"Kyle?" Manny asked.
"Yes, I'm still there. It's just... a lot to take in," Kyle answered with a sigh. "Frankly, I don't see a way out. I have no idea what we can do. This entire mess just seems impossible to solve."
"The odds are stacked against us, I give you that," Manny said, "but I wouldn't say that it's impossible."
"How is it not impossible?" Kyle asked. "They know what we do. The Demons know about Sebastian and his Elemental. They know that we're from the Supreme World. They have the Overseer. We can't become powerful enough to fight the strongest Demons, and even if we could, there's still the Overseer."
"We can find ways to deal with all of these things," Manny said. "When you gather problems like these in one big ball, it seems impossible to move. However, if you break it down into many smaller problems, you can find solutions for each one. The odds are bad, yes, but people have beaten worse odds."
"Are you sure?" Kyle asked with raised eyebrows. "I don't see how these odds can be any worse."
"Yes, I can think of a specific example in which the odds have been even worse," Manny answered. "The enemy was even more overwhelming than the enemy we are facing. I wasn't there personally, but I've heard about it from someone who was there."
"That's a bit hard to believe," Kyle answered.
"It's the truth, though," Manny answered. "I can't tell you the details since several of our secret methods and techniques come from the Experimental World in which this situation has occurred, but believe me, it was worse."
"Way worse."
"And you know what? They got out of this mess without help from the Supreme World. They managed to break free without any outside help."
Kyle felt a bit calmer.
"Keep in mind that Humanity also wishes to escape. Humanity is just too scared."
"A zoo-keeper will not shoot their ferocious tiger while it's safely contained within its cage. As long as the enemy believes that they're still in control, they will not pull the trigger. Additionally, they might not even know about us yet. Keep in mind that Humanity also wishes to escape. Humanity is just too scared."
"Humanity doesn't need some kind of cleansing to get rid of its corruption."
"Humanity just needs hope."
"I'm 90% sure that Humanity hasn't shared our secrets with the Demons yet. They want to see how things will develop."
"For now, we are safe. In their eyes, we have no shot at solving this problem. There's no way that six Sages can do something that all of Humanity couldn't do."
"The dangerous part comes when the first people feel some slight hope. That's when the fear of disappointment and retaliation kicks in and when things get dangerous."
Kyle took a deep breath before violently ruffling his hair in annoyance.
"Fine!" he shouted.
"Fine!" he transmitted, remembering that Manny could only hear voice transmissions now. "I have no idea how we're going to do this, but I will keep doing my best! I see no way out, but as long as you guys still hold hope, I won't capitulate!"
"That's all I wanted," Manny transmitted. "As long as you keep fighting, we will find a way out."
"I will," Kyle answered. "So, what do we do first? What problem do we solve first?"
"First, we are going to expose ourselves," Manny transmitted.
"My dick stays where it is," Kyle transmitted with conviction.
"Your clothing is the thing that will move, not your dick," Manny answered with annoyance.
Kyle blinked a couple of times. "Wait, are you serious?"
"Of course not," Manny answered with a small chuckle. "I just went along with your joke."
Kyle sighed and laughed a bit. "Okay, you got me. So, what do you mean exactly?"
"We need another layer of communication," Manny explained. "I've been saying in my messages that I'm establishing a way to contact you. If I suddenly stop sending messages, they will know that I have established my way of communication. If I keep delaying, they will also become suspicious. People fear the unknown. When they know that something's going on but don't know the details, they become nervous."
"The relay will be our true way of communicating, but at the same time, I will also establish another way. Intercepting these communications will be very difficult, but not impossible. If I make it too easy, they will realize that this is a trap. I have to make it hard. Only then will they believe that they got the better of us."
"Your first and most public identity will be a normal but talented soldier with a True Sin Aura."
"Your second identity will be a member of the Supreme World that works with Humanity. You have to use this identity when talking to Major Sovignor and some others. You have to show that you want to fight for Humanity, but you also have to say that you need to keep some things secret. The fewer people who know, the better."
"Your third identity will be a fake-true member of the Supreme World. We will be talking about sensitive things and making it seem like we're distrusting part of Humanity. However, we will still state clearly that we want to free Ayuvar. We just don't trust all of Humanity."
"Your fourth identity will be your true self, and you can only use it when interacting with the relay. Even if we meet physically, you can't expose your true self. Overhearing voice transmissions is far easier than overhearing the messages sent by the relay."
"In the beginning, your identities will all follow the same path, but the more time passes, the more their actions and intentions change. For example, your first identity might go to the frontlines to train, while your second identity actually goes there to gain Merits, which your third identity needs to accomplish a purpose, but that purpose is just a ruse for what your fourth identity wants."
Kyle understood what Manny was talking about, but all of this was just too much.
Sure, he was smart, and his brain was very quick, but he didn't even know how he could do one thing that could fulfill four different purposes.
What was he even supposed to say?
"Not sure if I can do that," Kyle answered. "I'm more of a fighter, you know? I'm not exactly a spy."
"It won't be difficult," Manny transmitted. "You just have to say what I tell you to say and do what I tell you to do."
Kyle felt a bit uncomfortable when he heard that sentence. That was a bit... strict.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but as far as I know, I'm supposed to be the muscle, and I'm pretty sure that I know how to improve my power the best," Kyle answered.
"I know that," Manny answered. "It's not like I'm going to tell you how to improve your power. I know that you know best. You just have to tell me what you want to do, and I will try to find a way to incorporate your actions into your identities."
Kyle sighed in relief.
"Sure, I can work with that. So, what do you want me to do first?"
"Return to Major Sovignor. While you're on your way, tell me everything that has happened ever since we got here. I need to know what you're working on and how quickly you're improving."
"Sure," Kyle transmitted before he resumed his journey to Forward Base 198.
The author's patreon. If he gets more than 1000 per month, he will increase the number of words in the chapter.
/user?u=27791050