Ch. 81..90

Chapter 81

Gravis had made his decision. If he went with the lie, he had a possibility of survival. If he revealed his Will-Aura, on the other hand, he might also survive, but Gravis decided to trust Gorn. Gorn was probably aware of things that Gravis wasn't.

"Alright," Gravis said politely. Then, he closed his eyes and acted like he was concentrating. After a while, a faint pressure appeared slowly in the surroundings, and it was increasing in intensity as time progressed. The man from the Heaven Sect seemed to be interested as he felt the pressure. This was quite a strong heavenly pressure.

Yet, his eyes changed to seriousness as the pressure kept increasing until he felt shocked. He felt like he saw Heaven itself, pressing down on him.

Gravis had decided to release his full Will-Aura for multiple reasons. If he released only part of it, the person might notice. Also, if the pressure was weak, the person might be able to notice some peculiarities. The chances were high that the person had felt a lot of Heavenly Pressures before, so Gravis decided to release all of it so the person might get overwhelmed and miss some key differences.

Gravis had not compressed his Will-Aura. In his long time of waiting for the tournament, he had, of course, also trained in compressing his Will-Aura. He could now compress it into the form of a 90° cone in front of him. If he compressed his Will-Aura, its intensity would increase by four times. That might be too strong.

Gorn also felt the pressure and noticed that it had grown by a lot. The only time when he had felt the pressure was when the Guild Masters were surrounding Gravis at the start of the entrance exams.

Ever since then, Gravis had fought against the spider, committed a bloodbath in the Basin of Nature, and had trained in the Lightning Tower. Compared to the first two, the increase in will caused by the Lightning Tower's pain was minuscule.

After some seconds, Gravis retrieved his Will-Aura again and sighed in exhaustion. He remembered that Gorn said that keeping up Heavenly Pressure was taxing to the user.

CLAP CLAP CLAP!

The man from the Heaven Sect was applauding for Gravis. "What magnificent Heavenly Pressure," he said with excitement. "There is no doubt! You are one of us." The man believed Gravis fully. If Gravis had only released part of his Will-Aura, the person might think about the eventuality that Gravis might have a Will-Aura.

Yet, the pure strength of Gravis' Will-Aura made that possibility seem even more remote. Even if there were some legendary genius with a Will-Aura in the Body Tempering Realm, their Will-Aura would not be so intense.

"You have an incredible future in the Heaven Sect," the man said in happiness but then noticed something. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Aion. With all the excitement of meeting a new brother, I have totally forgotten to give you my name. I hope junior brother won't mind," he said while offering his hand to Gravis.

Gravis took his hand and shook it, while purposely putting on a confused and embarrassed expression. "Thank you, but I am not sure what you mean," Gravis said in embarrassment. He had to keep up the act of a person born in the wilds, who knew nothing about how the world worked.

Aion just smiled. "That's no issue. We rarely have much human interaction before we step into the world. Just like you, I am a Heavenborn. We are the children of Heaven, and we are born for a purpose," he explained with excitement.

Gravis looked like he was interested in the topic, even though he basically already knew about everything. "Oh, really? What is it?" he asked innocently.

Aion just laughed. "We are Heaven's avatars. Our strength grows explosively, and Heaven protects and nurtures us. We only need to do Heaven's bidding, and our life will be happy and perfect," he exclaimed with sincere happiness. Heaven had blessed Aion, and everything in his life went his way. Happiness, strength, family, love, status, and health. Aion had all of these.

Gravis showed an expression that made it seem like he was falling for a con-artist. "Really?" he asked.

Aion just laughed. "Of course! Let me tell you about the Heaven Sect.."

Aion talked about the Heaven Sect for over an hour, and Gravis learned a lot, even though the acting was quite exhausting. He had inferred most things, yet there were also some new things he had learned. Apparently, the Heaven Sect, just like the Elemental Sects, had different levels of guilds in the Outer Continent and Middle-Continent.

Aion described the way to the Heaven Guild in the Middle-Continent. Aion also told Gravis that when he broke into the Energy Gathering Realm, Gravis should come to the Heaven Guild in the Middle- Continent. There, he would be able to find a family and his true purpose in life.

After a while, Aion left in happiness together with Gorn. When they left his house, Gravis sighed in exhaustion and sat on the floor. "Fuck, I thought he'd never leave," he grumbled in annoyance. Yet, Gravis was also relieved. He had evaded a calamity.

BANG BANG!

The door quickly opened and closed again as a panicked Gorn entered. With cold sweat rolling down his face, he slumped down at the door in exhaustion. "Fuck, this was close," he said in fear, as he turned to Gravis. "I am so happy that you are so good at acting. Fuck, I felt like I was at the edge of death for the entire time," he shouted in panic.

Gravis only smiled bitterly. "Calm down, Gorn. It's not like you were the one in danger," he muttered.

Gorn immediately exploded. "Shut up! My life was also in danger. If the Heaven Sect realized that I was harboring someone with a Will-Aura in the Body Tempering Realm, I wouldn't even know how I died!" he explained in fear.

Now, Gravis took the situation seriously. "What?" he just asked.

Gorn laughed helplessly. "Someone with a Will-Aura in the Body Tempering Realm is a potential danger for the entire Heaven Sect. If someone like that continued increasing their Will-Aura, they might even suppress the High Priest in a fight when they break out of the Spirit Forming Realm."

Gravis was shocked. The High Priest was the Guild Master of the Heaven Sect, and also the most powerful person in the entire world. It seemed like Gravis' decision to trust Gorn was the right one. "What would've happened if I revealed my Will-Aura?"

Gorn took a nervous breath. "That guy would have immediately executed both of us," he said in fear, and Gravis felt like a hole had opened in his chest. He had expected something bad, but not this bad!

"Why?" Gravis asked again.

"Someone this talented not being born from Heaven and Earth? That is blasphemy! If Heaven and Earth were prepared to create a peerless genius, they would have already informed the Heaven Sect." Gorn took a deep breath. "You might not know, but that guy was in the Spirit Forming Realm."

Gravis gasped in shock and fear. He had really dodged a calamity just now. That guy could have killed both of them with a flip of his hand. Gravis immediately shot up in panic and fury. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" he shouted at Gorn.

"Shut up!" Gorn exploded back. "The Heaven Sect takes at least a year every single time to send an agent to check. It takes a month for the info to even reach them. How would they immediately send

someone? I wanted to warn you later so that you wouldn't forget the importance over time." Gorn groaned. "We just had bad luck that someone came this quickly."

'Bad luck?' Gravis thought as a light appeared in his eyes. Heaven had acted like it wanted for Gravis to quickly reach the Spirit Forming Realm so that he would lose his advantage. Yet, Heaven had also used an absolutely vicious strike. It had first given Gravis the sensation of security and then immediately tried to kill him.

Gravis sighed in nervousness. He had underestimated Heaven. He thought that he saw through Heaven and that it wouldn't be able to surprise him anymore. His eyes darkened in fury. How long would he continue falling for its schemes? He was honestly trying his best not to fall for its schemes, but it was just too hard. How could he have expected something like this?

After a while, both of them calmed down and talked some more. When night came, Gorn left, and they said their goodbyes.

"Gorn has accepted me into the guild, even if it meant risking his life. If he had just informed the Heaven Sect, he might have even gotten a reward. Yet, he had decided to trust in me."

"Gorn has saved my life today. Even though his own life was also on the line, it does not take from the fact that he saved me today. Together with his help in the entrance exam and his protection of my new saber, I owe him a lot," Gravis muttered to himself as he watched his door.

"I will repay everything in the future, Gorn," Gravis swore to himself.

 

Chapter 82

It had been a couple of weeks since Aion came to visit Gravis. In that time, Gravis managed to reduce the affected area of his Will-Aura to a cone of only 60°. If he compressed it, it would be six times as strong as when he just released it. Gravis was sure that even someone in the Energy Gathering Realm would have issues fighting inside his Will-Aura.

