My setting is above yours!

Chapter 81 Ron: "Didn't expect that, did you? I've betrayed you!" (4k8)

Upon regaining consciousness, Ron suddenly felt drenched in sweat.

A bitter feeling welled up inside him, and the confusing actions he had just taken immediately came to mind:

'He just obtained the [Omniscient Domain - Pseudo], and hasn't even built a whitelist yet. Instead of building the whitelist for experimental abilities first, he went straight to see the Silver Knight without hesitation upon hearing he was coming?'

'After meeting him, she actually decided to tell him she was a chosen one of angels just because he seemed approachable?'

Knowing full well that the Ritual of Pursuit of Fire still had a week to go, and that the [Ability Formula] could be improved again upon returning to Ideal City, why didn't the Silver Knight's words seem problematic, and instead went directly to the [Scorched Earth Sanctuary] without any preparation?

He quickly recalled everything that had just happened, but suddenly felt his thoughts stagnate and his head become dizzy again:

'It seems...it seems there's nothing wrong...'

'I just told him what I should have told him, and for the sake of the battle later, I should have told him about [Omniscient Domain - Pseudo] right now...'

However, the [Omniscient Domain - Pseudo] is still operating, allowing Ron to see everything in his personal reality from an "omniscient perspective," including the hunched "old man" who is invisible to the naked eye and is recording something with a pen!
This mind-blowing scene shattered Ron's daze once again, bringing him back to his senses. He was so startled that he almost clicked the Dimensional Update Manual to return to Ideal City.

But Ron stopped himself from moving.

He stared intently at the unseen old man with his "omniscient perspective," ensuring he remained fully conscious, and then couldn't help but curse inwardly:

'That's bullshit!'

'After telling him about the "Omniscient Domain - Pseudo," should I also tell him about the Ideal City and the Superpowered Era, and finally, the Dimensional Update Manual?'

'Then let's just give him this cheat code and let him return to Ideal City for me!'

After a rare outburst of anger in his mind, Ron's previously chaotic thoughts gradually cleared up, and he finally calmed down.

He looked at the Silver Knight and the hunched old man who was taking notes with a pen. His Lv.3 computing power was running at full speed after activating the formula, and he immediately began to analyze the current situation.

First of all, there must be something wrong with the Silver Knight.

'All the confusion only arose after we met him. Even though it now seems that the invisible, hunched old man is the mastermind, the Silver Knight himself is definitely not clean!'

'But...how did they do it?'

The moment the question arose in his mind, Ron immediately understood the reason.

'It's that gray fog!'

He vaguely remembered what Idrila looked like atop the tower of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary...

At that moment, she had no idea what she was doing; enveloped in that gray, mist-like magic, she was like a puppet on strings—

How similar this is to what Ron just did!
Thinking of this, Ron couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth.

'Damn it... I shouldn't have left this setting running continuously just to save the durability of [Illusion Dissolve]!'

But Ron quickly put that regret behind him.

'No, wait... It's actually a good thing that [Illusion Dissolve] wasn't activated!'

Ultimately, if the magic affecting him was neutralized by [Illusion Dissolved], would the Silver Knight and the hunchbacked old man really be completely unaware?
They're probably going to turn hostile right there and then!

Ron had no desire to test the Silver Knight's spear, which was as tall as a man, to see if it was effective or not.

Thank goodness, thank goodness I didn't choose to go back to Ideal City...

Once he returns to Ideal City, the gray mist magic affecting Ron will inevitably be dispelled by the Anti-Mystic Equation, and when he returns to the "Potion Era," he will inevitably be discovered.

On the contrary, now that Ron has regained consciousness, he hasn't completely dispelled the magic affecting him. He's simply relying on [Omniscience Domain - False] to break the fabricated perception and forcibly remain conscious while being influenced...

The fact that neither the Silver Knight nor the hunchbacked old man made any unusual movements proved that even if Ron had regained consciousness, they were unaware of it!
'The enemy is in the open while we are in the dark... This is actually a good opportunity for me...'

Ron seemed to be deep in thought, his mind racing as he analyzed the current situation.

I initially thought the gray mist belonged to Father Suer, but now it seems it belongs to the Silver Knight and this old man...

What is their purpose in doing all this?
Ron pondered the matter, but couldn't find the root cause for the time being.

After all, the Silver Knight's strength was simply too great... An enemy that could so easily influence Ron, almost causing him to miss his presence, was probably not just an ordinary Sequence Six.

Ron, being too caught up in the situation, couldn't possibly understand what such a superhuman was aiming for.

But... that doesn't mean he knows nothing.

'From the very beginning, that gray fog has been trying to influence Idrila…'

'Furthermore, according to the version's PV, Idrila will ultimately perish together with Father Sull, but the reason for her death is clearly because of the longsword given to her by the Silver Knight…'

Ron suddenly understood:

'It was the Silver Knight who wanted to kill Idrila!'

