madnovel Chapter 100 An empty soul, dead at this moment.
Chapter 100 An empty soul, dead at this moment.
Chapter 101 An empty soul, dead at this moment (4k)
"Shh"
Cecilia, standing on the high platform, slightly gestured with a finger for silence, and at the same time, the violin in her hand instantly turned to ashes and disappeared.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet and refrain from making noise. The stage is being set up, and you are merely spectators."
Instantly, upon hearing her words, all the guards reacted and looked at the nobles around them.
That's right————
At this moment, after killing several nobles, the witches did not begin a large-scale massacre. Instead, each witch held a knife to the back of a noble—
Nearly a hundred nobles in the audience were all taken hostage.
"You all know very well that if you make any rash moves, their heads will roll off."
In an instant, everyone's expression turned to gritted teeth.
That was the truth. Even Horenad, a knight who had been promoted four times, could not possibly save the nobles from these witches in an instant. Therefore, at that moment, no one dared to make a move.
The situation is just like this hall corrupted by the fallen demon god; everything is under the control of the witch.
Breathing became difficult, and no one knew what the witch's purpose was.
Even Rhodes simply watched this scene, calmly waiting for Cecilia to continue.
He wasn't afraid of being threatened, because as long as Merrick released his aura, all the demons would be so terrified that they would wet themselves and become paralyzed, making the threat pointless.
But he really didn't understand why Cecilia would deliberately create such a quiet opportunity for conversation.
Did she want to chat with him? Or was her surprise more than just a form of blackmail?
The unknown made Rhodes hold his breath, a sharp glint flashing in his starry eyes, his skills were ready.
Tick-tock, tick-tock—
The pendulum rang, and at that moment, only Rhodes, Ivina, and Cecilia remained standing in the very center of the stage.
At this moment, Cecilia revealed her chilling smile, looking down at Rhodes: "Alright, Rhodes, now that everyone in the audience has quieted down, what follows is my surprise~"
"Smack."
The drumbeats fell again, and in that instant, Rhodes felt the soft little hand he was holding vanish.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, and he turned his head instantly, only to find that Ivina had vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Ivina appeared beside Cecilia—
Cecilia wrapped one arm around Ivina's shoulder, and with a flick of her other hand, a purple, gilded dagger appeared.
In an instant, she pressed the knife against Ivina's neck.
Ivina felt the coldness and stinging pain on her neck, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
At the same time, Cecilia breathed warm air into her ear: "My dear sister, you're so naughty. You always want to do something on your own."
"Ugh—!"
Ivina was still under control, so she could neither speak nor move, and could only force herself to let out two sobs.
Cecilia smiled, rested her head on Ivina's other shoulder, and looked at Rhodes: "Darling, are you scared? The person who was in your hands a second ago is now in my hands."
"You'd better let her go now," Rod said, his voice tinged with anger.
At this moment, all the nobles were completely lost in thought as they listened to Cecilia and Rhodes' conversation.
Because they clearly heard Cecilia, the leader of the witches, call Rod [darling].
"What's going on here?!" The nobleman who wasn't being threatened stood frozen in place, feeling as if he had fallen into a trap, his pupils trembling.
"That witch's name is Lord Rhodes—"
"Damn it, shut up! Don't make a sound, or the witch will kill all the kidnapped nobles. If so many people die, the East will be in trouble!"
There were hushed whispers among the crowd, but Cecilia ignored them, simply saying calmly, "What if I don't?"
"Then your head will fall to the ground," Rod replied.
"Really?" Cecilia smiled brightly.
To shock someone who had ascended to the peak four times in an instant would require an overwhelming [Saint] level of power. This means he truly had such a terrifying trump card prepared.
She was deeply moved, but at the same time, she relaxed and became playful.
She pursed her lips, her eyes crinkling like the moon as she smiled, "I never expected you to utter such worthless threats in such a fit of anger."
But darling, aren't you curious why I can use my skills to switch Ivina over?
You should know exactly what conditions are required to activate my skill, right?
Rhodes remained silent.
Cecilia's [Transfer] skill is not a random swap of positions, but a very simple [Summoning] spell.
In other words, the prerequisite for a transfer is that there must be a binding [technique] with this person for it to be possible.
"Are you saying you're just messing with me?"
"Because you secretly bound this transfer spell to Ivina long ago, no matter how hard I try, I can't take her away?"
"No, no, no, that is true, but it's not just that."
Darling, haven't you thought about this question deeply?
Why did I ask you to save Ivina, and why should I thank you for saving Ivina?
Did I just want to tell you that all your efforts have been in vain? That kind of mockery is hardly pleasant.
"So what? What exactly are you trying to say?" Rhodes' eyes remained calm and composed.
Cecilia looked up, her smile widening. "What I really wanted to say was—you're so silly."
"Didn't you already know that the moment you first saw Ivina? Her scarlet eyes are so similar to mine."
"I really didn't expect you to want to change the storyline of the previous life, nor did I expect you, my dear, to take such a foolish step."
"Is it possible that coming to the Duke's mansion was a mistake from the very beginning?"