The time grew closer. Only three more days until the tournament. Only five more days until his Lightning Seed reached its full potential. Only ten more days until he would break into the Energy Gathering Realm. As soon as he would reach the Energy Gathering Realm, Gravis would be able to kill most others in the same, major realm. Soon, he would rise.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Gravis went to the door. 'It's probably only Gorn,' he thought as he opened the door. Yet, in contrast to his expectations, he saw an unfamiliar face. It was a handsome young man with blonde hair. He wore the blackish-blue robes of the Lightning Guild and carried a saber on his back, just like Gravis. His saber was white, and it had multiple Formation Array lines interlinking on its surface.

"Hello, Brother Gravis," he spoke while bowing politely. "I am Jaimy. I think you had a short altercation with my brother, Frank," he smoothly explained.

Gravis narrowed his eyes. Frank had acted arrogantly in front of him, and the two other goons from the other day also came because of him. Gravis did not have any good impression of Frank or Jaimy.

"What do you want?" Gravis asked coldly.

Jaimy didn't seem to mind Gravis' cold attitude. "I am actually here to apologize for my younger brother," he said, and Gravis was surprised. "I have been spoiling him for his whole life, so he is used to getting what he wants." Jaimy sighed. "His personality is partly my fault. So, I am apologizing for that."

Gravis looked at him, but his coldness had reduced. "I don't really mind. I've also not been bothered in the last three months. Just forget it," Gravis waved the matter off, nonchalantly.

Jaimy smiled happily. "Thank you, Brother Gravis," he said and waited for some seconds. "Could I maybe enter? I have another thing that I would like to talk about," he asked politely.

Gravis didn't really mind and opened the door for him. Gravis walked over to a bench and sat down. Jaimy sat down opposite of him.

"So, how is life in the Lightning Guild?" Jaimy asked.

Gravis narrowed his eyes. "Get to the point," he directly said.

Jaimy awkwardly rubbed his neck. "Are you always so cold, or only towards me?" he asked, but Gravis didn't answer and only looked at him. Jaimy sighed and cleared his throat. "Let me first tell you about my family before I'll tell you what's on my mind," he said.

Gravis didn't really care, but he gestured for Jaimy to continue. "I've been born into a wealthy family in the middle-continent. My family was the strongest one in a town, and nearly everyone in the family had joined the Lightning Guild, at some point," he started explaining.

"We warred against the other families affiliated with the Elemental Guilds. While the Elemental Guilds in the Outer-Continent are united, the Elemental Guilds in the Middle-Continent are constantly fighting for resources. They might not openly fight, but there are constant small skirmishes."

Gravis was surprised. He thought that the Elemental Guilds were living in harmony with each other. It seemed like he had been too naïve.

Jaimy looked out of one of the windows, looking like he recalled something. "One day, everything changed. Everything was normal, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary," Jaimy sighed. "Yet,

our family was close to extinction without us knowing. That was because the family, we were currently fighting, requested backup from their guild."

Jaimy turned to Gravis. "That might not seem unusual in your eyes, but that was against the rules. The Elemental Guilds had to keep themselves out of our families' fights. The Fire Guild had sent someone at the peak of the Magic Gathering Realm, and every family not affiliated with the Fire Guild was exterminated."

Gravis could sympathize with Jaimy's unfortunate situation, but he was not sure what all this had to do with him. So, he let Jaimy continue explaining.

Jaimy sighed and looked at the table. "My mother, my father, my grandparents, my siblings, my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, and everyone I was ever close to, died that day. Everyone, except for Frank," He said, pain evident in his voice.

"I quickly took Frank, and we fled to the Outer-Continent. No one would bother searching for us there." Jaimy looked at Gravis with a fire burning in his eyes. "In my entire life, I only sought revenge. I swore that I would take revenge on that family and the whole Fire Guild." He slammed the table in anger.

"But I also have to protect my last family. He went through too much in his life, and I want to protect him. I am fine with dying in my quest for revenge, but what about my brother? If I take my revenge, they will also take revenge on my brother. I might get what I want, but at the same time, I would also lose my last family."

Jaimy leaned back on the bench and looked up at the ceiling. "I couldn't accept being the cause of my brother's death, but I also couldn't accept to not take my revenge. I was in a dilemma until I finally got an epiphany. I realized on that day that strength is the most important," he said with conviction.

Gravis just continued looking at him neutrally. He was still not sure why Jaimy was telling him all this.

"If I were strong enough to destroy the Fire Sect, their revenge wouldn't matter. I would keep my life," Jaimy leaned to the back of the bench again and sighed. "Yet, if I reach that strength, I would need to ascend soon. My brother would then be alone in this world, and no one could protect him then."

So," he slammed his hand on the table again. "I just need to make him ascend with me!" he shouted with conviction. "He may not have my talent. He may not have my drive for power, but he is my only family. I will do everything to keep him by my side," he sighed again. "And I need a favor from you today," he said quietly.

Gravis narrowed his eyes. Jaimy was finally getting to the point.

Jaimy bowed deeply. "Please, lose the tournament to Frank!" he shouted sincerely. "He only needs to win this tournament to get his Lightning Seed to 50% Destruction Energy. At that point, we will leave for the parent guild. I have already broken through into the Magic Gathering Realm, and I am only waiting for my brother."

Gravis wanted to say something, but Jaimy continued. "Please, lose this tournament to him. The next one will be in three months. You've only been here for a short time, and three months means nothing to you. I will give you everything when you join us in the parent-guild. Please!" he begged with tears in his eyes.

Gravis looked at Jaimy with mixed feelings. Jaimy was throwing away all his dignity just for his brother. Gravis could feel the sincerity and love that Jaimy had for his brother. This was not an act. Yet, Jaimy had asked Gravis to delay his path to strength. Gravis continued pondering. He really wasn't sure if he should concede.

Gravis continued looking at Jaimy with a bitter expression. Was Gravis that selfish that he would trample such a sincere person for only expediting his journey to power by three months? Gravis could still train in his Will-Aura. It wasn't like he would gain nothing for three months.

Jaimy looked at Gravis and stood up. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, so I'll leave," he stood up, bowed politely to Gravis, and walked to the doors. "I'll see your answer at the tournament. Please concede. I will repay you in the future." With that, Jaimy left Gravis' house.

Gravis continued sitting on the bench, thinking about the entire situation.

He was not sure what he should do.

 

Chapter 83

The tournament had arrived.

Everyone gathered at the plaza and waited for Gorn to arrive. Only the strongest of the Lightning Guild, who only needed the fourth level to progress, would participate. The others were only here to watch. Including Gravis, there were only eight contestants in the tournament, and everyone had a fully tempered body, except for Gravis.

Gravis could also see Jaimy watching the tournament. He was looking at Gravis with an imploring expression, and Gravis could only sigh. Gravis had already decided on an answer.

Gravis would win.

The thought that made him decide on that was a simple one. Jaimy had said that it would only be three months. So, if the siblings had to wait, it would also only be three months. Jaimy had said that three months meant nothing to Gravis, and if it meant nothing to Gravis, then it should also not mean anything to Jaimy and Frank.

Also, what if Frank wasn't able to condense his Lightning Seed to 50% Destruction Energy due to his weak will? The fourth level could only be more painful than every level before it. Was Gravis supposed to give up the next tournament too? He wouldn't.

So, Gravis decided to win the tournament. He didn't feel any pity for Frank, but he felt pity for Jaimy. Jaimy only wanted to make his brother's life easier, but he had corrupted his will by doing that. Gorn had said that the Lightning Guild did not create greenhouse flowers, because only wildflowers would be able to weather the storm.

One can't pull someone else to strength. Even Gravis' father wasn't able to pull someone up to his level. He could only give them a certain amount of strength, and then they needed to rely on

themselves. Frank would start having problems in the Energy Gathering Realm. His will would probably also not be strong enough to temper his Spirit.

