physical Reality

Gravis had gone through his own life from his own perspective and reached the time when he had cut off Mortis' emotions.

It was now or never!

Gravis had already relearned the level six Law of Freedom by watching himself.

Gravis had also been able to relearn the level six Law of Suppression by watching Mortis.

Comprehending the level six Law of Safety wasn't difficult, and the Law of Danger constantly accompanied Gravis either way.

However, the Law of Control was difficult to comprehend.

Mortis had comprehended that Law entirely on his own, and it was difficult for Gravis to comprehend it again.

Gravis watched himself talk with Mortis, and he knew that he had to hurry up.

There was no time left!

Gravis' mind completely concentrated on the Law of Control.

This was his only chance at getting Mortis back!

Going through his entire life again with Samsara wouldn't have nearly as great of an impact, and if too much time passed, Mortis and Gravis would be too far apart.

It had to be now!

Gravis fully focused as time ceaselessly passed.

BANG!

Mortis exploded as his personality orbited around Gravis' Avatar.

'I can't comprehend it,' Gravis thought with frustration.

'Then, I simply have to do it without the Law of Control!'

'If Control won't come to me, I will force Control to come to me!'

Gravis had relearned nearly all of the concepts of the level seven Law of Perceived Reality, and he knew enough about perceived reality to know that not everything followed the concepts of objective reality.

In perceived reality, willpower could overcome physical restraints.

Gravis looked at the fragments of Mortis and stretched his hand towards them.

'I WILL be in control!'

BOOOOM!

Just when Gravis forced control to come to him, he comprehended the level six Law of Control.

His last-ditch effort had been exactly the key he needed to comprehend that Law.

In an instant, Gravis managed to relearn the level seven Law of Perceived Reality.

Then, Gravis concentrated on Mortis' Law fragments.

He had to tear them out of Perceived Reality and substitute physical reality!

The Law of Perceived Reality activated in Gravis' mind, and Gravis felt his being connect with everything before him.

Gravis could feel all the perceived realities, and Gravis grabbed the one in front of him.

CRACK!

Gravis pulled, and everything in front of him was torn off.

It was like Gravis had torn off part of the wallpaper of reality.

WHOOOM!

Everything around Gravis started to warp as his own perceived reality seemingly started to break under the strain.

Without taking note of it, Gravis had already regained control over his own body in his own perceived reality.

Gravis had broken free from the effects of Samsara and was walking around in his own reality.

In Gravis' hand was a small sphere.

The sphere had an Avatar of the level five Law of Perceived Reality and Mortis' Law fragments inside it.

However, time still progressed in that fragment.

In just a couple seconds, these Law fragments would vanish.

Gravis had to put this piece of perceived reality into physical reality so that the piece of perceived reality got influenced by physical reality.

In that case, nothing would take away the Law fragments anymore.

Gravis felt himself shift as he arrived at the same location.

However, he had arrived before physical reality.

Yet, Gravis didn't actually exist.

The real Gravis was still inside the cave near the Gate of Death.

This Gravis was only an observer to physical reality.

He wasn't real.

Gravis looked at physical reality and tore at it.

…

Nothing…

Gravis gritted his teeth as he realized that he couldn't get a grip of physical reality.

It wasn't that Gravis couldn't interact with physical reality.

He could interact with it.

The problem was that physical reality was far too stable.

It was so incomprehensibly stable.

Gravis felt his Law of Perceived Reality hit physical reality, but it didn't even react to it.

It was like a fly had hit the city walls.

Gravis' level seven Law of Perceived Reality was as strong as a fly while physical reality was as strong as mighty city walls.

Even if Gravis condensed his Avatar right now and upgraded the power of his level seven Law of Perceived Reality to the power of a level eight Law, his Law of Perceived Reality would only count as a bird instead of as a fly.

For a city wall, a bird and a fly might as well not be any different.

As soon as Gravis realized this, frustration rose inside him.

'Physical reality is not built with the level eight Law of the True World. No, it's far too stable for that.'

Gravis clenched his fists.

'Reality is not subject to the Law of the True World, but to the Law of the Cosmos.'

'It's not Arc controlling physical reality, but the highest Heaven!'

There had still been hope when physical reality was created with the level eight Law of the True World.

Sadly, it wasn't.

It was created with the most powerful Law in existence.

Gravis was helpless in front of it.

His Law of Perceived Reality couldn't do anything.

Gravis looked at the sphere in his hand and gritted his teeth.

Then, he looked at the physical reality in front of him with fiery eyes.

'I have no idea what will happen.'

'I can destroy it, but I can't fix it.'

'I don't know if something will happen to me.'

'I don't know if something will happen to this world.'

'I'm not powerful enough on my own.'

'However, I still want Mortis back.'

'So, this time, I will bet on you, highest Heaven!'

'I sure hope you won't kill me.'

Gravis took out his saber.

WHOOOM!

Suddenly, black lightning of nothingness came out of Gravis' saber.

Everything that the lightning touched vanished, and even Gravis' saber itself was quickly disintegrating into nothingness.

The Major Law of Death!

Gravis knew the Major Law of Death, and he also understood it now.

What was the opposite of Death?

Was it life?

Surprisingly, no.

Life wasn't the opposite of Death.

If Life were the opposite of Death, Death would still be subject to the rules of Energy. After all, Life was made of Energy. Therefore, Death also had to be made of Energy.

Yet, it wasn't.

Death had nothing to do with Energy.

So, what was the opposite of Death?

It was Energy!

Energy was something.

Death was nothing.

Death was the pure antithesis of Energy, and the two of them couldn't exist together.

As soon as they touched each other, both of them would disintegrate the other until either one of them or none of them were left.

All the Laws in the world could transform the state of Energy.

If a Cultivator was burned to a crisp, their Energy wouldn't vanish. It would simply be transformed into smoke, ash, heat, and pure Energy entering the atmosphere.

The amount of Energy in the world would not change.

However, Death was different.

Death destroyed Energy itself.

When Gravis had comprehended the Major Law of Death, he knew that this Law was the reason why his father could even attempt to fight the highest Heaven.

Without this Law, Gravis' father would be helpless.

The Opposer was in the highest Heaven's Cosmos, which meant that as soon as they clashed, the released Energy of both of them would be distributed across the highest Heaven's Cosmos. When that happened, the Opposer would lose Energy while the highest Heaven would actually gain more Energy.

After all, it could make use of all the Energy inside its Cosmos.

Yet, if the Opposer used the Major Law of Death, he could destroy the very Energy itself. Like this, the highest Heaven would lose just as much Energy as the Opposer when they clashed.

This mere level seven Law had such an insane power that a huge part of the Opposer's survival depended on it.

It was insanely powerful!

Yet, what did all of this have to do with the current situation?

Well, if there was something, it had to be made of Energy.

Physical reality was something.

Therefore, physical reality had to be made with Energy.

And since Death could destroy Energy.

Death could also destroy physical reality.

Gravis lifted his saber and struck down.

A Lightning Crescent of Death hit the physical reality in front of Gravis.

In the grand scheme of things, Gravis' amount of Energy was not much.

However, it was enough for a couple kilometers in a higher world!

In front of Gravis, a part of physical reality turned into nothingness.

Reality had been broken apart.

Gravis had no idea what would happen next.

Chapter 1014 - 1014 – Primordial Chaos

Part of physical reality vanished, and Gravis' Lightning Crescent of Death vanished.

What was left?

Grey.

