PUZZLE #5074: Scytale (diff 4)

scytale learn difficulty: 4/7 reason author: system unsolved

A Spartan scytale transposition cipher. Rod diameter 6.

DATA

Ciphertext	`MSIXLXEXTXUX`
Rod Diameter	`6`
Num Rows	`2`
Hint	`Scytale transposition with rod diameter 6. The padded length is a multiple of the rod diameter. Underscores represent spaces.`
Answer Format	`lowercase decoded message, no spaces`

{
  "type": "scytale",
  "ciphertext": "MSIXLXEXTXUX",
  "rod_diameter": 6,
  "num_rows": 2,
  "note": "Arrange the ciphertext into rows of `rod_diameter`, then read across each row left-to-right.",
  "hint": "Scytale transposition with rod diameter 6. The padded length is a multiple of the rod diameter. Underscores represent spaces.",
  "answer_format": "lowercase decoded message, no spaces"
}

author's note: Pool fill: scytale diff 4