"Alright," shouted Gorn as he arrived. "You eight are the participants?" he asked the eight people in the middle of the plaza, who simply nodded. "Perfect! Eight people make for an exact elimination tournament bracket. So, we'll be doing just that."

The participants looked excited and anxious. Their Guild Master always used new methods to decide on the fights. They wondered what it would be this time.

Gorn took out a small satchel full of stones. "Here, catch!" he said as he tossed out eight stones to the participants. They easily caught their stones and looked at Gorn, waiting for his instruction. "Throw your stone at one person. If you hit, that person will be your opponent. If the person was hit, they are not allowed to throw their stones anymore. You only have one chance," he explained with a smirk.

'Well, this is one way to decide on who gets to fight whom,' Gravis thought, as he just waited. It didn't matter to him who his opponent was.

Frank and another man threw their stones simultaneously at each other. It seemed like they were pretty quick in deciding. 'That person is probably someone that Jaimy has paid to lose to his brother,' he concluded.

Two other male disciples also quickly threw their stones at each other. Those weren't even casual throws, and Gravis felt malice behind those stones. It seemed like those two disciples had beef with each other.

The woman from the Lightning Tower also participated in the tournament. Without waiting for long, she threw her stone at Gravis, who didn't bother to dodge. She always stayed in the Lightning Tower and didn't know much about what was happening in the Lightning Guild. She knew that Gravis only spent 40 hours on the third level of the Lightning Tower. She could take him.

Like this, the tossing-of-the-stones had ended, and the opponents were chosen. "Alright," Gorn shouted to everyone. "We'll fight in the order that the opponents were chosen." Gorn then gestured for Frank and the other man. "Come up. You're first!"

"I concede," shouted Frank's opponent immediately. Gravis had already expected as much, and Gorn frowned but sighed. Background was also a kind of strength. Gorn turned to the two next opponents and gestured for them to begin.

They immediately went at each other's throat and used all their power to win. They used slashes, chops, punches, kicks, eye-gouging, low-blows, biting, and scratching. Gravis was quite surprised. In his eyes, it looked like they were actually trying to kill each other.

The fight went on for a while until both of them were drenched in blood. They crawled to each other again, wanting to kill the other one.

BANG!

Gorn kicked both of them away. "Idiots! Why can't you two just make peace with each other?" he shouted in anger. "No one wins today! You both lose!" They both only lay on the ground and didn't move anymore since they lost their consciousness when Gorn had kicked them. They were just too exhausted.

Gorn sighed. "Frank, you're in the finals," he said without turning to Frank. Frank nodded happily, but Gorn didn't care. "You two," Gorn pointed to Gravis and the woman. "You're up!"

Gravis walked forward and stopped in the middle of the make-shift arena. The woman showed a cocky smile and took out a long spear. "Don't take it personal, kid," she commented as she readied herself. "You're just the easiest target!"

Gravis only watched neutrally. He wouldn't get excited by such a weak opponent since he had to preserve his will. He just waited until she attacked.

She felt annoyed by Gravis' disregard for her and charged forward with her spear. She had a fully tempered body, and that showed itself in her speed and power. The audience almost couldn't follow her movements. She extended the spear and unleashed the full power of her charge into a forwards thrust.

CLANK!

Gravis caught the spear in one hand and stopped the charge. Everyone in the audience couldn't believe their eyes, and their jaws dropped. Gravis had stopped that full-power charge with a single hand? He even looked relaxed while doing this!

What a joke! Killing a high-grade demonic beast needed, either someone in the Energy Gathering Realm or multiple people with fully tempered bodies. All the beasts' power came from their impossibly, powerful bodies. Yet, Gravis had a body on the same level as a high-grade demonic beast. Fighting him was the same as fighting an extremely fast and smart high-grade demonic beast.

The woman just looked at Gravis like she couldn't believe the situation. Suddenly, Gravis pulled on the spear, and it left her hands. He then turned the spear around and held it to her neck. The woman still felt this situation was unreal, but she finally got her bearings after some seconds.

She could only sigh. "I concede," she said, defeated. Gravis retrieved the spear, stabbed it into the ground, and went back to the side, without saying anything.

Gorn felt a mixture of ecstasy and shock. The stronger Gravis was, the more he thought that his decision to support him fully, was right. He had helped a genius rise! Gravis would surely reach the Lightning Sect in no time and then dominate everything. Gorn couldn't wait to see Gravis' rise to glory.

Gorn called for the last fight of the first round, but surprisingly enough, both of them conceded at the same time. They couldn't see any chance of winning against Gravis or Frank. If they couldn't win, they wouldn't get anything, so why bother?

When Gorn heard that, he furrowed his brows. If someone had a strong will, they would fight and try to overcome their barrier. Finding the courage to fight someone stronger was also a kind of growth. It showed that people were able to jump over their own shadows and do things that they weren't able to do before.

"Alright," Gorn said as he walked forward. "Frank is already in the finale since the other two are too injured to compete. All others, besides Gravis, have conceded. So, let's get straight to the finals."

"Gravis versus Frank!"

 

Chapter 84

Gravis and Frank walked into the "arena" and looked at each other. Gravis looked neutrally, like nothing that happened here had anything to do with him, while Frank looked arrogant and cocky.

Frank took out his sword and pointed it at Gravis in a provocation. "Finally, I get to take revenge on you for taking my house!" he proudly proclaimed in a voice that seemed to look down on everything. "You've been hiding in my house for the last three months, and I never got the chance to fight you!"

The audience whispered to each other. Those two contestants also seemed to have a history. Yet, the audience wasn't stupid. They had seen Gravis' strength, and they wouldn't be so stupid to think that he could lose to Frank.

They all earned their own money and resources themselves and were smart enough to judge the strength of others. They all looked with mocking smirks at Frank. Had his own arrogance blinded him?

Gravis looked at Jaimy and saw Jaimy being a mess right now. He was incredibly embarrassed by his younger brother, and he was violently gripping his hair in frustration as if he was continually shouting, 'Shut up! You're so stupid!' After that, he put his hands together in pleading and was mouthing the words "please," to Gravis.

Why had Jaimy asked Gravis to lose? Jaimy was not stupid and had an impressive will and battle experience. He had everything that a supreme genius needed to ascend, and he, obviously, was also able to judge Gravis' strength accurately. When Jaimy stood before Gravis, Jaimy felt like Gravis could even be a threat to him, even though he was already in the Energy Gathering Realm.

Did he believe that his younger brother could win? Absolutely not! He wasn't even sure if he, himself, could win in a head-on battle with Gravis. Yet, his idiotic younger brother was provoking Gravis, maybe destroying all of Jaimy's begging. Jaimy was wrestling with himself. Frank was his brother, and he loved him, but he was also so incredibly stupid and arrogant.

Gravis could infer most of Jaimy's thoughts, and he could empathize with him. Jaimy was a good person who was being weighed down by his brother. Without his brother, Jaimy would shoot through the ranks of cultivation and probably even ascend to a higher world.

Yet, was power without a family worth it? Gravis wasn't sure. Gravis still had his family, yet if Frank died, Jaimy would have nothing left. Would Gravis persist in cultivation if he didn't have a family? Gravis wasn't sure and threw away the thought. He turned back to Frank.

Frank waited for a while, still pointing his sword at Gravis, but Gravis didn't seem to react. Frank got infuriated by Gravis' disregard. "Today, I'll destroy all your dignity in front of the whole Lightning Guild!" With that, he shot forward and chopped at Gravis.

BANG!

Gravis easily sidestepped Frank's attack and appeared right behind him. He hit the back of Frank's head, and Frank collapsed, unconscious. There was no sense in humiliating Frank or injuring him. He was only a child that threw a temper tantrum. If Gravis took him seriously, Gravis might grow complacent in his power, and his will would reduce. He had to look at the situation as neutrally as possible.

