My setting is above yours!

Chapter 17 Evening Bell Saintess
"Ow!!!"

A piercing roar came from the war golem. Still savoring the taste of the corpse servant, it fell from the ceiling in pain, writhing its limbs haphazardly like a giant spider falling from its web.

It was powerless to resist.

Even a Sequence 8 superhuman being is still made of flesh and blood. If caught off guard, being hit by a dozen rifle bullets would only turn it into a sieve.

But this is clearly not the end yet.

The flesh spider twitched in place, but it did not die.

The new flesh gradually filled the holes in its body caused by the stones, and soon the wounds were completely repaired.

However, the newly grown flesh and blood were noticeably more fragile than before...

The flesh and blood used to repair the wound were pale and flabby, barely plugging the opening like an inflated balloon, but with a hint of cracking.

I'm afraid it will break open again after just a couple of simple touches.
However, it is clear that war golems, which are low in intelligence and are merely puppet creatures constructed by superhumans using their supernatural abilities, have no way of realizing that they are already seriously injured.

It propped itself up with its numerous limbs, then looked furiously in the direction from which the stones had been thrown—

A young man in prison clothes was calmly walking up the steps, tossing and catching two small stones in his hand, seemingly not caring about himself at all.

Humans, arrogance... food!
It glared menacingly at the man before it, its compound eyes, formed by its shriveled head, now stained with blood. It opened its massive maw and charged straight at him!
...but I can't keep up.

Its once-proud speed couldn't keep up with the person in front of it at all. A gust of wind suddenly blew up, pushing the person away from its mouth time and time again.

It tried to shoot out blood-red, hair-like needles to grab the guy, but every time it shot in front of him, it would be inexplicably bounced off, turning back and piercing itself with countless bloody holes.

It was furious, it was ferocious, it…

It was at a loss.

It's going to die.

After its actions were repeatedly distorted in incomprehensible ways, and after being riddled with pebbles, the intense pain finally overwhelmed the war puppet's rage.

The survival instinct surged within it, making it cower and dare not approach again...

It opened its mouth wide, and spat out one of the twisted remains that made up its body, tentatively placing it in front of the man—

Then, the previously shriveled and grotesque corpse suddenly became round and plump, like an inflatable doll, seemingly returning to its appearance before death...

It was a girl who looked pitiful. She kowtowed to the man, making meaningless, indistinct sounds, as if she were begging for mercy.

If people didn't know that her true form was a fleshy spider attached to the back, they might feel pity for her.

But Ron just stared coldly at the "girl" in front of him, at her lifeless eyes that seemed to exude an aura of death...

Then, he snapped his fingers.

A ghostly green necromantic flame suddenly rose from the floor, and upon closer inspection, it was clear that it was from the very spot where Ron had just stepped.

Now, the necromantic fire has formed a tight circular cage, trapping the already dying war puppets within...

"Woo..."

It only had time to let out a mournful cry before it was engulfed by the eerie green flames and swallowed into the sea of ​​fire.

The girl who was spat out was also engulfed by the eerie green flames, but before she was completely burned to ashes, Ron could clearly see a trace of relief in her lifeless eyes.

ended.

Ron looked at the Dimensional Update Manual—

[The "Setting: Personal Reality" is being eroded by excessive "occult influences."]

[Performance impairment: 43%]

[Note! When this setting is uninstalled due to corruption, "Occupation: Superpowered Person" will also be corrupted and uninstalled at the same time.]

Ron has done his best.

He tried his best to avoid direct combat with the war golems and also tried to use the [Gravekeeper] and [Psychic] classes interchangeably, but he still suffered wear and tear penalties due to using class settings that conflicted with the current version.

Forty-three percent...

It's within an acceptable range.

After all, all I need to do next is interact with that saintess, and the remaining 57% durability should be enough.

However... the Sequence 8 war golem does not seem to exceed Ron's strength.

During the battle with the war golems, Ron had already realized that if he were in the Ideal City, where he could use [Vector Manipulation] without restrictions,
This seemingly ferocious and terrifying monster is nothing more than a stray dog ​​on the roadside in front of [Vector Manipulation], which can be kicked to death with one kick.

However, in the "Potion Era," the output of [Vector Manipulation] needs to be limited, and its usage frequency restricted, otherwise it will quickly become worn out by the version updates...