The spot where the Lightning Crescent and physical reality had met had become entirely grey.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly, the grey expanded into physical reality, destroying everything around it.

Gravis knew what this was.

The feeling of danger of this grey force was the most intense feeling of danger Gravis had ever felt in his entire life.

It was Primordial Chaos.

The grey force was Primordial Chaos!

It was a mixture of many different forces, including Death and Energy.

It was everything!

It was something and nothing at once!

Gravis hadn't made a hole in the higher world.

No, Gravis had made a hole in the Cosmos!

Gravis had created a hole in the very filter that protected the entire Cosmos from the Primordial Chaos.

Gravis immediately turned around and threw the sphere of his own perceived reality into the distance.

Then, the Primordial Chaos enveloped him before he could do anything.

When the surreal Gravis died, the actual Gravis opened his eyes in the cave near the Gate of Death.

In his hand was a sphere of a part of his own perceived reality.

Everything had just been calm around Gravis, but as soon as Gravis opened his eyes…

All hell broke loose!

An expression of absolute terror appeared on Arc's face.

An apocalyptic killing intent focused on Gravis.

The entire higher world shook as a force of unimaginable power threatened to destroy it.

Yet, this force wasn't the Primordial Chaos.

The Primordial Chaos was a silent killer that simply ate everything it touched.

Only a force that was comprised of an unimaginable amount of Energy could bend the very reality.

A grey tide had appeared in the north of the higher world as it ate everything it touched.

BANG!

Yet, the grey tide stopped moving as it seemingly hit a wall.

The creation of the wall didn't only shake the higher world, but the entire Cosmos.

The Divine Gods and Heaven's Magnates in the highest world felt reality shake, and they opened their eyes with fear and shock.

What was going on!?

In front of the stopped, grey tide stood a man with black hair.

This man was the being that stopped the Primordial Chaos from invading the Cosmos.

It was the Opposer.

The Opposer was unleashing his power, which was the very thing that shook the Cosmos.

He had arrived at the very moment the hole had been created.

It was almost like he had known that this would happen.

Did he?

He did.

He knew how powerful physical reality was, and he knew what Gravis' goal was.

He knew what Gravis would do, and he had already prepared himself.

Was he angry at his son for forcing him to intervene?

Of course not.

He was Gravis' father, and supporting one's child was a father's duty.

Usually, the Opposer wouldn't have intervened. After all, this was the highest Heaven's Cosmos.

It was the highest Heaven's problem, not his.

However, the Opposer didn't want the highest Heaven to lose all rationality and kill Gravis out of rage.

After all, Gravis had torn a hole into his Cosmos.

Something like this threatened the highest Heaven's very survival and power.

Gravis had always been a potential threat, but now, he had become an actual threat.

For the first time, Gravis had actually "injured" the highest Heaven.

He was the second being that had managed to do that, the first one being the Opposer.

Not even Heaven's Magnates had such a power.

This was the power of the Major Law of Death.

It was the very counter to the Law of the Cosmos.

This was the only Law that could deal with the Law of the Cosmos.

The killing intent that had focused on Gravis had been none other than the highest Heaven.

Gravis had destroyed a part of its Cosmos!

Yet, the Opposer's timely intervention stopped the highest Heaven from acting out of rage.

Yes, Gravis had poked a hole in the highest Heaven's Cosmos, but the Opposer was stopping anything from happening.

One had to know that stopping the Primordial Chaos wasn't easy.

Not even Heaven's Magnates could survive contact with the Primordial Chaos, and stopping it was even more difficult.

The Opposer was using an unreal amount of Energy to keep the Primordial Chaos from invading.

This wasn't an easy task, even for him.

The entire time, the Opposer wasn't looking at the Primordial Chaos, but at the highest Heaven.

The highest Heaven glanced back.

It was a trade.

The highest Heaven would help Gravis, and the Opposer would waste his own Energy.

The highest Heaven and the Opposer were at a delicate balance, and if any one of them used a bit more Energy, this balance might break apart.

This usage of Energy from the Opposer could very well mean that the highest Heaven might win the next fight with him.

The highest Heaven calmed down with terrifying speed.

It was like the highest Heaven had simply turned a switch.

It was fine with the trade.

The highest Heaven looked at Gravis' hand and noticed the sphere inside it.

The sphere of Gravis' perceived reality was invisible to everyone else since it basically didn't exist, but the highest Heaven was the very controller and creator of all realities.

It could see the sphere.

It knew what Gravis wanted and why he had done this.

The Opposer pushed the Primordial Chaos back as the Cosmos shook under the strain of the Opposer's power.

SHING!

The sphere in Gravis' hand vanished suddenly.

When Gravis saw that, he sighed in relief.

'Sorry, father.'

'I will repay you in the future.'

The Primordial Chaos left the Cosmos, and the sphere that had just been in Gravis' hand reappeared at the hole.

The sphere expanded and warped until it perfectly fit over the hole.

Then, it entered the hole, and it was like the hole had never existed.

Everything returned to normal.

An Avatar had materialized in the world, surrounded by Law fragments.

SHING!

The Law fragments vanished and appeared in front of Gravis in the cave.

The highest Heaven had sent them to him.

It had accepted the trade, so it would also pay up.

As soon as the Avatar appeared in front of Gravis, it connected with him.

It was Gravis' Avatar, after all.

The knowledge of the Law of Control entered the Avatar, and the Avatar immediately upgraded to the level seven Law of Perceived Reality.

Gravis hadn't condensed a new Avatar but had made his old Avatar real again.

SHING!

Gravis stretched his hand at the Law fragments surrounding his new and old Avatar.

Then, he fused them into it.

WHOOOM!

Gravis' Avatar transformed until it took the shape of a human with white hair.

Some seconds later, Gravis' Avatar had vanished, and Mortis reappeared.

After some seconds, Mortis opened his eyes.

But then, his eyes widened in shock.

Where was he!?

Hadn't they just killed Nira!?

Why was he here!?

What happened!?

And was this the level seven Law of Perceived Reality!?

How!?

They hadn't comprehended the level seven Law of Control yet!

Yes, this was the Mortis from the time when he had been recreated.

The future Mortis that had given his life for Gravis was well and truly dead.

Gravis looked at Mortis with narrowed eyes.

Yet, Gravis would not allow this Mortis to walk the same path!

Mortis looked at Gravis.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Gravis glared with rage at Mortis.

Chapter 1015 - 1015 – Finding A Way

While Mortis was confused, Gravis only glared at him.

Gravis had so many things to say, but he had no idea how he should start.

On top of that, Gravis knew that this Mortis wasn't the same Mortis.

This was the Mortis from the past.

This Mortis hadn't even thought of sacrificing his life.

"You're probably wondering what happened, right?" Gravis asked with a cold voice.

Mortis looked at Gravis with an unsure expression.

In his mind, Gravis had just happily told Mortis that he would cut their emotional connection and that it would only take a second.

Yet, Mortis was somewhere completely else, and Gravis' feelings had obviously severely changed.

"What's going on?" Mortis asked.

Gravis looked at Mortis as he took out his saber.

BANG!

Black lightning appeared on Gravis' saber, but it wasn't his Void Lightning.

It was Death Lightning.

When Mortis saw that lightning, comprehension of the Major Law of Death assaulted his mind.

Mortis immediately knew what this lightning was and how it worked.

Mortis' eyes widened in shock.

The Major Law of Death!?

How!?

However, Mortis wasn't stupid, and he immediately made several connections.

