1329-1334

Chapter 1329: City of White (6)

In the end, Rhode convinced the little queen to speak to the giant again, and the little queen also accepted his suggestion. He initially thought that no matter how much he spoke, it would be hard to change the little queen's mind. Because to the little queen, he was just a passing traveler, and this was her country and not his, after all. The little queen represented Celia's 'ego', so it should be hard for her to listen to others. However, Rhode didn't expect her to agree with what he said without any hesitation. It seemed like the real Celia still had a certain amount of deep-seated trust in him. This was what affected the three different Celias at the mental level. If not, no matter what Rhode said, perhaps Celia's inner instincts would resent it, let alone accept it.

And when the little queen, who had been convinced by him, arrived at Candy Mountain again, she was surprised to find that the giant was also looking miserable. It was apparent that she was now living on Candy Mountain and there was no lack of delicious sweets and desserts everywhere, where she could eat as much as she wanted. But now, the giant looked so sad as though the world were coming to an end. Upon seeing the arrival of the little queen and Rhode, the giant poured out all her troubles as though she met her lifesavers.

It turned out that although the battle angel allowed the giant to live here, the former also set a lot of rules for her. The giant initially thought that she could eat whatever and as much as she wanted since she lived in Candy Mountain now. But it turned out not to be the case at all. Not only did the battle angel restrict her to three meals a day, but the amount in each meal was also strictly limited. Furthermore, the giant also had to wear this 'particularly uncomfortable' set of clothes.

This made the giant feel as if she was in hell. She used to be free, so how could she possibly be bound by such limitations? The battle angel watched her closely, ensuring that she followed the rules accordingly. And now, the giant was already regretting her decision to agree with the battle angel's condition as even starving in the wilderness was better than this treatment... For the giant, there was nothing more important than being free and doing as she pleased. But now, being monitored so closely by the battle angel left her incredibly depressed. At that moment, when she saw the arrival of the little queen and Rhode, she opened her mouth and complained to them unceasingly.

"In that case, wouldn't it be better to leave? That fella is so annoying anyway. It definitely isn't good staying here any longer!"

After hearing the giant's complaint, the little queen waved her fists and made her decision with pride. And upon hearing her suggestion, the giant also nodded as if she really intended to take action. But just as they were about to turn their thoughts into action, Rhode, who kept quiet beside them, let out a light cough, looked at the two of them, and asked.

"So... What about the problem with food in the future?"

"Huh? About that..."

Upon hearing Rhode's question, both the giant and little queen stared at each other in astonishment. However, they didn't know what to say. It was only after a moment when the little queen gnashed her teeth and replied.

"No problem, I can give it to her! Hmph, aren't they just candies and desserts? Now that Candy Mountain is mine, I can get her some candies and desserts every day!"

"But what if she wants to eat whenever she wants? Will you be able to keep enough food on hand for her?"

"Ugh..."

The little queen was speechless at Rhode's further questions. She frowned and pouted, pondering hard for a few moments.

"But... But... But..."

"We don't necessarily need to come up with a new approach."

Looking at the distressed expressions of the little queen and giant, Rhode shook his head and got straight to the point.

"Personally, I also think that the battle angel's suggestion was actually really good. But the problem is that she doesn't care what either of you think. While it is true that she is looking out for your best interests, this isn't the right thing to do. Both of you haven't embraced her intentions in a heartfelt way, and neither of you are used to it. So I think what is needed now is not to come up with a new approach, but to improve on the battle angel's suggestion..."

"That's right. Improve, improve!"

Upon hearing Rhode's explanation, the little queen, who was pondering bitterly, raised her hand in excitement as if she discovered a new continent like a drowning person finally grasping a life-saving straw. She widened her mouth and shouted in unparalleled excitement. And when the giant heard her cheers, she also raised her hand in delight. But just as she was about to respond to the little queen, a serious and earnest voice rang in their ears all of a sudden.

"Haven't you two given up yet?"

"———!"

Upon hearing that voice, the little queen and giant tensed up instinctively. They raised their heads to the sky and soon, spotted the battle angel fluttering her wings and descending from the sky. The battle angel stared at the two of them, and her sharp gaze emanated an ice-cold and majestic aura. Feeling the imposing presence of the battle angel, the giant whimpered and curled her huge body into a ball like a frightened puppy. The little queen also took a few steps back. But perhaps after being reminded of her duty, she forced herself to hold her chest up and look at the battle angel before her. Then, she grunted.

"Of course not! You're the only one who accepted what you said before and none of us have! This won't work! I demand an... improvement! That's right, improvement! At least make your conditions acceptable to all of us!"

"Acceptable?"

