Out in the open

The man behind Stiano, the man who confided in him, was undoubtedly Kronos.

After the Light of Knowledge caused dizziness, and after Leodero had diverted more of his energy, Kronos's sneak attack landed.

Although Kronos had only recently ascended to the Hermit, the power he wielded was in no way inferior to that of Stiano.

Therefore, this attack directly broke through Stiano's defenses.

Although the heart is no longer a vital organ for True God, the damage to Stiano was still considerable.

In order to escape Kronos's attack, Stiano completely disregarded the fact that Leodero was right in front of him and charged forward.

His move, which was so obviously flawed, did not provoke Leodero's attack, because everyone present stopped.

Consciousness she had lost her chance to invade, the Mother Goddess of Depravity withdrew her power.

As for Amanises, Lilith, Leodero, Herabergen, Aucuses, they all chose to stop the attack the moment Kronos appeared.

After all eyes were on Kronos, Amanises spoke first, "You've been here the whole time, why didn't you stop Amon? It would have caused quite a bit of trouble."

Kronos smiled and said, "You're overthinking it. Amon abandoned Adam willingly, so he has no powerful allies. It won't be too troublesome."

That's true; in fact, Amon's biggest trump card should have been Adam's.

However, due to Kronos's constant interference, a rift has developed between them.

There should have been some unspoken understanding between the two, but Amon deliberately abandoned that understanding.

So, standing opposite Amon are the three- Pathway Amanises, the Dual Pathway Lilith, half of the Great Old One Adam, and our protagonist Kronos.

If Amon wins under these circumstances, then they're truly useless.

After considering what Kronos had said, Amanises felt there was nothing wrong with it, so he didn't say anything more.

At this moment, Stiano clutched his chest, as if Consciousness something, and said, "You're the Hermit, the one who plundered the Perfect Land last time?"

Kronos bowed slightly to the assembled True God and said, "Greetings, esteemed seniors. I am Kronos, and from now on, I am one of you."

Only then did Kronos truly reveal his existence to the world.

Leodero asked in astonishment, "You're the youngest Great Scientists of our time? You're only in your early twenties, aren't you?"

In fact, Kronos was also shocked, because he did not expect that Leodero would be the first to Consciousness who he was.

Stiano and the Church of Steam and Machinery should clearly be in this field, yet Stiano's Message in this area is inferior to Leodero's.

This also shows that Stiano's weakness is justified.

Power itself is neither superior nor inferior; however, the extent to which one can wield it depends on one's own abilities.

After Leodero reminded him, Stiano finally realized what was happening.

"You're from the Argel Family? How did you grow up so fast?"

Despite the Church of Steam and Machinery's numerous attacks on the Argel Family, to say that it was Stiano who ordered it would be giving the Argel Family too much credit.

Although it wasn't Stiano who instructed him, it was perfectly appropriate for him, as the leader, to take responsibility.

Therefore, Kronos spoke up, "Didn't expect that, did you? Whether it was your scheming against my family or Horamick's attack on me, you will ultimately have to pay for it all."

Stiano wasn't stupid; after Kronos brought up the name Horamick, he naturally understood what was going on.

Horamick's disappearance has been classified as either defection or death.

Therefore, the one who entered the Enlightenment Monastery is very likely a fake, and he was the one who plundered the Perfect Land.

However, it would have been very difficult to sneak into the Cathedral of Machinery without the cooperation of Amanises, as they managed to deceive everyone.

Therefore, Stiano concluded that Amanises was behind it all.

Now the truth is out: the man impersonating Horamick was none other than Kronos, who was standing right in front of him.

Stiano said with great indignation, "Amanises, what did I do to offend you that you started plotting against me so early on?"

Amanises's face remained expressionless as he calmly stated, "Without the support of Leodero and me, the Church of Steam and Machinery would not have been qualified to enter Loen."

"But you actually chose Badheil's side. From the moment you made that decision, you became my enemy."

There should be no concept of gratitude among True God, but one should certainly be wary of such a person.

What Stiano didn't know was that even if he hadn't chosen Badheil, Amanises wouldn't have given up Kronos for him.

What truly attracts investors to Kronos is never his talent or anything else, but rather his unique, New Life Authority of Time.

As long as this authority remains, Amanises cannot abandon him for the sake of Stiano.

Upon hearing this, Stiano, while not exactly filled with regret, certainly felt a little remorse.

Such a single decision had such a profound impact.

All the bad luck he's experienced lately stemmed from this incident, which brought him crashing down from his pedestal.

Kronos did not speak to Stiano, but instead addressed Leodero and the other two.

"Why don't we shake hands and make peace? Adam never intended to attack you."

"You have all followed the Ancient Sun God, so you should know very well that for him, those grudges are not as important as this world."

"The Outer Deity's move is imminent. Our world needs your protection, so he won't attack you."

"Whatever grudges we have, we must consider them after we have dealt with the external enemy."

Kronos's words were a fatal blow.

He wasn't speaking up for Adam; he wanted to eliminate everyone Stiano could rely on.

At this point, Stiano had only one choice: to unite Leodero and the others to fight against Kronos.

Although the chances of winning are still slim, at least it's not a completely suicidal act.

If the battle becomes chaotic, he might have a chance to escape.

