Gravis waited for a while in front of the gate of the Freya Clan. The guards were unsure about how to act in his presence. Were they supposed to apologize? Were they supposed to be friendly? Were they supposed to bar him from entry? The lack of communication from the Patriarch made them unsure.
After a couple of minutes, Lasar came out of the gate together with Reginald, the Grand Elder. When Gravis saw Reginald, his emotions didn't stir. This was the person that had attacked him, but by forfeiting his debt, the matter with the attack was over. Right now, they were only strangers looking at each other.
Reginald saw the uncaring neutrality in Gravis' eyes and sighed. He would be happier if Gravis were angry at him. The fact that he might have cost Joyce one of her investments due to an error from his side made him feel guilty. His error had implicated his student. This was the thing that a good master and teacher hated the most.
"Gravis," Lasar said. "I think we have a way to resolve this. After all, you have thought about your debt for over a year and even stopped your breakthrough just for the sake of repayment. All your previous work and your stopping of your breakthrough will be wasted if your plans change now. Don't you agree?"
Gravis thought about this for a while and realized that he had invested quite a bit. It would really feel like a waste. On top of that, if he returned to the Lightning Sect now, it would feel awkward to talk with Old Man Lightning again. After all, they had already emotionally said their goodbyes.
So, Gravis nodded. "What's the solution?"
"Reginald attacked you, but he didn't attack you with the intent to kill. So, let's make this simple," Lasar explained. "Just attack Reginald without the intention to kill. Reginald has already agreed."
Gravis looked at Reginald for a couple of seconds.
Reginald stepped forward and went into a battle stance. "One attack, but I will also defend. Give me your best shot!"
Gravis closed his eyes and concentrated on his emotions. As he thought about regaining his debt, his lightning became angry again, but when he decided to punch Reginald, it calmed down again. Apparently, his lightning was fine with that.
BANG! BANG!
Gravis' feet exploded with lightning as he shot forward with unreal speed. While accelerating, his Will-Aura also activated, slowing Reginald down considerably. On top of that, the attack came so suddenly that Reginald didn't even have time to react. Gravis punched him in the chest but didn't unload his lightning. After all, Reginald also hadn't used his loaded weapon in the fight.
The punch hit and destroyed several ribs. Reginald was thrown back into the Freya Clan and flew for about a hundred meters until he hit a house. The house was very stable, but it was not made to withstand attacks from Spirit Forming experts. Therefore, Reginald destroyed the house, broke several walls, and finally stopped when he hit the next one. The impacts obliterated his spine.
Gravis wiped his knuckles on his shirt. "You attacked me with your full power without your element, and I've done the same to you. The matter of your attack is now forgotten."
Lasar saw this and smiled wryly. The intent behind the attack was more important than the actual damage. Therefore, Gravis attacked with the same intent as Reginald had. Unfortunately, due to their strength difference, the result was completely different. That punch really looked like it hurt.
BZZZZ!
Some lightning appeared, and Reginald was back to full health. One shouldn't forget that the Freya Clan cultivated Life Lightning. Reginald stood up and spat a big mouthful of blood to the side. Usually, Reginald would become angry if someone attacked him with such a powerful strike, but right now, he was only relieved that his error in judgment didn't implicate his student's gains. As a good master and teacher, this was more important to him than his health.
Gravis also released a sigh. Forsaking his debt was a solution, but not one that Gravis was entirely happy with. After all, the debt had also included Joyce. Resolving the issue by forsaking his debt wouldn't have felt clean to him. This solution was way more acceptable.
"Thanks, Lasar," Gravis said.
Lasar chuckled a little. "Don't mention it. We'll see each other again in a couple of years. I'm looking forward to your fight with Heaven and what becomes of this world." Lasar didn't say this out loud because things like this shouldn't involve the Freya Clan's people.
Gravis smiled at Lasar and nodded. "Just wait for me!"
Lasar smiled, summoned his own Lightning Board, and then drove back to the Lightning Sect. "See you soon."
"See you soon," Gravis sent back.
After some seconds, Gravis turned back to the front gate. The guards were very nervous by now. They had heard the people speaking, but it still felt unfair that their Grand Elder was majorly injured while Gravis didn't even lose a hair. Should they defend their Clan's honor?
"Let him pass," Reginald said as he walked back to the front gate. He stopped in front of Gravis and looked at him. "Everything alright now?"
