Lightning Is the Only Way

A meteor of destruction charged through the landscape violently as it left behind a wake of destruction. Villages and mountains were destroyed as a long crater appeared along its way.

Gravis was furious!

Someone had directly tried to assassinate him out of nowhere, and they had nearly succeeded. Dying in a fight was one thing but dying to an assassination attempt was something else. Gravis would have had no misgivings if he got killed in a fight, but not like this.

Even worse, the assassination attempt had been incredibly dangerous. The assassin knew so many different Laws that made it difficult to find him. The only reason Gravis had been able to react appropriately was his Law of Safety. Everything else had been useless against this assassin.

Gravis had nearly died!

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The assassin used the Law of Shadow Movement several times in a row, always finding a new hiding spot and fleeing from there.

However, Gravis could follow him. After all, he also knew these Laws, which made it possible for Gravis to follow him. Otherwise, the assassin would have long vanished.

'That guy has really put everything on one card,' Gravis thought with narrowed eyes. 'He could have attacked me earlier, but he waited specifically for the time I tried to comprehend the Law of Shadow's Darkness.'

'In the Law Comprehension Area for Shadow's Darkness, everything is dark, and it's nearly impossible to sense or see anything. This had been the perfect opportunity for an assassination.'

Gravis' eyes shone. 'However, this also meant that I would have already comprehended the other Shadow Laws.'

'If I hadn't comprehended the other Shadow Laws first, I wouldn't even be able to follow him!'

SHING! SHING! SHING!

'Go ahead, use your Shadow Movement more!' Gravis thought. 'The more powerful you are, the more Energy it costs. Meanwhile, I'm just charging in a straight line with the Major Law of Lightning's Speed. You'll run out of Energy first!'

"Gravis!" someone suddenly shouted. "You have destroyed my Law Comprehension Area! Explain!"

Gravis looked over and saw an elder with white hair. According to his fluctuations, he was a Mid Minor Circulation Immortal King. This was probably the Sect Master who had owned the Law Comprehension Area.

Gravis didn't stop as he continued chasing the fluctuations of Shadow Movement. "A late Minor Circulation Immortal King has just tried to assassinate me inside your Law Comprehension Area," Gravis said as he still continued chasing, the Sect Master barely keeping up with him. "It's not me needing to give you an explanation but you needing to give me one. How can someone like that enter your Law Comprehension Area!?"

"What!?" the Sect Master shouted with shock. "A Late Minor Circulation Immortal King? Are you sure!?"

"Yes! I'm chasing him right now! Why do you think I'm flying this fast!?" Gravis said. 

"But I can't feel anything!" the Sect Master shouted with uncertainty.

"Shadow Movement and Shadow Subtlety," Gravis answered.

The Sect Master took a deep breath. This was a terrifying combination for an assassin!

"Alright, I'll believe you," the Sect Master said. "Someone has killed one of my disciples just recently that was on the way to comprehend the Law of Shadow Movement. This had to have been done by the assassin! Kill him!"

Then, the Sect Master stopped as Gravis continued to chase the assassin.

BANG!

Suddenly, Gravis stopped in the air. The fluctuations of Shadow Movement still appeared as they gained ground. 

However, Gravis turned to the Sect Master with narrowed eyes. 

The Sect Master just wanted to leave but was surprised that Gravis stopped. "Why did you stop?" he asked.

"How are you doing it?" Gravis asked, not looking away from the Sect Master.

"Do what?" the Sect Master asked.

"Using the Law of Shadow's Movement without moving yourself," Gravis said.

The Sect Master became confused for a second but then realized what Gravis meant. "Wait, you mean I'm the assassin?" he asked with surprise and a bit of fear. "How would that even work!?"

"That's the thing. I don't know," Gravis said. "There was seemingly no change to the fluctuations of Shadow Movement when you appeared. It was like the assassin still continued to flee. Additionally, you look very different from the assassin."

"You are in the wrong Cultivation Realm, and you have a different weapon on your back. Lastly, you show obvious fluctuations of the Brilliance Element, while the assassin shows fluctuations of the Shadow Element."

"I'm also certain you don't know the Major Law of the Elements. Otherwise, you would have never stayed here for so long. You would have long joined the Nine Elements Sect."

"What are you talking about!?" the Sect Master shouted. "The assassin is escaping!"

"I'm not falling for that," Gravis said as he kept looking at the Sect Master. By now, the fluctuations of Shadow Movement had left his Spirit Sense. 

"You idiot!" the Sect Master shouted with rage. "He just teleported! You let him get away!"