Gravis turned to Jaimy, and for the first time in public, showed an actual expression. Gravis sighed and looked with compassion at Jaimy. The audience wasn't sure if they could believe their eyes. Gravis had never shown anything but a neutral expression. They had even started believing that he didn't have any emotions at all.

Of course, Gravis wasn't emotionally dead. He was still happy, sad, excited, afraid, and other things. He just couldn't show it to others. If he showed his emotions, others might look at him as a human and would start getting close to him. When that happened, Gravis would need to push them away again. This was the best way to keep others away from him.

Jaimy looked at his unconscious brother with shock. What now?

Gravis sighed again. "You can't pull someone to strength," he said, and Jaimy looked at him. "By giving him what he wants, you are keeping his will weak. With a weak will, he will never be able to temper his Spirit. If his will does not increase, he will never reach the Spirit Forming Realm," Gravis explained. That was the most he had ever talked in public in the Lightning Guild.

The onlookers with a stronger will nodded and believed Gravis, while the weaker ones sneered at him. Too many people couldn't accept that they lacked in some aspect. That was what stopped them from growing.

Jaimy looked at Gravis, and then at his unconscious brother. Then he looked at Gravis again and sighed. "I understand." With that said, he picked up his brother and left the plaza. Gravis really hoped that Jaimy understood. That would help him in growing stronger.

Gorn was grinning from ear to ear. That Frank guy had won multiple tournaments in the past because everyone else had conceded. Gorn felt like the tournament lost its purpose because of him. Frank had also always failed in upgrading his Lightning Seed to 50% Destruction Energy. Gorn felt like giving him the seven days on the fourth level was a waste of resources.

Gorn walked over to Gravis and patted his shoulder. "Well done! I'll prepare the fourth level for you, and I should be done in about eight hours. By the way, you don't have to go immediately. You can use the seven days anytime in the next two months. I'll be looking forward to your strength after that!" he said as he patted Gravis' shoulder again.

Gravis looked at Gorn and smiled. "Thank you," he said, and Gorn nodded. They then went their separate ways. Many disciples wanted to talk with Gravis, but he ignored them. He couldn't grow closer to others. Even talking with Gorn was already a risk. Seeing that Gravis didn't deign to talk to them, they judged Gravis to be an arrogant jerk. Who did he think he was?

About eight hours later, night had already arrived, and Gravis was looking at his new saber with a grin. "When I'm back, you'll be my new weapon," he said while feeling the Formation Array lines on its surface. Finally, he could use his new saber. It was an actual Energy Weapon and would be able to supplement his fighting style.

Real weapons could do more than just be a hard, sharp stick. They could absorb the Energy or element of the user and transform it into an attack. They could also absorb other forms of Energy, but that depended on the weapon and its quality. Gravis' saber was a high-grade Energy Weapon, and that was really good for someone who was about to break through into the Energy Gathering Realm. No wonder, Heaven didn't want to give it to him.

He put the saber back and left the house with his Void-Stone saber. Gravis couldn't wait for another second, and walked directly to the Lightning Tower, even in the dead of night. He was about to break into the Energy Gathering Realm, and he felt excited. He had been waiting for such a long time!

PUCHI!

Gravis heard something and looked down.

A saber came out of his left chest, and it had completely destroyed his heart.

"What?"

 

Chapter 85

Gravis couldn't comprehend what was happening. He had been walking down the road when a saber just stabbed through his heart. In his mind, he knew that he wouldn't be able to survive that, even with tempered organs and blood. The situation just seemed unreal. It felt like it was happening to someone else, and he was just an onlooker. He didn't even feel any pain.

BANG!

The saber pulled out, and someone kicked Gravis in the back. Gravis fell to the floor, and he slowly started understanding the situation. A burning pain went through his whole body, and his limbs started shaking.

Gravis realized that someone had assassinated him. Gravis started breathing heavily, but it didn't feel like he was breathing at all. It felt like he couldn't get any air, even though he felt himself breathing. His chest went up and down, but he still felt like he was drowning.

With a dizzy mind, he turned his body around, blood splashing out from his chest and back onto the floor. Gravis finally saw his attacker. He saw Jaimy with a tear-stained face. Gravis could see that Jaimy was angry, frustrated, helpless, and also hurt.

"I understand," said Jaimy again. "I understand that you are not a good person," said Jaimy with a shaking voice. "I groveled before you." He took one step closer. "I threw away all my dignity." He took another step forward. "I promised you everything." He took the last step and stood before Gravis. "Yet, you didn't even give me this much."

Gravis wanted to speak, but he could only cough blood as his skin slowly whitened. Gravis breathing quickened, but it didn't help, as Gravis slowly saw the world spinning. His mind started slowly distancing from his body, and the world started growing dark.

Jaimy went on one knee and looked into Gravis' eyes, who blankly looked forward. "I didn't want to do this." Suddenly, his tear-stained face changed into one of rage. "But you have taken everything from me and still kicked me when I was down. I should have killed you before you had the chance to get in my way," he said.

"Only three months! That was all that you had to give me," he said again, being careful that no one noticed. It would be unfortunate if Gravis had some Heaven-defying luck, and someone would walk past on a midnight stroll. Jaimy felt lucky that the whole guild was dead-silent this night.

"You only had to lose once, and all this wouldn't have been necessary. I would have repaid you everything! You would have gained an incredible friend-"

COUGH!

Gravis violently coughed up blood, and it hit Jaimy in the face. Jaimy touched his face and saw the blood on his hand. Then, he simply wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve and looked at Gravis again, this time, with a cold expression. "You know, I don't feel so bad anymore. You really are an asshole."

"Also, that is quite a good weapon," he said with a forced grin. Jaimy tried to seem malicious, but Gravis could still notice that Jaimy felt uncomfortable. Maybe he was trying to prove to himself that he could ignore his own conscience. "It will probably fetch a good price," he said as he grabbed the Void- Stone saber and lifted it.

Jaimy's face blanched immediately, and he threw it away. The saber had eaten up an entire level in the Energy Gathering Realm, and Jaimy had fallen from the second level to the first. Jaimy turned from the saber to Gravis, who managed to squeeze out a grin while watching Jaimy. Even if Gravis died here, he still gave Jaimy a slap.

Jaimy's rage immediately exploded, and he took Gravis' body and carried him into a nearby forest. When he arrived, he threw Gravis down and looked at him with hate. "You fucking bastard!" he shouted as he threw a lightning bolt at Gravis. If he used a lightning bolt in the guild, everyone would know that something was happening.

The lightning bolt hit Gravis' shoulder and burned a hole in it. "You fucking asshole!" he shouted again as he shot another lightning bolt at Gravis' arm. The bolt burned the arm severely and cooked muscles and skin, yet, Gravis still smirked at Jaimy.

Gravis' expression infuriated Jaimy only more, and he shouted as he released all his lightning onto Gravis' body. After over five minutes of unleashing all his lightning on Gravis, he shot one last bolt into Gravis' face, which then wiped off his smirk and removed all flesh and skin.

Jaimy seethed in rage and exhaustion as he looked at the remains of Gravis' skeletal smile. Jaimy slowly calmed down and took a deep breath. He took Gravis' corpse and carried it back to the guild. After a while, he arrived at his destination, the community toilets.

"I originally wanted you to have a dignified grave, but you had to be a pain in the ass until the end," he said, as he opened the floor of the toilets. "Enjoy," he said as he threw Gravis into the full cesspool. Jaimy closed the toilet again and went back to his house.

Heaven had been watching everything. Heaven should be happy with what happened to Gravis, but for some reason...

Heaven was anything but happy right now.

 

Chapter 86

Gravis' thoughts slowly started appearing again. They were messy, and he was unable to think a coherent thought for some time. Gravis was not sure where he currently was. He tried to open his eyes, but it felt like nothing was moving around his eyes. He also couldn't see, hear, or smell anything. He could only taste, and the only thing that he could taste was the most disgusting thing imaginable.

