Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

When Lilith and Cecilia actually called out Rhodes' name, they were stunned.

Because they saw that Rhodes was carrying such a strange girl.

"Oh no... this is terrible, darling, you've snatched another girl?"

Cecilia's face immediately lit up with a smile.

Chapter 122 Natalie will definitely acknowledge this fact (Happy New Year, meow!)

Lilith and Cecilia arrived at the space about five minutes earlier.

For them, who had been promoted five times and were familiar with the maze, Carmen's challenge was nothing more than a clumsy deception.

They watched over the chrysalis that belonged to the deep sea god, quietly awaiting Rhodes' arrival.

And now, Rhodes has indeed arrived.

Moreover, they also brought a strange girl with them.

The two girls blinked, staring at Clara, who was being carried by Rhodes.

Cecilia's expression turned strange, while Lilith's face stiffened slightly, and she seemed to be muttering something to herself.

Rod didn't change his expression at all; he simply placed Clara gently on the ground.

Then, looking at Lilith and Cecilia, he said with a sigh of relief:

"This person is a descendant of the marine species. Of course, she seems to have some connection with this instance because she has amnesia, so I've kept her with me."

"Is that so?"

Cecilia blinked her heterochromatic eyes slightly.

Although the wicked feeling of jealousy welled up in her heart again, making her want to tear Clara to shreds,

But the moment she saw Clara's face clearly, her expression froze.

“Clara?” Cecilia murmured, uttering those three words softly.

"Huh?"

"Ok?"

Rod and Clara were both stunned for a moment.

"Sister...do you know me?" Clara pointed to herself, a hint of confusion appearing on her fair face.

“…Unbelievable.” Cecilia rested her chin on her hand.

This was truly incredible for Cecilia.

After all, Clara is dead, and that's beyond question.

The problem is that this Clara's appearance is about 50% similar to that of the little girl Clara.

Or rather, it's like Clara fused with some strange creature and became what she is. For Cecilia, who is sensitive to the physical body, she can see the existence contained within at a glance.

“Cecilia, what do you know?” Rhodes took a few steps forward, with Clara following closely behind like a little sister.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Cecilia, and even Lilith, who had been feeling awkward, came to her senses.

“Clara is the girl Isadora killed.” Cecilia’s lips parted slightly. “This girl… is probably the soul of that chaotic thing.”

Cecilia pointed to the giant cocoon behind her—

At this moment, all eyes converged on that direction.

The pupa was more dazzling than when Cecilia first saw it, and the blue light and silver threads wrapped around it were thicker.

It was as if a golden heart was pounding in the center, about to burst out of its shell.

But... at the same time, the black aura wrapped around the pupa grew increasingly intense, and the order gradually crumbled—

Cecilia's footsteps tapped lightly:

"Don't you understand anything, Clara?"

That hit the nail on the head.

A hint of surprise flashed across Clara's face, and she quickly nodded:

"I've forgotten everything."

"You know nothing?"

"Um……"

Cecilia nodded and snapped her fingers.

"That's right."

"What do you mean 'right'? Explain the situation clearly. I don't understand the current situation at all." Rhodes walked up to Cecilia and pinched her cheek.

"Wait a minute, darling, let me think about it, hmm..."

Seeing Rhodes' serious expression, Cecilia finally put her legs down and became a little more serious.

"Then I'll explain?"

“Hmm.” Rhodes nodded.

After a moment of silence, Cecilia finally spoke:

"If I'm not mistaken, it's mainly because the Deep Sea God was activated in this new body ahead of time, which caused her soul transformation to not be completed in time."

Thus, naturally, this foolish soul, Clara, was formed and wandered outside.

They don't know how to fight, nor do they know how to help their bodies overcome pollution.

This is why the Deep Sea God, despite being corrupted by only six ascensions, was unable to be resurrected.

After all, how can you win if you don't have a guiding spirit at all?

"What do you mean?" Rod asked back.

"What I mean is, the girl in front of us... Clara, she is actually Charlotte who hasn't awakened."

"As expected." Rhodes received the final confirmation.

Although I had guessed it pretty accurately just now, I still felt relieved after learning the truth.

Because now we know at least that Clara, no, the unawakened Charlotte, is not an enemy, but someone who needs help.

In other words, the task at hand is now very clear.

[Help Charlotte, this empty soul, return to her body and purify its impurities, ultimately restoring her to a normal state.]

With this process, Rhodes and his group can easily resolve the crisis they face at the academy.

But clearly, the problem became more serious at this moment.

Because this would mean that Rhodes would have to make someone who has forgotten all combat skills use their power to defeat the enemy, which is impossible.

"Rhodes, shall we continue? Or turn back?" Cecilia asked.

For them now, even going back and killing all the deep-sea creatures wouldn't be a problem.

Cecilia sensed a strange and oppressive aura emanating from Rhodes.

While marveling at the bizarre speed at which Rhodes was increasing in strength, she also realized that with Rhodes's power, they were fully capable of turning the tables and killing those deep-sea creatures.

“The consequences of retreating are too severe.” Rhodes shook his head. “The marine species say they want peace, but frankly, we also need a peaceful environment.”

“If we really kill these peace advocates, that would be a real problem for the Linlank Empire.”

"We can't let the present moment make a mess of things later."

Rhodes had something else to say.

That is, he could have made a deep impression on Clara before Charlotte's soul awakened.

Just like giving wood to someone in a corner, it's always good to raise some favorability beforehand so that Charlotte will be more friendly to you after she wakes up, right?

Lilith interjected at this moment, her face still expressionless like a dead person, but her voice was gentle:

“But only the Soul God Seed can enter the Soul World… so this means we can’t help you directly, Rhodes.”

"fine."

Rhode reached out and patted Lilith's shoulder, taking Cecilia's hand in his.

"You and Cecilia can stay outside and watch over me. If this pupa rebels while I'm evacuating, then you'll have to take me away."

“Okay.” Lilith nodded gently.

“Just wait and see.” Rhodes smiled, his tone slightly joking. “Instead of worrying about that, you should worry about Natalie.”

"Hmm?" Lilith blinked her azure eyes, revealing a hint of confusion.

“Don’t forget, your problem isn’t solved yet. If Natalie is against it…” Rhodes paused slightly, “You know, I made it clear from the beginning.”

Rhodes' trust was built on a weak foundation.

He really didn't want to get caught up in the whirlpool of wondering whether Lilith liked him or not.

After that day, he had already decided to believe Lilith.

Therefore, the opportunity to reveal the truth is not only a test for Lilith, but also for Rhodes himself.

He only hoped that Lilith was telling the truth, and that Natalie could admit that Lilith's feelings were real.

otherwise……

Rhodes could assure him that he probably really couldn't control his emotions.

The reason I was able to handle that matter calmly last time was, frankly, because I was mentally prepared to leave Lilith behind.

But the situation now is clearly more dire than it was in the past.

At that moment, Lilith reached out, her slender fingertips pinching the hem of Rhodes's clothes:

"I……"

"Ok?"

Lilith felt Clara's gaze and her movements faltered.