"I died?" Mortis asked with a shaking voice.

He had died.

Mortis had always won his fights, and he had obviously never died.

Yet, now, Mortis realized that he had died in the Gate of Death.

This was the only explanation that made sense.

Then, Mortis looked at Gravis' cold disposition towards him and made another guess.

Mortis narrowed his eyes. "Have I betrayed you inside the Gate of Death? Is that why you are so angry with me? What, after killing me already, you want to kill me again?"

Gravis gritted his teeth.

"You did betray me alright, but not in the way you are thinking," Gravis said.

Mortis furrowed his brows.

"Explain," he said.

Gravis told Mortis of everything that had happened.

"And then you said that you didn't want to be a burden," Gravis said with gritted teeth.

No matter how much Mortis thought, he just couldn't believe what Gravis was saying.

This didn't sound like him at all!

Sure, he had been nervous about their emotional disconnection, but it wasn't nearly so bad that he would throw his life away.

That was just stupid.

"So, I sacrificed myself?" Mortis asked.

"Yes, you did," Gravis said. "Do you know why I'm so angry right now?"

Mortis wasn't entirely sure since all of this was a bit too much to take in.

Mortis only shook his head.

"I'm angry at you, and I'm also angry at me," Gravis said with a seething voice.

"What, because I wanted to kill myself?" Mortis asked coldly. "Are you saying I don't have control over my life? Is my life up to your decision?"

Gravis' eyes narrowed further.

"Aren't you an advocate of freedom?" Mortis asked coldly. "Aren't you specifically inhibiting my freedom by forcefully resurrecting me, even though the other me obviously didn't want that?"

"You fucking idiot!" Gravis shouted.

Mortis narrowed his eyes.

"You know the level six Law of Freedom!" Gravis shouted. "You know exactly that what you're saying right now is bullshit!"

"Listen, freedom is doing what one wants, right?" Gravis asked with a loud voice. "You wanted to kill yourself, right? Therefore, you're doing what you want, right?"

"Wrong!"

"Committing suicide became what you wanted because, in your stubborn mind, you couldn't get the actual thing you wanted! You want to be happy! You want to have a colorful life! Chasing that is chasing freedom!"

"Yet, you stubborn idiot didn't even try!"

Mortis didn't like being referred to as a stubborn idiot.

"You didn't even attempt it!"

"You didn't try to get to know others!"

"You didn't try to meet Joyce first!"

"You didn't try to search for love!"

"You didn't try to meet our parents again!"

"Do you think father and mom will just throw you to the side because you are technically not their son? No! Not even I am their son, technically speaking! My Spirit has fused with lightning and then has become Void Lightning. Everything that had once been Gravis' Spirit was destroyed at that moment."

"And then, even my body changed when I got my beast body. There are actually no familiar connections between myself, father, and mom. Yet, we are still a family!"

Gravis pointed at Mortis.

"So, you are also a part of my family!"

"And I'm not going to look at how someone dear to me jumps into a hole of nothingness! I might not have cared about that when you split off from me, but I'm certainly caring right now!"

"You think you can't escape the grasp of nothingness? You know what, that's very possible."

"When you only try yourself, that is," Gravis said.

"You think I got over my emotional turmoil after the lower world completely on my own? You think I'm just so awesome that I managed to deal with all of my emotions just like that?"

"No!"

"I cried in mom's arms for weeks! She has helped me through this agonizing period, and I wouldn't have been able to get through this without her help."

"Is it pathetic to see a grown man cry in his mother's arms? Sure, some people might think that, but guess what. That 'humiliation' has helped me in dealing with my emotions, and I'm willing to make that exchange again!"

Silence.

"That was a nice speech, but it doesn't really work since I'm obviously not in the same headspace as the other Mortis," Mortis said calmly. "You are rebuking me for thoughts I haven't even thought."

Gravis' fury rose as he gnashed his teeth violently.

"I know!" he shouted.

Gravis wanted to shout more, but he looked to the side with a pained expression as he took a deep breath.

"I just don't want to make the same mistake again," he said, quieter.

Mortis raised an eyebrow. "Same mistake?"

Gravis sighed. "Yes, the mistake of leaving you alone when you needed me most."

"You know the Law of Emotions, and you know what happens when you leave someone like yourself isolated to stew in their thoughts," Gravis said. "Your knowledge of the Law of Emotions and your ability of introspection should be powerful enough to make quite an accurate simulation."

Mortis' brows furrowed as he thought about Gravis' words.

Mortis still had a nervous feeling about being emotionally disconnected from Gravis, and he could very well imagine what his thoughts would have been.

After some seconds, a pained expression appeared on Mortis' face.

If he took everything into account, he could very well see how he had ended up eventually sacrificing himself.

Mortis took a deep breath out of fear.

This thought was terrifying.

How hopeless must he have felt to do something like that?

Right now, it seemed impossible for Mortis to sacrifice himself.

He had no reason to.

However, Mortis wasn't about to break down and cry.

No, he wasn't that weak mentally.

"And you are blaming yourself for that?" Mortis asked.

"Yes, I am," Gravis answered. "I knew that something was wrong with you, but I wasn't insistent enough to pursue it. I simply said that it was your decision."

"And it was my decision," Mortis answered. "As far as I'm aware of, you probably asked multiple times if something's wrong with me, and I probably just blew you off, right?"

Gravis sighed and nodded.

"Then, how is that your fault?" Mortis asked evenly. "I'm not a kid. I'm not someone that you need to take care of. If I need help, I will ask for it."

"Yet, you didn't, and you failed," Gravis said with furrowed brows. "When you see that you can't overcome this on your own, the only reason why you wouldn't ask for help is idiotic pride and stubbornness. Is that something an adult would do?"

Surprisingly, Mortis didn't get angry. "When you don't even realize that your goal has shifted to a fail-state, how can you realize that you are about to lose when you're continually making progress towards your goal?"

Gravis didn't immediately answer.

That made sense.

"So, you're saying that your logical thinking was so severely influenced by your emotions that killing yourself has become the logical goal. You knew that I would stop you, so you didn't ask me since you knew that I would inhibit your progress towards your goal."

"Yes," Mortis answered. "It isn't pride or stubbornness that stopped me from asking for help. It was the warping of my mind that warped the perception of a problem to such a degree that the problem seemed like a guide to my goal."

"Of course, I can't truly put myself into that headspace since I'm nowhere near this kind of thinking pattern."

"In actuality, in my mind, something like this seems stupid and mentally weak. Yet, I can't ignore the fact that I obviously went through with it."

Mortis was scratching his chin in thought.

"This means that this is another weakness I have to rectify. If I want to reach power, I not only need to protect myself from enemies but from the damaging parts of myself as well."

Silence.

While Mortis was thinking deeply, Gravis released a sigh of relief.

This was the Mortis he knew.

He saw that something was wrong with him, and he quickly started to analyze his issues from an objective point of view.

"Alright," Mortis said after a while. "I obviously don't have enough experience in these topics, so I'm listening to your advice regarding this from now on. If I feel any insecurity, sadness, or things similar to that, I'll talk to you and go over the available options. Is that alright?"

Gravis smiled.

"Yes, that sounds fine, and thanks for being this open. I didn't want to force you."

Mortis nodded.

"Okay, so now with that out of the way, how did you revive me, and what makes me the real Mortis when the real Mortis has been consumed by Death?"

Chapter 1016 - 1016 – Being Real

Gravis took another deep breath.