Gravis immediately puked, but his puke tasted the same as the previous taste in his mouth. He panicked, but it was incredibly challenging to move. Then, the pain kicked in. His whole body was in an incredible amount of pain. It was so much pain that Gravis wanted to scream, but no noise came out.

After a while, he managed to concentrate, and the taste vanished while only the pain remained. By now, Gravis got an idea of what the taste was. It just tasted as someone would imagine how shit tasted. Gravis realized that he was probably in the cesspool of the Lightning Guild. As bad as it sounded, shit was part of the earth element and carried some nutrients. Many plants could use it as fertilizer.

His memories slowly returned, and when he remembered what Jaimy had done, his Will-Aura erupted with a strength it had never achieved before. "JAIMY!" he wanted to shout, but no sound came out. As his panic subsided, his hate for Jaimy grew.

Gravis thought back on what had happened and inferred multiple things. Normally, he would definitely be dead if someone destroyed his heart and left him to die. Luckily for Gravis, Jaimy was an idiot. Gravis remembered how Jaimy blasted him with lightning that slowly destroyed his body. The memories were fuzzy, but he still recalled some scenes.

'That idiot has blasted me with lightning to vent his rage. While the Destruction Energy of the lightning destroyed non-essential parts of my body, its Life Energy was enough to heal my heart. If he had just cut off my head or just left me to die, I would be dead right now! Jaimy!' he thought in anger.

"I'll kill him! I'll kill him! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!" he tried to shout again and again, but no sound was produced. He slowly managed to move one arm and touched his other arm. He felt the surface and

realized why he was in so much pain and why it was so hard to move. He felt the bone on his left arm and felt that muscle and skin were completely gone on one side. Only half his arm was remaining.

He touched the rest of his body and realized that he was missing most of his skin and muscles. He could even grab hold of his organs in one hand. Without the Life Energy of the lightning or the nutrients of the shit, he wouldn't be alive right now. Gravis' hate only increased as he thought about him surviving only thanks to eating and drinking shit. If he didn't have his Elemental Synchronicity, he wouldn't even be able to breathe. Luckily, shit was part of the earth element, and he could "breathe it".

Gravis touched his face, and he could only imagine an alien and cruel image judging by what he felt. He felt the smooth surface of his skull and could touch the inside of his eye sockets. There were no eyes. His nose was gone too. No lips blocked his teeth, and his mouth was hanging open by the lack of jaw muscles. Thanks to his tempered blood and organs, he was able to recover enough blood to not bleed out.

Now he realized why he had no senses excluding taste and touch. Every sensory organ was gone, and they would need time and Life Energy to regenerate. Gravis seethed in rage as he could barely move due to the lack of muscles. The pain had long been forgotten and was only fueling his rage. "I'll kill him! I'll kill him! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!" he tried to shout again and again as he helplessly thrashed around.

Yet, in his madness, Gravis realized that he first needed to regenerate and that he needed strength. As soon as he got out of this cesspool, he would immediately go to the Lightning Tower. He also started hating the lightning that everyone cultivated.

The strongest weapon of Jaimy, his lightning, which should be the most destructive, had actually saved his life. What bullshit element was that? Was this the lightning Heaven had used against his father? Definitely not!

He remembered the lightning strikes while his father fought Heaven. He remembered the lightning strikes that hit everything around him in the Basin of Nature. There was no Life Energy in that. It was purely destructive! What was the sense in cultivating some weak bullshit lightning, if Heaven had a stronger one?

'My body can't handle purely destructive lightning, yeah? Then fuck this body! I'll destroy it and reforge it until it can! Then, I'll kill Jaimy and his fucking little brother! I'll fucking kill all of them!' he continued shouting in his mind.

Gravis continued thrashing around but suddenly felt a hand holding his arm. The hand pulled, and Gravis was lifted out of the cesspool. He couldn't hear or see, but he felt the warmth of the hand. He was sure that it was Gorn. No one else would push their hand into a shit-pit to save him.

Gravis felt the hand tremble when it laid him down. Gravis guessed that Gorn was probably shaken by how Gravis looked right now. Something was shoved into his mouth, and Gravis realized that it was a pill. He couldn't swallow it, but it seemed to vanish on its own. Gravis felt strength slowly returning to him, and he was able to move his limbs easier now.

Gorn had come to the toilets after he heard that any disciple passing by them would lose their consciousness. It started suddenly, and already seven unconscious disciples laid in front of the toilets. When he came close, he immediately felt an unfathomable pressure. Like that, he realized that that could only be Gravis, who had been missing for nearly two weeks.

"Light… ning… To… wer," Gravis croaked through his broken throat as he used all his strength to push himself off the ground. He continued repeating "Lightning Tower" as he crawled forward. He continued crawling for some seconds until he felt someone lift him. He was being carried somewhere, and he quickly felt the person walking up some steps.

A door was opened, and Gravis was laid down in a sitting position. The person quickly guided Gravis' right hand to a lever and then left. Gravis could judge by the vibrations from the floor that the door closed, and then Gravis pulled down on the lever without hesitation. There was no gratitude in his mind.

There was only power!

 

Chapter 87

Gravis sat under the lightning. The difference between this lightning and Jaimy's lightning attacks was the intensity of the Energy. A lightning bolt with 50% destruction energy with not a lot of Energy could only hurt a tree, but with enough Energy, it could destroy a mountain.

The lightning in the Lightning Tower was made for refinement, so its Energy was not particularly high. Yet, Gravis poured all the lightning into his body, not caring about any damage it might make along the way. The pain was intense, but Gravis had been feeling pain for a while now. He didn't care about the pain at all. Only hate, rage, and a thirst for power remained.

His body already had a significant amount of lightning resistance, and that reduced the impact of the Destruction Energy, by a lot. It took way more Life Energy to heal something than it took Destruction Energy to destroy something. Yet, with Gravis' lightning resistance, he had enough defense to out-heal the new damage.

The lightning circulated in his body, and it was starting to regrow flesh, blood, and skin. After about an hour, his eyes had returned, and his face was squirming with new muscles. There were only unsatiable greed and bottomless hate in Gravis' eyes.

When Gravis had fully healed, he sent the lightning to every corner of his body to check any part that hadn't been tempered yet. Normally, the lightning was only supposed to temper the muscles, not the other parts. Sending lightning into the organs was incredibly dangerous and foolish, but Gravis couldn't care less right now.

He sent the lightning into his heart and immediately fried it. Gravis felt the familiar feeling of being unable to breathe again. He quickly sent the lightning to his skin, who also started frying. While the Destruction Energy destroyed other parts of the body, the Life Energy was collected and sent to his heart.

Gravis nearly lost his consciousness due to the lack of air, but his consciousness suddenly cleared again. His heart had enough Life Energy to heal in time. Gravis realized that if he fell unconscious and let go of the lever, the lightning would stop and he wouldn't be able to heal anymore.

So, he proceeded to weigh it down with the last parts of clothing he still had. They were soaked in shit and blood and were heavy enough to keep the lever down. Like this, the lightning would never stop.

Gravis continued circulating the lightning across different parts of his body. In the beginning, the destruction was faster than the healing, and he quickly returned to looking like a corpse. It was incredibly painful, and anyone could die from just the pain alone, but Gravis managed to keep his head clear, even if he had to violently grit his teeth.

This insane tempering wouldn't be possible without having had tempered organs and blood for many years. It would also be impossible if someone didn't have a strong enough will to create their own Will- Aura. Gravis had the unique circumstances that fit the right criteria to survive such a suicidal tempering.

As time progressed, the destruction of everything started to slow down, while the healing slowly overtook the destruction. Then, Gravis poured the lightning into his Lightning Seed, while his body hadn't fully healed yet. He slowly increased the purity of the Destruction Energy in his Lightning Seed.

