Lightning Is the Only Way

The green sparrow introduced Gravis enthusiastically. Gravis was the pride of their region, a level four King that managed to beat an Emperor. There had been a select few beasts that managed to fight an Emperor as level five Kings, but they were the stuff of legends. There hadn't been one in millennia.

"How far has the southern region fallen?" a grey elephant said with disdain. "A measly level four King is already considered equal to an Emperor. You are really throwing away the last bits of respect I had for you."

Gravis furrowed his brows. He was pretty sure that the whole continent knew about him by now. Additionally, did that elephant just comment on the southern region? Did this mean that there were regions?

"Don't judge a snake by its scales, Borro," the green sparrow said. "The Emperor he has beaten is standing right behind him."

Of course, the green sparrow was referring to Morus, who always stood quietly behind Gravis.

Borro, the grey elephant, huffed in disdain as he threw a side-eye at Morus. "A traitor that colludes with fish," he commented. "We land beasts are much more powerful than the sea beasts, yet the northern and southern region can't even deal with some fish. I'm ashamed to call myself an Emperor when you're also calling such a fish-fucker an Emperor."

Morus remained silent, but his tail cramped up in rage. Morus followed his master's orders, which was why he didn't act.

Gravis' brows furrowed even more. "Why are you talking to these idiots?" Gravis transmitted to the green sparrow.

"They are from the western region," the green sparrow answered with a voice transmission. "Nearly all Emperors from the western region are like this."

"Why?" Gravis asked.

"Because only the northern and southern regions fight the eastern sea. The sea beasts already have it quite hard resisting our two regions. If we send the third region at them, they might collapse. The Ultimates don't want that since they want tempering. This means that the western region is not fighting with the sea beasts."

"They see that our southern and northern regions are not able to overwhelm the sea beasts and think us to be useless. That's why they always show such disdain," the green sparrow explained.

"That's great and all, but why are you talking to them?" Gravis asked back.

"Because of you," he answered.

"What do you mean?" Gravis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Whenever a known Emperor from our southern area challenges one of them to a duel, they always back off for a multitude of reasons. Yet, their small-mindedness won't accept that you have the power of an Emperor as a level four King. That's why I called you over," the green sparrow explained with some mirth in his voice transmission.

"So, you want me to kill them instead?" Gravis asked.

"You want tempering, don't you?" the green sparrow asked smugly. "Isn't fighting an Emperor some good tempering?"

hadn't so openly explained his reasoning, Gravis might

"I'm actually interested, but such useless

didn't agree, there was nothing he could do. It was

brown buffalo beside him. "They are obviously

elephant and looked neutrally into his eyes. "Your words are

Know your place!" the elephant shouted

have better things to do than to talk with a

Gravis turned around

place, King of trash," the elephant commented. "Trash begets trash, and as long as such

Gravis stopped.

he turned around. "Repeat that," he said

as long as trash like you exists, all the southern region's offspring

stopped before the smirking elephant. "So, my offspring

side. "Of course it is! Look at you! How can anything good come from

me, life and death duel,"

could ignore insults about himself. Yet, his children were his

Emperor, fighting a mere King? Fighting you would be a loss of status for

King?" Gravis asked without

appeared. "Yes, Emperor?" the black raven

black lizard-thing wants to fight you,"

to Gravis, and when he realized that Gravis was a level four King, he also looked with disdain at him. The raven was here to fight other outstanding level five Kings, not some mere level four King.

stood up aggressively. "You want to

BOOOOM!

the raven

activated his Law of Suppression and blasted the raven's head off with some lightning without even looking at him. Dealing with a level five King was no harder than breathing

and me," Gravis said to

the Emperors and Kings kept check on their surroundings, and they had all noticed the sudden and

these Kings insulted an Emperor, the fight would, at least, take some seconds. After all, all of these Kings were absolutely outstanding. Yet, Gravis, a level four King, killed one of these level five Kings in less than a

and grimaced. They knew Gravis, and they also knew that none of their Kings would win as long as he partook in the competition. The

shouted in rage. "Your conduct is not the conduct of a land beast! You act like the

if I am a spy or not," Gravis said. "You said you would fight me if I managed

traitor!" the grey elephant shouted with righteous indignation. "You only want to

western Emperors. "We must seek