The battle angel furrowed her brows slightly in the face of the little queen's words.

"I don't see what's so unacceptable to you. I'm merely suggesting according to your individuality. It will benefit you two as well. In the end, it is the both of you who will ultimately benefit from it. It may sound a little harsh, but without rules, nothing can be done. How can you sustain if you can't keep your agreement? Both of you don't..."

"Aaaahhhh! I've had enough!"

But this time, before the battle angel finished her sentence, she was interrupted by the little queen who jumped up fiercely and placed her hands on her hips, before pointing at the battle angel in rage.

"Every time, every time, every time! You're always the one who says what is the right and wrong thing to do! I've had enough! I don't care if you're right or wrong, but this is unacceptable! I'm not afraid of you! Hmph! Whether you're right or not, I just don't like it!"

"What you're doing is futile."

In the face of the little queen's 'resistance', the battle angel's voice became deeper, and the chilly air that exuded from her body almost turned into a substantial cold breeze that froze the entire world around her. Meanwhile, the little queen, who finally stood upright and bravely after gaining the support of Rhode, no longer cowered in the face of the battle angel like before. Instead, she looked ahead and showed complete disdain for the battle angel's imposing presence.

"It is not up to you to decide whether or not it is beneficial for us! It's up to us to decide! I don't like it, and I don't think it's good! And the same goes for her. What's wrong with saying what we like out loud!"

"Y-Yeah..."

As if responding to the little queen's words, the giant beside her, who didn't dare to speak up earlier, cautiously peeked and spoke up. Right now, the conversation between the three of them was somewhat puzzling to Rhode. It was obvious that the issue they were discussing now seemed to have become more than just the home of the giant; it wasn't strictly about how this matter should be handled. It had been skewed to a completely abnormal track.

Although Rhode didn't show any signs of panic, he was, in fact, getting increasingly nervous as he watched the three of them arguing in front of him. The more unharmonized their words were, the more intense the three different mental states they represented were, which would lead straight to the core of the problem. Judging from this point, what the three of them were discussing now wasn't about cream and cake at all, but rather the true feelings that were hidden deep within Celia's heart, ones even she wasn't aware of.

"This isn't right! No matter how you look at it, I don't think this is going to end well! All we have to do is maintain the status quo!"

"But I don't want to maintain the status quo! I don't think this is good at all! I'm one of the parties involved and I have the right to voice my opinion and views!"

"I really like it, so why can't I just do what I like?"

"This just isn't right! You two will only bring trouble...!"

Without realizing it, the three of them began to argue. And along with their argument, the original scenery vanished, only to be replaced by a sticky white mass. At that instant, Rhode noticed a black void appearing beneath his feet. At the next moment, the heavens and earth turned upside down. As if being caught in the white whirlpool, Rhode was surrounded by the whirlpool and began to spin wildly. The arguments of the three in his ears became increasingly louder, to a point where it was almost impossible to hear their words clearly.

And after an unknown amount of time, the noise in his ears finally vanished. The world in front of his eyes changed yet again. Right now, what was in front of him was no longer the fairy tale-like world, but a pure white field instead. At that moment, he stood on a stone plate that looked like a huge circular plaza. As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but the color white everywhere. The battle angel, on the other hand, half-knelt on the ground in exhaustion as if she had just been through a war.

"This is..."

Looking at the world in front of him, Rhode was bewildered. It seemed like this was the core of Celia's mental world. But... Why now?

Come to think of it, what the hell just happened?

"Mr. Rhode... Why did you do that?"

And at that moment, the battle angel finally spoke. For some reason, Rhode noticed that this Celia wasn't as cold and rigid as before. On the contrary, he heard a strong resentment from her tone... Resentment? This sentiment was a rare one for her. Not only that, but it was also the first time she had called out his name. Before this moment, she had never spoken with him, as if he didn't exist at all.

But now... The situation didn't seem good either.

"You shouldn't have come here, Mr. Rhode. This has nothing to do with you. I think that's the best judgment as no one gets hurt that way. It might be a little hard to accept, but considering the end result, I think it's acceptable...! Why? Why did you do that? You just don't understand!"

"Yes, I really don't."

Rhode was quick to acknowledge her speech.

"But it's precisely that I don't understand, which is why I'm doing it... No matter what, I'm bound to make a choice since I'm here."

"As expected... This has always been your style, Master..."

With those words, Celia raised her head slowly. Her expression turned increasingly serious, angry, and ice-cold. Almost at the same time, a huge golden bird cage suddenly appeared out of nowhere, descended from the sky, and shrouded them within. Not only did she change the way she addressed him, but her outfit also transformed. Soon, the gorgeous and heavy white-golden armor vanished, only to be replaced with the armor that Celia wore in her daily life. It could even be said that the current battle angel finally returned to being the original Celia.

