Kyle nodded with an impressed expression.
'That takes a lot of balls,' he thought.
Naturally, Kyle felt a bit bad about destroying Long Transformation's Momentum, but what was he supposed to do?
Die?
Nah.
Long Transformation bowed politely. "I have once been sent to one of your Tertiary Worlds by the Contrast Empire to ruin it. I have taken many of your resources, and I have killed several of your talented Disciples."
"Please, give me a chance. I feel no loyalty towards the Contrast Empire anymore. The long time I have spent in the Tertiary World has already soured my relationship with them, and when the Countess abandoned me, I lost the last remaining bit of loyalty."
"I am willing to defend your territories from the Cult of Final Fate without any pay. I simply wish to battle your enemies so that I may gain value in your eyes and so that I may regain my lost Momentum."
"I am even willing to swear an oath."
Kyle looked at Long Transformation with a surprised expression.
Taking an oath was a big deal.
The Chief Overseer closed his eyes and remained silent for a couple of seconds.
"You are not going to die today," he said.
Then, he opened his eyes and glanced at Kyle. "I don't want to reward his gains with punishment. If he didn't care about you, he would have killed you."
Long Transformation looked at Kyle, who just looked back with a sheepish grin.
He could have killed her.
But he hadn't.
"Why didn't you?" Long Transformation asked.
Kyle shrugged. "I didn't want to. Honestly, if I had a choice, I wouldn't even have fought you. Well, technically, I had a choice. It was just that I already accepted the challenge before knowing your identity, and by then, it was already too late."
"Also, I think you could've also killed me," Kyle added. "You fight with your mind way more than with your body. That constant pain must've weakened you quite considerably. I would've probably lost if you had decided to stop unlocking your eleventh Cluster."
Long Transformation's brows furrowed. "Did you notice that during the fight?"
"Nah," Kyle answered immediately. "I was fully in the zone. I even forgot that you were also unlocking your eleventh Cluster. I only thought about that afterwards."
Long Transformation remembered the time she had met Kyle for the first time.
Back then, he had carefully walked into her castle.
He had seemed so dorky and uncertain back then.
But over the years, he had grown much more powerful. In her mind, Kyle seemed like a good guy.
He seemed like someone who wore his heart on his sleeve.
If he said he wanted to do something, he would do it.
It was a bit refreshing to meet someone on her level who didn't constantly try to play the political game.
Due to Long Transformation's unnaturally long life in comparison to her Realm, she hadn't been able to properly connect with her peers.
She hadn't had any meaningful social contacts.
And yet, as she looked at Kyle…
She felt like she was looking at a friend.
"Long Transformation," the Chief Overseer said, and the other two looked at him. "I am willing to give you a chance. You have cost us many resources, but I hope that you will be able to repay your debt in time."
"Thank you," Long Transformation said politely.
"Don't thank me yet," the Chief Overseer said. "You offered to make an oath, and I am willing to take you up on that offer. I am willing to take a chance on you, but I need some insurance."
Long Transformation took a deep breath. "I understand."
The Chief Overseer nodded. "I want you to swear that you will do your best to repay us in a reasonable way. I do not want your effort to repay us to cannibalize your growth. As soon as you have repaid your debt, you are free to be a normal member."
Long Transformation looked at the Chief Overseer in surprise.
This oath was surprisingly lenient.
She wanted to do these things anyway.
"I can do that," she said.
Long Transformation made her oath, and the Chief Overseer nodded.
"You may join the Array of Stars as an Outer Disciple. Since you have kindly offered to fight against the Cult of Final Fate, I will take you up on that offer. I will send you to one of our Disciples as an assistant. I want you to follow him into every mission he takes, and I also want you to take up missions of your own volition. If you want to increase your Momentum again, this is the best way."
When Kyle heard that, one of his brows rose. "Is it Swamp Dragon?"
"Yes," the Chief Overseer said.
Kyle took a deep breath as he looked at Long Transformation. "Man, I don't envy you. Joining Swamp Dragon's quest for a better world is going to be a lot of work."
Long Transformation looked at Kyle with surprise. "You know him?"
"Oh yeah," Kyle said. "He's one of my best friends. He fought so many Seekers from the Cult already that his Momentum reached crazy heights, and he's not even doing that for his Momentum. He's just very morally driven. "
Long Transformation took a deep breath.
This Swamp Dragon sounded like a very intimidating and valiant person.
Even Kyle and the Chief Overseer seemed to hold him in high regard.
"I said I would do my best, and I don't intend to renege on my promise," Long Transformation spoke with conviction as she looked at the Chief Overseer.
The Chief Overseer nodded. "I hope you succeed."
Then, he looked at Kyle. "As promised, you have no duties until you become a Crusher. After this battle, your Momentum should also be powerful enough to become a Unique Primal. The odds should be acceptable."
"But that's not where you are going to stop, right?" he asked.
"I guess not," Kyle said with a shrug. "I mean, would be cool if I could become a Legendary Primal, but I still have no idea what I need to do to become one."
"As it is supposed to be," the Chief Overseer said. "What I can tell you is this…"
"You're on the right track. Keep doing what you've been doing."
When Long Transformation heard that, she looked at Kyle in surprise.
She had entertained the possibility that Kyle might become a Legendary Primal, but hearing her suspicions echoed by the Chief Overseer still surprised her.
Could he actually do it?
The Chief Overseer looked at the two. "If Long Transformation manages to survive and regain her Momentum, she will become a Unique Primal, and I will promote her to the position of Inner Disciple."
"When all of you advance, there will be a selection of new jobs, and I'm willing to include her in your current team, Meteor Hammer. Would that be okay for you?"
"Oh yeah," Kyle said. "She's already going to be working with Swamp Dragon. Would be cool if we could do some stuff together."
The Chief Overseer nodded.
"Then, let's return to the Array of Stars."
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