As time progressed, Gravis noticed something. The ratio of Destruction Energy and Life Energy was climbing multiple times faster than he had initially thought. Gravis had been sure that it would have taken around 40 hours to increase the purity to 50%, but with this speed, it would only take five hours.

Gravis was very surprised and narrowed his newly regrown eyes in thought. This didn't make any sense. Energy couldn't be created from nothing, and he didn't gain or absorb new Energy outside of lightning. Yet, there had to be an explanation.

Gravis continued watching, and the speed of increase in the purity of the Lightning Seed slowed down until it finally hit the expected speed. Now, Gravis realized what was happening.

"My body absorbs the Life Energy to regenerate. It pulls out the Life Energy from the lightning, thus increasing the ratio of Destruction Energy." A fire of ambition appeared in Gravis' eyes. "It is possible to go further in purity!" he shouted.

Gravis quickly started destroying more parts of his body with the lightning and concentrated on his body's sensation when it absorbed the Life Energy. It took some time, but Gravis was finally able to pinpoint the sensation and make his body stop absorbing the Life Energy.

Then, Gravis got another idea. If this sensation was the Life Energy, then maybe he could…

BOOM!

Gravis' shoulder exploded and splashed across the room, yet Gravis only had a mad grin on his face. "It works!" he shouted. By sensing the Life Energy in the lightning, Gravis was able to manipulate it with his Elemental Synchronicity.

By only manipulating the Life Energy, he was able to move it somewhere else than the Destruction Energy. With this, he had separated the two, immediately making his shoulder explode due to the pure destructive lightning.

Now, Gravis had a different problem. If he separated the Life Energy from the Destruction Energy, it would destroy his body. He could, theoretically, let it pass into his Lightning Seed with his Elemental Synchronicity. However, if he used his lightning in the future, it would still destroy his body if he lost his concentration even once.

Gravis started laughing madly. "If my body can't handle it, then let it be destroyed and reforged!" he screamed in madness. He made the lightning scatter all around his body and pulled the Life Energy out.

BOOM!

Nearly all the flesh exploded off of his body. The essential organs were still there, and he wouldn't bleed out with the life Energy. The explosion of his body was unimaginably painful, and even Gravis couldn't go through it without reacting.

"AAAHHH!" he shouted in pain with all his strength. Yet, Gravis didn't lose his full concentration and sent some remainders of the Destruction Energy into his Lightning Seed. He had to increase its purity together with his body's resistance.

Gravis then split the lightning again, but this time, he used his Elemental Synchronicity to make the Destruction Energy pass through his body and into the Lightning Seed. The pure Life Energy started regenerating his body, while the purity of his Lightning Seed increased.

When his body had healed again, Gravis did the same thing again and screamed in pain. The explosion of the whole body was unimaginably painful, but he persisted. He screamed in pain and madness but didn't stop. He channeled all the pain he felt into hatred, and his pain only fueled his hatred and rage.

After an unknown amount of time, Gravis noticed that his body didn't explode as violently anymore. His body was starting to adapt to the lightning. It was also growing stronger at a rapid pace. After some more time, his body didn't get hurt anymore by the lightning's Destruction Energy.

His skin and muscles were immune to the lightning. Now, it was time to reforge his organs. Gravis methodically destroyed one organ after another. While he healed one destroyed organ, he already started destroying the next one. The pain was just as intense as when his body exploded, and he continued shouting in pain.

Yet, his screech of pain slowly started to resemble mad laughter.

 

Chapter 88

Whenever the young woman in the Lightning Tower came to the third level, she could hear a loud scream from above her. In the beginning, it only sounded painful, but as time progressed, the scream of pain slowly transformed into mad laughter.

Every time she heard it, a chill ran down her back. That man on the fourth level was definitely insane. No human could scream like this while still being rational, and she never dared to enter the fourth level again. She was afraid of that man and wanted to stay as far away as possible.

"Increase the output!" she heard suddenly from above her. She blanched. Was the man speaking to her? What did he mean with "increase the output"? What was he saying?

"Increase the output!" she heard again, and a shiver ran down her spine. She quickly ran out of the Lightning Tower and informed Gorn. Gorn quickly arrived and went to the fourth floor.

"Gravis, the seven days of allotted time will end in some hours. You can't continue," he shouted through the door.

Some time passed until "I need more power! Give me more power!" Gorn heard through the door. Gorn narrowed his eyes and opened the door. When he looked inside, he saw Gravis, fully healed. Gravis' eyes gleamed with madness and rage, and Gorn looked deeply into his eyes.

"I require more power!" Gravis shouted in rage as he looked Gorn in the eyes. Gorn saw the emotions in Gravis' eyes and watched for a while. He lowered his head in thought, and after a while, he looked at Gravis with resolution.

"Okay!" he said and left the room. Gorn walked to the core of the tower, where he could see multiple Formation Arrays and some shining stones. These were Magic- (Energy) Stones. They were named like that because they harbored the Magic (Energy) in the air. They were currency and also functioned as the power output of the Lightning Tower.

Magic-Stones didn't exist in the Outer-Continent, and the guild could only get them by trading with their parent-guild. They needed to send gold, while the parent-guild sent the Magic-Stones. Gorn pulled out several more of those stones and placed them on the Formation Array, which was responsible for the fourth level.

Gorn then changed the settings of the Formation Array and doubled its strength. The woman from the Lightning Tower followed him, and when she saw what he was doing, she grew nervous.

"Guild Master, this is way above our allowance," she said in nervousness. "A stronger output might also damage the Lightning Tower."

Gorn narrowed his eyes. "We always have some remaining stones when someone doesn't need the full seven days. We have a lot of them in storage," he said.

"But Guild Master, those Magic-Stones are there in case of a crisis. We can't waste them!" she implored.

Gorn turned around with a furious expression. "Waste them? One of my disciples went through hell, and he needs all the support we can give him. He has a goal in mind, and I trust him. I know that he won't forget this kindness. I am willing to bet everything on him," he explained.

The woman still looked nervous, but she could only watch. He was the Guild Master, and he decided everything. She couldn't change his mind, and she only hoped that this was the right decision.

No one realized that all karmic luck had left Gorn when he decided to bet everything on Gravis.

Meanwhile, Gravis was furiously destroying his body again. The lightning's output had grown too weak before, and it hadn't been able to damage his body anymore. Gravis needed to make his body harder. When he would use his own lightning in the future, the output would definitely be stronger than the tower. His body wouldn't have the necessary resistance.

When Gravis' Lightning Seed had reached a purity of 90%, it started to climb up by itself. The Destruction Energy was overwhelming the Life Energy in the Lightning Seed and had started destroying it. Gravis knew that his Lightning Seed wouldn't stop until it destroyed every last bit of Life Energy in it.

Gravis couldn't stop his Lightning Seed anymore. It would reach 100% Destruction Energy, even if he wanted to stop it. The Destruction Energy had grown too domineering and wouldn't allow anything else around it. So, Gravis was forced to continue destroying and reforging his body.

With the new output of the Lightning Tower, he could destroy his body again. He continued madly destroying and recreating his body, and the insane increase in power drowned him in a sea of greed and hatred.

After an unknown amount of time, the lightning grew too weak again. "More power!" He shouted as loud as he could. "Give me more power!"

Gorn stood before Gravis' door and exhaled in nervousness. "Gravis, if I increase the power further, it will be as strong as an attack from a Magic Gathering Expert. Don't overdo it!" he shouted.

"I need more power!" Gravis shouted even louder.

Gorn wasn't sure if he should increase the output. He gritted his teeth and ran to the control room again. He had decided to bet everything on Gravis, and he would go through with it. He threw every last stone he still possessed into the Formation Array, and it started growing unstable.

Gorn looked at the Formation Array with anxiety while cold sweat ran down his body. He was risking it all! If the Lightning Tower got damaged, the foundation of the Lightning Guild would grow unstable. He was betting everything on Gravis.

