While a new wave of declarations of battle was sent out, the Contrast Empire had to deal with the answer of the other Higher Supreme Organizations.
The answers were very much not what they wanted nor what they had expected to hear. Even more, their answers and their conduct were in opposition to each other, especially when it came to Inner World.
The Contrast Empire could still make some sense out of the way the Array of Stars acted.
The Array of Stars said that they loved the current Secondary Sector.
Of course, the Contrast Empire asked why they had pulled out so many of their members if they liked it. The Array of Stars said that their Disciples were too talented for just one Secondary Sector, which was why they pulled so many of their members out.
According to them, Star Genesis still had a lot of longevity left.
They believed that Azure Comet would leave just when Star Genesis would become a Unique Crusher, giving her an amazing opportunity to become an overlord. The current upheaval also helped her since she could gain even more Momentum and power.
However, the answer of Inner World completely stumped the Contrast Empire.
Inner World said that they supported Azure Comet.
They believed he would become a valuable member in the field of Formation Arrays, and they wanted to see how he would develop. Yet, at the same time, they also decided against sending any of their members into the Secondary Sector.
The Contrast Empire didn't remember Inner World ever supporting an unaffiliated Formation Array Master. In fact, they were usually quite hostile towards Formation Array Masters who didn't belong to them.
Why were they suddenly supporting Azure Comet? This made no sense!
Also, again, why were they retreating from the Secondary Sector while also saying that they liked it?
Once more, the Contrast Empire asked if Azure Comet had joined any of their Organizations. He had to be one of their members, right?
Again, they received a negative answer. Both Organizations said that Azure Comet had declined their offers and that he had even said he wasn't interested in joining either of them.
This confused the Contrast Empire. All the other Organizations had sworn that Azure Comet wasn't any of their people, and now, they swore that they hadn't recruited him.
This meant that he couldn't possibly be one of their members.
But then, how had he gained so much support?
Sadly for the Contrast Empire, while these oaths made it seem impossible for Azure Comet to be one of their members, the time when the oaths were spoken made it possible.
When Azure Comet had gained some fame for the first time, the Organizations had sworn their first oath. Back then, the Array of Stars didn't know that Azure Comet was Bang or Descending Mountain. When the second set of oaths was spoken, the Array of Stars knew of Azure Comet's identity.
However, since the Contrast Empire had only asked if Azure Comet had joined any of them, they could swear that he hadn't without needing to lie. After all, he was already a member.
The Contrast Empire didn't know what to do. Azure Comet was obviously blocking the path to the Legendary Compression Realm, but all the other Organizations were happy with it.
It was too strange.
Something must be going on.
However, for now, the Contrast Empire decided against doing something.
The primary reason why they didn't do anything was Karmic Luck.
They had created the Secondary Sector, and by giving Crushers the opportunity to gain resources, they were constantly harvesting Karmic Luck. It was kind of like gifting valuables to random strangers or running a charity.
Since the big Organizations inside the Secondary Sector had become headless, the new wave of battles made the Secondary Sector a valuable source of Karmic Luck again. All the current Organizations saw opportunities and potential riches.
In short, the Seekers inside the Secondary Sector were happy, which made the Contrast Empire happy. As long as the Secondary Sector kept delivering Karmic Luck, it fulfilled its purpose, and there would be no reason to change it.
In the blink of an eye, 400 years passed.
On this day, Kyle received a diplomatic notice from the Four Dragons, informing him of something important.
He was no longer a criminal.
When Kyle read that, he sighed in relief.
"Fucking finally!" he thought. "I'm no longer stuck here! If I want to, I can just leave the Secondary Sector and go back to the Array of Stars. I'm finally free again!"
However, when Kyle kept reading the diplomatic notice, he sighed.
"Sadly, while I can potentially leave, I shouldn't," Kyle thought, agreeing with what he was reading.
"While nobody cares about Descending Mountain anymore, Azure Comet is far too noticeable. Azure Comet, by himself, is just a very talented, albeit disruptive, person. If connected with Descending Mountain, things can become troublesome."
"Azure Comet destroyed Dawnlight because they attacked first, but if the Contrast Empire sees that it was Descending Mountain, they can spin it in a different way. They can say that Descending Mountain destroyed Dawnlight because of its association with the Contrast Empire. This can be seen as a form of rebellion against the rules established by the Contrast Empire."
"Declaring Azure Comet a criminal is a bit much, but it's not indefensible. If the Contrast Empire really wants to get rid of me, they can also break their own rules without leaving evidence."
"Azure Comet is an unaffiliated power without an established enmity with the Contrast Empire, while Descending Mountain is an extremely talented member of an enemy Organization, whom the Contrast Empire has already tried to eliminate."
"Even more, Descending Mountain and Azure Comet are both extremely outstanding, but in different fields. A Fulfilled Crusher who can kill someone like Crimson Inferno is a powerful Seeker. A Fulfilled Crusher who has great talent and accomplishments in the field of Formation Arrays is also a powerful Seeker."
"However, if one Fulfilled Crusher can do both things, and if that Fulfilled Crusher is a member of an enemy Organization…"
Kyle took a deep breath.
"If they combine my identities, I might become their number one target. It might even be worth it to damage their Secondary Sector permanently just to get rid of a tremendous future threat."
"Star Genesis said that the Chief Overseer told me to keep doing what I'm currently doing. He has reactivated my Communicator, but he also says that I shouldn't contact the Array of Stars. There's a non-zero chance that the Contrast Empire can intercept signals. While there have never been any signs of them being able to intercept signals, it doesn't mean that they can't. They might just want to keep it secret for now."
"The Chief Overseer also said that the Contrast Empire won't do anything for now, but things might change at any moment. The current period of chaotic battles is useful to them, but that won't last. With time, the Organizations will become unhappy again, and the Contrast Empire might get involved."
"While they're currently respecting the opinions of the other big Organizations, only the Array of Stars has one of their members here. If they want to, they can step up and make a statement of authority. None of you have any members in here! If you're not part of the game, you don't get to dictate how the game works! If you want a say in this Secondary Sector, you must send participants! Spectators do not dictate how a game is played!"
"Of course, neither the Grand Exchange nor Inner World will send any members, and since the Array of Stars is already the Contrast Empire's enemy, they don't care about offending them."
"Even more, they can still send a team of Unique Crushers or worse."
"My time is limited, and I fear that I don't have enough time to finish my Law."
"None of the other Organizations can give me more help. They're already doing as much as they can."
Kyle took a deep breath.
"Maybe I need to ask somebody else."
Kyle's perception stretched deep into himself.
Some time later, he sensed it...
The Blessing of the Lord.
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tg://resolv?domain=StrongestHammerGod
The author's patreon. If he gets more than 1000€ per month, he will increase the number of words in the chapter.