Chapter 81: The Third Ability

Hiding his frustration and bitterness, Sunday forced a smile. "How... how are things going for you in the future? Is there anything I can do for you? Anything I can help you with?"

Robin naturally picked up on the unspoken meaning behind his words. Firstly, she knew the exact timeline of this "Illusionary Realm." Secondly, despite his best efforts to conceal it, she could sense a deep sense of remorse in Sunday's tone.

"...No," Robin replied after a moment of silence. "I don't blame you."

She wasn't sure if it was appropriate for her to say this, but she decided to speak on behalf of the True Robin. After all, even though Robin had stood with the protagonist group in the game, she ultimately hadn't held Sunday responsible, had she?

Besides, she was an imposter, and he was merely a fabrication. When this "Dream Realm within the Illusionary Realm" ended, everything would vanish. Special circumstances call for special measures, she reasoned. Surely there was no harm in comforting Sunday in place of the True Robin?

-

In the real world, the battle at the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations raged on relentlessly.

Boom—!!!

Yu Lin, swinging her sword for what felt like the hundredth time, pressed her advantage. With a devastating strike, she slammed her weapon into the ground, instantly shattering the armor of a Silver Knight into fragments. Though technically a sword, Yu Lin wielded it with the force of a blunt instrument.

But there was no time to catch her breath. Immediately after dispatching the knight, Yu Lin swiftly leaped back to evade a longsword that sliced through the air where she had stood moments before, its blade radiating a blinding light.

By this point, the Bureau's grand hall had been reduced to complete rubble. Yu Lin remained the sole combatant on the front lines.

Earlier, when facing the Silver Knights, Lü Heng had eliminated his targets faster than Yu Lin. However, this was entirely due to his Armor-Piercing Bullets. Once his ammunition ran out—or, more accurately, after his firearms had been destroyed by the excessive power of those bullets—his combat effectiveness vanished.

Immediately afterward, Lü Heng made a swift decision. He dragged his Bear Nation teammate, still trapped in the Illusionary Realm, away from the battlefield to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

As for Zhong Wanhong, though he carried the same number of weapons and equipment as Lü Heng, he used them with extreme caution. While Lü Heng focused his attacks on the Silver Knights summoned by the Martyr, Zhong Wanhong remained locked in a tense standoff with the Martyr himself.

He was currently hiding behind a partially collapsed wall. The main hall of the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations had been reduced to rubble by the collateral damage from Yu Lin's battle against the Silver Knights, leaving debris scattered everywhere. Zhong Wanhong used this debris for cover, knowing that a hidden gunman was far more dangerous than one in plain sight.

"The Martyr seems to have a summoning limit of three creatures at a time," he observed. "Even though he can summon replacements immediately after one falls, the total number never exceeds three."

"Every time he activates his ability, he clasps his hands together," he added. "Could this be a necessary gesture for channeling his power?"

"Their reaction speed is lightning-fast," Zhong Wanhong thought. "Firing directly at them within their line of sight would be suicide. The only hope of hitting them is to strike from an unexpected angle, before they can react."

At that moment, Yu Lin was engaged in combat with two Silver Knights, while a third stood guard beside the Martyr, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

Zhong Wanhong knew he had only one chance. If he revealed himself and failed his ambush, the last Silver Knight would immediately engage him. Conversely, as long as Zhong Wanhong remained hidden, the Martyr and the third Knight would be forced to stay put, unable to move freely.

Zhong Wanhong stole a glance at Yu Lin. Enhanced by the feather Robin had left behind, she was handling the two-on-one fight with relative ease. Occasionally, she even managed to forcefully kill a Knight, though a replacement would immediately take its place. Still, maintaining this stalemate wouldn't be too difficult.

Every minute they stalled worked in the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations' favor.

Leaving aside the Dragon Nation's Special Mobile Squad, which wouldn't arrive for another three hours, other investigation branches and teams from Longcheng were already rushing to the scene, less than ten minutes after the Martyr's attack on the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations.

"Even with just two or three more teammates, capturing this guy shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Just then, the Martyr sighed again. In the next instant, he teleported his fallen comrade away, retrieved more equipment from the warehouse, and returned to the battlefield. Lü Heng, who had just returned, Zhong Wanhong, who was hiding nearby, and Yu Lin, who was still engaged in combat with the Silver Knight, all suddenly noticed that their surroundings had drastically changed.

"Another Illusionary Realm? No... this feels different!" Zhong Wanhong exclaimed, surprised that the Martyr would use the same trick again. Then he noticed a crucial distinction.

Intelligence reports indicated that the Martyr's ability had two applications, but in reality, it had three.

The eight rulers of White Eagle publicly revealed their abilities, but they never claimed to disclose everything. The two abilities the Martyr had already revealed were more than enough to maintain his dominance.

-

P.S. If Invincible Bro were to view Martyr's character panel at this moment, it would display the following:

Note: The [ Data Vision ] ability provides extremely detailed information when viewing characters and objects native to this world. However, when viewing entities or objects from other worlds, it displays scrambled data.

Name: Philibert Maxwell (Martyr)

Gender: Male (43 years old)

Class: Evolver (Level 81), Priest (Level 13)

Abilities:

[ True Illusion I: Simulated Reality: ] Can create completely realistic illusory entities with physical form. All their memories, abilities, and other attributes are defined by the ability user, but they must be logical and consistent. The user cannot create anything they do not fully understand or know.

(Number of existing Creations:)

[ True Illusion II: Recreating the Past: ] This ability pulls others into an Illusionary Realm called "Happiness." However, the ability itself is merely a key. The realm isn't constructed by the ability user but rather built upon the deepest desires of those affected. If multiple desires involve altering the past, the most recent one takes precedence.

The ability user has no influence or control over anything within the Illusionary Realm. All individuals appearing within it are projections of the affected person's memories, making these loved ones feel extraordinarily real.

(Number of existing Illusionary Realms:)

[ True Illusion III: Heartscape World: ] Essentially a combination of the first two abilities, this power pulls everyone, including the ability user, into a shared, realistic Illusionary Realm. Here, the "Simulated Reality" ability is significantly enhanced.