Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

Lilith spoke in a delicate, quiet, and pleasant voice, adding, "Because the Star Bow is now a necessary conduit for divine sacrifices, the Pope cannot allow us to take it away."

"So we're going there now just to prove something to the Pope."

"Hmm?" Rhodes murmured in thought.

Lilith quickly explained to Rhodes his question:

"Under normal circumstances, the Heavenly Star Bow is placed directly in the Heavenly Star Church for people to admire."

"Because the Celestial Bow itself possesses a powerful recognition ability, only the Pope and the Star Gods of all ages can touch it."

"As for the rest... even ordinary seventh-level ascendants will have their nerves contaminated and die instantly if they are touched."

"So, when I meet Valerie Walker later, the way to prove that I am the fifth Pope is very simple: I just need to touch the Celestial Bow with my hand."

"As long as he is the Pope, he has a brief ten-minute opportunity to hold and use the Celestial Star Bow."

"At the same time, I will also take advantage of this opportunity to have her hand over the power to preside over the divine ceremony to me, and to absorb some of the power."

"This has thrown the witch's side into complete chaos."

Rhodes gently rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

Chaos ensues, and naturally, chaos will follow on the witch's side.

From the very beginning, the witch did not believe that Rhodes and his companions could take the Heavenly Star Bow—after all, the divine sacrifice required this thing, so how could it possibly be taken away?

The Pope and the imperial powers would absolutely not allow this to happen.

The witch desperately spread the news of the Star Gods' deaths, even saying that Lilith had fallen to earth, all to prevent Rhodes and the others from taking the Celestial Bow directly in front of the Pope, wasn't it?

Because once Lilith admits she is the Star Goddess and uses that identity to obtain the [Celestial Star] Bow, it would prove that their rumors are true.

Cecilia understood this, which is why she dared to leave only one person who had been promoted seven times behind to keep an eye on their actions...

But they never expected that some ridiculous fifth pope would suddenly appear out of nowhere and preside over a religious ceremony.

This was naturally beyond their expectations; they never imagined that Rhodes and his group had a legitimate way to access the Celestial Bow.

“If the divine sacrifice is really transferred to you to operate…” Rhodes pondered.

“Witches aren’t stupid either.” Lilith nodded. “Cecilia will definitely discover that this so-called fifth pope is me.”

"In other words, once I truly become the one presiding over the ritual, then all the blame will be directed at me, and everyone will be trying to kill me."

"Of course, perhaps Cecilia has another strategy in mind..."

“I guessed it.” Rhodes nodded.

Given Cecilia's personality, she might not even kill Lilith after learning about this.

Because she had no idea that Lilith, who possessed the Celestial Bow, could summon miracles, she would probably scoff mockingly:

[Lilith, you orchestrated the death of your own empire—what a foolish act, what a pathetic act!]

"So, the only thing I'm worried about now is that when we get to the church, when I try to touch the Celestial Bow, some foolish witch might cause trouble."

"I understand, and they will also target Natalie."

Rhodes nodded, understanding the situation.

Now, no matter where you are, the entire capital city seems to be surrounded by enemies.

Even with a powerful being like the cathedral, who had been upgraded seven times, guarding the place, they felt completely unsafe.

Several dragon leaders from the Dragon God Empire will kill them, as will three powerful witches, and there are also hidden imperial spies...

This is a real headache.

Hopefully, there will be more witches who ascend to the fifth level in the future, so that he can successfully break through and ascend to the fifth level.

The more people, the better.

A cold glint flashed in Rhodes' eyes under the moonlight, making him appear somewhat eerie.

As I said before, he doesn't have the habit of interacting with low-level NPCs. For him, encountering a witch is always just a big experience gain.

"We've arrived at the Celestial Star Altar."

Rhodes stopped in his tracks, gazing at the enormous palace before him, a hint of reminiscence returning to his eyes.

The Tianxing Temple, though called a church, was more of a place for people to praise the existence of the star god.

This place contains the most perfect statue of the Star God in the world, as well as one of the Star God's three great artifacts—the Celestial Bow.

Countless people came to worship and make offerings.

Therefore, although it is just an ordinary church, it is as magnificent as a palace, with more than a hundred steps in front of you.

But even such a magnificent building eventually turned to ashes and vanished.