"you----"
Before Rhodes could finish speaking, Cecilia interrupted him again, whispering, "The reason I sent you to save her, the reason I made you waste your time on saving her, was to toy with you, after all—"
The person you saved was never an innocent "container" from the beginning.
she----"
Cecilia's dagger stealthily slipped from below and landed on the bow at the back of Ivina's head—
At this moment, Ivina's pupils contracted, and her delicate body began to tremble.
No----!
She shouldn't have hesitated, nor should she have waited until the very last moment to tell Rhodes the truth!
At that moment, Ivina understood what Cecilia was trying to say.
It's nothing more than—
Click—
The moment the bandage was cut, the seal wrapped around Ivina's right eye disappeared.
The fallen bandages revealed the truth about the girl's right eye at that moment.
Yes.
That golden, jewel-like pupil shimmered so beautifully at that moment.
On the stage, in an instant, two girls with different eyes stood there, and at that moment, their auras became increasingly similar.
However, Cecilia's color scheme is red on the left and gold on the right, while Ivina's is gold on the right and red on the left.
At this moment, Ivina, like a finely crafted replica doll, was placed in front of Cecilia—and in that instant, everyone was stunned.
Not to mention the nobles, even Merrick, who was originally indifferent, narrowed his eyes.
Not to mention Rhodes —
His breathing became erratic for a moment, and his purple eyes froze.
When this vague truth was laid bare before him, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed, and his breathing became slow and heavy.
At that moment, the singing and dancing girl laughed out loud: "Actually, I've been playing a trick on you all along. Ivina is my true form, I am Ivina."
"The emotions you feel are all fake. Ivina's confession to you was only because of my control, and her obedience to you was only because of my choice."
"Yes, it was all just a trick I played on you."
"Feeling sentimental? Angry? Sad? The object you were trying to save never existed. You were just being played by me, by me and my true self."
"She never liked you, and you never saved her, because she never needed to in the first place."
"How was it? Did you find this surprise interesting?"
"The vessel you're trying to save is actually me or something, isn't that hilarious? Heh heh—"
Like a deadly blade, Cecilia's words shrouded everything in darkness.
She denied the truth of Ivina's yearning for the future, and also denied Ivina's genuine love, weaving the story into a lie and presenting it to Rhodes.
Ivina gritted her teeth, her anger growing even more intense—
No, that's not how it is!
That's not what Cecilia said at all!
Why did you lie? Why did you do this?!
Ivina's hatred for Cecilia intensified.
However, despite her desperate struggles, tears welled up in her eyes, but in the end, she could do nothing.
She knew she couldn't say anything, she could only look at Rhodes, look at Rhodes.
The moment their eyes met, all the resentment, regret, hatred, and expectation that Ivina had hidden in her eyes vanished, leaving only emptiness.
Because at this moment, Rhodes's gaze was extremely cold, so cold that her heart felt as if it had stopped beating.
Ivina has lost all her strength.
Her lips trembled, and she suddenly realized—
What am I struggling with?
Although Cecilia was lying, the fact remains that she is Cecilia's original self.
She was the most hated person from the very beginning.
She was not only a bloodthirsty monster, but she also nurtured the demon Cecilia.
Her future was burdened with the sins of countless lives, and there was never any possibility of it turning into something good.
right----
What am I expecting? What future am I thinking about?
It was wrong from the very beginning, a huge mistake.
One dream after another collapsed and shattered in that instant.
[A dream of living together with the one you love in an ordinary town.]
[The dream of becoming someone who is loved.]
[The dream of learning to cook, buying things I like, and living the life of an ordinary young girl.]
[My dream is to hold my loved one's hand in one hand and my child's hand in the other, and be together happily forever.]
These sentimental and worthless dreams vanished in an instant.
Ok.
Cecilia simply stated these facts clearly, revealing that she was not a normal person at all.
The resentment, the pain, the struggle—all were lost.
Now she is a tired and empty puppet, with no future.
Because she is a sinner.
No matter what, they are sinners with no future.
thump.
With that final sound, the soul felt utterly empty.
At this moment, Cecilia felt an emptiness constantly spreading through her heart, and she felt increasingly uncomfortable.
But she still forced a smile and tossed the dagger away, letting it roll to Rhodes' feet. Cecilia smiled: "Angry? Furious? Want your revenge?"
"Then do you have the courage to pick up that 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 abilities, 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 it?"
"Pick up this knife and kill the person you swore you would protect."
"Hahaha, this is so funny, so funny!"
"Are you happy? Is it interesting? Rhodes, Rhodes—!" Cecilia's face gradually turned crazed. "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 if Rhodes picked up the knife and killed the monster, the leader above would die instantly.
At this moment, a nobleman, seeing that Rhodes was still hesitant, shouted, "Lord Rhodes, I know you're hesitant, but that guy is a monster! He's a demonic being, he's not the one 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 turned frenzied after the first sentence: "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 so intense that even the gentler voices, and the kind one, Felicity's, 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: "So good, so good, this is exactly the kind of noisy thing I want—"
Darling, make a choice quickly—I know you won't be foolish.