Lightning Is the Only Way

The months passed under the constant training. Joyce became progressively more powerful, but she still wasn't ready to face someone two complete Stages above her. Yet, she had made incredible progress, and her Battle-Strength was now on the same level as Manuel.

Nero was also rather impressive. He was only a small bit behind the other two, but he was still very powerful. People like them couldn't even be classified as Ascender's Talents anymore. They were all already beyond that, just like Gravis.

Joyce and Manuel also managed to condense level two Unity Wills. Now, even if they completely stopped tempering themselves, they would still be able to ascend. Their wills were just as powerful as Gravis' will when he had been in the initial Stage of Spirit Forming. This showed their abnormal power.

Sadly, they didn't have Gravis' unique connection to their elements, which made them lack just that little bit of reaching his level. Tempering would also become progressively more difficult after they left the Heaven's Trial.

Due to Gravis fighting a priest and also having his unique Tree Stage, he had a considerable edge in regards to his will. Even if those two had level two Unity Wills already, they wouldn't be able to condense a level three Unity Will in this lower world. There was just not enough tempering for them.

After nine months, the door to the last trial opened. The group looked wordlessly at each other and nodded with motivation. This would be their last trial and also their most difficult one. After that, they would get their reward and leave the Heaven's Trial.

The atmosphere between Gravis and Joyce was awkward. Both knew what the other thought, but none of the two wanted to give word to their feelings. Joyce was romantically interested in Gravis, but she knew that he wouldn't accept her advances.

After the door opened, the group walked through the door and stopped in the small hall. This time, there were four doors in front of them, each door having a big '1' above it. Everyone would need to get through the trial by themselves. The team could no longer fight together.

When they saw this, they sighed. Their paths would split again, and no one knew who would survive this trial. Nero was the first person that went into his trial. He wordlessly entered, not because he didn't care for his friends, but because he trusted in their power. There was no sense in saying goodbye since they would all see each other again shortly.

Manuel had long noticed the awkward air between Joyce and Gravis, so he was the second one to leave. With a wink and a wave, he entered his door. After that, only Gravis and Joyce were left.

"Joyce," Gravis said slowly as he turned to her. Joyce looked back at him with uncertain eyes. "After this trial, I want to talk with you. I think I have a solution that we can both live with," he said. "I'm not sure what you will think of this solution, but I guess that you will be happy with it."

Joyce put her hands to her chest in surprise. "What? Really?" she asked with hope.

Gravis nodded with a smile. "Yes. I've had a long time to think, and I have a solution, but I won't tell you until you manage to overcome the last trial. Take it as a motivation to come out alive," he said. "Get through this, and we might have a future."

Joyce felt her emotions bubble inside her and nodded with a heartfelt smile. "Yes," she said.

Then, she took a deep breath and turned to her door with fiery eyes. "This trial won't stop me!" She turned to Gravis one last time. "Just wait for me!"

BANG!

Joyce charged through the door without a second thought, and like this, Gravis was alone again. Yet, in comparison to all the other times, Gravis didn't feel alone. Right now, he felt like all his companions were fighting with him. They would soon meet each other again.

Gravis took a deep breath. "Nine months in the fourth trial, just one month short of me reaching the Self Stage," he said. "You are probably worried that I would break into the Unity Realm. Then, this trial won't be able to hold me. This last trial is truly your last and ultimate weapon, huh?"

Gravis laughed a little. "It doesn't matter which enemy you send at me. You are not able to send stuff at the Unity Realm at me, so no matter what you send, I will just stomp over it. I really wonder what you have prepared for me."

After Gravis said that, he entered his door.

After around a minute of walking, Gravis felt the air vibrate. He was still inside the hallway, yet the air was already bursting and moving with Energy. Gravis kept watch over his surroundings and narrowed his eyes. "What a powerful Formation Array," he said.

Such movement of the Energy could only come from a powerful Formation Array, and Gravis also felt the complexity. Normally, Gravis was able to discern some functions of a Formation Array based on the movements behind it, but everything that happened right now was way too complex.

Gravis even guessed that the Formation Array surpassed this world's limit. Such complexity shouldn't be possible for a lower world. "You've asked for help from the highest Heaven, huh?" Gravis said. "Something like this is too complex for you. Yet, if the highest Heaven agreed, it's probably not against the rules. Now, I'm interested."

After a couple of minutes of walking, Gravis felt something happen that he thought was absolutely impossible. He even stopped moving when he felt it. He would have never expected that something like this would happen.

"My Karmic Luck is increasing," Gravis said as he looked at the ceiling. "I wonder, why are you suddenly increasing my Karmic Luck? What's your plan?"

Of course, no answer came.

After some seconds, Gravis continued walking, and after walking for some more minutes, he reached a door. He opened the door without waiting and entered.

BANG!

The door closed behind him, and Gravis looked at his new surroundings. Instead of a big arena, like the previous trials, he was inside a light-blue space. He couldn't see a floor, walls, or ceiling. Everything was just blue, like the world went on for infinity.

Yet, this was not what surprised him. There were two doors, other than his own, that were about a kilometer apart from each other. One door, obviously, lead to the core of the Heaven's Trial, while the other had his opponent.

Gravis immediately knew which door the opponent came from. That was because he already saw his opponent standing near the middle of the "arena", his back to one of the doors. Gravis' eyes narrowed as he saw his opponent.

Near the middle of the arena, Gravis watched as his opponent arrived. He had stepped into the arena first, and his opponent had come later. His eyes narrowed as he saw his opponent seeing him.

On one side was a young man with whitish-silver hair and crossed eyes.

On the other side was a young man with whitish-silver hair and crossed eyes.

One had Karmic Luck.

The other didn't.

Both Gravises looked at each other with narrowed eyes.

"So, this is Heaven's great plan," they both said at the same time.