Lightning Is the Only Way

When Gravis remembered his father's words, he could only smile.

"Seems like I've forgotten those words," Gravis said. "However, I would still like to know how you managed to become human again."

The Opposer looked at Orthar. "I can only tell you things vaguely, Gravis," he said while looking at Orthar. "I don't want to give the old bastard any more information than he already has. We are in his Cosmos, which means that I can't tell you anything without him hearing it."

"It's fine," Gravis said. "I only want to know how you became human again."

The Opposer looked at the fake sky in the Heaven's Trial as he remembered the things that had happened so long ago.

"As you know, I have been a pure Manifestation of Death. I had no personality, and I was no human. Just as you've said, the person that had entered the Gate of Death has already died."

"After I became an Ancestral God, things didn't change. I still comprehended Laws and found tempering in tribulations. It also didn't change in the Divine God Realm."

"It didn't even change when I became a Heaven's Magnate, and it also didn't change when I comprehended the Law of the Cosmos. Up until the very end, I was still a pure Manifestation of Death."

"Eventually, after I comprehended the Law of the Cosmos, I decided to create my own Cosmos. Back then, the old bastard didn't publicly execute the people with a kind of lightning tribulation, as he does now. Back then, he got rid of them silently. They all just silently vanished."

"I was pretty sure that he has taken note of me back then already, and to be honest, I can only say that I'm still in existence due to his undying curiosity."

"That's correct," Orthar said as he interjected. "I've noticed you as soon as the Gate of Death manifested. Back then, there were no other worlds, and I managed everything. Something like a Gate of Death wouldn't go unnoticed."

"When you came out of the Gate of Death, I immediately realized what you were. I debated killing you, but I decided against it. As long as I kept a close watch over you, nothing could go wrong. After all, my power was infinitely greater than yours."

"I wanted to know what would happen if someone tried to create a Cosmos with the Major Law of Death as a basis," Orthar added.

Obviously, Orthar was saying these things for Gravis and Mortis.

"As I created my Cosmos, I completely ignored Energy," the Opposer continued. "I filled everything with Death, and I even managed to create life with Death. Everything was created with Death, and I felt that I have become closer with the very concept of Death, even though I was already a Manifestation of it."

The Opposer looked deeply into Orthar's eyes.

"That's when he attacked," he said.

Orthar's expression didn't change. "I've seen what I have wanted to see, and I have decided to be careful. So, I decided to destroy his Cosmos along with him."

"However, you failed," the Opposer added.

"Yes, I failed," Orthar continued. "Just when I unleashed my lightning, the force of Death in the Primordial Chaos came out of its own volition and put itself between you and my attack, blocking it."

Gravis' and Mortis' eyes shone.

So that's what happened!

They had already thought how it had been possible that the Opposer could survive Orthar's attack. After all, their power levels had been too far apart back then.

"I noticed the attack, and even though Death has blocked it, my Cosmos still took quite some damage," the Opposer continued. "Luckily, after Death blocked the attack, it veiled my Cosmos from his senses."

Orthar nodded. "I was able to feel your Cosmos, but I couldn't pinpoint its location. Since you have been created in my Cosmos, your Cosmos is intrinsically connected with my Cosmos, and that can't be changed. Yet, I couldn't find your Cosmos. I only knew that it was still there."

"That was when I realized that I had committed a horrible mistake," Orthar said.

The Opposer didn't answer and only looked at Gravis and Mortis. "Everything from here on out is beyond the old bastard's perception. I've never told him what happened, and I won't go into detail. After all, I don't want to die to him."

Orthar didn't show it, but he was very interested in the Opposer's following words. Even if he wouldn't go into detail, the Opposer was still talking about things unknown to him.

"As I continued building my Cosmos," the Opposer continued, "I felt closer and closer to the force of Death, and eventually, I made contact with it."

"Making contact with such a force is something I have only experienced this once, and I know for a fact that the old bastard had never had such a contact with one of the Primordial Forces," he said, looking at Orthar.

Orthar kept his expression neutral, but he was intrigued.

One could have contact with the Forces?

Did that mean that since the Opposer could have contact with Death that one could also have contact with Energy?

What about the other forces that comprise the Primordial Chaos?

"Just like with the Gate of Death, I felt the force of Death envelop me," the Opposer explained. "It wanted to give itself completely to me. It didn't want me to be just its Avatar or Manifestation."

"No, it wanted me to become its will."

Orthar's eyes widened.

He knew exactly what that meant!

If the Opposer became the will of Death, it meant that he could control all the Death in the Primordial Chaos!

He wouldn't need to absorb Death or Energy at that point. After all, all the Death in existence would be him!

Such a power was infinitely above the Opposer's current power.

"Are you sure you want to speak of these things?" Gravis asked with worry as he glanced at Orthar. "I don't want you to leave an opening."

The Opposer looked at Gravis, and a slight smile graced his face.

It was rare, but occasionally, even the Opposer smiled.

"You don't have to worry about it," he said. "There is no danger for me by unveiling all of this."

"The reason is simple."

"No one present here will ever become the will of Death."

Gravis looked at his father. "How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"Because the price is too high," the Opposer answered. "Understanding the Minor Law of Death requires the destruction of everything but yourself. Understanding the Major Law of Death requires the destruction of yourself."

"The price for becoming the will of Death is even more terrifying."

"No one will ever be willing to pay that price."

Silence.

‘I knew it wouldn't be so easy to achieve such power,' Orthar thought.

"What happened then?" Gravis asked.

The Opposer's mind went back to the events.

"With my past mindset, I had no issues in accepting that price. After all, I had nothing. I only wanted to destroy existence, and I didn't care about anything else."

"So, I accepted the price."

"Death enveloped me, and I was about to become the will of Death."

"And that's when things changed."