Lightning Is the Only Way

"Glad to see you again, Gravis. I always knew that you would get through this," Manuel said with a smile when he saw Gravis.

"Glad to see you're doing well, Manuel," Gravis said with a smile. "So, how does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" Manuel asked.

"Being at the top of the world," Gravis answered.

Manuel looked into the distance with a complex expression. "It doesn't feel much different from normal. I think that's mainly because I haven't truly been in this state for long enough. I still feel like I need to become more powerful, and I still feel like I have to increase the power of the Heavenly Divine Sect even more."

"In the past, I always knew that there was an even higher world waiting for me. Because of that, I never truly felt like I was at the peak. But now, there is no higher world. I am in the highest world, and no new world is waiting for me."

"I'm just here, and I basically have no enemies left, at least not until more Peak Divine Gods appear in the world."

"It's weird. It's like something I have been doing for my entire life suddenly vanished."

"In a way, I feel a bit aimless," Manuel explained.

"What's your goal?" Gravis asked.

"A couple million years ago, I would have said that I wanted to become a Heaven's Magnate, but I'm not so sure if I will ever reach that."

"Why are you so certain?" Gravis asked.

Manuel only smiled bitterly. "Gravis, you know that I am a person with a great affinity for control. Logically, I would also want to learn about that one elusive Law I still needed. So, yes, I know about the Law of Freedom, even though you all told me several times that it's a bad idea to look into it."

Gravis also smiled bitterly. "You couldn't help yourself, huh?"

"No, I couldn't," Manuel said with a sigh. "I still don't get the Law of Freedom. Freedom is making your own choices, right? I have the freedom to make any choice I want. I know all the necessary information, and I can choose whatever choice I want."

"So, how is it possible that I can't comprehend freedom? In my perception, I'm about as free as I can be right now."

"Are you?" Gravis asked.

Manuel looked at Gravis with a skeptical expression. "Everyone that's more powerful than me is not interested in going against me. Therefore, I can do whatever I want."

"What about yourself?" Gravis asked.

"Myself?" Manuel asked with confusion.

"Can you do whatever you want? Are you comfortable with every decision you've ever made?" Gravis asked.

"Of course not," Manuel said with a chuckle. "In life, we often have to make decisions we don't like. Otherwise, we can't achieve our goal. If I always did what I wanted, I wouldn't be alive anymore."

"So, you can't do whatever you want," Gravis said.

Manuel groaned. "If you are adamant about splitting hairs, yes, I can't always do what I want."

"So, you're not free," Gravis said.

Manuel frowned when he heard that. "Gravis, I can't just always follow every whim of my emotions. Doing the right thing is sometimes something I don't want to do. You can be selfish and do whatever you want, but at that point, nobody will follow you, and those few people that are still following you will be in constant fear of your emotional whims."

"If I wanted to destroy an enemy Sect, but the Sect is too powerful, I can't just go ahead and attack them just because I want to destroy them. I have to do many small tasks to get to the point where I can destroy them."

"Why not?" Gravis asked.

"Because I would die, Gravis," Manuel said with a flat tone.

Gravis only sighed when he heard Manuel.

Manuel was as perfect as it could be. He treated everyone around him with genuine care, and he never shied away from responsibility. He always acted in a way that would benefit the most people.

Manuel was far more selfless than nearly all other Cultivators. He never tried to enrich himself, and he always gave everything to his people. In his mind, treating his people with sincerity would end up in reciprocating said sincerity.

And he was right. Everyone around Manuel supported him with all their heart and soul. They fully trusted him, and they always helped Manuel.

If Manuel needed something, the people around him would basically fight each other to give these things to Manuel. They just wanted to repay him for everything he had done for them.

Manuel was the perfect leader.

He was also the perfect friend.

Manuel was essentially perfect in every way.

And exactly that was the problem.

Manuel was too smart and too kind.

He was smart enough to always make the perfect decision, and his decisions were always perfectly supported by everyone around him.

Yet, comprehending the Law of Freedom required stupidity, selfishness, and imperfection.

Manuel didn't have these traits.

If it were possible to tell Manuel exactly how to comprehend the Law, there would even be a high chance that Manuel would actively go against that choice.

"If I have to do something like that to comprehend the Law of Freedom, then I don't want the Law of Freedom."

This would be what he would say.

It was actually ironic in a sense.

Back in the lower world, the Cultivators were affected by the temperaments of their Elements. Wind always desired freedom, and Manuel had also desired freedom.

Freedom had been his main goal.

Yet, Manuel was unable to comprehend freedom.

However, that was because Manuel's definition of freedom was off from the Cosmos' definition. In Manuel's mind, freedom meant freedom of choice, but the Cosmos said freedom was doing what one desired.

It was a subtle difference that almost bordered on trying to argue over nothing, but it was imperative.

Manuel had achieved his goal of freedom. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Sadly, he didn't achieve the Cosmos' goal of freedom.

At this moment, Gravis realized that Manuel would never comprehend the Law of Freedom.

Without the intervention of the Opposer or Orthar, Manuel wouldn't be able to comprehend it.

However, Manuel had managed to reach the very top of the world. He would soon become a level nine Divine God, and he had no enmity with the other level nine Divine Gods.

Manuel's journey had also come to an end, just like Meadow's and Narcissus' journeys.

All three of them would stop at the Peak Divine God Realm.

After this short conversation, Gravis dropped the subject, and the two of them only talked for a long while.

Manuel was one of Gravis' closest friends, and he always had been.

The two of them always had so much to talk about when they had time to talk with each other, and it was a joy to be around each other.

Before Gravis left to visit his next friend, he threw one last comment at Manuel.

"Get yourself a girlfriend. You have the time now."

Manuel only smiled bitterly.

After leaving Manuel, Gravis went to Azure.

Azure and Mortis were together, but they weren't talking much. They didn't need to talk.

Being in each other's company was enough.

Azure had also come very far.

Azure was very talented, and thanks to Mortis, she had also comprehended a terrifying number of Laws.

Sadly, Azure didn't want to think too much. She wasn't stupid, but she simply didn't want to bother with all of these small things that made up an entire situation.

She also didn't care about control much since she perceived herself to be free. Why care about control when you are free to do whatever you want?

Yet, in comparison to Manuel, Azure still had a small chance of comprehending the Law of Control, but Gravis didn't talk about that topic.

Gravis obviously wanted to help Azure, but he didn't need to.

Mortis was already helping her.

Gravis and Mortis didn't have much to talk about since they were basically always talking.

The only thing they talked about was Mortis becoming his own being.

They could now do it, but they decided against it for the time being.

They were not in danger anymore, and the ability to share Law Comprehension was too good to give up.

The two of them decided to finish the True Law of the Dead World first. Then, before they became Heaven's Magnates, they would split up.

After talking with Azure for a while, Gravis left again to visit one more person.

"So, about that thing you did back then," Gravis said to the person in front of him.

Arc only awkwardly scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.