Lightning Is The Only Way

Gravis had just been in a pretty depressed mood, and then Joyce just had to come up and leave that comment.

"Listen," Gravis said with a heavy voice and annoyed expression. "I know that you have issues, but keep your issues to yourself while others are in a bad headspace. You only make enemies by acting like this."

Joyce only sneered. "Making enemies? Since when are Cultivators afraid of making enemies? In comparison to you, I'm not afraid of making enemies. Enemies only make me more powerful."

"And how has that worked out for you up to now?" Gravis asked. "You only just reached the Star God Realm. Everyone else is more powerful than you, and they also don't act like insensitive assholes."

Joyce immediately gritted her teeth. Gravis had hit her weak point. "Insensitive? Listen to your own words. We kill others to become more powerful, and you complain about someone being insensitive."

"Additionally, you don't even have the right to feel bad. All of these people died because of your stupidity! You were the one that decided to do something idiotic, and everyone else paid the price for it," Joyce said with a cold smirk.

"You're right," Gravis said coldly. 

Joyce's smirk vanished.

"I am partly at fault for all these deaths. However, I have never forced them into battle. I have never forced them into war. I haven't even asked for their help except for some God Stones."

"All of these people had taken on these dangers out of their own free will. The Myriad Sect doesn't forbid people from leaving the Sect or not fighting in a war. Yet, all of them were willing to put their lives on the line for me."

"They are my friends, and I'm privileged to have them. I would also do the same for them!"

"Also, don't forget that you have also fought for the Myriad Sect. I also see you as a friend, even if your intention was not to save me. So, stop spouting this bullshit before you lose your last friend in this world."

Joyce's emotions were going wild. She could feel nervousness, rage, hatred, and frustration.

"Last friend? Who needs friends!" Joyce said with a snort. "Friends only make you weak! You can only rely on yourself to the path of power! If someone stronger than you attacks you, you can only rely on your own power!"

"To a certain degree, you're right," Gravis added emotionlessly. "However, that's exactly why people band together and form Sects. They stand together because they can't remain safe alone. If someone stronger than you attacks you, you will die, but having a backing will dissuade these people from attacking you."

"The life of a Cultivator isn't only fighting, Joyce," Gravis said. "We also need peace to comprehend Laws. We need others for our equipment and resources. Throwing your friends and the help of others away for some stupid purity on your path to power is not brave. It's just stupid. I've learned that."

Gravis' words hit Joyce where it hurt. She even felt a tinge of regret inside of herself.

Yet, that little bit of regret was stomped out by an avalanche of hatred and anger.

"You're really a hypocrite," Joyce said with a snort.

Gravis had just wanted to walk past her, but he stopped and turned around.

"You say backing is important? Why is it important in your mind?" Joyce said with a cold smirk. "Isn't it because you just so happen to have the strongest backing in the Cosmos?"

"You have the strongest backing, and you say backing is important. To me, it simply sounds like you're relying on your backing to deal with all of your problems. You use your backing as your shield and your weapon."

"What's the difference between you and that one Ancestral God that just died outside our Sect?"

Gravis walked up to Joyce and looked deep into her eyes.

Joyce became anxious, but her demeanor didn't falter.

However, surprisingly, Gravis didn't even appear that angry.

"You don't even believe these words yourself," Gravis said slowly. "You know that your words are empty. If you know it, and I know it, what's the point of even saying them?"

Joyce hadn't expected such an answer.

She had expected Gravis to become angry, but he hadn't gotten angry.

"You said these things, knowing fully well that they are a pathetic attempt in riling me up," Gravis said calmly. "It's not a good attack. It's not a good manipulation tactic."

"It's just you grasping for straws. Why? Because you're helpless in actually doing anything to me."

"You're weak."

Joyce's rage exploded, but she somehow couldn't muster the courage to attack Gravis right now.

"And you know what? The thing you just talked about has happened. You just managed to make someone stronger than you attack you. Yet, since you have a relationship with that person and since you are a member of the Myriad Sect, your attacker won't attack you."

"If you were someone unaffiliated to me, you would have already died by my hand," Gravis said slowly.

"When you try to call me weak-willed and too emotional again in the future, Joyce, keep one thing in mind."

Gravis only emotionlessly looked into Joyce's eyes.

"Even in the lower world, I have killed far more living beings than you have killed in your entire life, and the living beings I killed in the lower world aren't even numerous enough to be relevant for how many I have killed after that."

After saying that, Gravis turned around and left.

Mortis only watched the two of them neutrally.

When Gravis' eyes left Joyce's eyes, something inside her broke.

Joyce took out her saber as uncontainable wrath exploded in her being. All her control left her body as she slashed at Gravis.

Joyce activated all her Laws as she attacked Gravis with her full power.

This was a genuine attack aimed to kill Gravis.

Mortis didn't react.

When Joyce unleashed her attack, Gravis simply turned around.

BANG!

Heavenly Lightning exploded on Joyce's saber, breaking it into many pieces.

PACK!

Gravis' hand grabbed Joyce by her throat as he pulled her closer. His Will-Aura made it impossible for her to move.

Joyce tried to do her best to fight against Gravis' Will-Aura, but she couldn't do anything.

She was helpless.

Gravis only coldly looked at her as she fought against Gravis' suppression.

This continued for nearly a full minute.

There was only silence in the hallway since Joyce couldn't even make a sound.

After a minute, Joyce managed to regain control of herself.

Gravis looked into her eyes, and he could perceive part of her emotions. She was a Star God now, which made it impossible for Gravis to see through all of her Law fragments, but he could still discern a lot.

There was no regret.

There was only disdain.

In Joyce's mind, Gravis didn't have the guts to kill her. 

In her eyes, Gravis was just as pathetic as he had always been.

Gravis calmly blinked once.

"Let's see if someone is willing to save you," Gravis said with an emotionless tone.

Then, Gravis clenched his hand.

Joyce's head was squeezed off, and it fell beside her body.

Joyce's mind filled with horror and terror as she realized that her Spirit and Life Energy were quickly vanishing into nothingness!

She was dying!

Gravis turned around and walked away, leaving Joyce to die.

She wouldn't be able to survive on her own, and Gravis wouldn't save her.

Someone else had to save her.