Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

It's really unbecoming of her... She's really being affected by other people's opinions these days.

But in essence, the reason why a person cares about other people's opinions is because they care about what others think of them.

So she understood that it wasn't really a bad thing, but she still felt a little embarrassed.

Her face remained as indifferent as a puppet's, but she still composed herself and spoke stiffly:

"If I obtain the Celestial Star Bow, then the matter of the Divine Sacrifice will be nothing, and with my power restored after seven ascensions, I will be able to resolve the witch's plan and protect everyone."

"Even because I can participate in the divine sacrifice, the restored morale of the imperial people can make the Linlank Empire strong and stable for the next month."

"Of course, it will only last for a month. Once the divine energy has completely disappeared, the truth will still be revealed."

"However, that's a matter for later. At least for the time being, I will do my best to fulfill my role."

Lilith's words were concise and devoid of emotion.

But it is precisely this quiet, unassuming nature of Lilith, who always seems to be doing something when she speaks, that is enough to make the other girls suddenly fall silent.

The silence lasted for about half a second.

This silence carries with it a change in atmosphere.

Everyone was stunned by Lilith's words of taking responsibility, and many emotions arose in their hearts.

Mockery, shame, discomfort.

People were no longer willing to believe that this useless god could bring anything, nor did they want Lilith to change anything. But when she spoke the truth, they had to admit that Rhodes's upgrade progress was too fast, so much so that they had no chance to grow.

In other words, compared to back then, the only one who still has fighting power now is Lilith, who can become very strong once she obtains the Celestial Bow.

The atmosphere remained oppressively quiet for a short while before Natalie finally spoke, interrupting:

"Then don't let us down, Your Majesty."

Lilith touched it with her fingertips, and her delicate eyelashes drooped. "Mmm."

As the last word fell, the train's speed was rapidly decreasing, and Rhodes and the others could vaguely feel the kinetic energy pushing their bodies forward, causing them to sway slightly.

Although this is a specially crafted item that exceeds normal speed, it still cannot achieve completely stable start-up and stop.

At the same time, a sound was emitted.

[Ding ding ding—]

[The train stops at Steinerson City.]

[Please allow one minute for your visit. Enter in an orderly manner.]

“The train is temporarily stopping,” Rod said, leaning back on the soft seat cushion.

Train stops are not a big deal, after all, the train passes through at least seven to ten large cities along its route, so it is normal for it to stop frequently.

So Rhodes and the others didn't pay too much attention to it.

Da da da—

The footsteps were chaotic. The nobles in the various carriages rarely rode in such a shared vehicle, so they walked back and forth as they searched, with people coming and going.

During this process, Rhodes even sensed the presence of several witches.

Although they are well hidden and cannot be detected by normal people unless they actively expose themselves, the problem is that Rhodes currently possesses that strange [crown] inside his body.

Just like when the owner sees the dog panting, it naturally triggers an alarm.

However, Rod still raised the teacup with one hand and supported the bottom of the cup with the other, calmly taking a sip of tea.

Because these witches are not powerful enough to be feared; at most, only two of them have been promoted five times.

Now, if his enemies aren't like Cecilia, who has reached the peak of her fifth ascension, then he's more than capable of putting up a fight.

"Be careful later. The more people get on the bus, the more problems might arise."

"Hmm?" Ivina tilted her head and asked, "A bad guy?"

“Hmm, maybe.” Rhodes nodded, speaking without making a fuss.

His footsteps remained disordered. Rod gently put down his teacup, but in an instant, he froze.

because--

A straightforward, clear, and melodious young girl's voice, as alluring as a gentle spring rain, reached his ears:

"Hello~ Could you please tell me where the four-row, two-carriage section is located?"

"Okay, thank you."

A girl who looks like a country bumpkin is asking for directions; this is perfectly normal.

However, Rhodes and his companions were in a private box without doors, so they could see and hear what was happening outside.

After asking for directions, the girl walked straight towards Rhodes and his group.

Although she was petite, she was sharp and powerful, with an upright posture and a long sword hanging at her waist. She wore an adventurer's leather shorts and long sleeves.

His hair was jet black, with no special features, and even his eyes were just ordinary black, yet as he walked by, one felt as if a gust of wind had swept past—

In the end, she sat in the private room on the left next door.

The compartments on either side of the train could still see each other, so Rhodes narrowed his eyes as he watched the girl's figure.

"is her."

Among the group of people, there was indeed a familiar face.

“Ah…!” Natalie’s eyes narrowed, and she covered her mouth. “Yes, Elenora Ashford.”