As long as he can successfully return to his Divine Kingdom, even if Kronos is powerful, he will have the ability to maneuver.

After all, it's territory they've managed for over a thousand years, so their advantages are quite obvious.

But Kronos's words were entirely intended to thwart his plan.

If Leodero and the other two lose their will to intervene, then Stiano will be left to fight alone.

Let alone Kronos, Amanises, Lilith, he wasn't even confident with just Kronos alone.

So, the instant Kronos finished speaking, Stiano didn't hesitate for a moment and turned to run.

He was betting that Leodero and his two companions hadn't been completely persuaded and could help him hold off the pursuers.

In this respect, Stiano was quite clever; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to conspire with Amon to trick Constantin.

When they saw Stiano trying to run away, Kronos, Amanises, and Lilith sprang into action, ready to give chase.

At this point, Leodero and his two companions were not yet completely convinced, so they acted Consciousness.

Even though there's a difference in skill level between the three of them, stopping all three shouldn't be too difficult.

It won't take long; a few seconds will be enough for Stiano to escape back to his Divine Kingdom.

But Stiano was clever, and Kronos and Amanises weren't pushovers either.

Amanises immediately Consciousness Stiano's intentions and immediately went all out, blocking both of them and drawing Leodero, who was attacking Kronos, into his own battle.

Kronos had no intention of wasting time here; if someone could help him hold off his opponent, that would be ideal.

But if not, Kronos planned to withstand the attack and then decisively pursue Stiano.

Therefore, Amanises and Kronos cooperated very well.

Amanises stopped Leodero, Kronos gave chase without wasting any time.

Kronos and Stiano set off almost simultaneously, so there was naturally little difference between them.

Kronos's Light of Knowledge shone directly, taking control of Stiano's mystical knowledge, attempting to create the effect of paralysis once again.

But Stiano hasn't lived all these years for nothing.

Having already suffered one loss, do you really want to fall into the same trap again?

Therefore, a pale golden light immediately shone around Stiano as he resisted with the power of his authority.

The two were originally adjacent Pathway, both possessing authority over knowledge, so they were indeed able to resist each other.

However, once he made a move, his escape speed slowed down, and he was eventually caught up by Kronos.

Instead of continuing to use his authority, Kronos raised his fist and threw a punch.

Since everyone's power is so similar, breaking through their moves won't be easy.

Even if Kronos is slightly stronger Stiano, the difference isn't significant, and determining a winner won't be easy.

Therefore, Kronos chose the most primitive method.

In terms of melee combat, the Hermit Pathway is indeed at a disadvantage, but the same applies to the Paragon.

However, Kronos has an advantage: with each advancement, not only do Potion enhance his abilities, but the Power of Time also improves his body.

Therefore, within the same Sequence, while Kronos might not be able to match the muscle-bound warriors of the Twilight Giant Pathway, he is certainly much stronger than the Paragon.

Upon seeing Kronos's fist coming at him, Stiano immediately raised his fist to parry.

But as their fists collided, Stiano sensed something was wrong.

Has the Hermit started building muscle too? Why does it hurt so much when he hits me?

While Stiano was still wondering, Kronos unleashed another series of punches.

Although Stiano also went through the stage of Melee Scholar, he hadn't used his fists for over two thousand years, and those fighting techniques from back then had long since become rusty.

Even if they haven't become rusty, can the fighting techniques from over two thousand years ago compare to those of today?

Therefore, for a time, Stiano was being overwhelmed by Kronos.

Meanwhile, not far away, the five True God of match-fixing were watching the situation closely.

In fact, after Consciousness intercepting Amanises and Lilith, the three of them regretted their actions.

If you're fighting to save your own life, it doesn't matter who you offend.

But what exactly is Stiano's role? Is it worth them offending Amanises, Lilith, and this newly appeared Hermit?

Upon Consciousness this, they immediately withdrew their strength and did not reveal their true power.

Amanises and Lilith, having discovered this, were naturally happy to cooperate.

If even Stiano can't be dealt with, then Kronos really doesn't deserve this kind of support.

After taking several punches in a row, Stiano finally realized that if he relied solely on hand-to-hand combat, he would soon lose everything.

He needs to steer the battle in his area of expertise, otherwise he won't be able to gain any advantage.

With this in mind, Stiano began to fully activate his authority, and a pale golden light began to shine around him.

The authority over knowledge belonging to the reality side means that everything in the reality side can be influenced by it to a certain extent.

This is actually a rather powerful force.

Sadly, the world is too backward, and its understanding of this area is far too weak.

In a world that has developed for so many years, the level of technology is still stuck at the level of medieval Europe. If it weren't for the appearance of Roselle, the main means of transportation in this world would still be horses and walking.

Although the Real World is there, it has no knowledge of its own, so how can Stiano control it?

Therefore, Stiano's weakness is real and has a reason; if you're not weak, who is?

Even as Kronos witnessed Stiano fully wielding his power, he was not idle.

Since Stiano was able to suppress Kronos's attacks through his authority, Kronos could also use the same means to counter Stiano's attacks.

The Light of Knowledge in Kronos's hand shone brightly, easily suppressing the golden light emanating from Stiano.

When it comes to the development of knowledge, mystical knowledge is far more profound than that of the real world.

Therefore, in terms of authority, Stiano had no advantage whatsoever and was easily suppressed.