"But I don't like it, Master... It should have been me first. Why did things end up this way?"

"Celia?"

Celia's speech became even more confusing, leaving Rhode at a loss. However, he raised his guard instinctively as the tension in the air and the level of danger he felt were far above the level of the previous fight between the three mental entities. Right now, the atmosphere was filled with dense murderous intent. And the moment he raised his guard, a blade ray flashed past his eyes.

Clang!

If he hadn't raised his guard in time, perhaps the blade ray would have pierced right into his body. But in the face of this ambush from Celia, Rhode was able to block her attack and took the opportunity to draw a distance away from her. But even so, his eyes glinted in an unbelievable flash.

"Celia?"

It wasn't surprising that he was stunned. Celia was one of his most loyal subordinates. But now, she seemed like she was going to annihilate him!

What have I done to make her hate me so much? I neither toyed with nor threw her aside, so what's with this?

"Master, since you want me to say it, I will do so..."

As Celia spoke, she raised her sword and aimed at him.

"I have always been very unhappy with what Master has done!"

Swish!

Along with those words, another blade ray swung down at him. Rhode dodged in a swift maneuver, but that didn't stop her. Instead, she continuously brandished her sword at him. Not only that, but she also didn't stop yelling.

"Why did you sacrifice so many innocent people? While they may have gone too far with things, many innocents were implicated! Master, you care too little for their lives! You've gone too far! I don't like that! And you're always plotting against people with some nasty scheme! Don't you think it's evil? I wish my master were more upright! Why do you have to do those nasty things when you obviously have a resolute side on the battlefield?!"

Along with her accusations, she flourished her sword at Rhode unceasingly. Fortunately for him, this was a mental world, so his attributes weren't restricted by the outside world. He maintained the strength of a Void Dragon, so even though Celia's attacks were fierce, it was still easy for him to dodge them. However...

Seems like Celia has a really big grudge against me.

Hearing the accusations from her, Rhode was speechless. He knew that Celia definitely disliked what he did. And as the holy sword card that had followed him for the longest time, she could be said to have witnessed his journey from the beginning until now. And no one knew better than Celia what he had done...

Up until that moment, everything seemed normal. But it was only later when her complaints deviated from the norm.

"Master, you are so unruly! Even with all the pretty girls around you, you're still messing with others! And to do that kind of outrageous and shameless thing to so many girls, you've gone too far! And you obviously didn't even spare Big Sister! Why don't you care for me?! You like girls so much, but you've never looked at me. Am I no better than Big Sister?!"

"Huh?"

Rhode was taken aback by her confessions.

What in the world is going on?

Chapter 1330: City of White (7)

Rhode had a lot of forethought about Celia's psychology. But honestly, no matter how much he pondered, he never expected her to hold such feelings for him. Strictly speaking, although it wasn't completely impossible for her to fall for him since she had followed him since the beginning and it wasn't surprising that she had grown fond of him over time, he hadn't considered this direction in the slightest. In fact, he never reciprocated such feelings for her all this while. The reason was simple.

He knew that there was a conflict between them, and it wasn't the kind that could be solved by just talking about it as it involved their standpoint and morals. Celia was bound to follow a certain level of principles, fairness, goodness, and justice, which were the embodiment of a battle angel. But Rhode was different. He would do whatever he needed to achieve his goal without considering ruthless sacrifices. He had also designed several traps to capture the entire family of the innocents in the past.

For him, the result was always more important than the means, which was an irreconcilable conflict between him and her. He might seem like the kind of guy who welcomed everyone but, as a matter of fact, those who accepted him truthfully and were accepted by him had almost no problems with him in this regard. For instance, Anne had a joyful and outgoing character, and to some extent, she and Rhode were the same kind of people: both seeking the ends and not the means. However, Anne's 'means' wasn't as evil as his. And as a mercenary, she was very open-minded about life and death, so she neither agreed or disagreed with his approach. It was the same for Lize. If it were in the past, as a princess, she might have a slight problem with his actions. However, after being a mercenary for some time, Lize tasted the cold and warmth of the world, so she never interfered with his decisions.

And Marlene, as a noble descendant, to whom the wisdom of Thick Black Theory[1] came as an almost occupational gift, understood both sides of the story better than anyone. Controlling a country and territory was sometimes the same as managing a family. One had to play the role of a hero, while the other had to play the role of a villain. Rhode took on responsibility for being the hero, while letting Marlene handle being the villain. She was well aware of that but didn't show much resistance.

