Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

"I have always kept my promise, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Faced with the Empress's aggressive stance.

Without much hesitation, Rhodes decided to confront the other party.

"If Your Majesty only wants me to care about you, then I can tell you definitively that's impossible."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the Empress gripped the dagger tighter and her expression became slightly distorted.

She couldn't help but grit her teeth.

"Rhodes, you really have the nerve to say that now!"

"Because it's true."

Rod straightened his chest with an air of confidence.

It is precisely at times like these that one's stubbornness and arrogance become most apparent.

It compels him to never bow down to anyone.

Even the Empress of the Empire cannot.

"Since Your Majesty remembers the agreement we made, you should understand that I have no intention of giving up on any student. This is my principle as a teacher, it was before, it is now, and it will be in the future. Whether it is you, or Ange and Luna, I will treat them all equally."

"But I don't like it!"

You can't impose your own preferences on others!

Rhodes loudly refuted the Queen.

For a moment, the Empress was a little stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Are you scolding me? How dare you scold me?"

"As a teacher, it is my duty to teach my students when I see them going astray."

Rhodes was going all out.

The Empress appeared somewhat embarrassed and angry.

"I am the supreme Empress of the Empire! In all these years, no one has dared to raise their voice before me! Rhodes, you'd better understand your place and your situation!"

"It is because no one dares to advise you that you have become so arrogant."

Luo Deyi spoke with righteous indignation and stern words.

"I am speaking to you as your teacher, Shia."

"They even called me by my first name?"

The Queen stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"You were asking what you mean to me, right? Well, I'll tell you now."

As Rhodes spoke, he suddenly exerted force and pushed the Queen onto the bed.

The situation reversed instantly.

Rhodes looked down at the empress beneath him.

The empress had her hair loose, and her hands were held above her head by Rhodes, leaving her completely defenseless.

She seemed to freeze, staring blankly at Rod with her mouth agape.

She seemed to have never imagined that she would be forcefully pushed down by Rhodes.

Her face was still flushed with embarrassment and anger.

"What...what do you want to do to me?"

The Empress began to stammer.

Rod began his performance.

"Sia, I must tell you this seriously. You are a very beautiful woman, and I am a normal man. I am just rationally restraining my physical urges, but that doesn't mean that your excessive closeness can make me indifferent."

"What...what are you talking about?"

"I'm telling you my thoughts. As your teacher, I've always considered you an indispensable and important student. As a man, I once wanted to protect you, and I sincerely hope you can find happiness."

"..."

"I may have always seen you as an attractive woman."

Rhodes gazed at the Queen.

As the Queen met Rhodes's burning gaze, a blush spread across her face at a visible speed.

If anyone else saw this, they would definitely exclaim that it was impossible and made no sense.

That domineering and powerful empress would actually make such a gesture.

For the first time in history, the Empress chose to retreat.

She looked away.

"..."

Looking at the lovely and charming queen in front of him, Rhodes secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

That's finally safe.

Unfortunately, his joy didn't even last two minutes.

The Empress suddenly remembered something and, snapping out of her reverie, asked abruptly.

"What about your other two disciples? And that witch who ran into your house?"

"..."

So, I guess I couldn't escape it after all?

Rod sighed inwardly.

But it doesn't matter, he's already decided to go all the way.

"As I just said, I treat everyone the same, no matter who they are."

"No! You must put me first!"

The Queen insisted on her demands.

Rhodes did not compromise.

"You have your demands, and I have my own principles. Even if you are the Empress, you cannot shake my beliefs."

"Then I'll kill you, and then kill myself."

Even if you kill me, my mind will not change.

Rhodes shook his head and offered words of advice.

"Sia, you have a long life ahead of you, why end it here? There's still a long future ahead, we can spend it together."

"There's no time left."

The Empress suddenly spoke.

Rod looked at the other person, puzzled.

But the Empress's expression held a hint of self-mockery and indifference.

"The world will be destroyed after midnight. Rather than waiting until then to experience despair, I would rather decide to die with you."

"...How did you know?"

Rhodes was puzzled.

"Because when I first touched the magic mirror, I foresaw that future. That indescribable terror still lingers in my mind to this day."

The Empress answered.

Although she remained remarkably calm, as if she were discussing something trivial.

Rhodes sensed it; the Queen's body and gaze seemed to tremble slightly.

It was a kind of instinctive bewilderment and fear.

"Perhaps that's why another version of me appeared. Ironically, she didn't see the destruction of the world, but only remembered our double suicide."

The Empress gave a cold laugh, then looked up at Rhodes.

"So do you understand now? As promised, you must stay by my side. And I would rather die with you than passively accept the destruction of the world. Or do you not believe what I'm saying?"

No, I believe everything you say.

"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let us go to the underworld together, Rhodes."

An indescribable smile appeared on the Queen's face.

"……sure."

Rhodes nodded.

He then snatched the dagger from the Queen.

"But before that, let's witness the destruction of the world together."

After saying that, Rhodes smiled slightly and leaned down to kiss the Queen's lips.

The empress, who was about to say something, was distracted by the sudden attack.

The fear buried in my heart gradually subsided.

She stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Rod's neck.

They awkwardly tried to please them.

……

Time passed by, second by second.

Rhodes and Shia sat side by side on the edge of the bed, their fingers intertwined.

Shia hugged Rhodes' arms and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I still can't stand you being with other women."

Shea said softly.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. The world is about to be destroyed, and now, you belong to me alone."

"Don't worry, the future is still long."

Are you talking about time loops?

Hia looked down on Rod.

She already knew about the time loop.

They also realized that what they were seeing was not the future, but the past they had experienced.

"What's the point of something that's just a repetition of time and space, where even memories can't be preserved?"

"One day the cycle will be broken, and then we'll all welcome the New Year together."

"Before that, you need to convince me to become one of them."

You will say yes.

"Then I'll wait and see, Professor Rhodes."

Just before midnight.

Shea leaned forward and gave Rhodes a final, farewell kiss.

The next instant.

Midnight has fallen.

Everyone felt a palpitation that was so intense it defied description.

The world fell apart in an instant.

Destruction ensued.