Indeed, in each version, the ability to conflict with the version can only be a temporary trick, but the most important foundation is still the ability to adapt to the version.

Ron seemed lost in thought as the cold, burning necromantic fire before him gradually died down, the deep green flames completely incinerating the war puppet, turning it into snow-white embers.

A notification popped up in the Dimensional Update Manual:

[Enemy defeated: War Puppet!]

[Because you defeated the enemies of the world's "Potion Age," you have unlocked a new record.]

Ron saw a new interface pop up on the screen, where a hideous corpse spider was hiding in a dark corner, spitting out the corpse of a girl and making her stand in the light to attract attention.

[Primitive Extraordinary Creature: War Golem]

"Sometimes, you will see a lifeless girl or child seeking your help."

But behind them are extraordinary creatures, drooling and gesturing with desire—

These are war puppets, twisted creatures stitched together from various human body parts.

[War] The superhumans create these to show everyone that war... means using any means necessary.

Inherent settings—

【Rage】: The evil magic of [war] infuses vitality into the remains of the dead, transforming them into grotesque flesh puppets, filling them with rage, and devouring all life that can be consumed.

【A Thousand Faces】: The countless remains provided them with a vessel to unleash their cunning malice... Different corpses were made into alluring bait, luring their prey into their trap.

[First defeat of the enemy "War Puppet," setting extraction in progress.]

[Setting Excerpt: A Thousand People, A Thousand Faces]
Every cunning scheme requires a myriad of masks. You twist your own body, learn the tricks of a puppet, and create a thousand different masks.

[Upon loading this setting, you will possess the special ability of a war golem, allowing you to transform your face and body into whatever you desire.]

As expected, killing the war puppet will grant you new settings, just like killing the husk.

However, what about the concept of "a thousand people, a thousand faces"?
This doesn't seem to be a capability that can help in combat...

Ron seemed to be deep in thought, when suddenly something came to mind—

If he could use this setting to change his appearance...

So, is it possible for him to impersonate the old magician and participate in the upcoming magic commission?!
Ron hadn't forgotten that there was another problem waiting for him in Ideal City that was about to erupt.

He had been struggling with how to cover up the old magician's death, and had even considered where to seek refuge if he were exposed to the Magicians' Association.

But now, none of that is needed anymore.

—If he can use his "Thousand Faces" ability to impersonate the old magician and complete the commission the old magician accepted from the Magicians' Association, wouldn't that prove that the old magician is still "alive"?
At that time, the Magicians' Association won't even realize the old magician is dead! Ron could even do something even better—

After the commissioned costume is casually revealed to everyone that the old magician has obtained the forbidden book, the costume is then suddenly vanished...

So, in the eyes of the Magicians Association, does the old magician become a sinner who violated forbidden scriptures and absconded with the money?

Their attention will likely immediately shift from Ron, the "master thief" who may be carrying forbidden books, and fall entirely on the old magician who is already dead!

...This is truly a timely and helpful scenario.

Ron couldn't help but smile.

Let the Magicians' Association search for a dead man who disappeared while carrying a forbidden book; just don't let it affect his university life...

However, there's no time to think about what to do after returning to Ideal City.

Although Ron was very careful, the battle with the war golems still caused quite a stir.

The knights who were lured away by the corpse servants will probably return soon to check what happened here.

Although Ron wasn't afraid of them, his durability was already running low, so he had to use it sparingly...

He didn't want to waste too much time due to a moment of carelessness, causing all the settings to be damaged and forcing him to return to Ideal City and wait for half a month to repair them.

—By then, it will be too late for anything!

Ron knocked on the door when he reached it, but there was no response no matter what he did.

...Is that saintess not in a conscious state right now?
Or have they been restricted in their ability to move?

Ron pondered for a moment, and after confirming there was no response, he kicked the door open.

He pushed open the door and immediately smelled a fresh scent, like gardenias.

Soft morning light streamed through the faded velvet curtains and fell on Ron's face. Beside him was a dressing table inlaid with mother-of-pearl, on which gilded statues and carved incense burners were piled haphazardly with cosmetics, covering several sheets of draft paper filled with numbers and symbols.

