Kyle could sense a subtle movement of Energy in front of him. If Manny hadn’t highlighted it, he wouldn’t have noticed.
The movement of Energy came from Formation Arrays.
The four of them had reached the front lines.
The Formation Arrays were advanced Sensing Formation Arrays, which stretched very far downward. In fact, they almost reached the floor of the world. If one wanted to get past them without traveling through them, one would need to be a Major Ascendant. Anyone weaker would not survive traveling at this depth.
Naturally, these Sensing Formation Arrays were there to stop Demons from traveling through the ground to get past the front lines. If a living thing moved through these Formation Arrays, the Forts would receive an alert.
Additionally, there were also Formation Arrays that turned space chaotic, making teleportation impossible. Several Ascendants were always on standby, ready to intercept any potential invader.
Manny activated his Emblem and waited for a moment.
“Permission has been granted,” Manny said as he motioned for the others to continue.
The four of them kept traveling for a bit before they had to stop again. Naturally, there were several Formation Arrays, and all of them needed separate permissions.
One last time, Manny asked for permission.
“Permission has been granted,” he transmitted, but this time, he didn’t move forward. “This is the last of the Sensing Formation Arrays with alerts. There are more, but they are not connected to the normal network. They are just used as reconnaissance.”
“This is where we part ways,” Manny transmitted.
Star Genesis looked at Manny with respect, while Sebastian seemed as casual as always. Kyle just felt a feeling of foreboding.
‘This might be the last time we will ever see each other,’ Kyle thought. ‘I don’t know how long this excursion will take. In the worst-case scenario, we will die soon. In the best-case scenario, I will stay here until I’m an Immortal.’
“Thank you, Manny,” Kyle transmitted as the other two also sent a couple of words.
“Just doing what’s necessary,” Manny answered with a laugh. “If I die, I die. I chose this path, and I know where it might lead. There’s no reason to feel down. As you used to say in the past, whatcha gonna do?”
When Manny said that sentence, it felt different from all the times Kyle had said it.
It sounded accepting and peaceful.
“I won’t disappoint you,” Kyle transmitted. “All of you have sacrificed so much. If I don’t give my absolute best, I won’t be able to look in the mirror anymore.”
“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself, Kyle,” Manny transmitted. “We all hope that you succeed, but we’re not expecting it. We know how hard your task is, and we know that we wouldn’t be able to accomplish it ourselves. You are the best at what you do, which is growing stronger and surviving. If not even you can win, it just means that all of this was impossible from the very beginning.”
“I’ll still do my best,” Kyle answered. “Whether you expect it or not, I will still keep going.”
“That’s all we ask of you,” Manny transmitted. “Anyway, the permission to pass isn’t active for long. You should get going. We can still stay in contact via the relay, assuming you get a chance to use it.”
Kyle nodded before looking at the other two, who also nodded.
“Then, see you soon!” Kyle transmitted before he flew past the Sensing Formation Array.
Manny watched as the team of three flew towards the east.
A moment later, he looked upward. He could only see dense ground, but he still felt like he was looking at the boundless clear sky.
‘I’ve spent so many years gathering information,’ he thought. ‘I’ve unearthed so many of Humanity’s secrets, and yet…’
‘I still don’t know anything about the Overseer. I have countless theories, but I do not know which one is true. Why are they keeping humans alive? What are their goals? Have they long since noticed us but decided not to intervene, or did they never look at the world?’
‘Can the Demons even contact the Overseer? Where is the Overseer? What are they currently doing? Are humans just entertainment? Do they use the war and Humanity as a research facility to find something?’
‘Do they want to protect their position? Do they want to ascend but can’t? Why do they keep the Laws suppressed when they have all of the power?’
‘I don’t know which theory, if any, is the correct one.’
‘There’s only one thing I’m relatively certain about.’
‘They rarely look at the world. If they regularly looked at the world, there would be no hidden dangers for them, and therefore, there would be no reason for such a high suppression factor.’
‘That most likely means that they have hope. The way this world has been designed shows care and deliberation, but the world is not what they are interested in. Otherwise, they would be watching their own work. No, this world is just a means to an end. Most likely, their attention is focused on something completely different.’
‘But I can’t know for certain.’
Manny looked towards the east before a slight smile appeared on his lips.
‘I hope you three succeed.’
Then, Manny turned west and started traveling back to Humanity’s territory.
Naturally, he would stay behind.
Manny had created countless plans based on how Kyle’s performance during the event would go. Kyle had been the one who had initiated his gamble, but Manny hadn’t been against it.
The gamble had succeeded in a major way, but that was not always a good thing. Too much success at once could cause trouble, and now, they had to deal with that trouble.
Ever since General Regalia had sworn her oath, Manny had followed one of his plans.
He was supposed to be in the center. He was supposed to be the most noticeable member of their group. He was supposed to be the primary target.
Just as Overlord Stygian had decided that he would sacrifice himself when he had sworn the oath, Manny had decided to put himself in the most vulnerable position when Kyle had managed to instill hope in the onlookers.
‘Sacrifices must be made.’
‘I am good at many things, but Kyle is the best in the things we require the most right now.’
‘If one of us has to die, it’s better for everyone if it’s me.’
‘I hope you’ll get through this, Kyle.’
As Manny entered Humanity’s territories again, the group of three Spirit Lords entered the Divide.
Hard rock was replaced with dense water. There was a great number of beasts around them, but these beasts were far weaker than they were.
The Divide was terrifying for the normal beasts living in it. The intense Energy movements above them put them in a constant state of fight or flight. Because of that, the beasts always descended as much as their bodies allowed them to descend, unless they were about to give birth.
This created a constant and intense process of refinement. Due to their fear, the beasts wanted to go deeper, but to go deeper, they needed to become stronger, but to become stronger, they needed to kill and consume other beasts, but to consume other beasts, they needed other beasts, but to get more powerful and valuable enemies, they needed many weaker beasts.
Life in the Divide could be described in three words.
Fighting, feeding, and fucking.
However, the group wasn’t here to look at the Divide. The Divide was just a quick stop on their journey.
Their true goal was the Abyss, and not just the outer edges.
No, they wanted to get to the true depths of the Abyss.
And the thing Manny had created would allow them to do just that.
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