The Sect Master was obviously distraught. After all, he was even insulting Gravis. 

However, Gravis only smirked victoriously. "Thank you for dispelling the last of my doubts," he said.

"What are you talking about!? You let the guy get away!" the Sect Master shouted with accusation.

"I didn't," Gravis said slowly. "Because he didn't teleport away. There were no spatial fluctuations. The fluctuations of Shadow Movement just stopped, but no spatial fluctuations appeared."

The Sect Master violently ruffled his hair in anger and stress. "What are you talking about!? How would you even know that!? He teleported outside your Spirit Sense!"

Gravis only smirked.

SHING!

Silence.

The Sect Master looked at Gravis with shock. How? Why?

Why was the Sect Master shocked?

Because he looked at a different Gravis, who had just arrived with the Law of Shadow Movement.

The first Gravis gestured to the second Gravis, who bowed with politeness. "That's how I knew," he said.

"I followed the fluctuations with my Law of Shadow's Subtlety," the second Gravis said. "When you said that he teleported away, the Shadow Fluctuations stopped, but no Spatial Fluctuations arrived. I guess you can't do the same trick with an actual teleportation."

The second Gravis smirked and vanished into nothingness. "Also," the first one said, "I think I know what you're using to disguise yourself like this."

Gravis slowly flew closer. "You use the Law of Humility to restrain your Cultivation Realm. However, that Law can't change your elemental affinity."

"However," Gravis said slowly, "The Law of Imitation can."

The Law of Imitation.

This was a rather rare Law, and Gravis had seen it once before. Back when Gravis had still been a level five Lord, he had entered the Law Comprehension Area for Punishment Lightning. 

When they had arrived there, Gravis had noticed a silver snake that had acted like they had a lightning affinity. Everyone believed them, but Gravis had been able to tell that this snake had no affinity towards lightning.

That snake had used the Law of Imitation to disguise their affinity.

The assassin, this time, knew so many assassination-related Laws already. He knew the Law of Humility, the Law of Shadow Movement, the Law of Shadow's Subtlety, the level three Law of Danger, so why could he not also know the Law of Imitation? 

"What are you talking about!?" the Sect Master shouted with rage and fear. "I'm not some kind of assassin!"

"I'm absolutely certain," Gravis said with a smirk. "There is another reason why I'm certain it's you, but I can't tell you. After all, if you manage to escape, one of my secrets will be revealed. Just trust me when I say that I'm certain it's you."

"How about this?" Gravis asked. "You are the assassin, and if I'm wrong, may Heaven kill me right here, right now!"

Gravis' voice echoed throughout the horizons with conviction.

After the echoes vanished, only silence remained.

Nothing had happened.

Finally, the Sect Master sighed. "How are you so sure that you are even willing to swear to the Heavens?" the Sect Master said, his entire aura changing. 

Would Arc have killed Gravis if he were wrong?

Yes.

Arc couldn't play favorites in that sense. Such a declaration was no joke. 

Fortunately, Gravis had been correct.

By now, the Sect Master's appearance became darker with black hair, black clothing, and black eyes. His sword was replaced with two black daggers as his aura climbed a level.

"I can't tell you. It's too dangerous," Gravis said. 

How had Gravis been so sure?

All these things could have been orchestrated by two people, right? If they worked together, this could have also been pulled off. 

However, one thing was unmistakable, and it was also something that the assassin couldn't have protected himself against.

Control.

The Sect Master had displayed a fluctuating feeling of control. When he first appeared, the feeling of Control had been fluctuating violently, like he was going for a gamble. This showed that he hadn't been certain that his deceit would work.

Sadly, he hadn't had another option. If he had simply continued, he would have run out of Energy. 

In the beginning, Gravis hadn't been able to discern what this fluctuating feeling of Control meant. However, the more Gravis talked to the Sect Master, the stronger the feeling of Control became until, finally, it solidified when the Sect Master wanted to leave. 

Why would the feeling of Control become so stable while the assassin was still alive? 

It made no sense. 

Then, while Gravis was unveiling more and more things about the Sect Master and assassin, the feeling of control started shaking again. 

The assassin didn't know the Law of Control, which meant that he couldn't feel Control like Gravis could. 

Pack!

Gravis suddenly caught something, and his eyes widened.

Gravis held two daggers in his hands, and both of them had the unique fluctuations of Avatars inside of them.

Meanwhile, the assassin groaned as all the Laws associated with his Avatar were ripped away from him.

"I want to know," he said through pain. "Take it as my last request."