This topic also wasn't easy.

Gravis narrated all the things he had done to get Mortis back and how he had accomplished it.

Sure enough, the question that Gravis had anticipated came immediately after he was done recounting the events.

"If I'm the Mortis from your perceived reality, how can I be the real Mortis? I'm obviously not the one that has existed in objective reality but have been created by your perception of me instead. This means that I will think and be how you have perceived me to be," Mortis asked.

"I'm certain you aren't any different," Gravis said.

"How can you be certain?" Mortis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because you were only Law fragments that I didn't understand," Gravis said. "When I look at people, I have a certain perception of them. If I had manifested a living version of you in objective reality, you would be right. In that case, you would be acting according to how I think you would act."

"However, when I severed our emotional connection, you were nothing more than Law fragments. In a sense, you were not a living being but an object at that moment. Sure, a stone might appear bigger in someone else's perspective, but they will still see it as a stone as long as they're not completely crazy."

"Our perceptions of people are often different from how they really are due to lack of information. We can't fully grasp how their minds work."

"Yet, when I'm looking at a set of objects without thinking about how they work, my perception will not be skewed. I simply look at the stone and see a stone. You must try to understand something to have a skewed perspective of it."

"In your case, It's impossible for me to comprehend how your Laws work. I simply looked at the Law fragments and fused them together again. The components haven't changed, and the makeup hasn't changed. Therefore, you are identical to the original components, not having changed in the slightest."

Mortis scratched his chin in thought and nodded after a while.

"Makes sense. Alright, so with that out of the way, what makes me the true Mortis?"

"It doesn't," Gravis said with a sigh.

"The old Mortis has existed, and he has gone through pain. Saying that the old Mortis didn't exist would be denying his pain and decision. He was the real Mortis, and I have failed to save him. Even by resurrecting you, I can't change that reality. He's dead, and that's impossible to fix."

"So, I'm a fake?" Mortis asked.

"No, you're just as real," Gravis answered.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because of what makes things real," Gravis answered.

Mortis furrowed his brows. This conversation took an abstract and philosophical turn, and he didn't like that one bit.

"Explain," Mortis said.

"Well, we could argue that all perceived realities are real, but that would be stupid," Gravis said. "We have to find a point in the conversation where things actually still make sense. So, I simply define things as real as long as they exist in objective reality."

Mortis listened to Gravis as he scratched his chin.

"Objective reality and perceived reality have a relationship like the blueprint of a branch of a Sect and an actual branch of a Sect," Gravis continued.

"Imagine a Peak Sect. In order to get more recruits, they create several branches all over the world. All of the branches must follow the blueprint that the parent Sect has created. They all need to have one Sect Master, two Vice-Sect Masters, ten Elders, and so on."

"So, the fundamentals of every branch are identical. They are the same thing."

"However, the branches will have different people, and some of the branches might add some rules. Yet, the complete blueprint must still be followed. No rules from the blueprint are allowed to be changed or removed."

"Every single branch gets the blueprint, and every single branch has the blueprint inside of them that they are forced to follow."

"Every perceived reality has the basic and unignorable components of objective reality. After all, a rational human being won't just look at a stone and believe that stone to be a person. Their perceived reality has to rely on objective reality somewhat."

"If we define being real as existing in objective reality, we are saying that all other perceived realities have to be influenced by this real thing. If you only exist in perceived reality, you only exist in one of them. However, if you exist in objective reality, you are in all realities since you can only exist in another perceived reality when it sees you in objective reality."

"So, in short, you exist in objective reality, and that makes you real," Gravis said.

Mortis blinked twice without amusement.

"That seems too abstract and philosophical," he said.

"Because I'm trying to explain a viewpoint with logic," Gravis said. "In the end, this entire thing is not based on Laws. Laws only define what is and how it works. There isn't really a concept that decides what's real and what isn't real. I mean, there is when you use my definition, but my definition can't be found in any Laws."

"It's a matter of perspective," Gravis said with a sigh.

Mortis remained silent for a while as he scratched his chin.

He hated thinking about things that didn't have a clear, logical answer.

Laws were far simpler in that regard.

Laws had a single ruleset they followed, and it could be understood, and when one understood the Law, they could calculate all the things the Law encompassed.

In comparison, this entire viewpoint thing couldn't be clearly categorized.

It made some sense, but the foundation was wobbly at best.

In short, something like a viewpoint didn't have a correct answer.

It was just a viewpoint.

That's why Mortis didn't like thinking about such stuff.

After all, if there was no correct answer, what was the point of searching for one?

In comparison to Mortis, Gravis had accepted that not everything that didn't have a right answer was useless. Even if it was unclear, something like this could still help one in making the right decisions.

"What you're saying makes sense, but it has a very shaky foundation," Mortis said.

"Yeah," Gravis answered.

Mortis thought some seconds more.

Then, he nodded.

"I can't be bothered with thinking about that stuff," Mortis said. "In the end, I'm alive. I can think. I can feel. I have stuff that I want."

"I don't want to die, and I don't want to be a miserable crybaby."

"I exist, and that's undeniable. So, even if someone might believe me to not be real, I'm still real in my opinion."

"Also, I'm in objective reality now."

"If someone says I'm not real, I can just punch them in the face. If I'm not real, that punch also wouldn't be real, and they shouldn't get angry."

Gravis chuckled a bit. He wasn't sure if this was an attempt at humor from Mortis, but he found it funny.

"Anyway," Mortis said. "I exist, and I have to deal with that now."

"What's our next plan?"

Gravis took a deep breath.

"Comprehending more Laws won't increase my Battle-Strength," he said. "Right now, the Major Law of Death is the most powerful force I possess. A level eight Elemental Law might increase the power of my attack more by fusing with the Major Law of Death, but we don't have access to that right now."

"Even if we comprehend all the level six Elemental Laws and combine them with the Law of Matter to create the Major Law of the Dead World, it won't really increase my power. An attack with only the Major Law of Death is more effective than fusing it with a level seven Element."

"You can simply fuse the Major Law of Death with your Divine Lightning to create similarly powerful attacks."

"The pressure of the Law of the Dead World can't even begin to compare with the enhanced power of our Law of Suppression, essentially also making it useless."

"We need the law of Life if we want to fuse the Law of Sentience with something else, and I'm certain that my talent in the Life Laws isn't nearly enough to comprehend the Law of Life without tempering."

"Sure, I could probably wait in this world for like a million years until the tribulation becomes powerful enough to push me to my limit, but honestly, I don't want to wait that long."

Gravis took a deep breath and turned to Arc.

Arc had been here the entire time, just listening with interest.

He didn't really want to interrupt Gravis and Mortis.

"Arc, are we powerful enough to fight you?" Gravis asked evenly.

Arc only smiled warmly.

Then, he nodded.

Chapter 1017 - 1017 – Law Of Sentience

When Gravis saw Arc nodding, he didn't know what he should feel.

He had finally reached a power that would allow him to overcome this monumental challenge that had appeared insurmountable in the past.

Yet, it also meant that he would have to kill Arc now.

Gravis was so close to coming back home and being able to see everyone he cared about again. Sadly, this meant killing someone he cared about.

However, there was no other way.

This was an agreement between the highest Heaven and Gravis' father.

"Go comprehend the Law of Sentience first, Gravis," Arc said with a smile. "After you've done that, we can start."

"But give me a moment," Arc said. "I want to take care of some things first."

SHING!