Looking around, Ron saw a bed, a wardrobe, a dressing table... the small room could only hold these things, and he felt quite crowded standing there.

On the small bed in front of him, covered with silk cushions, sat a young girl dressed in a white robe with gold thread, holding a cross in her hands and praying.

The morning light outlined her porcelain-white profile, making the pearl earring on her right earlobe gleam with a soft glow.

Unfortunately, the girl's arm bore obvious cuts from a sharp weapon, slightly shattering her beauty.

Clearly, this is Idrila, the "Evening Bell Saintess" of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary.

...No wonder she's called a saint.

Ron thought to himself, if the word "holiness" were personified, it would probably be this girl.

However, after examining it closely for a moment, Ron noticed something amiss.

This saintess... why does she look so "human-machine"? She's practically an unconscious praying NPC.

If a normal person sees their door kicked open and a guy in prison clothes walk in, they wouldn't act like they didn't hear anything, right?
She didn't even glance at Ron; she simply held the crucifix shaped like crossed swords, murmuring a secret prayer...

Wait, a prayer?
What exactly was the prayer being recited?
Ron frowned, listening intently, and finally managed to discern what the saintess was saying in her murmured words—

"The ritual of chasing fire... the ceremony of chasing fire..."

"The great master of war, the beating heart of strife, the source of all struggle..."

"Sacrificing the flesh and blood of living beings...leading the warriors of [war]..."

"I beg you... to bless me..."

"Let me become... the one who carries on the flames of war..."

What is she saying?!

Ron took a step back in surprise, frowned, and took out the secret letter, reading it carefully again.

That's right... According to the letter, this saint should have been deceived. Why would she say something that sounds like a sacrificial ritual prayer?
Did she willingly sacrifice herself? What a joke...

Ron frowned thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered the two knights who looked like statues he had just seen at the bottom of the spiral staircase.

Like the saintess, they unconsciously murmured about the contents of the fire-chasing ritual.

Could it be that... this saintess herself, like those two knights, has fallen into a state of being manipulated?!

He immediately loaded [Embers of the Divine Era] and activated Magic Vision—

In this saintess, Ron not only saw a pale golden radiance dancing around her,

At the same time, a sly gray hue appeared, looming over her forehead, completely out of place with the pale gold!

This must be the mysterious force that influenced this saintess.

If it were someone else, they might not have had a solution at this point, but Ron was prepared...

Perhaps it's a complex hypnotic spell, or some kind of special ability of a superhuman.

But in the face of [Fantasy Dissolution]...

They all have to be completely erased and disappear!

He stepped forward, switched to [Illusion Dissolve] without hesitation, and flicked Idrila's forehead with a flick.

Instantly, Ron felt an extremely unbearable shock, as if his very soul was shaking because of his actions...

A gray mist emerged from Idrila's body, surging and transforming into a knight's spear that pierced Ron, but was almost completely annihilated in the end.

Only a wisp of mist reached Ron, which he instinctively dodged.

[The "Setting: Fantasy Dissolution" has been eroded by an extreme and excessive "occult influence"!]

[Performance impairment: 100%!]

[This setting has been temporarily corrupted. We will return to the "Superpower Era" to repair it.]

What's going on here?!

Ron pressed his temples, suppressing the dizziness and sharp pain in his head, and looked in astonishment at the girl who had stopped praying and raised her head blankly—

What exactly is the ability that influences her?
[Imagination Dissolved]...It shattered in an instant!

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous little house in Evening Bell City.

[The Holy Maiden of Evening Bells, corrupted by her lust for power, sacrificed innocent superhumans in the Fire Chasing Ritual to obtain the blessing of a heart filled with strife, becoming the divinely appointed "Fire Bearer," only to be killed by the righteous Father Sue...]

The muttering stopped abruptly, then resumed after a moment:
[The desires of the Evening Bell Saintess were shattered by the escaped prisoners, and she transformed back into—]

But a kind voice answered those words:

"She reverted to being a 'saint' who suppressed her depraved nature, but the seeds of desire, once planted in her heart, would inevitably sprout sooner or later..."

The sound faded away slowly, gradually becoming indistinct.

　I've tested the waters with a recommendation, and I'd really appreciate it if everyone could read the latest chapter. Thank you so much...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)