Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

Cecilia exhaled softly, raised her hand, and the spear transformed into a cannon barrel, which she simultaneously hoisted onto her shoulder.

the last time.

Having used this skill as a final act of resistance, they obediently returned...

A sense of relief flickered in her eyes as she unleashed her final attack on Rhodes's position—

The attack is slow.

Unless Rod is mentally unstable, he could easily dodge this level of power accumulation.

Therefore, she had nothing to worry about.

The distorted energy flashed into a scarlet blazing wave, instantly twisting into a compressed projectile within the cannon barrel!

The intensely suppressed heat burst open in an instant, shooting out like a long dragon and exploding in the air with a deafening roar!

boom--!

Boom boom boom—!

The devastating energy exploded in the air, creating several distorted ripples that surged towards Rhode's location.

This was the first time Rhodes had sensed danger.

But he did not dodge.

Whether it's right or wrong, Cecilia is just throwing a tantrum and acting recklessly—after all, she has one basic principle in everything she does: she won't hurt him.

But now this principle has clearly been broken.

This attack, while not enough to kill him, certainly injured him considerably.

There's no real reason he didn't dodge... because not dodging wouldn't have made any difference.

【Star of Creation LV.5】: All attributes are increased by 45%, the body exhibits elf-like and god-like characteristics, and can resist three fatal attacks, restoring 100% of health.

Even if he is engulfed in flames... he can be fully revived.

Just as the tearing, twisted bullets engulfed Rhodes' figure, a voice appeared in Rhodes' ears;

[You block 100% of damage and recover 100% of your health].

Boom boom boom—!

The blazing flames, like a scorching furnace, transformed into vibrant fireworks in the sky.

The flames of the fireworks floated lightly before Cecilia's eyes—

But instead of feeling the joy of victory, her face slowly went blank.

What……?

Did Rod not dodge?

The wind-up and speed of this attack were both extremely slow...

But why was it that Rhodes didn't dodge this fatal blow at all?

The fear in my heart began to fester.

No, wait a minute—

In an instant, panic overwhelmed her, and she detached the cannon barrel and sped toward the center of the blazing inferno, passing right through the flames.

Anxiety welled up inside her, and disregarding the scalding heat that burned her skin, she hurriedly searched for the figure she was looking for in the fire.

Fear and panic made her seem like a girl who had gone too far.

"Rhodes!" she cried out amidst the flames, her eyes no longer calm, but filled with anxiety and fear of loss.

She never imagined she would truly lose Rhodes. Even in her previous life, she was the one who walked ahead of Rhodes and never witnessed his death.

Even so, when that possibility actually came true, the despair in her heart truly reached its peak.

Why didn't you dodge?

Why should we withstand this attack?

Do not……

not like this.

Ultimately, why did she attack Rhodes?

Clearly, he is the only thing I cherish, isn't he?

In an instant, the numbness and panic in her body caused her mind to go completely blank, and her eyes fell into a lifeless void.

What am I actually doing?

...

...

Those were whispers between two twelve-year-old girls huddled together in bed at night.

The two of them looked as if they were carved from the same template.

The girl's voice was sweet, light, yet firm:

"Cecilia, will you stay with me for the rest of your life?"

"How would I know...? You created me, so of course I have to protect you."

"Do you think we can become friends in the future? If I make friends in the future, they will definitely be your friends too..."

"Ah."

"What if I find someone I like? Would you like them too?"

"Yes."

“Cecilia…I really want someone to protect us…”

"Why? Can't I protect you?"

"Because, that way, neither of us will die alone..."

"Fool, we're going to die together."

Ivina pursed her lips and finally said:

"But don't you really want someone to keep us company?"

...

...

someone.

This person has always been there.

She had clearly found him—the moment he pulled her out of the garbage dump, she thought this strange guy might be the person Ivina needed.

The question is, why did things turn out this way?

At this moment, he is in the fire.

A burning figure, a numbed soul.

Her first defection was to bring someone who could protect Ivina, who could never leave the Duke's mansion.

Her second defection was so that Rhodes and she would never be bullied—not by those nobles.

But it seems that no matter which time she defected, she failed completely.

In her previous life, she not only failed to save Ivina, but even let her die in sorrow... Wasn't that her original intention?

She only took this step because that foolish, cowardly girl, who pretended to be strong, made a wish to her.

It turns out that people really do forget their original purpose as they go along.

No.

That's not the case either.

Rhodes could not redeem Ivina from her previous life—after all, he had no reason to go to the Duke's mansion and was always by Lilith's side.

But in any case, she forgot what the purpose of her first step was.

Like her foolish sister, what she wanted hadn't actually changed.

"Rhodes...Rhodes..."

She moved aimlessly through the flames, searching for the figure she sought, shaking her head in confusion—

She believed that Rhodes couldn't really be dead, but until she saw the truth, her fear wouldn't lessen in the slightest.

Probably that's it.

Only when a person completely loses their bottom line will they realize that it's already a good thing that their bottom line is still intact... Why bother pursuing more?

Cecilia was in the same situation at that moment.

"Just answer me, just answer me, I don't want anything else..."

When she uttered those words, she completely lost control. Tears welled up in her eyes, then slid down her cheeks, only to be quickly evaporated by the blazing flames.

"Rhodes, come out quickly...!"

"That's not how it is..."

call--

"Afraid?"

Rhodes' voice rang out at that instant.

“Rhodes…!” Cecilia’s eyes turned to the left of where Rhodes’ voice came from, and at the same time, she felt the sharp edge of a longsword against her neck.

“General, Cecilia,” Rhodes said softly, his eyes calm.

silence.

He remained silent for only half a second.

Cecilia ignored his address of "General".