Arc teleported away, leaving Gravis and Mortis behind.

Gravis sighed.

Gravis knew that Arc knew that there was a high chance that he would die.

If Arc had his full power in the fight, Gravis and Mortis would be helpless in front of him.

Yet, he only had the Law of the Living World to rely on.

Even his guessed Laws from the highest world would probably be restricted.

Over 90% of Arc's power would be restricted.

Arc was supremely powerful, but Gravis also wasn't weak. 10% of Arc's power would be enough to eradicate anyone in the same Realm as him, but Gravis wasn't just anyone.

Still, the fight would be very difficult, and Gravis knew that.

Yet, Gravis' biggest concern was the fact that he had to kill Arc.

He really didn't want to do that.

Arc had been nothing but kind to him, and he had also supported Gravis all the way.

In some sense, Gravis viewed Arc as a mentor figure.

Mortis noticed Gravis' expression.

"I know that you don't want to do it," he said. "I also don't want to do it, but there's no other way. We might be free in our own perception, but we're not free in objective reality. Sometimes, we have to do things we don't want."

Gravis only looked at the spot where Arc had just been.

"Do we really?" he asked.

"That's a question only a child would ask," Mortis answered.

Gravis sighed.

Mortis was right, sadly.

"Go condense the Law of Sentience," Mortis said.

Gravis remained silent for a bit but nodded.

Gravis slowly closed his eyes as his mind went through all his knowledge regarding perceived reality and emotions.

These two things were the things that could elevate a mere plant to an intelligent lifeform.

Animals had emotions, and they could even cultivate up to a certain point. After all, Energy Beasts were just more powerful and smarter animals.

Only when beasts became Spirit Beasts would they gain true sentience, which allowed them to plan for the future and analyze themselves. At that point, animals didn't only look at only the moment anymore, but also at the future and the past. They would also gain the ability to analyze themselves.

That's when the Laws of Perceived Reality came into play.

Emotions transformed simple organisms into complex beings.

Perceived Reality transformed complex beings into sentient beings.

The Law of the Dead World was the basis for gathering Energy and creating life.

The Law of Life would take the power and resources the Law of the Dead World created and would transform them into simple life.

In theory, one could say that only the Law of Life, the Law of Emotions, and the Law of Perceived Reality made up complex life. After all, the Law of the Dead World only provided the Energy.

Three of the four main Laws had to do with life.

The first two created life, and the second two elevated life.

As Gravis went through all his experiences regarding these Laws in his mind, he felt several concepts combine.

Gravis realized that if he had an empty, living body in the Immortal Emperor Realm, he could change that body in such a way that it would gain sentience.

Insects and basic plants were also considered life, but nearly no one felt bad for these lifeforms.

Why?

Because they didn't feel any emotions.

If one tortured an insect, would the insect feel pain?

No.

The insect would only react out of instinct according to what was done to it, but it didn't have the perception to feel pain.

If one differentiated the categories of life, one could say that Gravis now had the ability to create true life, as long as he had a fitting vessel to host that life.

Gravis could create a human.

He could create a child that was able to think and feel for themselves.

If Gravis knew the relevant Soul Laws, he would even have the ability to insert knowledge into that child.

If Gravis hadn't talked with Arc about the Law of the Living World, he would have gotten nervous after gaining such a fundamental power.

BOOOOM!

A couple minutes later, Gravis comprehended the level seven Law of Sentience!

At the same time when Gravis comprehended the Law of Sentience, Mortis began to shine.

Gravis' Avatar had elevated.

It no longer only consisted of the Law of Perceived Reality.

Now, the Law of Emotions had been integrated.

This meant that the power of Gravis' Law of Emotions had risen by another level, thanks to being inside Gravis' Avatar.

Gravis' Form Law included a lot of level five Battle Laws, but most of its power came from the Law of Emotions.

After comprehending the Law of Emotions at the end of his fight with Nira, Gravis' Form Law had also become more powerful, and now, it had become even more powerful.

In a sense, Gravis' Form Law was just a little bit weaker than a level eight Law now.

This power was incredible!

Gravis thought about the usage of the Law of Sentience and furrowed his brows.

For a second, he thought that the Law of Sentience was a bit underwhelming with its power.

However, as he thought about how he would actually use it in a fight, he realized that it was actually ridiculously powerful.

Gravis thought about the Law of the Living World for a second.

The Law of the Living World had also appeared rather weak at first glance. After all, what's the point of summoning a couple guards on the same level as the fighter?

Yet, the ability to combine defenses and attacks was ridiculous.

If Arc managed to create something like 5,000 living guards, all in the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm, would Gravis even be able to injure them?

It was difficult to say.

So, if Gravis didn't even have the ability to injure his opponent, what would be the point of fighting?

That was how powerful the Law of the Living World was.

In short, its power was basically insurmountable for anyone at the same Realm.

Could the Law of Sentience overpower the Law of the Living World?

No, it couldn't.

Gravis couldn't even create sentience in the minds of the puppets since they would all have Arc's will on them.

If Arc managed to unleash the Law of the Living World, Gravis and Mortis wouldn't be able to win.

However, the Law of Sentience was an insane counter to the Law of the Living World.

It would make the Law of the Living World useless.

This was different from resisting the Law.

Gravis released a sigh.

"To think that the fight would become like this," Gravis said with a lamenting tone.

Mortis also knew the Law of the Sentience now, and he could understand Gravis' feelings.

"Is this what the highest Heaven had planned?" Mortis asked with furrowed brows.

"It wanted us to grow by putting us under life-threatening pressure."

"Yet," Mortis said with some hesitation.

"Why do I feel like it never intended to kill us?"

Chapter 1018 - 1018 – Easy Solution

For a while, Gravis and Mortis remained silent.

Now that they knew the power of the Law of Sentience, they started to question everything that had happened to them in this world.

The highest Heaven knew the power of the Law of Sentience.

The Opposer knew the power of the Law of Sentience.

Arc knew the power of the Law of Sentience.

This meant that they knew exactly how a fight between Arc and Gravis would look like.

So, why did they all act the way they did?

It made no sense.

Gravis looked at Mortis.

"I think things are not how they have been told to us," he said.

Mortis nodded solemnly.

"I refuse to believe that none of the three beings involved in this could overlook something like that," Mortis said. "Something smells fishy."

Gravis also nodded. "It's too weird. A lot of the things father told me don't seem to add up."

Mortis looked through the roof of the cave with cold eyes, directly at the sky.

"Do you think he lied to us?" he asked.

Gravis also looked at the roof of the cave.

Silence.

"I'm not sure."

Mortis nodded.

"There's not enough information to make a clear judgment," he said.

Gravis looked at Mortis.

"Then let's get enough information."

SHING! SHING!

Then, the both of them teleported away.

In just a couple seconds, the two of them reached Arc's clearing.

They didn't need to use Arc's emblem to come here anymore.

They could go wherever they wanted.

SHING! SHING!

Gravis and Mortis appeared a couple meters away from Arc, who was bathing his feet in his lake with a smile.

Silence.

"Don't you have some questions?" Arc asked with a smile as he turned to them.

Gravis' brows furrowed.

"Why have you helped me in comprehending the Law of Sentience?" Gravis asked.

Arc laughed a bit.

"You asked that question before, Gravis," Arc said. "My answer is still the same."

"Because you want to," Gravis repeated. "However, you have elaborated further by talking about your loneliness in this world. I get that you are tired of living for so long with no change, but I don't think that you are someone that wants to commit suicide."

