With Karl in the sky above the mountain now, instead of standing directly on top of it as most did, the damage had been largely mitigated.
However, the ferocity of the storm had not.
The eighth round of tribulation did not come immediately after the seventh, instead it was building, gaining power as if it had estimated what Karl could take and was willing to adjust to ensure that he did not escape without damage.
The very world around him seemed to shake as Karl absorbed the impact of the eighth round of lightning, while the glow on his scales increased to a nearly blinding level.
Remi, now satisfied that she had read everything that there was to read about the process of advancement to Immortal, a vague passage that took only two paragraphs, cheered for the lightning.
[The book says that more is better. Just keep it going and don’t let it stop. Though, it might also just stop on its own. The book didn’t say.]
That couldn’t be accidental, Karl knew. Someone knew the answer about why the Tribulation worked the way that it did, or at least what were the signs of a powerful advancement.
But they had withheld that information, even from the few books that did mention the process.
Golden flickers of light filled the sky, and static electricity crackled as the storm surged, and wind began to pick up around Karl at gale force.
That was different.
There was a storm around Dana, but primarily it was just the lightning. The fact that it was beginning to turn into a real natural disaster, beyond the mountain range that had been damaged by the lightning, was more than a little concerning.
But the Immortals who were spectating didn’t move, they simply watched from the distance as the tribulation built toward a peak.
The eighth round began much like the seventh, only the power of the tribulation lightning seemed to suck all the mana out of the air around it, turning everything to lightning as it collided with the [Eternal Lightning Barrier].
Thor was quite proud of that.
Lightning on Lightning, the barrier was perfect for the role, and eight rounds in, it was still standing, even if it took as much mana as Karl could move to keep it up.
That didn’t bode well for the ninth round, and the clouds had paused again, while they turned a brilliant gold, the same colour as Karl’s scales in dragon form. The tension in the beast spaces was palpable, as they all absorbed the influx of power, unwilling to give up even a little bit.
Karl had made it to where Dana did before they started getting any, so it should be fine. He definitely had enough to make it to Immortality.
His body was being buffeted by the winds, as if the storm was trying to force him to exit the tribulation storm in any way possible, but Karl held himself stationary as the lightning prepared to strike one more round.
The lightning came again, and the world vanished in a blinding white light.
Karl’s ears rang, the world spun around him, and he was vaguely aware that his defensive barrier had fallen before he instinctively put it back up just in time for the next strike to take it down again.
Then again. Over and over, long after he had lost count of the strikes.

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