Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough?

Chapter 123 Soul Fusion [Charlotte]

Chapter 124 Soul Fusion [Charlotte]

"Kill them?" Clara's figure swayed slightly.

Clara was just a child.

Or rather, the soul of Clara is essentially the soul of a girl who is about ten years old.

Pure and clean, never tainted by worldly affairs.

So when Rhodes told her to kill someone willingly, she was in a daze.

She had the courage to defeat those monsters, and the courage to hold her head high and say that she was "great," and then put in extra effort to help Rhodes solve some problems.

But—killing, even a fake person from the soul world, is enough to make her tremble.

Because, in her eyes, killing people was never a choice.

This was guided by the inherent goodness of her soul, and also because, being afraid of everything, she simply didn't believe she had the ability to deal with a formidable enemy.

This is why her soul separated from her body.

As that child, as Clara's soul entity, all she knew from childhood to university was to be obedient.

Living under a loving mother

Living under the care of our people

Although she didn't know that the reason her people cared for her was because she was the vessel of the [Deep Sea God], it didn't matter.

Because no matter what, she is a flower that is surrounded and protected in the palm of one's hand.

So—even on her deathbed, she foolishly believed that Isadora wouldn't kill her.

It's not that I'm really stupid.

It's simply because she believes it.

Trust Cecilia, and trust all the witches who, like Cecilia, seem normal and ordinary.

They were so kind and gentle that even living together didn't seem evil; instead, they comforted her and kept her in one room.

But clearly, her trust was too naive.

Of course, for a child who is only ten years old, ignorance and cowardice are never mistakes.

But it was this emotion that made Clara afraid to face the monsters inside her, and she began to hide from them, becoming increasingly dull-witted.

The disappearance of the empty soul shell ultimately prevented Charlotte's soul from awakening normally.

The cause and effect of everything are thus intertwined, forming a fitting web.

But now, Rhodes had once again placed the choice of facing danger before her. Clara trembled for a moment, her lips trembling as she murmured, "Me? Why me? You should do it—"

"Because you are stronger than me, you can protect yourself," Rhodes said softly.

"Nothing like that. I don't remember anything, just some inexplicable power." Clara's head shook like a rattle-drum, her words a little incoherent with excitement.

That's it, that's the problem.

Rhodes' eyes were calm as he grasped the key issue: Clara's soul had been denying its own power, which was why Charlotte's soul could not awaken normally.

This was indeed an unexpected situation. After all, Charlotte would never have imagined that her soul would awaken ahead of schedule, let alone consider the possibility that she would be resurrected in a vessel that had not yet grown up.

Her immature soul and physical form are denying her own strength and suppressing the power that belongs to Charlotte.

"But you can easily kill an enemy that I need to fight to defeat with a single punch."

"That's a coincidence! The monster I killed was definitely much weaker than the one you killed, Rhodes."

Clara waved her hand in denial as before.

negative.

It seems that for all people with problems in their souls, one key aspect is denial.

Denying your true self, denying objective facts, and getting stuck in a rut will only lead you into a dead end.

Whether it's Clara or Ivina, they are essentially the same.

Rhodes remained silent, saying nothing.

But to Clara, Rhodes' silence seemed terrifying.

She really didn't want to kill anyone, nor did she have the ability to do so.

She knew this must be just an illusion, after all, she had just been absorbed into this world.

Even though they were just fake people, she didn't have the courage to pick up a knife and kill them.

Hate?

In her eyes, Cecilia's hatred was nothing; she didn't seem like the Cecilia who would fight desperately against fate and refuse to submit.

She is the typical type who, even when bullied, will swallow her anger and keep the problem to herself, and even when she is beaten or scolded, she will believe that the problem must lie with herself.

Therefore, in her eyes, picking up a knife to fight back and kill people was simply an act that would only occur when one was on the verge of desperation.

Even though she knew that if she didn't pick up the knife and kill this enemy, she and Rhodes would be trapped in this world and unable to get out.

After all, she trusted Rhodes, and if Rhodes wanted her to do this, it meant she had to do it.

It was precisely this pressure that forced her heart to become increasingly distorted.

Unbeknownst to her, her body trembled so much that her legs went weak, and a thin mist appeared in her eyes.

Her blue fish ears twitched at that moment, and her chest began to rise and fall as she breathed.

"Why, why do it this way—?"

"You don't want to do this, do you?"

"————" Clara remained silent, only tears dripping onto the ground.

Why?

"No killing or anything like that."

"But they will bully you and break your heart. They might even kill you if I weren't there."

"And if you don't kill them, you won't be able to awaken. If you can't awaken, we won't be able to leave this space."

"But, but you're here now."

Clara grasped at this straw as if it were her only lifeline.

Just like her brother, Rhodes, who shielded her from danger in various dungeons, undoubtedly became her mother and kin in her eyes.

She tried to rely on others to help her solve these problems, just like she had done in the past.

Naïve — indeed naïve.

But in the end, she really is just a child.

At this moment, Rhodes sighed softly.

There was no other way, or rather, there was only one way in front of him to directly solve these problems.

Ultimately, this is the child's last chance to escape, so why not let her escape?

The moment her soul awakens, Charlotte, the true goddess with a proud consciousness, will completely erase Clara's kind and innocent soul.

Therefore, the Clara that is now in front of Rhodes is actually a spirit that is about to die.

So, that's it.

"I understand, then—" Rhodes paused slightly, "you don't need to worry about it."

That's all.

As if frozen in time, the girl's sobs stopped abruptly.