'Or rather, he didn't just want to simply kill Idrila…'

Ron vaguely remembered what Idrila looked like back then, atop the tower of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary—

At that time, Idrila kept reciting the prayer of "war". According to that prayer, they seemed to want Idrila to pray for the blessing of "war" during the fire-chasing ceremony and become the so-called "one who inherits the flame of war".

But because of Ron's presence, this influence failed.

Later, when Idrila was promoted, gray mist appeared again, but it was also dispersed by Ron.

It seems that it was precisely because Ron resolved the repeated impacts that the Silver Knight and the hunchbacked old man revealed their true forms and handed the sword to Idrila...

What do these things have in common?

Ron pondered for a moment and immediately grasped the key point.

'It's power!'

'The first time was to control Idrila and obtain the power of the Firelinker; the second time was when Idrila advanced to Sequence Seven; and the third time was simply when the Silver Knight himself brought a sword containing the power of the [War] Sequence…'

Thinking about all this, Ron immediately came up with a plausible answer—

'The Silver Knight... wants to grant Idrila even greater power, and then use that power to kill Father Sull!'

Although we don't know why the Silver Knight did this, judging from the scenes in the version PV, the final result will definitely be pushed to this point by the Silver Knight.

Therefore, it becomes clear what Ron needs to do...

—Just keep going against the Silver Knight!
The Silver Knight wanted Idrila to use this sword to kill Father Sull, but Ron was determined to prevent that from happening!
Not only did he not intend to send Idrila to her death, he was also prepared to help Father Sue!
Who cares what the Silver Knight's purpose was or what arrangements he made?
They treated Idrila as a sacrificial swordswoman and Ron as a pawn they could control at will.

No matter how great the difference in strength, Ron was determined to take a piece of the Silver Knight's flesh!
Thinking of this, Ron subconsciously gripped the longsword in his hand, feeling the coldness from the hilt, and his gaze toward the Silver Knight also turned colder.

Anyway, we've already come this far.

Clearly, the Silver Knight's strength is beyond imagination; he is probably not just a so-called Sequence Six, but possibly even higher.

To be honest, even if Ron could thwart the Silver Knight's plan, with his current abilities, he wouldn't be able to save himself and Idrila.

After all, if Ron thwarted the Silver Knight's plan, he certainly wouldn't let it go easily.

But so what?
Ron has a Dimensional Update Manual!
At worst, Ron could simply return to Ideal City when faced with the enraged Silver Knight...

Once he advances in the Ideal City, or even in other eras he discovers later, and gains power surpassing that of the Silver Knight, he will be able to return to the "Potion Era" once again and settle accounts with the Silver Knight!

The times are on Ron's side, so how can the Silver Knight possibly compete with Ron?

He has plenty of time to spare!

After thinking it over for a moment, Ron figured out his next plan.

He silently followed behind the Silver Knight, feigning a dazed and confused demeanor, seemingly no different from Idrila beside him... Because Ron was very careful with his actions and did not reveal any flaws, neither the Silver Knight nor the hunchbacked old man noticed anything strange.

The group walked silently toward the outskirts of Wanzhong City. The journey was incredibly quiet; the once bustling streets were now deserted, with not a single person in sight.

If a high-sequence superhuman were to activate their "Magic Vision" outside Evening Bell City at this moment and look at the entire city, they would be astonished to find a hazy gray mist shrouding the entire city, looming over everyone's heads—

All the pedestrians seemed to be living their lives as usual under the cover of the gray fog, but when they came within a street of the Silver Knight, they dispersed for various reasons.

Harmonious... but eerie.

……

It only took about half an hour.

The group walked slowly, through empty streets and quiet suburbs, until they reached the outside of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary...

Meanwhile, inside the sanctuary, a bonfire was lit, with a twisted, spiraling longsword stuck in it.

Beside the campfire stood a familiar old priest with a long beard…

That was Father Suer.

He still looked old, standing silently by the campfire, wearing a white robe with gold thread.

At this moment, he was holding the containment mask, which was formed from the transcendental characteristics of a Sequence Four Demigod, and coldly watching the uninvited guests who had broken into the sanctuary not far away.

“Father Suer! You’ve been caught, come with us!”

The Silver Knight, now fully armed and looking imposing, glared at Father Sull not far away and roared at him, uttering the words Ron had heard in the version's PV.

Father Suer's actions were unchanged from those in the version's PV; he sneered and said:

"I will stay here, and no one can force me to leave."

As he spoke, he slowly put the mask on his face, grasped the spiraling longsword in the campfire, and loudly proclaimed:
"The heart of great strife has been set ablaze for me!"

"boom!"

A raging fire suddenly erupted from the bonfire in front of him, which seemed to be a ritual object, and fell on him, instantly burning him up before gradually disappearing...

Only faint, glowing embers remained on his body, appearing as scattered specks.

"Hmph... a last-ditch resistance!"

