Affinity: Chaos

Chapter 2213: Lightning Tree

They finalized the agreement, and Grey promised to set up the teleportation arrays before he left the Inner Court.

”I believe you would want to receive your reward now?” the silver Thunderbird asked.

Grey nodded. ”I have to leave soon. I still need to visit other regions before I return.”

”Don’t you think it would be wiser to lay low after this?” the silver Thunderbird said. ”The Gnomes will want you dead even more than before. Why not remain in the Inner Court for a few months and cultivate here? They would not dare approach while we are protecting you.”

Grey shook his head. ”I can’t stay in one place for too long. You’ve already seen how much my presence can change a battlefield. I know I’m only one person. I can’t decide the outcome once the real Half-God battles begin. All I can do is limit our losses and keep as many people alive as possible for as long as I can. If the humans lose at that level, everything I’m doing now will mean little. Even if we win, no one can say how many will still be standing.”

The silver Thunderbird studied him for a moment, then gave a small nod. She would not force him to remain if he had already decided otherwise.

”Come.”

The two Thunderbirds flew out of the tree. Grey and Reynolds followed Sir Astarot as they headed toward the southern part of the clan’s territory.

A few minutes later the group stopped, and both Grey and Reynolds came to a halt at the same time.

In front of them stood a tree formed entirely of living lightning.

It rose higher than the surrounding canopy, its trunk a thick, twisting column of condensed blue-white bolts that never stopped moving. Branches spread outward in jagged arcs, each one crackling with nested streaks of lightning that coiled and snapped like living vines. Instead of leaves, the tree held countless fine filaments of pure electrical light that swayed and flickered as if stirred by a wind no one else could feel. The entire structure pulsed with a deep, steady rhythm, giving off the unmistakable sense of life even though no ordinary wood or sap existed within it. Lightning fell around it in a heavy, continuous veil, thick enough to make the air itself feel charged and oppressive, yet not so dense that it hid the tree. The massive form remained clearly visible through the storm, every pulse and shift of its living lightning easy to follow. The essence in the air was so pure and heavy it felt almost liquid against the skin.

”Wow.”

Grey and Reynolds spoke at the same time. Even Void, who was rarely impressed by scenery, stared without his usual sarcasm.

”How did it end up like this?” Grey asked Sir Astarot.

”Even the Thunderbirds don’t fully know,” the old Dragon replied. ”Some claim it is the birthplace of the first Thunderbird. That part, at least, is false.” He finished with a low chuckle.

The two Thunderbirds shot him sharp looks but said nothing.

They were still nearly a kilometer away, yet the tree dominated the view. The pressure of the lightning essence here surpassed anything Grey or Reynolds had encountered before.

Reynolds remembered Sir Astarot’s earlier warning about only one week and finally understood. They had trained in a lightning pool before and had assumed any place rich in lightning essence would feel similar. This was on an entirely different level.

His Elemental Warrior appeared beside him without being called. Its body buzzed and flared brighter, feeding on the surrounding energy. The two Thunderbirds watched it with open interest. They had seen Reynolds merge with it during the battle and had been impressed, but Magical Beasts could not become Summoners. Such a companion would forever remain outside their reach.

Grey stretched one hand into the outer edge of the falling lightning. The essence felt almost solid, and the shocks that ran up his arm were sharp and clean. For a moment he was reminded of the lightning region inside his Chaos Space. The density was different, but the purity was comparable.

”This is as far as we go,” the silver Thunderbird said. ”Do not rush straight to the trunk. Start from the outer range and move inward only as you adapt. The moment you feel you can no longer endure it, leave immediately.”

Grey and Reynolds both nodded and offered a short bow. ”Thank you.”

They exchanged a glance. Reynolds’s Elemental Warrior sank into his body and merged fully with him. Grey, less restrained, pulled off his upper robe and tossed it aside, leaving his upper body bare. The two of them tipped their heads back, laughed once in shared excitement, and stepped into the storm.

They dove straight deep into the lightning region.

Void followed right after them. He also had the lightning element and was yet to reach the Ninth stage of the Sovereign Plane, he had no intention of wasting an opportunity like this.

Sir Astarot watched the three disappear into the storm and chuckled. ”Leave them. The boy knows his limits.”

The silver Thunderbird nodded. ”I know. He is also stubborn. A warning still does no harm.”

”Hmph. If he gets himself injured, so much the better,” the blue Thunderbird muttered.

”You should not wish harm on our benefactor,” the silver Thunderbird chided coldly.

”Look at how valuable he is,” the blue one replied. ”Keep him here until he reaches the Half-God Plane. A Half-God with his ability would let us clean the Gnomes out with far less effort.”

Sir Astarot shook his head. ”I suggested something similar to his father the last time we spoke. Lucas told me Grey is not the kind who can sit quietly in one place and cultivate in peace. He grows through the difficulties he faces. The best we can do is watch over him when he is nearby and try to keep him from dying.”

He had known for some time that Grey could stop Gnomes from using their puppets. Even without understanding the exact method, that single fact already made the young man as strategically important as many Half-God experts. Because Grey had refined a Dragon’s blood essence, Sir Astarot had once hoped to keep him in the Dragon Mountains and accelerate his growth. After hearing Lucas’s words, he had chosen to let Grey walk his own path.

The two Thunderbirds continued to watch the sea of lightning in silence. Whatever thoughts they held, they kept them to themselves.

Sir Astarot did not remain. Grey had already listed the materials required for the teleportation arrays and they had agreed on the locations. The old Dragon left to begin preparations so everything would be ready by the time the two young men finished their training.