Gravis nodded. "I'm fine with the resolution. So, anyway, I came to repay my debt to you and Joyce. You've helped me in the past, and I owe you a big favor. I specifically came at this time because I think repaying you in the resource war is the best way."
Reginald furrowed his brows. "With your strength, this really is the best way to repay us. But originally, Joyce didn't intend to partake in this year's resource war. After all, she is still in the initial Stage of Spirit Forming. She planned on joining the resource war in ten years."
Gravis also furrowed his brows. "She is still in the initial Stage?" he asked, and Reginald nodded. "I still remember that she was inside the Energy Gathering Realm when we had met. Is my cultivation speed really that fast? It doesn't feel like it," he asked himself more than Reginald.
Reginald wasn't happy at all when he heard that. To him, it felt like Gravis was insulting his best student. If he weren't completely sure that Gravis had no such intention, he would've become very unfriendly.
"So, how am I supposed to repay my debt?" Gravis asked.
Reginald turned around and gestured for Gravis to follow him. "There are many ways on how you can do that. I think it would be best to ask Joyce herself. After all, you are indebted to her, not me."
Gravis shrugged and followed Reginald. They walked for a while and then passed some of the Seed Stage cultivators that had just regained their consciousness. When Reginald saw that, he got reminded of Gravis' Will-Aura. "How strong is your Will-Aura?" he asked.
"I can compress it to around 13%," Gravis said.
Reginald furrowed his brows in unhappiness and turned to him. "Only a compression of 13% wouldn't be enough to achieve that."
Gravis blinked in confusion. "Now you're confusing me. I am pretty sure that I have the third most powerful Will-Aura in this world, only being behind the High Priest and Heaven itself. How can that not be enough?"
Reginald's confusion increased, but then he opened his eyes wide in shock. "Wait, you meant you have a Unity Will with a 13% compression?"
"Yeah, what else?" Gravis asked.
Reginald took a shaky breath. He had thought Gravis only had a normal Will-Aura with such a compression. Gravis' Will-Aura was ridiculous! Such a Will-Aura on someone in the Seed Stage already surpassed the category of monstrous and strived into the territory of a parody or a joke. That's how unreasonable it was.
Yet, Gravis' Will-Aura would need to be about this strong to knock out someone at the same Stage as himself. The proof was right before him, so, even if it was even more ridiculous, he had to believe it.
"How did you achieve that?" Reginald asked.
"Lots of life and death fights. The fact that I charged into the Darkness Sect while still being in the Seed Stage should give you an inkling of my personality," Gravis commented.
Reginald had forgotten that Gravis was still in the Seed Stage. Right, how insane would someone have to be to fight alone against a whole Sect? Even with Gravis' power, such a fight seemed more akin to suicide than to tempering in Reginald's mind. Reginald wondered how Gravis was actually still alive. Reginald could only credit Gravis' miraculous survival to luck. After all, Gravis had to be incredibly lucky to survive so many fights.
They stopped talking as they entered the castle. Even though the situation between them had been resolved, the atmosphere around them was still a little loaded. It was hard to become friendly with someone that had just broken many of your bones.
Reginald and Gravis walked up some stairs until they stopped before a wooden door. The door had several ornaments that looked like vines around it. When Gravis looked at the door, he felt it emanate a feeling of friendliness and compassion.
"This is the room of the next Patriarch, or Matriarch in Joyce's case. As soon as she reaches the Sapling Stage, she will take over the Freya Clan's leadership. Just a quick warning from my side. Joyce has probably watched everything that happened, and with her compassionate heart, she will probably think of you as a heartless barbarian. After all, you injured her teacher," Reginald explained.
Gravis' expression didn't change. "Her feelings towards me are irrelevant. I am here to repay my debt. Friendship is not a necessity for that."
Reginald sighed when he heard that. "You're really cold, you know that? Can't you show an emotion other than rage?"
Gravis looked at Reginald, his face still unchanging. "I won't stay in this world for much longer. Building a friendship or relationship will only make it harder when I leave in about five years or so. Nothing is more important than power."
Creak!
The door creaked as Gravis opened it and entered.
Reginald remained silent for some seconds and sighed. 'I know, but you don't have to be such a cold asshole about it. Sometimes, people just want to be happy and talk to each other. Constantly reminding everyone of the cold truth of the world doesn't help and only creates a depressing atmosphere.'