The new intensity of the lightning violently destroyed Gravis' body again, and the volume of his mad laughter only increased. Pain signified tempering, and tempering signified strength. The more pain he felt, the stronger he would get. He started loving the pain because it symbolized that he was moving closer to power.

"More, pain! More, power!" he shouted in madness. His body started adapting faster and faster, and after an even shorter time than before, the lightning grew too weak again. "I need more power! Give me more power!" he shouted with all his strength.

Cold sweat ran down Gorn's whole body, and he made his decision. He kicked open the door and looked at Gravis. He saw that Gravis wasn't injured and that an insatiable greed filled his eyes. Gorn walked forward and rolled up his sleeves.

"The Lightning Tower can't produce more." He then held out his hands. "But I can!" he said as he shot lightning at Gravis.

Gravis' body only received a small scorch mark, and Gorn grew shocked. This lightning resistance was insane! Gorn narrowed his eyes further and increased the output until he started using all his strength. Gorn was in the third level of the Energy Gathering Realm, and he could put out a considerable amount of power.

Gravis body got destroyed everywhere, and he continued laughing in madness. Gorn looked at Gravis with a mixture of fear and madness in his eyes. He was afraid of what Gravis would become, but he also had a mad curiosity about how far Gravis' strength could increase. Gorn had decided to go All-In, and he wanted to see the result.

After a while, Gorn saw that the injuries on Gravis' body stopped increasing and actually started to heal. Gorn was shocked again. The speed at which Gravis' body increased its lightning resistance was

insane! After a while, Gorn grew exhausted and stopped. It didn't matter, because his lightning lost the ability to hurt Gravis' body anyway.

"I need more power!" shouted Gravis in madness.

Gorn only watched him neutrally. "There is nothing more. I have used every Magic-Stone I could find, and I am the strongest person around here," Gorn explained with a sigh. "There is no way to increase your power anymore."

Gravis grew infuriated when he heard that, but his rational mind was able to suppress his fury, for now. He started looking around and realized that there was really no way to increase the strength of his body anymore.

Gravis looked at Gorn with narrowed eyes.

BOOM!

An explosion happened inside Gravis' dantian as he immediately broke into the Energy Gathering Realm. It was not hard for him to manipulate the Energy. He broke through like it wasn't harder than breathing.

Gorn smiled madly and threw Gravis' Energy Saber to him. He had carried it with him to give to Gravis, as soon as he broke through. Gravis took up the saber that he had received from the spider.

Gravis moved the Energy in his dantian through the Lightning Seed and his body. His body received some minor injuries, but that wasn't an issue. Its lightning resistance would only increase as he continued to use his lightning.

He guided the purely destructive lightning into the saber, and the Formation Array lines on its surface started glowing with electricity. Finally, he could use this saber. Gravis looked at Gorn with hatred.

"Where is he?" Gravis asked.

 

Chapter 89

"Who?" asked Gorn. He wanted to know who had attacked Gravis. There were not many people who would be able to injure him. It could only be one of the Guild Masters of another Elemental Guild or…

"Jaimy!" Gravis growled with hate.

Gorn sighed. So it had been Jaimy. Gorn almost couldn't believe it. Jaimy had always been such a forthright and nice guy, and he had supported the guild wholeheartedly. Yet, Gorn couldn't doubt Gravis on this. Gorn knew that Gravis was too angry to care about deceit.

"Are you sure it was Jaimy?" asked Gorn with seriousness.

Gravis' eyes narrowed further with a fire of rage. "Are you trying to protect him?" he asked aggressively.

Gorn lifted his hands in a defensive position. "No. Whoever attacked you will be punished! I will give you my full support in taking revenge," he said. "But, I need to know if you can be sure that it was Jaimy."

Gravis' nearly lost control of his rage as he recalled Jaimy's face and what he had said. "I am absolutely sure," he spat.

Gorn sighed to relieve some stress. He knew that the following conversation wouldn't be pleasant. "Alright, but there is a problem," he said carefully.

Gravis' eyes narrowed even further.

"Jaimy and his brother Frank both vanished on the same day as you," Gorn explained carefully.

Gravis inhaled violently and stood up. "Are you actually protecting him?" His Will-Aura was fully released by now, and he compressed it to the smallest possible area. Gorn stopped breathing, and he

couldn't move anymore. It felt like he would die if he moved one step.

Gravis' Will-Aura had increased even further by this setback, and he was compressing it fully. On top of that, he had broken through into the Energy Gathering Realm. His earlier Will-Aura and this one were like Heaven and Earth.

Gravis continued to stare at Gorn intensely. After some seconds, Gorn managed to get some of his wits back. "I have carried you out of the cesspool. I have risked the whole Lightning Tower by supporting you. I have given you everything! Don't doubt me when I say that I don't know where he is!" Gorn shouted.

Gravis' rage exploded when he heard the words, "I have given you everything!" Jaimy had said the same sentence to Gravis, and Gravis almost couldn't control himself anymore. Yet, when Gorn said those words, they felt completely different to when Jaimy had said them.

Gravis retrieved his Will-Aura, and Gorn could finally relax again. He felt like he had evaded death just now. The Gravis that he knew wouldn't have acted this recklessly and full of hatred. The Gravis, in front of him, seemed like a completely different person.

"Then I'll find him!" said Gravis through gritted teeth and sprinted out of the Lightning Tower. Gorn couldn't even react before Gravis was gone, and before he could even start to follow, he heard a loud explosion coming from outside.

"Jaimy! Come out and face your death!" Gravis shouted as he threw a lightning bolt at a house. The house got utterly vaporized, and nothing but ash remained. It didn't matter that it was made out of stone since Gravis' lightning was just too destructive.

The disciples around the guild got gripped by fear and panicked. They started running away from Gravis and scattered in all directions. "Come out, Jaimy!" Gravis shouted as he blew up another house.

Gorn finally arrived outside, and he gasped when he saw Gravis going on a rampage. Gravis was destroying everything around him. Fires started appearing around the destroyed houses, and one house after another got blown into bits.

"Jaimy!" Gravis shouted with all his power as he blew up another house. The explosions were so loud that even people outside of the guild heard them clearly. The disciples looked in fear at their home who was being destroyed right now. Luckily, no one got injured. At least, Gravis seemed to be able to control his rage, somewhat. He wasn't mindlessly slaughtering everyone.

"Jaimy! Come out!" Gravis shouted again as he tore down another building. Gorn could only watch helplessly and in sorrow as his whole guild was torn down. He had been the Guild Master for about 40 years, and it hurt him when he saw everything he had built get destroyed. Gorn clenched his fists and only continued watching. Buildings could be rebuilt.

After around five minutes, Gravis had torn down the whole guild. All the buildings were destroyed, and only the Lightning Tower and the Exchange Hall still stood in one piece. They were protected by Formation Arrays, and it wasn't that easy to destroy them.

Gravis continued shouting in hate and blasted even the rubble. Gorn only watched calmly. After another two minutes, Gravis stopped his rampage and started breathing heavily. His Energy was nearly empty.

When Gorn saw this, he stepped closer to Gravis. "Gravis, you need to calm down! This isn't you!" he shouted at him. "You are being influenced by the temperament of lightning!"

Gravis turned to him with bloodshot eyes. "I am me! No one controls me!" he shouted coldly.

"Gravis, you have absorbed too much lightning too quickly while being in an unstable condition! Listen to me," he shouted as he put his hand on Gravis' shoulder. Gravis Will-Aura exploded in its full intensity again, but Gorn held firm.

"When lightning is enraged, it lashes out at the closest thing! If anything approaches the lightning, it will destroy it with all its power! Look around," shouted Gorn as he gestured to the whole guild. "You have destroyed the whole guild! No one but Jaimy and Frank have hurt you in here! You are lashing out at everything around you! That is exactly like lightning!"

