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.

to make decisions we don't like. Otherwise, we can't achieve our goal. If I

you can't do whatever you want," Gravis

you are adamant about splitting hairs, yes, I

not

sometimes something I don't want to do. You can be selfish and do whatever you want, but at that point, nobody

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

"Why not?" Gravis asked.

Manuel said with a flat

only sighed when he heard

as it could be. He treated everyone around him with genuine care, and he never shied away from responsibility. He always acted

He never tried to enrich himself, and he always gave everything to his people. In his mind, treating his

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

to give these things to Manuel. They just wanted to repay him

was the

also the

essentially perfect in

exactly that was

too smart and too

enough to always make the perfect decision, and his decisions were always perfectly

Freedom required stupidity, selfishness, and

have

it were possible to tell Manuel exactly how to comprehend the Law, there would even be a

to do something like that to comprehend the Law of Freedom, then

be what

was actually ironic

affected by the temperaments of their Elements. Wind always

had been

was unable to

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

subtle difference that almost bordered on trying to argue

achieved his goal

didn't achieve the Cosmos' goal of

moment, Gravis realized that Manuel would never

or Orthar, Manuel wouldn't be able to comprehend

very top of the world. He would soon become a level nine Divine God, and he had

an end, just

stop at the Peak Divine

the subject, and the two of them only talked for a