Maybe 6-7 ways?
The Countess and the Chief Overseer.
Two very important Immortals who controlled two very important parts of two very important Organizations.
Killing them would cause chaos in large areas, giving the Cult an opening to cause even more havoc. If these two died, the Cult could attack many other parts.
Of course, the other parts of the powers would quickly react, but they would have to react without a prior plan or proper information, which would leave their counterforces open to more attacks.
When Kyle thought about the soft power he currently had, he felt nervous.
It was like giving a person, who really hated a second person, a button that could end that person's life. Yes, maybe the person always wished to do that, but when the button was actually in front of them… when they felt the surface of the button… when they felt its give… it felt intimidating.
One press.
One act.
And something horrible would happen.
"I don't want the Chief Overseer to die," Kyle said. "He helped me a lot."
Kyle didn't make a comment about the Countess.
"You also don't want the Countess to die," the Lord said. "I want you to know two things. First, the value of this information is already several times higher than what we have invested in you so far. If I received this information, assuming I hadn't made the oath, I could deal with you, and the Cult would have made a significant profit."
"Second, the fact that I am talking about this proves my honesty. If I simply kept quiet, I could have gained something, and you would have essentially died. I wouldn't even have broken my oath."
'I would've died?' Kyle thought. 'I mean, yes, maybe they could have connected the Cult's attack to me, but there are too many people who are involved. Even more, there were so many ways in which the Cult could have found out about the arena. They can't pin me down as a traitor with just that. At most, I would be one of the suspects. I don't see how that would mean that I have essentially died.'
"You didn't realize it yet?" the Lord asked. "Assuming the world views this assassination as a crime, how would you divide the guilt amongst the parties? Is the Cult 100% at fault?"
Kyle's eyes widened, and he took a deep breath.
'Oh, fuck!' he thought. 'Yes, the Cult would probably get 90% to 95% of the guilt, but I was the one who would have told them. Part of the guilt would fall on me!'
Killing a Fulfilled Crusher reduced Kyle's Karmic Luck by an entire level. Killing two Immortals… even if he just received 5% of the guilt…
The Lord could see that Kyle knew what he meant. "You wouldn't be able to recover until you're an Ascendant, and that's assuming that you dedicate your entire life from now until then to gathering Karmic Luck."
"But how would you do that? You would be stuck in the Hell Dimension until then. There are not many people you can help there, and the people that you can help don't deserve help, according to the rules of Karmic Luck."
"I could have asked you about the information while promising that you would receive many Contribution Points, and you would have most likely given it to me."
"This is one of the primary reasons why Parasites only gather information when they have reached the end of their path. Giving us information comes at a heavy price paid in Karmic Luck."
The Lord moved his head slightly to the side. "But on the other hand, this would also take care of your current situation."
Kyle remembered the last words Swamp Dragon had spoken to me. "Right, a friend said that there are two ways to solve my current situation."
The Lord nodded. "There are four, in fact."
'Four?' Kyle thought. 'I can't even think of one!'
"Your friend most likely referred to the different Dimensions," the Lord said. "Sages can descend to the Beast Dimension without any issues. It's not difficult for them to keep watch over the Beast Dimension."
"However, while they can also enter the Elemental Dimension, they won't dare. Even I have to be careful in the Elemental Dimension. Elementals do not enter the Immortal Dimension when they reach a certain level of power. They stay in the Elemental Dimension. Only Ascendants can remain there for some time, but it's still very dangerous for them."
"Getting to the Hell Dimension with your own power requires you to travel through the Elemental Dimension, and the Contrast Empire will not take such an immense risk to deal with you. As long as you can get to the Hell Dimension, you can escape the Secondary Sector. After that, you just have to increase your Karmic Luck again to return to the Main Dimension."
"That's your first way of escape, but it comes with some problems. Right now, the Contrast Empire can't justify deeming you a criminal, but if you condense Sin Flames or a True Sin Aura, they can justify it. In that case, you will never lose your status as a criminal."
Kyle scratched the side of his head in discomfort. 'I mean, it is an option. It is a way to get out of this mess, but it comes with its own set of problems.'
"The second way is to get to the Hero Dimension," the Lord said. "Gaining enough Karmic Luck to enter the Hero Dimension will also easily get rid of your status as a criminal. The Contrast Empire will not keep watch over the Hero Dimension, and even more, you can descend from the Hero Dimension whenever you want."
"Of course, the problem is getting there in the first place. Reducing Karmic Luck is easy. Gaining Karmic Luck is difficult."
'Yeah, nah,' Kyle thought. 'How would that even work? Not even Swamp Dragon has a True Hero Aura, and he helped so many people.'
"The third way is to give us the information about the secret battleground," the Lord said. "Your Karmic Luck will be ruined, but you are still one of our members. Your job as a Parasite will end, and you will have more Contribution Points than you can use for a long time. Whether or not you decide to keep working with us in the future will be up to you. We will always be willing to work with you."
"If I had just taken advantage of you earlier, we would have lost all goodwill with you, and that would have eventually ended with your death. Yet, if you choose to accept the trade willingly, knowing what's at stake and what it means for you, you will still have a home."
'That would mean never seeing any of my friends again,' Kyle thought with a sigh. 'That also sucks.'
"The fourth way is the most direct one."
"Deal with it. Stay in the Secondary Sector and grow more powerful. As long as you're the strongest Crusher, the Contrast Empire won't be able to touch you."
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