She raised her head in confusion, tears still streaming down her face.

"what?"

"Adult matters should be handled by adults, right? You're just a child, so you don't need to worry about these things."

"Go ahead and run if you want, avoid it if you want. At least for now, I can definitely help you solve this problem."

"But----"

"But what?"

"Don't I have to kill them before we can leave?"

Rod smiled. "I was just kidding you from the beginning—these things aren't a big deal. I can leave whenever I want, so you don't need to feel burdened."

"What?"

"What? What? I'm definitely telling the truth. I would never lie to you, right?"

Rod's voice reached Clara's ears.

These words, like an order to release a death row inmate, instantly shattered Clara's inner defenses.

She lunged at Rhodes and hugged him tightly with both hands, "Hey—"

The sobbing did not decrease but rather subsided.

It even gradually escalated from a soft sob to a loud wail.

Tears streamed down her face, soaking Rod's clothes, but she still didn't blame Rod for deceiving her, or say anything like Rod shouldn't have said such things.

She simply buried herself in his chest, freely expressing her emotions, and was happy that her soul did not need to kill others.

There aren't that many complicated thoughts—after all, he's just a child.

It took her several seconds to realize what had happened. She weakly and calmly cried out, "You scared me! You're so mean—"

"Okay, I'm sorry. But anyway, there's something I need to ask you."

"Hmm?" Clara wiped away her tears and looked up.

"Stretch out your hand."

Clara's body stiffened slightly, but she still did as she was told.

"so?"

With the back of her hand facing up, her fingertips were incredibly delicate, appearing even more distinct in the sunlight.

Rhodes remained silent for a long while after that.

If Clara had been a girl who grew up normally, instead of a human form chosen by Charlotte, would her future have been more peaceful?

This thought didn't last long.

In a split second, Rod placed his hand on her fingers and gripped them tightly.

"From this moment on, your power belongs to me."

Rhodes' eyes were fixed on Clara, his gaze never wavering.

"what?"

Clara hadn't said anything yet.

In an instant, she felt as if her body was twisting, and all her power began to dissipate and fly towards Rhode. Countless spiritual particles dissipated wildly, and a huge amount of power began to surge into Rhode's body like a tide. That's right, her soul was being absorbed by Rhode, or rather, her [soul power] was submitting to Rhode's soul.

This was the only easy method Rod could come up with.

It's incredibly crazy, yet it's a very clear and straightforward method.

The spiritual world is, in essence, a false world constructed by souls. In other words, the strongest in this world are those who lay the foundation for its order.

As the master of the spiritual world, Clara only needs to believe that her power belongs to Rhodes.

If it's true, then this "possibility" will actually happen.

but----

I believe this was actually just an initial requirement.

The real requirement lies in the strength of Rhodes' soul.

Because, in the end, the soul strength of [Clara] that was fused with by Rhodes will become part of his soul.

In other words, if Clara's soul is not pure and is filled with violent resentment, or if Rhode's soul strength is not even enough to accept everything about Clara, then Rhode's soul will explode and be pulverized into dust!

This was undoubtedly a crazy act, but Rhodes remained calm, letting his souls continue to merge together.

His soul swelled wildly like a balloon, embracing and merging with Clara's soul. The stinging sensation was like needles piercing the soles of his feet, making his head throb.

Meanwhile, Clara's soul was constantly sensing the soul of the [host].

Countless slideshow-like images flashed and played in Clara's eyes—all of these memories were Rhodes's personal experiences.

At this moment, one side was constantly in pain, feeling the expansion of its soul, while the other side was staring blankly at Rhodes' memories.

Therefore, time seemed to stand still.

But—it is clearly not the case.

The moment Rod absorbed Clara's soul power, the entire soul world began to erupt in a frenzy!

Heaven and earth are upside down and distorted.

Houses and school buildings began to collapse madly, and water like blood seeped from the ground, beginning to engulf the world.

The sun has once again disappeared from the sky, and the blood-red moonlight reflects onto this festering sea of ​​blood.

Hundreds of skeletal whales surged wildly from the ocean once more, constantly gathering towards the center, their bones shattering and overlapping, continuously building up the body of this new monster.

This is a monster formed from the resentment within Clara.

Like a colossal beast, its tens of thousands of meters long body was made of stacked bones, transforming into a terrifying monster.

It has scarlet pupils, ferocious teeth, and a massive body that inspires despair at first glance.

As it treads upon the ocean, every step it takes causes the sea of ​​blood to churn wildly!

In an instant, a massive destructive beam of light condensed in its mouth, and its overwhelming power pierced directly towards Rhodes!

Undoubtedly, it was attempting to kill the man who was about to change the world.

It must also stop this dull-witted outsider!

"bump--!"

The light beam hit Rhodes.

But he remained completely still.

The painless, mosquito-like bite made Rhodes casually glance at the monster.

In that instant, as Rhodes moved, Clara moved as well.

It was like two overlapping phantoms, except that control was in Rhodes's hands.

"Fortunately, my soul strength seems to be very high, or rather, Clara's soul is pure enough."

Losing all my memories actually helped me to successfully integrate all the power.

Rhodes said softly, "Leave the rest to me. Once the enemy is dead, it will all be over, Clara."

Rhodes' aura grew stronger.

He could no longer perceive his precise state of being.

He only knew that killing the monster in front of him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

Yes—Clara possesses such powerful energy within her.

It's only because of their retreat and their lack of understanding of how to utilize this power that things have turned out this way.

But now that this power is in his hands, let's end it all.

It's time to resolve this "Carmen" instance and return to reality!