Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough

"Then do you have the courage to pick up the knife at your feet and kill my true form?"

"My senses and my physical body are in perfect harmony. If you kill her, I will briefly fall into a near-death state and lose all my fighting ability, okay?"

"Yes, if you dare to kill my true form, I will no longer have the strength to resist you, and none of the witches present will be a match for you."

"But... are you willing to accept this? Are you willing to do this?"

“Pick up this knife and kill the person you swore you would protect.”

"Hahaha—it's so funny, so funny..."

"Are you happy? Is it interesting? Rhodes, Rhodes...!" Cecilia's face gradually turned frenzied. "This is the choice I wanted to see you make. Isn't it interesting?!"

"Make a choice, my dear!"

The sound was loud and resounded throughout the silent place.

Everyone's breathing quickened—

Because as long as Rhodes picks up this knife and kills that monster, the leader above will die instantly.

At this moment, a nobleman, seeing that Rhodes had not yet made a move, shouted:

"Lord Rhodes, I understand your hesitation, but in the end, that guy is a monster! He's a demonic being, he's not the kind of person you want to save! Please wake up!"

They didn't care whether Cecilia was toying with Rhodes or not; they only knew that Rhodes had a chance to kill the enemy if he picked up the knife, so of course they would start to go crazy and get excited.

After all, if killing Ivina could actually kill the leader, it would be a great thing for them, but if killing Ivina resulted in the leader being unharmed, it would be of no harm to them.

Ivina is dead, that's all. After all, she was never important to them.

Even if Rhodes went up and was killed before he could kill Ivina, it wouldn't matter to them, since it wouldn't be them who died!

Therefore, the clamor began to turn frantic after the first sentence was uttered—

"I told you, a Bloodthirsty Monster is a monster, and it shouldn't even exist!"

"Lord Rhodes, attack quickly! That damned demon dares to provoke you! Your wisdom and courage will never be shaken by something like this!"

Hurry! Hurry!

The cacophony of voices from all directions was overwhelming, and even the gentle voices of Felicity, the kind-hearted one, were unable to escape the throng of resentful individuals...

As a result, the entire place fell into a world of resentment, and the greed that was trying to survive grew wildly.

These emotions were the most delicious scent of the demonic seed, and Cecilia's face grew increasingly infatuated:

"That's great, that's great, this kind of noisy noise is just right..."

Darling, make a choice quickly... I know you won't be foolish.

Chapter 102 Ivina, Let's Go Home (4.5k)

very noisy.

It's so noisy.

The surrounding sounds to Rhodes were like harsh mockery.

His heart was not at peace, and it was impossible for him to find peace...

Yes.

He got tricked again.

Just as Lilith had tricked him on the altar, he was now being tricked by Cecilia once again.

It's just how things are, isn't it? After all, he was indeed a bit cruel to Cecilia in his previous life, so it's understandable that she would have a twisted desire to take revenge on him.

But when the truth was laid bare before him, and Ivina remained silent, his heart sank to the bottom of the ocean, unable to move any further.

He reminisced about the shy Ivina nestled in bed, about the Ivina who would cry and whine about wanting "friends," and his heart began to crumble.

Why is it like this again?

Is this yet another environment woven from hypocrisy?

Why does he always meddle in other people's business and help them, but in the end he gets nothing in return?

This is terrible... That's why I said I shouldn't have wasted my time coming to the Duke's mansion in the first place.

Rhodes's heart sank even deeper.

He bent down and picked up the short knife from the ground.

It's so noisy, really noisy.

The nobles were even more overjoyed after he picked up the knife.

But I don't want to hear anything right now...

and so--

Rhodes roared angrily—

"Shut up, all of you!"

The [Soul Shock] instantly swept away all the noise, silencing them all.

All right.

Now, everything has quieted down.

Yet the knife in his hand still felt so heavy.

Rhodes doesn't need to believe Cecilia's claims that she will become weak after he kills Ivina.

Because Merrick was there, he was able to kill Cecilia no matter what.

But the problem is—

Should he angrily pick up a knife and actually rush over to kill Ivina, who is Cecilia's true form?

At the very least, Ivina's power has only been upgraded twice, that's a fact.

Furthermore, he couldn't guarantee that Cecilia hadn't left any tricks on Ivina.

Therefore, there is absolutely no problem with him listening to Cecilia's advice, making a decision, and killing Ivina.

But he also understood...

In this way, there is nothing left.

The girl he wanted to save no longer existed, and all his efforts were in vain.

He clearly wanted to see the rescued girl grow stronger and stronger, even able to live independently without him.

He clearly hoped that Ivina's future could be in her own hands, that she could save herself...

But that doesn't make sense either.

Because from the very beginning, everything was fake.

Her feigned emotions were fake, her expressed love was fake, and even her entire being and existence were false.

So, what exactly did he save, and what was he doing...?

He had never been so angry, not even when facing Lilith, so angry that he was speechless.

He took a step.

Step by step, they steadily approached the top of the steps.

“Yes, that’s it! Come here with the knife and end it all!” Cecilia laughed maniacally, her mind racing.

At the same time, she took out the hidden [Echoes of the Demon God] with her other hand and held it in her palm.

If he kills you, then you'll come back and become my vessel.

【…】

Ivina did not respond to Cecilia's words, and Cecilia did not seem to care.

The collapse of the soul is only a matter of a moment, and the soul state of the physical body will not be reflected back to her.

Undeniably, she felt exceptionally excited to perform in a play that made her feel uncomfortable.

Because that's what it means to hurt each other.

She is hurting herself with her vulnerable past, and at the same time, she is taking revenge on Rhodes.

Yes, the more she looked at Rhodes's coldness and the trembling in his eyes, the more wonderful it felt.

This is the consequence of his final choice to kill her; this is the ultimate way she toyed with Rhodes.

Closer and closer... When Rhodes kills Ivina with his own hands, he will surely become even colder, won't he?

It didn't matter if she hated him, because she understood that no matter how much Rod hated her, he would still have to cooperate with her in the end.

Tap, tap, tap.

Footsteps fell.

Skills were unlocked one by one.

[Body of Creation] [Heart of Life] [Listening to the Song of the Dragon of Life] [Chaotic Realm of Dreams]...

“I do want to end all of this,” Rod said coldly. “I hate lies, I hate having my efforts looked down upon.”

"Then come on, kill the woman in front of me, and you'll be free!"

"My dear, don't be sad."

After all, I told you a long time ago, you should never, ever go and save random girls for no reason.

"But you never listen, so what else can I do?"

At this moment, Cecilia looked at Rhodes, who had come to stand in front of her, her eyes becoming increasingly tender, yet also increasingly crazed.

Rhodes raised his dagger.

At that moment, his gaze met Ivina's once again.

The girl's eyes had lost their luster, and she no longer denied her fate.

Her breakdown stemmed largely from the realization that she had hurt Rhodes.