"Hey." Felicity nudged Natalie, stopping her in time.

Even so, given that Natalie so casually mentioned Elenora's name, it's impossible that Elenora, sitting just three meters away, was deaf.

In an instant, she turned her head to look at Rhodes, her dark eyes as clear and sparkling as a pure, sunny sky.

Her voice was as commanding as a knight's, and she nodded politely in greeting.

"Hello, it's me. Do you recognize me, miss?"

"I've heard so much about you." Rhodes instantly sensed that the crisis had reached its peak, as if a sword had been drawn. He quickly interrupted to prevent Natalie from having a chance to speak, saying, "You've ascended to the peak five times at such a young age, and you're a recipient of the Death God's favor twice. Everyone knows that."

"Ah... it's just an empty title, no need to worry about it. And you are?"

“Rhodes Chivenlance.” Rhodes looked at her and nodded. “My partner was a bit rash just now. I apologize.”

“Hmm. It’s alright. It’s a good thing to meet more people.” Elenora’s tense face broke into a kind smile. “The Chivenlands are a large family.”

"Ah."

Both sides' responses were somewhat awkward.

Once they knew each other's identities, they became somewhat reserved.

Of course, Elenora was reserved because she was afraid that Rhodes would abuse his power, but Rhodes was different.

because--

She is the enemy.

Or rather, it's a troublesome late-game boss in the future.

If Cecilia was a troublemaker in the early stages, a figure to be both loved and hated, then Rhodes and his companions' future enemy is the young girl before them, Elenora Ashford.

One of the ultimate rivals and enemies.

In fact, after Rhodes and his team cooperated with Cecilia later on, they encountered quite a few tricky problems along the way.

One reason is that the God of Death is unwilling to hand over the fragments of the Demon God's position and attempts to increase the number of undead to ensure that he can survive the chaos and not be killed by the Dragon God.

Elenora was the problem that arose around that time.

Although Rhodes and his companions eventually killed the Necromancer, those who had become undead due to the Necromancer's expansion would not be resurrected.

Among them, Elenora's family members died in the expansion of the Necromancer and were all annihilated.

At the same time, quite naturally and reasonably, Elenora and most of the people of the Necropolis mistakenly believed, or rather, pretended to be confused, that the true reason for the Necropolis God's expansion was that Rhodes and his people wanted to kill the Necropolis God, which led to the Necropolis God turning all her family and relatives into undead.

Simply put, she saw Rhodes and his group as her enemies who had killed her family and sought revenge, and followed them all the way.

She is indeed very strong and has extremely terrifying talent. Despite being favored by the God of Death, she is very skilled in swordsmanship. At the age of twenty-two, she has already reached the peak of the fifth level of advancement.

When Rhodes and his group provoked her, she had already reached the forbidden level, having been promoted eight times.

Even after she turned evil, her strength increased even more rapidly, reaching the pinnacle of the world, and she seized the position of the God of Death, becoming the new God of Death.

Of course, no matter how strong she was, the final result was clear: she died.

They died before they could deal with the Dragon God, after all, Rhodes and his men couldn't leave behind a major threat to challenge a Dragon God who could crush four undead gods.

Even though they are both gods, the difference in their levels is still enormous.

The idea that the god ranked first in the power rankings is four times stronger than the god ranked seventh is an overestimation of the God of Death.

After all, what Rhodes and the others wanted to kill was the Dragon God who had merged with the position of the Star God. If the Dragon God in his normal state was four times stronger than the Death God, then after merging with the position of the Star God, he would be even more indescribable.

Of course, Rhodes and his companions' reaction upon seeing one of their nemesis from their previous life wasn't due to a simple reason, but rather to a much larger issue—

The Deep Sea God once said a fact:

Gods are all reborn with their memories intact.

Logically speaking, this powerful individual who has ascended to the peak five times is very likely an enemy with memories intact—

The problem is, she didn't show any hostility just now, and even greeted them honestly.

What the hell is going on?

Doubt and crisis suddenly arose in the air.

Lilith flicked her fingers, and a soundproof array instantly activated around them, also blocking their vision.

"Hmm?" Elenora naturally noticed their separation, but she just breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest. "Thank goodness, they didn't cause me any trouble."

To Elenora now, she was just an ordinary country gentleman, noblewoman, and adventurer. Although she was quite powerful, she was still afraid of Rhodes's name.

The words "heir to the empire" carried immense weight, not to mention that the blonde girl opposite Rhodes guessed his identity almost instantly.

but……

"That's strange. He just said that the red-haired girl was his partner? But shouldn't his partner be the second princess?"