Kyle pulled Swamp Dragon and Star Genesis behind him. He was, by far, the fastest. As long as he kept retreating with them, the five Fulfilled Crushers chasing after them wouldn't be able to catch up.
Star Genesis had already informed every member of Explosive Karma that the Organization was dissolved and that everyone should leave the Secondary Sector as quickly as possible. Explosive Karma also had Communicators, but they weren't nearly as good as the ones from the Array of Stars.
It was over.
Explosive Karma no longer existed, and all the members would scatter.
They no longer had any connections with each other.
As the three of them retreated, Swamp Dragon looked back at the four people lagging behind them.
Searing Spark, Compound Storm, Stalwart Conviction, and Electron Stream.
While Searing Spark was fast enough to escape from the chasing Fulfilled Crushers, the other three weren't.
The Fulfilled Crushers would catch up to them and kill them.
Explosive Karma had not slighted Dawnlight in any meaningful way. Everything had happened according to the established rules. On top of that, the three members were much weaker than the Fulfilled Crushers.
By killing the three members, the Fulfilled Crushers would lose an incredible amount of Karmic Luck. There was a chance that they would just ignore the three of them to chase after Kyle and his friends.
Yet, there was also another possibility.
If the Head of an Organization gave an order, the followers wouldn't receive any damage to their Karmic Luck. Instead, the Head would absorb all the negative Karmic Luck.
However, as the Head of an Organization, they also represented the Organization as a whole. According to how the Head worded the order, it was also possible that the entire Organization would absorb the negative impact.
Dawnlight had Karmic Luck to spare. Killing a bunch of Major and Advanced Crushers would barely impact their Karmic Luck.
As Kyle watched the Fulfilled Crushers getting closer to the three slowest members, he furrowed his brows.
'We no longer have any connection,' he thought. 'The Head of Dawnlight is probably also rushing to this place, and he's much faster than all of us. By engaging in another battle, I might waste too much time. If the Head catches up, I will die.'
'It's not my problem if they die. I have done nothing wrong, and I don't need to die for a couple of people I barely know. I'm not a hero.'
And yet, Kyle didn't feel good about his decision.
He kept reasoning with himself, saying that it was completely within his rights to leave. He wouldn't even lose any Karmic Luck, which meant that the world also agreed with his reasoning.
'Just go. What would I even get out of helping them? They are not strong enough to have any impact on my future, and I wouldn't get any meaningful resources out of the dead Fulfilled Crushers. They're not as rich as Crimson Inferno.'
'It's a risk with no reward.'
'I have a goal to achieve. I need to become stronger, and I need to be alive to become stronger. I don't have time to gamble with my life if there's nothing to gain from it.'
Kyle gritted his teeth.
'I can't stop here! I need more power! With more power, I can finally be free and do whatever I want.'
Then, Kyle's eyes widened.
'Do whatever I want. I want to do whatever I want.'
He glanced back at the three members of his former Organization.
'Right now, I want to help them. That's what I want to do. We don't really have any connections anymore. They are strangers.'
'But they were also part of the Organization I made with my friends, and I don't want them to die.'
'I want the ability to do whatever I want to do.'
Kyle stopped moving.
'And I have that ability right now!'
Star Genesis looked with urgency, confusion, and anxiety at Kyle.
Why did he stop?!
They needed to flee!
Meanwhile, Swamp Dragon smiled peacefully.
'I trusted that you would come to the right decision,' Swamp Dragon thought.
If Kyle hadn't stopped, Swamp Dragon would have stopped to help the other three. In his mind, as the Disciplinary Elder, it was his job to uphold the values of their Organization.
He knew that he would have died, but his morals were more important than his life within reason.
"You continue," Kyle transmitted to Star Genesis and Swamp Dragon. "I'll buy you some time."
"Are you sacrificing yourself again?" Swamp Dragon asked with a voice transmission.
"Nah, not this time," Kyle transmitted with a smile. "I'm just going to fuck off as soon as I'm done. Also, I already got everything I need. I don't have to go back to Explosive Karma, which is why I'll be fleeing in a different way."
"You better hurry up. If the Head chases after you, you might be the ones who die."
Star Genesis gritted her teeth.
Kyle was crazy!
Why was he taking such a risk for some random people?!
"Come to your senses!" Star Genesis transmitted. "This is not worth it!"
Kyle glanced at Star Genesis. "Oh, it's definitely not."
A smirk appeared on his face.
"But it's what I want to do."
BANG!
Kyle shot towards the three fleeing members.
Star Genesis gritted her teeth. She wanted to chase after Kyle and help him. He might have made an absolutely stupid decision in her mind, but she also didn't want him to die.
Yet, Swamp Dragon just grabbed her and kept retreating.
Star Genesis looked at Swamp Dragon with anger, frustration, and confusion. "Why are we retreating?! Our friend is in danger, and you're running away! I thought you would be the first person to follow him into danger!"
However, Swamp Dragon just smiled calmly.
"I'm not helping him because I trust him," he answered. "He's far stronger than either of us, and he told us to retreat. I believe that he knows what he's doing."
Star Genesis gritted her teeth.
It was difficult for her to accept Swamp Dragon's words.
Star Genesis was someone who valued control a lot. Things that she couldn't control made her nervous. As long as she could control something, she knew that everything would work out.
That didn't mean that she wanted to control her friends. She knew that her desire for control could cause immense rifts between them. A friend who was under one's control was not a friend but a servant.
She wanted to help Kyle. If she weren't there, so many more things could go wrong.
She didn't want to lose Kyle, which was enough of a reason to chase after him into danger.
Yet, she had to admit that Swamp Dragon was right.
Kyle was stronger than they were, and she had to trust in his judgment.
She didn't like it. Her emotions didn't support it.
But she listened to her logic and reason.
Star Genesis pulled her arm out from Swamp Dragon's grasp and flew with him by herself.
She decided to trust Kyle.
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