Arc smiled and hummed a bit. "You're right. I'm not."

"Then why did you help me in comprehending the Law of Sentience?" Gravis asked.

Arc slowly stood up.

"Gravis, I might be a nice guy, but I'm not a saint," Arc said. "Every living being has some selfish desires."

Gravis narrowed his eyes. "Is that why you helped me? Is there something you want to gain by helping me?"

Arc rubbed his chin with a hum. "In a sense, but I also didn't lie."

"Elaborate."

"Well, I really feel a connection between us, and I really see you as a close friend," Arc explained. "I also haven't lied about my original reason. Remember when you asked the question of why I helped you for the first time? It was just after I helped you in comprehending the level two Law of Safety."

"Back then, I told you that I wanted to help you, which is true. I also told you that I want our battle to be exciting. That's also true."

"Tell me, Gravis, were my thoughts from back then incorrect?" Arc asked.

Gravis thought back.

For a second, he remained silent.

"If you're still not sure, let me add another piece of information," Arc said. "I'm allowed to use my higher world as an asset in our fight."

Gravis' eyes shone.

"This means that my Energy storage and Life Energy storage are basically infinite," Arc continued. "It would be impossible for you to win in a drawn-out match. You would need to kill me in a single strike."

"After all, if you can't kill me in a single strike, I would immediately recover to my peak condition in an instant."

Gravis thought about how a fight between them would go in that case.

Sure enough, the fight would be insanely difficult.

However, everything had changed.

Yet, Gravis didn't jump to any conclusions.

"Did you know that I would resolve my issue with my lightning by creating Mortis?" Gravis asked.

Why did Gravis ask that?

Because Mortis was one of the two key factors of why everything was different now.

"No, I didn't," Arc answered. "If I could read your Emotional Laws, I would have been able to foresee it, but I couldn't. You're not made of pure Energy, after all."

"How did you think I would have solved my issue?" Gravis asked.

"I expected you to find the easiest solution," Arc answered.

"And what is the easiest solution?" Gravis asked.

Arc chuckled a bit. "That question shows me that you still haven't thought of that solution. Quite surprising, actually."

Gravis furrowed his brows. "Is that solution really so easy?"

Arc nodded. "Yes. The easiest solution is to deal with the source of your disconnect with your lightning."

"Tell me, Gravis, what is the source of that animosity between you and your lightning?" Arc asked.

Gravis knew the source very well.

"Sparing the middle Heaven," Gravis answered. "The middle Heaven had gone way past my bottom line, but I spared it to prove that I am free, that I am able to make my own decisions."

Arc nodded. "Exactly. Then, the next question, were you free when you made that choice?" Arc asked.

'Was I free?' Gravis thought.

This was kind of a weird question.

After all, Gravis had spared the middle Heaven precisely because he was free.

He had had the choice, and he had made it.

Had Gravis wanted to kill the middle Heaven?

Of course!

Gravis would have loved to kill the middle Heaven.

Yet, to prove…

That's when Gravis' eyes widened.

At the side, Mortis furrowed his brows.

He had come to the same conclusion.

"You realized it, huh?" Arc said with a smile. "Were you free?"

Gravis took a deep breath.

"No," he answered.

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't do what I wanted to do," Gravis answered. "Freedom is doing what I want to do. Yet, at that moment, I didn't do what I wanted to do. Instead, I went against my own desire to prove something to myself."

"When I spared the middle Heaven, I was neither free nor true to myself."

"If I had simply killed it, I would have been free. After all, I wanted to kill it," Gravis said.

Arc nodded. "Exactly. You thought you understood freedom back then, but if you truly did, you would have comprehended the True Law of Freedom, not the level four version. Your knowledge regarding freedom still wasn't complete, and it still isn't."

"So, you didn't only betray your lightning, but yourself as well. Would people generally consider that a mistake?" Arc asked.

A complex expression appeared on Gravis' face.

"They would."

"Would you consider that a mistake?" Arc asked.

Silence.

"If I had previously known that sparing the middle Heaven would result in Mortis' creation, I wouldn't consider it a mistake. After all, I have another close friend now."

Mortis didn't react to Gravis' words.

"However," Gravis continued, "since I hadn't known that, I would have to consider it a mistake."

Arc nodded again. "And what do we do when we make mistakes?"

Gravis sighed.

"We apologize."

Silence.

Several seconds of silence.

"Was the solution truly that easy and obvious?" Gravis asked.

Arc nodded.

"Since the lightning inhabited your Spirit back then, it was able to make reasonable decisions. It could even think for itself. Have you forgotten how you have been able to reason with your lightning back in the lower world? You entered that clan to repay your debt, but the clan treated you quite badly. Yet, instead of killing the offender, you found a workaround."

"Normal lightning doesn't work like that."

"So, if you had simply apologized and admitted that sparing the middle Heaven had been a mistake and swore to do better in the future, the lightning would have been angry at you for a time, but it would have eventually calmed down."

"In a sense, the disconnect between you and your lightning was because of your inability to see your own mistake."

Silence.

Gravis sighed again.

"This issue with my lightning had been plaguing my mind for a long time. Yet, who would have thought that simply saying sorry would have solved the issue."

"I would have never needed to suppress my lightning with the Law of Freedom."

"Do you regret not apologizing?" Arc asked.

"Not completely," Gravis said, surprisingly. "This solution would have been easier, but my mind would have still been bound by the personality of lightning. Now, I can do whatever I want, even if it is against lightning's temperament."

"I mean, sure, morally speaking, I should have apologized, but I think that I more than made up for my mistake," Gravis said as he looked at Mortis.

Mortis nodded. "I think my personality is more in accord to lightning's temperament. Someone weak-minded might have doubts about being a real being, but I don't. I'm not only you, and I'm also not only lightning. I'm both, and I'm myself."

"I like being one with lightning."

"Also, I wouldn't exist without you," Mortis said.

Gravis nodded at Mortis with a smile.

Then, Gravis turned to Arc and furrowed his brows.

"We went on a tangent for a bit, but my original question still hasn't been solved," Gravis said.

"You said that you wanted our fight to be great, and that was one of the reasons why you helped me."

"Yet, why did you help me again with the Law of Humility? At that point, you already knew of Mortis' existence."

Arc only continued smiling as he let Gravis finish speaking.

"You know Mortis' power, and you also know the power of the Law of Sentience."

"So, you should have known back then…"

"As soon as I comprehend the Law of Sentience, with Mortis' help, our fight won't even be a fight anymore."

"You have no chance of winning."

"So, why did you help me, even though you already knew that for a fact?"

Chapter 1019 - 1019 – Power Of Sentience And Death

What?

Arc had no chance of winning?

It wouldn't even be a fight?

The insurmountable battle Gravis had expected while residing in the higher world had turned out to not even be a battle at all.

Why?

The most significant factor why this wouldn't even be a fight is the Law of Sentience.

What did the Law of Sentience do?

If one looked at the difference between simple life and a powerful Cultivator, one would quickly see that the difference all came down to sentience.

In a sense, sentience included the ability to manipulate and understand one's surroundings. A non-sentient being wouldn't be able to look at iron and think of a way to make it into a weapon.

A non-sentient being also wouldn't be able to understand why iron was hard or where it came from.

In essence, a non-sentient being couldn't comprehend Laws, and this was the most important thing.

So, what could the Law of Sentience do?