The Silver Knight snorted coldly and immediately charged forward, engaging Father Suer in fierce combat...

But this time, on the battlefield, using [Omniscient Domain - False] to envelop everyone, Ron successfully saw things he couldn't see in the version's PV...

He saw the hunched old man writing furiously, seemingly using a pen to write something.

Although Ron couldn't see the hunchbacked old man's actual image, he easily understood what he was writing by observing the movement of the pen tip and his Lv.3 computing power.

Father Sue was seduced by power and became a divinely appointed torchbearer, but he was consumed by evil thoughts and violated the principles of justice, attempting to kill the inquisitors sent by the sanctuary.

He is writing down a “prophecy” of the future in ancient Rodland!
And everything the hunchbacked old man wrote actually came true...

The clang of metal rang out. The Silver Knight, a Sequence Six extraordinary being, hadn't even used any special extraordinary abilities before being pierced through the abdomen by the spiral longsword and slowly collapsed to the ground.

"Did I... become careless...?"

He coughed up blood, staring in astonishment at his severely injured state, and with all his might turned his head towards Idrila, shouting:

"The current Suer... is beyond your capabilities!"

"You...run!"
Then, his head lolled to the side, as if he had stopped breathing.

Judging from his words, he seemed genuinely sincere, wanting Ron and Idrila to leave as soon as possible...

But Ron could clearly see, through his "omniscient perspective," that the hunchbacked old man was still writing furiously, penning prophecies of the future in ancient Rodland—

A sense of heroic pride rose in Ron and Idrila's hearts.

To save Evening Bell City and to become heroes of justice, they decide to join forces to use the containment object [Blood Thorn] to kill the evil Father Sull...

[The Bloodthorn has acknowledged the will of each of them, and for the time being, no further conditions are required for its use. Simply grasping it grants access to the immense power emanating from the [War] sequence, enough to kill Father Suer!]

Unfortunately, heroic epics always end in tragedy... [Bloodthorn] is indeed powerful, but wielding its power comes at a severe price.

The heroes died because they couldn't afford the price!

After the hunchbacked old man wrote all this down, Ron suddenly felt a surge of heroic spirit rising within him. He suddenly wanted to take this longsword and fight Father Sue, who was clearly not someone to be trifled with, to the death...

But thanks to his "omniscient perspective," he immediately snapped out of it, leaving only Idrira staring blankly at Father Suer not far away, a resolute look on her face:
“Father Suer even killed the inquisitor… This is no ordinary apostate; we must strike hard!”

She looked at Ron and shouted:
"Ron! Now that we're here, we can't desert our posts..."

"And that sword? That sword bestowed upon us by His Excellency the Bishop is more than enough to kill Father Suer!"

Hearing this, and recalling the Silver Knight's sincere words urging them to leave, Ron couldn't help but sneer inwardly:

'Ha... How shameless!'

They keep telling us to leave quickly, but what do they actually do?

'They didn't tell us the cost of using this sword, only that it was a Sequence Four containment object... He had already planned for us to die from the cost of using a containment object!'

'But...so those methods of controlling people's hearts and minds were actually prophecies written by this old man?'

'If we could interrupt him...'

Ron thought to himself, and immediately made a decision.

He glanced at Idrila, who stood beside him with a resolute expression, already prepared for battle. He mirrored her determined look and declared with heroic spirit:

"Alright! Let's apprehend this apostate on the spot to prevent him from escaping and endangering the people of Evening Bell City!"

“Mr. Ron, I knew I hadn’t misjudged you…”

"So we... eh?"

Idrila was moved and was about to step forward to join Ron in drawing the sword when she saw Ron suddenly draw his sword from its sheath and run towards Father Sue—

“Father Suer’s crimes are unforgivable! You don’t need to do anything; that sage has already given me revelation. I alone are enough!”

He shouted, a righteous look on his face, and charged toward Father Suer, who was about to pull the spiral sword from the Silver Knight's "corpse"...

This fierce demeanor made Father Sue's expression turn serious, and he watched Ron's actions with caution.

Ron was fast. Father Sue frowned, realizing there wasn't enough time to draw his sword and parry. Instead of pulling his sword from the Silver Knight's "corpse," he set himself on fire, preparing to seize Ron with his burning hands...

But when Ron was not far from him, he suddenly stopped and raised his longsword high...

The longsword, gradually tinged with red light, entwined with crimson thorns, and exploding with unparalleled [war] magic, was slashed down by Ron with all his might—

But instead, it slashed to the side, striking the "air" not far behind and to the side of the Silver Knight's "corpse"...

The sword was aimed at the hunched old man who, unseen by anyone, was still writing prophecies in ancient Rodland with great effort!

At that moment, the Silver Knight, who had already become a "corpse" and had perfectly lost all signs of life, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Ron, who had suddenly changed direction, with a sense of astonishment in his heart.

What... is going on?!

(End of this chapter)