In the first playthrough, the empire collapsed, and the first place to be overthrown was naturally a place that symbolized Lilith's power.

“The carvings on the left and right sides of the steps are usually of monarchs from different dynasties, or people who have made contributions to the Linlank Empire,” Lilith said calmly.

"Ah."

Rhodes knew, of course, that he too would eventually be carved here during his first playthrough.

Even this calm "hmm" made Lilith's expression stiffen slightly.

She simply had a habit of showing off her knowledge, but she overlooked the fact that Rhodes' previous life also had records of carving here...

What does this mean? Doesn't it mean that she doesn't think Rhodes' contributions in the previous life are worthy of being engraved here?

"No, I didn't mean that..." Lilith quickly turned her head, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, her voice trembling with unease.

But soon, Rhodes shook his head and interrupted, "It's okay, I didn't think too much about it, and you don't need to think too much about it either."

“I…” Lilith’s voice was still a little stiff, “Yes.”

From this point on, the atmosphere became somewhat strange.

It seems like we've finally entered a completely new storyline in the first playthrough. When we arrive in the capital and enter the cathedral, things take an even more dramatic turn.

Cedric hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"I don't quite understand what you're saying."

“It’s normal not to understand,” Rhodes replied. “Let me introduce her to you first, and you’ll understand. Her name is Maeve Dolan, the fifth Pope of Linlank. This time, she has returned to the Empire specifically to preside over the divine sacrifice.”

"what?"

Cedric's eyes narrowed, and he involuntarily paused, but after regaining his senses, he quickly followed.

"This is impossible."

“This is it.” Rhodes pointed to a statue on the middle staircase—

This statue depicts the figure of a young girl.

However, due to the vague descriptions of the appearance of this pope who changed the divine right of kings in history, this statue is rare in that it has no face and even the clothing is just the simplest priest's robe.

But the words were still clearly written: [Maeve Dolan].

“Rhodes, or rather, miss, you’re joking. Everyone knows that the Pope passed away along with the previous Star God.”

"These are the chosen ones that God has taken away."

"No, does God really take his chosen ones with him when he dies? If that's the case, doesn't that mean the current Pope is already dead?"

"This simply means that our Star God is not dead."

"Alright, you've admitted again that the current Star God isn't dead, Cedric. Sometimes you really need to change this habit of always having your left and right brains working against each other."

What is meant by "left-brain and right-brain interaction"?

"It's like believing one thing and then believing another, saying one thing that someone is dead while simultaneously saying another thing that someone isn't."

"These are two different things."

Rod waved his hand, too lazy to explain any further.

In any case, according to Lilith, all she needs to do is touch the Celestial Bow, and that will be enough to prove that she is the fifth Pope.

“I have more than just touching the Celestial Bow to prove myself,” Lilith added. “I have the Papal Decree.”

"That's absurd."

Cedric remained frowning, unable to believe what was happening.

The fifth pope has lived for hundreds of years. He was the last pope during the life of the previous Star God. Logically speaking, even if he wasn't taken away by the god as the legend says, it would be difficult for him to have lived to this day, let alone remain as young and vibrant as Lilith.

Yes, there is life.

He was one of the few people to describe Lilith as having "vitality."

After all, Lilith was just a little girl afraid of making mistakes in front of Rhodes, wasn't she?

This is precisely why he finds it even more difficult to accept that Lilith will be the fifth pope.

Because what old man would act like a little girl and date?

However, he wasn't one to argue, and even though he harbored a resentment and didn't want to believe it, he remained silent.

Anyway, he's just a nobody protecting Rhodes and the others. Having the opportunity to get rid of the witches in the capital is enough for him.

Climb the stairs, one step at a time.

The palace above, however, truly came into Rhodes' view.

The magnificent carvings are delicate and vivid, with suspended sculptures and prints reflecting the sky in this church, faintly absorbing the faint starlight and moonlight.

Most importantly, in the center, a symbol of a longbow hangs at the core, drawn like a star, cutting through everything.

And at this moment—

A voice rang out:

"Welcome back, Natalie."

Looking out.

This person has a rather tall stature; despite being an elderly woman, she is still nearly as tall as Rod.

The Pope's robes hung on the ground, she wore a ten-centimeter-tall hat, her hands were hidden in her sleeves, her eyes were bright, and her blue pupils were like the azure sea.

Its imposing presence is extremely powerful.