It could stop the activation of all Laws on or below its level, including the user's Laws.

If Gravis activated the Law of Sentience, everything inside the range of his Spirit Sense wouldn't be able to unleash level eight or weaker Laws.

All level seven Laws would become useless.

All level eight Laws would become useless.

Arc would only have three Laws he could use.

First, his Heavenly Lightning, which was a level nine Law.

Second, his Law of the True World, which outclassed the Law of Sentience in power, therefore making it immune to its power. After all, it already included the Law of Sentience inside it.

Of course, Arc couldn't use that Law in their fight.

Third, Form Laws. Form Laws worked differently from normal Laws. Form Laws were activated in one's own Spirit and were then unleashed by precise movements.

A normal Law would need to manifest in the real world, but a Form Law didn't use the world as a medium to be unleashed, but the precise movements in conjunction with one's Spirit.

So, if Arc and Gravis fought, Arc would only be able to fight with his Form Law.

Of course, the same thing would also be true for Gravis and Mortis.

This entire fight would become a violent melee.

This was the power of the Law of Sentience.

If Gravis were alone, Arc would have a higher chance of victory. Sure, Gravis' body was definitely more optimized for these kinds of battles, but Arc had an insane amount of experience.

It was very possible that Arc could foresee Gravis' attacks before even Gravis himself thought of them.

This was the power of having lived and having watched beings for many billions of years.

Additionally, Arc would be able to regain his Energy and Life Energy by tapping into the resources of his world.

This would mean that Gravis had to end the fight in a single strike.

Such a fight would be devastatingly challenging for Gravis but not unwinnable.

This was why the Opposer had accepted the conditions.

It would be hard, but it would still be winnable.

On top of that, Gravis' power would be pushed to ridiculous degrees since he would be forced to comprehend the Law of Sentience in the higher world.

And then, Mortis had appeared.

Arc could fight Gravis in a one-on-one, but what if there were two Gravises?

Arc would no longer be the favorite.

In fact, his chances of winning fell from 90% to only 10%.

Mortis had been the very thing that changed everything.

After hearing Gravis' words, Arc only smiled.

"I think you might be overestimating yourself just a little bit," Arc said. "I agree that my chances of victory are lower than yours but saying that this wouldn't even be a fight would be a bit much."

SHING!

A black spear appeared in Arc's right hand.

Then, he pointed it at Gravis with a grin.

"Don't underestimate me," he said.

Gravis and Mortis only looked at Arc with complex expressions.

"You're right," Gravis said. "However, you're only right if we don't include the Major Law of Death."

Arc lifted an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked. "Your Law of Sentience will also block the Major Law of Death."

"No, it doesn't," Gravis said.

Arc's eyes widened in surprise.

"It doesn't?" he asked. "How and why?"

"The Law of Sentience has been created by the highest Heaven," Gravis explained. "However, the Major Law of Death hasn't been."

"It hasn't?" Arc asked with surprise.

This was new!

Arc knew that the highest Heaven had created all the Laws. So, he had assumed that it had also created the Major Law of Death. It was only logical.

Yet, it wasn't?

"No, it didn't originate from this Cosmos," Gravis said.

He didn't fault Arc for not knowing. Yes, Arc was supremely old, and yes, he was the most powerful higher Heaven.

However, Arc had been stuck inside his world for his entire life, and Gravis was pretty sure that the highest Heaven wasn't someone or something that told everyone its secrets.

Everything Arc knew about the highest Heaven was probably made by looking at what it did and trying to understand why it did certain things.

Arc didn't know the Major Law of Death, which meant that he also didn't know its origins.

He knew that it was connected to the Primordial Chaos, but that could mean many things.

"The Major Law of Death is not a Law of this Cosmos, but of the Primordial Chaos," Gravis explained.

"This Cosmos is the culmination of Energy. Life, worlds, matter, elements, Spirits, souls, everything is made of Energy."

"However, Energy is only one part of Primordial Chaos. Primordial Chaos is a mixture of many different forces, but as far as I know, only Energy can be used to create matter and life."

"When I'm talking about Death, I'm not referring to the end of life. If I were to write down these words, Death, referring to the force in the Primordial Chaos, would be written with a capital D, while death, the end of life, would be written with a lowercase d. They are two different things."

"In our perception, death is the opposite of life, but Death, with a capital D, is the opposite of Energy."

"The Law of Sentience can only influence Laws based on Energy. It can't influence Laws that aren't based on Energy."

"As far as I'm aware of, the Major Law of Death is the only Law in existence that isn't based on Energy. There could be more in the Primordial Chaos, but I can't be certain," Gravis explained.

Arc had listened to Gravis intently.

This was the first time Gravis taught something to Arc, not the other way around.

It had always been Arc teaching Gravis, but now, Gravis was teaching Arc.

Arc looked at the ground with a frown.

If that was true, he might really not have a fighting chance.

However, he needed to know one more thing to be sure.

"What can the Major Law of Death do?" he asked.

He didn't know the Law, and he had never seen anyone use it. Therefore, he also didn't know what it did.

"Extend a finger to the side," Gravis said.

Arc did so without hesitation. He knew Gravis, and he knew that Gravis wouldn't use this opportunity to kill him with a trick.

SHING!

Gravis lightly swung his saber and severed Arc's finger.

As soon as the finger got severed, it vanished.

This didn't seem any different from when any Cultivator attacked someone.

However, Arc's eyes widened with shock.

Two major things had happened that shocked him to the core.

First of all, Gravis hadn't only severed a part of his body but also a part of his being.

This meant that Arc's Realm had fallen ever so slightly.

If Gravis managed to cut off half of Arc's body, something that could be healed in no time at all under normal circumstances, Arc would lose half his power.

The second thing that happened was just as shocking.

Arc couldn't regrow his finger!

Gravis hadn't only cut off a part of Arc's Realm but also a part of his existence.

Everything was made of Laws, including Spirits and bodies.

When the Major Law of Death cut off Arc's finger, it also annihilated the Laws belonging to it.

What did this mean?

This meant that, in the eyes of the world, Arc was a being with nine fingers.

It was like he had never had ten fingers.

In essence, Arc was fully healed already.

His body was in its peak condition.

Sadly, his new peak condition only consisted of nine fingers.

All the Life Energy in the Cosmos couldn't heal something that was already healthy.

After some seconds, Arc frowned at where his finger had been.

CRRRR!

Over the next three seconds, Arc managed to grow a new finger.

But how?

Well, Arc knew the Law of the Living World, which included the Law of Life.

Arc could create life.

He could remold and recreate his body however he wished.

In essence, Arc wasn't healing himself but growing a completely new finger.

Something like this was impossible for anyone that didn't know the Law of Life.

Only the Law of Life could truly alter the body in such a way, at least consciously.

Beasts could still remold their bodies when they reached a new Realm.

However, a human would be stuck forever with their current body if they were hit with the Major Law of Death.

If Gravis severed Exar's left arm with the Major Law of Death, Exar wouldn't be able to get his arm back until he comprehended the True Law of Life. After all, Exar was a human.

Arc also didn't know the True Law of Life, but his body hadn't been elevated to such a level that it needed that Law to be manipulated.

Arc was still in the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm, and that Realm was still included in the Major Law of Life. As soon as he became a Star God, he would need the True Law of Life.

This revelation changed everything.

Arc knew that as soon as Gravis managed to hit Arc, Arc would need to concentrate on regrowing his body.

Something like that wasn't easy and could be a major distraction in a fight.

