Kyle thought about these words.
Instinctively, he wanted to say that he didn't want any part in this.
However, he couldn't deny that he needed their help.
He needed resources to become stronger.
Without resources, he couldn't grow, and everything belonged to someone already.
He was benefiting from the world the God had created. Without this world, he wouldn't exist.
The Cult also had its resources, and accepting them would just mean taking resources from them as well.
"Well," Kyle said, "I just want to do my own thing. I just want to keep growing stronger and do whatever I want, but I can't do that without help. Taking stuff from others makes me feel indebted to them, and I want to pay them back."
Kyle shrugged. "But as you've said, I'm a weasel. If I need to take something, I will do just that."
"Taking stuff," the man repeated. "That doesn't sound like taking stuff. It sounds more like you want to trade."
"Yeah, exactly!" Kyle said. "I need something, but I want to give you something in return."
The man nodded. "A trade doesn't form bonds. After the trade is done, neither party has any obligations to the other party anymore."
Kyle just nodded.
The man smiled as he poured himself another cup of Burning Heart.
"Kyle."
Kyle's heart shook when he heard his true name spoken by the man.
He had never told him his actual name!
"You want to be powerful," the man said. "You train and train and train without end. Improving yourself seems like the most fulfilling activity."
"When Theodor trained you, you started to love the feeling of improvement."
"When you had a True Sin Aura in your Tertiary World after causing a massacre, you trained with even more desperation."
"When the Cult sent you to the Array of Stars, you still loved training."
"You love the feeling of growing stronger."
Kyle's heart beat in his chest.
How did this guy know all of these things?!
"I want to ask you something," the man said.
The next moment, he opened his hands.
At the same time, Kyle felt like something was torn out of him.
It was painful, but he could deal with the pain.
A black sphere came out of Kyle's body, and it hovered above the man's hand.
Kyle had never seen this thing in its true physical form before, but when he looked at it, he still recognized it.
The Lord's Blessing!
This guy had taken the Lord's Blessing out of his body!
"Without this thing," the man said, "the Cult has no power over you anymore. "
"You're very good at suppressing your inner pain, but deep inside, you know that you don't want to betray the Array of Stars."
"It's not because you are loyal to them. It's because Sebastian and Swamp Dragon are members of the Array of Stars."
"They are your friends, and they're important to you."
"If I take this thing away, you will be free."
"You can stay in the Array of Stars or leave and join a different organization."
"And you do not need to betray any of them."
"Think about your friends. Think about your power. Think about your training. Think about your future."
Kyle thought about all of these things.
"Without this," the man said. "How do you feel about your training?"
"Or, more precisely, how do you feel about becoming stronger?"
Kyle took a deep breath with closed eyes.
'How do I feel about becoming stronger? I wouldn't need to betray anyone. I could just do what I want.'
But then, Kyle thought about the God.
When that happened, Kyle noticed a difference in his feelings.
"I get it," Kyle said with a sigh. "I can see what you're doing."
"Yes?" the man asked with a smile.
"I'm so fucking stupid," Kyle said as he hit his forehead with his palm. "It's so fucking obvious!"
The man just smiled silently.
"Yes, I love growing stronger," Kyle said. "Yes, I love the feeling of improving myself."
"But that's not enough for me to go as hard as I have been going. Do I like constantly destroying my body just to improve the speed of my training a little bit?"
"Just a couple of minutes ago, I would have said yes, but honestly, I was just coping."
"I was just forcing myself into thinking that I like it, but that's not true."
"While the feeling of improving my power is amazing and satisfying, after you've told me to think it over without the Lord's Blessing, I realized something."
"Yeah, I still want to grow stronger, but at the same time, something was missing."
"The difference is urgency."
"Right now, I want to be stronger."
"But earlier, I felt like I needed to be stronger."
"One is a hobby. The other is a necessity."
"What I actually want isn't power but the benefits of power. More precisely, one benefit."
The man looked at Kyle with interest. "And that is?"
"Freedom," Kyle said.
"I've been pushed around left and right. One power after the other wants me to do stuff, and I just don't want to. If you tell me to do something, I don't like doing it, but if you just ask me to do something and give me the freedom of choice, I might do the same thing happily."
Kyle furrowed his brows. "I just want to have agency."
"I want the option to say no without being killed."
"Just let me do my thing. I won't force you to do stuff, and you won't force me to do stuff. I can help you a bit, and you can help me a bit."
The man smiled. "Power without a reason is empty. Power is a tool, not a goal."
"What's your goal?" Kyle asked.
The man's demeanor suddenly changed.
Earlier, he had seemed like an experienced, friendly, and casual guy.
But now, his eyes had suddenly become deadly serious.
Kyle could feel the intensity of the man's underlying conviction.
"Doing what's right," the man said deeply.
The next moment, his smile returned, and he seemed just like before.
The man's smile seemed just as genuine as his determined expression.
Yet, for some reason, Kyle felt like he had only seen the man's true self when he hadn't been smiling.
"Do you want me to remove this?" the man asked, gesturing to the Lord's Blessing.
Kyle wanted to say yes.
But then, he realized something.
"I need it," he said. "Yes, I want it removed, but I need it. For the moment, as funny as it sounds, I need to need power."
"Without the constant pressure and suppression, I wouldn't have become as strong as I am right now, and if I don't reach the absolute top in terms of power, there will always be someone who forces me to do things I don't want to do."
"If I relax, I will never be truly free. That's why I have to force myself into a situation that doesn't allow me to relax."
The man smiled, and the next moment, the Lord's Blessing went back into Kyle's body.
"But you know what you want now," the man said.
Kyle nodded.
The next moment, the man stood up and put all his belongings away.
Kyle could see that he was preparing to leave.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Why do you want to know?" the man asked back.
"Because I feel like I owe you. I feel like this was an important conversation," Kyle said.
The man chuckled. "In my opinion, you do not owe me, but that doesn't matter. As long as you believe you owe me, you will want to repay me."
"How about this?" the man asked. "If you feel you owe me, you can pay me back, and you decide what counts as payback."
"That sounds good," Kyle said with a nod.
"As for my identity," the man said. "I'm not telling you, but if you ever reach the Immortal Dimension, we might meet again. At that point, maybe you can repay me with whatever you feel is appropriate."
Kyle furrowed his brows.
"What side are you on?" Kyle asked.
The man chuckled as his body became illusory.
"As far as I'm concerned," the man transmitted.
"Both Gods are the enemy."
Then, the man's body vanished, and Kyle was left alone.
He still had no idea who this guy was or why he had appeared.
Kyle only knew one thing.
This was the most powerful 67 person he had ever seen.
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