Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough?

"I……!"

Lilith almost really exploded.

Bellica seemed to have gotten bored with the performance, and suddenly began to laugh lightly.

"Hahaha~ How interesting, the lives of nobles, the meaningless competition for status, clearly a despicable mistress still trying to fight for a position."

It's because of this kind of trash, it's because of you bunch of trash, that everything has become so terrible.

Rod Chivenlance, you shouldn't have escaped Lady Cecilia's confinement. At least she would have given you a quick death. But now? You're going to be tortured to death by me.

Tell me, what would happen if you, the future heir to the Melanie Empire, died in the Linlank Empire?

With her murderous intent fully revealed, Bellica dropped her disguise.

Suddenly, everything in the house became eerie.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!

Countless black sacs of fluid emerged from the ceiling, covering the yellow and white wooden strips. At the same time, Bellica's cloak melted, revealing a black bodysuit.

With a flick of her finger, a long, obsidian-black scythe appeared in her hand.

"So, what do you think, Rod Chivenlance?"

"So you finally don't want to act anymore?" Rod replied.

"Answer my question, senior Rhodes."

"I'll leave that question for now." Rhodes calmly took a sip of his iced tea, stood up, and said, "Tell me first, whose subordinate are you? Are you Cecilia?"

Bellica's pupils contracted, but she quickly regained her composure. "What's it to you? I'm not representing my leader."

"So, you're saying that wanting to kill me was your personal decision, and has nothing to do with your superiors?"

"That's right."

"So, do you know that Cecilia likes me a lot?"

"Huh?" Bellica was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter. "You actually believed that kind of nonsense? The 'witch's' affection is just a desire to dismember and savor you, you fool."

"Never mind, I don't need to vent my emotions anymore, nor do I need to listen to your opinions." After saying that, Bellica's expression turned cold and suppressed, and the seemingly light scythe in her hand gleamed with a sharp edge under the light.

Then, she likened herself to a judge and said coldly:

"Prepare to die, Rod Chivenlance."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

"I think it's about the same."

"By the way, I'll tell you something quite sad. Do you know why, despite my high status, I have no guards by my side?"

"It's nothing but arrogance."

"Wrong." Rhodes shook his head. "Because powerful people dare not offend me, they will die no matter where they flee. And those weak people who complain about life and are unwilling to accept their fate, like you... have another characteristic."

"Um?"

That is, weakness.

Bellica's eyelids twitched, her breathing became slightly erratic, and she forced a smile:

"A provocation tactic? Senior Rhodes..."

"Wrong again. It wasn't a reverse psychology tactic."

"?"

"It's to make you angry, and then..." Rhodes' words faltered, and in an instant, he activated his skill—

[Dragon, Soul Seed] [Dragon Heart LV.1]: Can share mental thoughts within a 20-meter radius, and can launch mental attacks that pierce the soul.

The moment the [Dragon Heart] was activated, Bellica's mind felt as if it had been filled with a huge pile of junk, causing her to become dizzy and disoriented!

"What's going on here...?"

Before she could even recover from Rhodes's mental attack, Rhodes was already in front of her in the blink of an eye—

"I'll ambush you directly."

【Listen to the Song of the Dragon LV.1】: Allows for barrier-free communication with all species, and grants a blessing upon use, increasing all attributes by 5 points.

[Soul Enhancement LV.1]: You can increase a single character's Spirit Resistance by 10%, Constitution by 5%, and Agility by 10%.

Two amplification skills were stacked on Rhodes, and with a flick of his finger, a sharp crimson longsword appeared!

【Dragon Sword】: You can forge a dragon sword. When equipped, your Strength +5 and Agility -2.

The moment the longsword fell into Rhodes's hand, he felt his body boil, and all his blood pounded violently!

A tremendous amount of power gathered in his wrist, and his strength reached 21 points, double that of his normal attribute!

Feeling the terrifying power, Rhode felt heat emanating from every pore of his body, and his veins bulged!

but--

boom--!

While Bellica was on par with Flandre in terms of strength, she had far more combat experience.

As Rhodes got close, she suddenly activated the sacs of fluid hidden in the ceiling!

Bang Bang Bang!

One by one, the fluid burst open, and countless sharp blades poured down towards the ground, smashing countless utensils in the room!

A dense barrage of nauseating force crashed down, obscuring the view of the scene.

Meanwhile, this multi-stage attack forced Rhodes to stop his offensive and defend, breaking through the blades.

Bang! The sword shattered the illusion.

Rhodes frowned; things were indeed a little more troublesome...

He could sense that the activation time of the [Dragon Heart] was about one minute, meaning it could only be used once per minute, which clearly meant he couldn't launch another sneak attack.

Conversely, Bellica also used up all the fluid sacs she had arranged on the ceiling in a panic.

This means that their victory or defeat can only be determined by pure close-quarters combat.

Coincidentally, Rhodes was not afraid of physical combat at all.

When the blades from the ceiling stopped falling, Rhode knew he had to end the fight.

He stomped his foot on the ground, cracking the marble, then his body stood firm like a rock, and suddenly flashed—!

Swish-!

As if tearing through space, the Dragon Sword went straight for Bellica's neck!

"No way!"

boom--!

Bellica's scythe withstood Rhodes' attack and then swung away.

But... Bellica's eyes were filled with shock.

Such terrifying power! The moment Rhodes' sword landed in her hand, she was completely paralyzed by the shock!

What the hell is going on?!

Shouldn't Rod Chiven Lance be just an ordinary person with no real strength?

Although he is of noble status, he should have deliberately avoided becoming stronger during his studies abroad in order to avoid public opinion. So what the hell is going on now?

It wasn't just the level and power of someone who had just entered the second stage of ascension; it was absolutely beyond her limits!

Bellica's inner panic began to rise—

The moment this emotion arises, it signifies that Bellica is completely dead.

Rhodes' sword slashed out.

The long sword moved like a shadow, its sharp edge darting around, constantly slashing and slashing down beside her!

Therefore, even though Belikargo blocked the attack, her vulnerabilities were gradually widening under increasing tension.

Blood appeared on his shoulder, his fingers stung from the shock, and his black bodysuit began to tear.

"This isn't right, this isn't right... how could this be..."

"Rhode...Rhode Chivenlance, what have you done?!"