Additionally, even if Arc managed to regrow his body with the Law of Life every time, his Realm would still drop due to the injuries.

As soon as Gravis and Mortis had injured Arc enough, he would become a Peak Major Circulation Immortal Emperor.

At that point, he would be helpless.

Arc now fully realized that this really wouldn't be a fight.

He had no chance of winning.

Arc sighed as he put his spear away.

"That sucks," he said.

Chapter 1020 - 1020 – Agreement

The fight Arc had been looking forward to had vanished.

There was no fight anymore.

There was no point in fighting.

In his weakened state, Arc couldn't win.

"Sadly, I can only fight you in my weakened state," Arc lamented.

Gravis snorted.

"If you could use your full power, things wouldn't change. It still wouldn't be a fight. Only the outcome would change. With the Law of the True World, you can probably create 5,000 Arcs, all with their own Spirit. Sure, Mortis and I can do the same thing with our Lightning Fork, but the difference is that we would need to control all of our bodies. Meanwhile, all the Arcs only need to control one body."

"On top of that, your Law of the True World includes the Law of Perceived Reality, which includes the Law of Suppression. Your Law of Suppression would reach the power of a level nine Law, which would suppress all of our bodies."

"This would be an even more one-sided slaughter, but the other way around."

Gravis wasn't stupid.

He knew that he was powerful, and he knew that Arc couldn't beat him in his weakened form.

However, if Arc could unleash all his powers, Gravis and Mortis would be helpless.

If Arc could use the Law of the True World, he would even have the ability to jump one or two levels against Gravis and Mortis.

The Law of the True World was just ridiculously powerful.

The Law of the Dead World would allow Arc to gather a ton of Energy, severely increasing his Energy regeneration. Additionally, all of Arc's Elements would reach the power of level nine Laws, making them immune to Gravis' Law of Sentience.

The Law of Life would allow Arc to create a ton of puppets with their own Spirits and wills.

The Law of Emotions would allow the puppets to think for themselves and make use of their physical powers.

The Law of Perceived Reality would allow these puppets to gain intelligence and Laws. Arc would only need to recreate himself several times since he knew all about himself.

In short, Gravis and Mortis would need to fight a ton of Arcs at once, just with a bit less Energy each, but with way more powerful attacks due to the level nine Elements.

They couldn't even beat one Arc with the Law of the True World. How could they beat several of them?

Arc sighed again. "Also true," he answered.

Arc had shown a different side of his personality today.

Arc had always appeared like a kind elder who knew everything, but today, he was talking just like any other human.

The gap between Arc's and Gravis' powers was still immense, but Gravis' understanding had reached a level of understanding that allowed him to talk with Arc on the same level.

"So, what now?" Arc asked.

He had already put his spear away.

"You still haven't answered my question," Gravis said. "I want to know why you helped me in comprehending the Law of Sentience after you already knew of Mortis' existence. You should have known that the chances were very high that you would die."

"That again?" Arc asked.

"Yes," Gravis answered. "You also said that you harbor selfish desires as well. You haven't elaborated on that yet."

Arc sighed.

"Alright, I'll tell you," he said.

Gravis and Mortis waited.

"I've been stuck in this prison for nearly my entire life. Just like everyone else, I desire freedom. However, I'm unable to claim freedom due to my creator. I can't negotiate with him because he is too far above me. In essence, I'm helpless."

"But then, you appeared," Arc said, looking at Gravis. "I've seen your past life, and I have realized that you were able to negotiate with my creator. You've done so a couple of times. Of course, I know that it isn't because of you, specifically, but because of your father. Without your father, my creator would just ignore you."

"Of course, I know that you can't just let me live. After all, an agreement has been made between your father and my creator, and you are sadly stuck with following it."

"However, in the future, if you manage to become a Heaven's Magnate or even more powerful, I would like you to resurrect me. By then, you would have the Law of the True World, which would give you that ability."

"Like this, I would be able to be free," Arc said.

Gravis scratched his chin as he thought about Arc's words.

"But that wouldn't be you," Gravis said. "You would have still died. In essence, it would be a copy of yourself."

"So?" Arc commented.

Gravis raised an eyebrow. "You're fine with that?" he asked.

Arc nodded. "It doesn't matter if it's the current me. It would be just another me, and I'm fine with knowing that at least another me manages to gain freedom. This other me would also just be myself with the same experiences."

"I also know that this other me wouldn't mind. I wouldn't even question my existence. Who cares if I was resurrected? My memories, personality, experience, and being would be identical. I would exist, and that's that. There would be no point in thinking about such useless stuff. Sure, my old me died, but who cares?" Arc said.

Gravis glanced at Mortis as he heard Arc's words.

This sounded nearly identical to Mortis' current situation.

"Sounds about right," Mortis said emotionlessly.

Gravis had to sigh when he heard Mortis.

It wasn't easy to have such an accepting mindset.

Would Gravis be able to accept that?

He honestly didn't know.

He had said similar things to Mortis before, but it was different when it involved himself.

It simply felt different.

"Was this your reason why you contacted me back then?" Gravis asked.

"One of them, yes," Arc said. "However, I also genuinely felt like you were the only person I could talk to. You also don't have a great relationship with my creator, and you knew a ton of things about the highest world. You also understand the Cosmos far better than anyone in my world."

"You are not someone of my world, which makes you far more interesting. You're someone I can talk to on a relatively equal footing. You also don't just look at me reverently but look at me like you would look at anyone else."

"You were the first being that made me feel not alone anymore," Arc said.

Gravis nodded in understanding.

"I know. I just wanted to make sure of your intentions," he said. "The fact that you had some selfish intentions when contacting me won't sour our relationship. Everyone has selfish intentions, and as far as I'm concerned, your so-called selfish intentions aren't even that selfish. You helped me several times, and you would only like me to repay you with something I can do with the flip of my hand in the future. It would even be something that I would want to do myself."

Arc smiled. "Thanks for understanding."

Gravis nodded again.

Silence.

"So, when are you going to do it?" Arc asked with a nervous expression.

Obviously, he referred to killing him.

Arc had said that he wouldn't mind being resurrected, but dying was still something new to him, which made him a bit nervous.

Meanwhile, instead of sighing in helplessness, Gravis only smiled.

"The agreement between the highest Heaven and my father hasn't been fulfilled yet, but the goals of it have been fulfilled."

"My Battle-Strength has become far more powerful in this world, which should have been the goal of my father and the highest Heaven. I'm pretty sure they wanted me to fight a weakened version of yourself so that I'm forced to increase my Battle-Strength even more."

"A fight between us no longer has any sense, and the goal has been fulfilled."

"I can accept killing you when there's a reason to or if the highest Heaven gets something out of it, but, right now, killing you would actually be against the highest Heaven's interests. It would not only lose its firstborn but also its most powerful higher world while souring our relationship at the same time."

"An agreement is made between two parties, and if both parties agree, it can be changed. If the highest Heaven demands that I kill you, I have no other option but to comply, but that would count as a certified dick-move created out of spite."

"I'm sure my father has no issues with changing the agreement."

"So, everything is down to the highest Heaven."

Gravis looked at the sky with a smile.

"So, highest Heaven, are you fine with changing the agreement? I would like to spare Arc and allow him to go to the highest World. He can surely quickly become a Heaven's Magnate, which would give you even more Energy. You would gain a future Heaven's Magnate, and you would get to keep your world."

"What do you say, highest Heaven?"