Star Genesis looked at Swamp Dragon with a cold gaze while answering Manny. "I don't think this is an option anymore. I want to travel with people I trust, and I can't trust him."
"You don't need trust," Swamp Dragon said. "There's no need for trust if you have control. I am willing to swear multiple oaths."
Star Genesis took a deep breath of annoyance. She wanted to tell Swamp Dragon to get lost. She even wanted to kill him.
However, she also knew that this was not the smartest decision. The unknown world had been unknown for millions of years. Thousands of talented Seekers have been sent there. There had also been teams with similar levels of talent to theirs. If they wanted to succeed, they needed all the help they could get.
"I am willing to accept this compromise," Star Genesis said before looking at Manny, "but I don't know anything about you or your secretive Organization."
"If you want, you can ask Bang," Manny said with a smile. "While he doesn't know about our Organization, he has met one of our leaders."
Star Genesis turned to Kyle with a raised brow.
Kyle looked at Manny. "I've been keeping this person and our conversation secret because I don't want me or anyone close to me to die. Are you saying I can share my conversation with them?"
"Of course," Manny said. "He never said you had to keep his identity secret, right?"
Kyle sighed. The mysterious man truly hadn't said that.
"Fine," Kyle said before turning to Star Genesis. Then, he talked about the conversation he had had with that mysterious man, including the existence of the Gods and how they had started this war.
Swamp Dragon and Manny already knew about all of this, but Star Genesis, Fierce Breaker, and Sebastian didn't.
When everything was unveiled, the mood changed.
Sebastian looked at Swamp Dragon with a disgusted sneer. "Would you look at that? You sound just like the God of this Cosmos. For the so-called greater good, you're willing to sacrifice yourself and everyone else around you. I thought you were against him. Shouldn't you support what he's doing?"
"Innocents shouldn't be involved," Swamp Dragon said, "and before you ask, none of you are innocent. You've chosen your side by coming here."
Meanwhile, Star Genesis looked at Manny. "How powerful is your backer? Can they rival the two Gods?"
Manny shook his head. "Not even close. The gulf between a Demigod and an actual God is insurmountable. The God of this Cosmos has the power to eradicate all of us within a single second."
Kyle took a deep breath, while a small light appeared in Star Genesis' eyes. "Then, why hasn't he?" she asked. "He doesn't sound like someone who keeps enemies around, even if he doesn't view them as threats."
Manny smiled. "Why do you think? I think you already know the answer."
"He's not here," Star Genesis said.
Kyle's eyes widened. 'Fucking hell! That makes so much sense! I thought he was busy with something, but it could totally be that he's just literally not here!'
"Correct," Manny said. "He's busy fighting the God of the Cult of Final Fate. He's been doing that for a very, very long time. He doesn't have the time to look at his Cosmos."
"Why are there unknown worlds? Why are there human worlds that have turned into beast havens? Why are there worlds that never produce any Immortals, even though that is their entire purpose? Why is the Cult still here? It's because this system wasn't built to work without an owner for such a long time."
"This Cosmos serves as the God's primary source of power. The more powerful Seekers this world has, the stronger the God is. While the God of this Cosmos is trying to exhaust the God of the Cult, the God of the Cult is trying to exhaust the God of this Cosmos by sending members of the Cult into it."
"However, this is not an equal battle. The God of this Cosmos is more powerful than the God of the Cult. In a way, this is not a battle but a chase. If the God of this Cosmos wins, the other God dies. However, if the other God wins, the God of this Cosmos won't die. Since the God of this Cosmos is in a more dominant position, he can retreat before it's too late."
"If the Cult weakens this Cosmos too much, the God will return as well. Either way..."
"Everyone working for the Cult of Final Fate will die."
When Kyle heard that, cold sweat ran down his back. After all, even if he didn't truly consider himself a member of the Cult, someone like this God wouldn't care.
"How do you know that?" Fierce Breaker asked with furrowed brows.
"Our leader told us," Manny answered casually.
"And how does your leader know that? He's not a God," Fierce Breaker asked.
"There are ways," Manny answered with a smile.
"And you know these ways?" Star Genesis asked from the side.
"Nope," Manny answered with a laugh.
"Then, how do you know that there are ways? This seems like a closed system," Sebastian said. "How can any information from the outside reach the inside?"
"This is not a closed system," Manny said. "If it were, the Cult wouldn't be here. While the Peak Organizations here might not hear anything from their God, the same thing isn't true for the Cult. Their God regularly sends in new people."
"Why are you telling us this?" Sebastian asked. "Are you expecting us to join?"
"You can join, but you can also refuse," Manny said.
"And if we refuse, what then?" Sebastian asked. "Will you kill us?"
"No," Manny said with a light smile.
"Will you force us to swear an oath to keep all of this secret?" Fierce Breaker interjected with a question.
"No," Manny said.
Star Genesis' brows furrowed. "Then, how can you be sure that these secrets don't spread?"
"We don't need oaths for that," Manny said with a laugh while rubbing the back of his head. "Think about it. Do you truly think none of the leaders of the Peak Organizations know about us? Do you think they wouldn't want to get rid of us? They've reached the peak of this Cosmos by following its rules. They wouldn't want the rules to be changed. After all, they're very good at playing with the current ruleset."
"Of course they know about us, and yet, we're still here."
"If we were bad at keeping secrets, you would've already heard about us."
Star Genesis took a deep breath. That was a terrifying amount of power.
"So, now that all of you have heard a bit more about us, what's your decision?" Manny asked. "Do we continue with the current plan?"
Star Genesis furrowed her brows. "Do you know anything about the world we are traveling to?"
"Nope," Manny said. "We're just as blind as you. Compared to this Cosmos, that unknown world is actually a closed system. The closet might have a hole, but the box inside the closet doesn't."
"What about the Cult?" Kyle asked. "We can only enter because they allow us to. Yes, we can still tell them everything about the world, but entering while knowing that our sponsor won't get anything leaves a bad taste in my mouth. They've treated me well, despite their goals and origins."
Manny just smiled. "Alright, what if we tell them everything, and they still sponsor us?"
One of Kyle's brows rose in skepticism.
Manny just laughed. "Do you think we only have members in the regular Cosmos?"
"We also have plenty of strong members in the Cult."
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