Lightning Is the Only Way

The two of them entered the Gate of Death.

And the effect was immediate.

BANG!

Before Gravis and Mortis could even look at their surroundings, a violent impact hit both of their Spirits.

It was like a sledgehammer had hit their Spirits, severely cracking them.

Then, they felt like they had been thrown into the coldest thing in existence.

However, their bodies weren't freezing.

This feeling of coldness came from a mysterious force that was consuming their Life Energy.

It wasn't the Darkness Element, but something very different.

It was like they had reached the end of their natural life.

Their organs were no longer producing Life Energy, and the remaining Life Energy they had was leaving their body.

There was no Energy in the surroundings.

There was no air.

There was no earth.

There was nothing.

Everything was black.

The cracks in their Spirits slowly grew, and their Life Energy couldn't heal the cracks.

It was like their Life Energy had become useless.

Gravis immediately fell over, his body covered in sweat.

Creating coherent thoughts became more difficult as his Spirit broke down more and more.

Slight cuts slowly appeared all over his body, making Gravis leak even more Life Energy.

This was not a world of the living.

Life Energy didn't belong here.

Everything that used Life Energy didn't belong here.

Life Energy became completely useless, and it was consumed.

Everything that had anything to do with life wasn't allowed to stay here.

Gravis' mind immediately fell into a panic. 

'This is way worse than I had anticipated.'

Gravis tried to look at his hand, but he couldn't see them.

There was no light.

Luckily, Gravis' Spirit Sense still worked, but it shrunk rapidly as his Spirit was being destroyed.

'I must comprehend this process of dying!' Gravis thought. 'I need to comprehend the Major Law of Death, or I won't escape!'

Gravis closed his eyes and focused on the process, and the more he watched the process, the more shocked he became.

'I have never felt this force before! It's different than everything I have ever seen!' Gravis thought with shock.

'All the Laws I know have one thing in common.'

'They all work with Energy or by using things created with Energy, like my Will-Aura.'

'Yet…'

'There is no Energy in this force!'

'The very fundamentals are different!'

This was the greatest difference between this force and all the others.

The highest Heaven's Cosmos was built with Energy.

Everything was built with Energy.

Matter was built with Energy.

Souls were built with Energy. 

Gravity was built with Energy.

Time was built with Energy.

Space was built with Energy.

Even the very Laws themselves were built with Energy.

Even Gravis' Void Lightning was just a different form of Energy.

Yet, this force had nothing to do with Energy.

Nothing!

When Gravis realized this, fear took hold of him.

All of his Law Comprehension experience was built on comprehending Laws that were based on Energy.

Yet, this had nothing to do with Energy.

Therefore, all of his Law Comprehension experience became useless here.

An Immortal that didn't even know a level four Law was just as experienced in this form of force as Gravis.

All of Gravis' preparations, all his comprehensions, his mindset, his personality, everything became useless.

No matter how outstanding Gravis was in the highest Heaven's Cosmos, he became just as useless and aimless as everyone else in here.

In front of death, one's power, status, mindset, personality, and everything they were, became useless.

Everyone was the same in front of death.

Nothing they had ever done mattered.

Then, Gravis realized another terrifying thing.

He couldn't use any Laws!

All of Gravis' Laws were based on Energy, and this world had no Energy.

As soon as Gravis tried to use any Law, it simply dissipated.

It was like the process of using a Law had been stopped.

It was like throwing a ball at the floor, but there was no floor.

The ball simply vanished.

However, since Gravis knew a lot about the Laws of Perceived Reality, he was able to guess why his Laws didn't work.

'Objective Reality doesn't exist!' Gravis thought with terror.

'I am able to use Laws because reality allows me to manifest them. Yet, there is no reality in here.'

'There's just nothing!'

'There's only death!'

'How? How can this force even stop the usage of Laws!? This must be the key to understanding it! I must understand how this force works!'

Gravis fully focused on comprehending the force around him as he slowly died.

With time, his entire body now became filled with cracks.

Yet, Gravis had made no progress.

Everything that he had ever learned became useless.

It was like this force was from a different reality.

The two of them just couldn't connect with each other.

Gravis' body was now filled with cracks, and his perception shook. 

After a while, Gravis simply stopped.

'I can't,' he thought as he calmed down.

'I simply can't,' Gravis thought. 'It's impossible.'

'So, this is how it ends, huh?'

'I sure have overestimated myself.'

"You already gave up?"

Gravis looked to his left out of reflex, but he could only see with his breaking Spirit Sense.

It was Mortis.

When Gravis looked at Mortis, his mind nearly broke.

Gravis' body was breaking apart, and his entire being was filled with cracks.

However, Mortis…

Mortis was only an Avatar surrounded by his personality Law fragments!

Mortis had already completely fallen apart, and the force was slowly swallowing Mortis' personality!

How!?

Mortis was just as powerful as Gravis, and if Gravis could hold out until now, Mortis could too!