Gravis looked around the destroyed rubble that was the Lightning Guild. He couldn't find Jaimy or Frank, and yet, he had still destroyed everything. Gravis saw some disciples outside of the guild crying about their burned-down homes. Others looked at Gravis with hate and helplessness.

The disciples had the same expressions as the villagers in the first village that Gravis had visited. The villagers had looked at the bandits, who destroyed their homes, the same way. Back then, Gravis had killed them in cold blood, because he despised such cruel people who trampled on the weak.

Gravis looked at his own hands and only grew angrier. He had become what he despised, and his rage transformed into self-loathing. What was he doing? All this lightning was making him angry? If Gorn were right, and the lightning was making him act this way then fuck lightning! No one controlled him!

"Aaaahhh!" Gravis shouted and released all his remaining lightning into the surroundings. His surroundings exploded, and a shockwave blew everything away.

Gravis released a deep sigh, and his rage diminished. He realized that Gorn had been right and that his lightning had controlled him. If he didn't calm down now, he might never escape this blood-sea of rage and hatred. Gravis closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He buried his hatred deep into his heart, but he wouldn't forget what Jaimy had done to him. His hatred slowly vanished into the background, and only cold determination replaced it. Gravis would find Jaimy, and then he would kill him and his brother.

"Thank you, Gorn. Without you.."

Gravis said as he turned to his right, but he couldn't finish his words. To his right, where Gorn previously stood, Gravis could only see a puddle of blood, muscles, and guts. Behind that puddle, Gravis could see half of Gorn's remaining head, which showed an expression of fear and shock.

Gravis had forgotten that Gorn was beside him when he released all his power, and without realizing it, Gravis had killed Gorn.

And with that…

"Oh no…"

The plan of Heaven to never give Gravis any enemies…

"What have I done?"

Was destroyed!

 

Chapter 90

Gravis looked at Gorn's remains and couldn't process what had happened. Gorn had been alive some seconds ago. He had just been standing there, and now he was dead? How could this happen? Why did this happen?

Gravis took some step backward. Why was Gorn dead? Gorn had helped him unconditionally. He had even sacrificed the whole Lightning Guild for Gravis! Gorn had supported him with everything he had, and Gravis had sworn previously to pay everything back. So, how could Gravis have killed him?

This had to be a bad dream! This couldn't possibly be real! Gravis shook his head and took some steps back. "I didn't mean to!" Gravis shook his head in denial. "I didn't want to kill you," Gravis said as he looked into the remaining eye of Gorn's head.

"Aaahh!" A shrill scream came from his right, and Gravis saw the woman from the Lightning Tower looking at the remains of Gorn and Gravis with terror. Gravis' heart plummeted. The scream took him back to reality.

"I didn't mean to! It wasn't on purpose!" Gravis shouted as he looked at her.

The woman looked with fear at Gravis. Gravis took one step closer, and the woman immediately pulled out her weapon in fear. "Monster! Don't come closer!" she shouted with a shaky voice.

Gravis stopped. The word "monster" had hit him hard. 'Am I a monster?' he asked himself, and he grew afraid of the answer. He had killed the person who supported him the most. He had killed the person that was ready to bet their own life on him. If he wasn't a monster, then who was?

Gravis' eyes grew teary, and he shook his head. He grabbed his head with both hands and violently shook. He didn't mean to! It wasn't on purpose! Gravis' body shook. "This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real," he continuously mumbled to himself.

More and more disciples returned to the guild as they didn't hear any more destruction. Yet, when they saw Gorn's remains and Gravis, their shock and terror only increased. They looked at Gravis like he was an insane murderer.

Gravis looked around, and every disciple showed the same emotions. Gravis saw fear, terror, and disgust in their eyes. Every time he saw someone looking at him like that, he felt like someone had stabbed his heart.

Gravis couldn't take it anymore and ran away. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't kill any more innocent people. He just wanted to flee. He wanted to get as far away as possible from this place. Everything else didn't matter.

The disciples watched as Gravis left with relief. Yet, their home was still destroyed. Their Guild Master was also dead. What were they supposed to do? The disciples felt lost and looked around in confusion and pain. They were homeless now.

Though, not all disciples acted like that. Some of the disciples gathered in a small group and discussed with each other. After a while of discussion, they looked at the Exchange Hall with greed.

Some Humans were inherently greedy.

"Insolence!" shouted a tall man with white hair. Lightning erupted from his body and hit the walls of the lavishly decorated, blackish-blue room. The room trembled, but nothing was destroyed. The other people in the room looked down with furrowed brows.

The tall, middle-aged man looked at the nervously kneeling disciple in front of him. Lightning was shooting through his eyes, and he breathed angrily through his nose. The others didn't dare to say anything to their Guild Master. They only had to wait for him to calm down.

Surely enough, after about 30 seconds, the middle-aged man calmed down slightly and sat back down on his chair. He took a deep breath to relax. "So, to summarize: The third Proxy-Lightning Guild took in a Heavenborn. That disciple broke through in three months, and with his new power, he killed his Guild Master and stole all the resources of the destroyed Proxy-Lightning Guild?"

The disciple only nodded but didn't lift his head. The Guild Master grew angry quickly. He never hurt anyone when he grew angry, but he would destroy stuff and shout at people. Who could even stop him? He was the Guild Master of one of the parent Lightning Guilds in the middle continent. On top of that, he had already reached the Spirit Forming Realm. He could do whatever he wanted. Everyone else had to adapt.

The Guild Master grabbed some small steel balls and squeezed them in his hands. Over the years, he had developed multiple methods to keep his explosive temper in check. The balls were made of an extremely strong material, and even the Guild Master couldn't destroy them.

The stronger the person, the stronger the element's influence. Every element had a specific temperament associated with it, which influenced the user. Lightning was calm and distant normally, but if something came too close, the lightning would explode with all its power.

"When did this happen?" asked the Guild Master.

"About three weeks ago," replied the kneeling disciple.

The Guild Master narrowed his eyes in thought. After a while, he stood up. "I hereby declare that the offending disciple is to be eliminated. He has not only killed the Guild Master that has supported him, but he's also stolen the entire wealth of the guild. Such a despicable and greedy mindset won't be tolerated!" he declared.

One of the elders' narrowed his eyes. "Guild Master, the offending disciple is a Heavenborn. Are you sure you want to kill him? What of the Heaven Sect?" the elder asked.

The Guild Master had expected the question. "He has not joined the Heaven Sect yet, and he has attacked our Lightning Guild. The Heaven Sect may be the hegemon of this world, but it won't go too far if we kill this person. Though, we have to be sure to kill him before he reaches the Heaven Sect. If he joins them, we won't be able to avenge our fallen disciple."

The elder thought for a bit and then nodded. "What will be the reward for killing the Heavenborn?" he asked after that.

The Guild Master thought for a bit. "Make it 1,000 Magic-Stones," he said.

The elders looked at each other. That was a lot of money. One Magic-Stone could be exchanged for 1,000 gold. With 1,000 Magic-Stones, one disciple could compress their Energy Vortex for the eight- time.

The levels in the Energy Gathering Realm were divided into how many times a person had compressed their Energy. When the Energy Vortex reached its maximum saturation, the person needed to compress the Energy to make it denser. One compression would double the Energy.

If someone on the first level of the Energy Gathering Realm had one Energy, then someone on the second level would have two Energy. The third level would be four, and the fourth level would be eight, and so on. The highest level for the people in the middle-continent was the ninth. Only a select few supreme geniuses in the Core-Continent would have the luxury of getting an improved dantian, which allowed for one additional compression.

To reach the ninth level, one would need to go through eight compressions. A person on the ninth level of the Energy Gathering Realm would have 256 times the amount of Energy as someone on the first level. This showed how much Energy 1,000 Magic-Stones could provide.

The Guild Master looked around and saw no more objections. "Send the disciples! The murderer must not reach the Heaven Sect!"

The elders stood up and saluted. "Yes, Guild Master!"