So, why was he already so close to death!?

"Did you know," Mortis said calmly, "When I have gained my emotional independence, the reality of my choice has finally hit home."

"I was chasing power, and I fully knew that chasing power would end in emptiness."

"However, I still ignored it."

"Yet, when all positive Emotions left me, I realized how it felt to reach true power."

"Everything became meaningless."

"All the positive emotions you sent me vanished, leaving me empty."

"There was nothing inside me."

"My current situation was already filling me with pointlessness, and the realization that my goal wouldn't change anything even made my future pointless."

"I'm unable to love."

"I'm unable to be happy."

"What's the point of freedom when I will feel just as empty as now?"

"What's the point of power when freedom has become meaningless?"

"What's the point of life when everything is meaningless?"

Mortis' voice sounded calm, neutral, and collected, but exactly that tone filled Gravis with coldness.

This was someone that truly lost his purpose.

Mortis had already died inside long ago.

"Are you serious!?" Gravis shouted with his Spirit.

"I was just like you once!"

"Just because you can't see a way forward now doesn't mean that there isn't one!"

"There have been plenty of times when I wasn't able to find a solution, but I always found one!"

"However, in order to get out of this, you need help!"

"You can't do that alone!"

"Don't forget that even the Black Magnate feels better now, and he has actually achieved supreme power!"

"How can you give up when others are able to climb out of the same nothingness!?"

Then, Gravis gritted his teeth as he shouted with all his power.

"Why didn't you tell me!? I would have done my best to help you!"

Silence.

More silence.

"I don't want to be a burden."

This sentence destroyed Gravis.

Was this truly Mortis?

Gravis couldn't answer.

Mortis?

A burden?

These two concepts were about as far away from each other as it got!

Mortis was literally the reason why Gravis knew so many Laws!

Mortis was the reason why Gravis had been able to win against the Black Demon and Nira.

Yet, Mortis was calling himself a burden!?

"I can imagine what you are thinking," Mortis said. "How can I be a burden?"

"Gravis, remember, emotions aren't always logical."

"Even if everything points to the fact that I am not a burden, I feel like a parasite."

"I have fed on your positive emotions, making it more difficult for you to be happy."

"Then, when you have discarded me, I lost my purpose."

"What's the point of a parasite's life?"

Gravis just couldn't understand Mortis' words.

They made no sense!

All of what he said was simply not true!

"So, as my last repayment for feeding on your positive emotions for so long, I am willing to exchange my life for your life," Mortis said.

"I am you, and I will die."

"In order to comprehend the Major Law of Death, one needs to die."

"Today, you will die, but it will not be the real you, but me."

"This was the true reason why I didn't want you to add the Law of Emotions to your Avatar."

"Relearning the Laws of Perceived Reality is already difficult enough. Adding the Emotional Laws might make it even harder."

"Thank you, Gravis," Mortis said with a warm voice, and Gravis could swear he saw a warm smile in the Law fragments surrounding his Avatar. "Thank you for showing me true happiness."

"Staying alive until now has been a blast, but everything good must come to an end."

"Goodbye."

Then, Mortis stopped resisting.

Gravis charged over!

Yet, he couldn't move!

Space didn't exist!

It was impossible to move from one spot to another without space and time!

Tears gathered in Gravis' eyes as he watched the nothingness consume the Law fragments of Mortis' personality.

Gravis couldn't recreate these Law fragments!

Every Law fragment that was lost was lost forever!

"I'm sorry," Mortis transmitted with a weak voice.

BANG!

Then, the Law fragments surrounding Gravis' Avatar broke apart as they vanished into nothingness.

They were gone.

Mortis was gone.

CRACK!

Then, Gravis' Avatar also broke apart, and it vanished into nothingness too.

All the concepts of Perceived Reality vanished from Gravis' mind, but he didn't care.

Mortis had died!

Silence.

Gravis had felt how the mysterious force had consumed a part of him, and at that moment, Gravis could finally connect with the mysterious force.

Gravis' Law of Minor Death started to absorb the mysterious force.

BOOOOM!

Then, Gravis comprehended the Major Law of Death.

Yet, Gravis wasn't happy.

The force surrounding Gravis pulled back.

Gravis didn't become immune to the force, but it left him alone out of its own volition.

It was like Gravis was now part of this force.

The coldness surrounding Gravis vanished as he regained life.

His organs produced Life Energy again, and his Life Energy started to repair his body and Spirit.

Gravis was healing rapidly.

Yet, Gravis wasn't happy.

Gravis only continued sitting in the nothingness.

He still couldn't come to terms with everything.

Silence.

More silence.

After an undetermined amount of time, Gravis stood up.

Then, he looked over to the spot where Mortis had been with narrowed eyes.

'You think you can die on me?'

'I won't let you!'

'I can accept it if you die in a fight, but I won't allow you to die via suicide!'

Then, Gravis summoned another Gate of Death and walked through it.