Meanwhile, one shouldn't be deceived by Erin's elegant and quiet appearance and forget that she destroyed half of a city on Earth without blinking an eye. This 'achievement' was nothing in her eyes. That was why what Rhode had done was also 'nothing' in her perspective.

As for Sonia, she had been trained by him to be devoted to him, not to mention stopping him from doing anything out of the ordinary to her, if she could please him, she might even help him on her own accord, just like the riots she had caused in Casabianca.

As for Canary and Mini Bubble Gum, there was no need to talk about them. They looked at the world in the same way as he did and didn't treat the natives as equal. Canary was relatively better off, while Mini Bubble Gum was a bit of a dilettante as everyone knew, so there wasn't a need to clarify it further. That was why what Rhode did to the people here wasn't really much different for them than a guild war in the game and slaughtering people.

In that respect, Celia had always been out of Rhode's consideration because there was an irreconcilable conflict between them. Lapis might be unaware of it, while Lize pretended not to see it. However, Celia couldn't be like Lize and not say a thing. Just like the three-way-fight inside her earlier; absolute 'rationality' overruled 'ego' and 'instincts', which was what made Celia remain silent about what Rhode did. Meanwhile, she couldn't pretend that she didn't see or take things personally like the others did. If she were able to be as unconcerned about petty things as Lydia, it would be possible for Rhode and her to talk things out.

But the problem was that she had the typical angelic personality, where she thought about the big things and also wouldn't let go of the small matters. That was dictated by nature and no one could change it. Moreover, it was also impossible for Celia to be as ignorant as Lapis because the former was his holy sword card spirit. She followed him around at all times, and no matter what he did, the reality happened right before her eyes. So even if he were to appease her with a lie, it wouldn't last long. His lies would be seen through very easily. Once she saw through his lies, their relationship would definitely turn out worse than before, which would make the problem even more difficult.

That was why while Rhode chose to tease Celestina or even say some dirty jokes to Shira, he would never mess with Celia. After all, Celestina always clapped her hands gracefully and admired him as he slaughtered others, while Celia would sulk in silence. That was why when he did the killing, he basically didn't send Celia into battle and would use her as a sword at the very most.

In that case, for him to consider being together with Celia... Even if she were willing, he definitely wouldn't. Because as soon as they became a couple, it meant that he had to be responsible for her. Rhode was a man of principle, and if he really wanted to have this kind of relationship with Celia, it meant that he had to consider her feelings. But then again, he wouldn't be able to do whatever he wanted to do, and he wasn't a man who wanted to begrudge himself.

That was why he had never thought about her in that aspect. And he didn't expect her to have such thoughts about him in that regard either. After all, what he did was so different from her values that they were nowhere close. Rhode counted himself lucky that she didn't curse him to death in her heart, so how was it possible that she even liked him?

Seems like I still don't understand women... Sigh, women... Even though Celia is a battle angel, she is still a woman, after all. It is so true that women's hearts are just like a needle at the bottom of the ocean.

But now wasn't the time to lament ancient sayings. And honestly speaking, upon hearing Celia's confession, Rhode's head started hurting instantly. He didn't believe that this was an impulsive remark from her. Rather, it was clearly a thought that she had been hiding deep within her heart for a long time. But it would be harder than hell for him to accept her feelings. As mentioned before, he wasn't a person who liked to begrudge himself. And his principle was to treat his women better, so Celia, a battle angel, who had a certain degree of purity and persistence in this regard, wasn't in the scope of his choice of women.

But if he were to reject her outright, the result would definitely not be any better. His trip to the mental world of the holy sword card spirits was to get them to accept and acknowledge him. Without mentioning whether the rest would accept him, If he were to reject her now, this journey to their mental world would end right after it started. A broken heart wouldn't feel good for anyone and Celia was no exception. Had he known that, he wouldn't have tried to encourage her 'ego' and 'instincts' earlier. But unfortunately, this world didn't offer any medicine for regret either. Since he had already done it, his only choice left was to continue on. But now, his biggest question was...

How should he respond?

"You always look at your Big Sister with those lustful eyes! And yet, you rarely look at me. I'm obviously the one who has been following Master, but why are you so cold toward me!?"

At that moment, Celia, however, became increasingly agitated. She shouted as though she were venting her frustrations. At the same time, she waved the sword in her hand even faster and more frantically, slashing blades at Rhode one after another. He was fortunate that he dodged quick enough; otherwise, he would have been hacked several times by her even in the mental world. By the way... What exactly was this situation?

"... Hah... Hah... Hah..."

After some time, Celia finally stopped, sweating profusely and panting unceasingly. But even so, the battle angel held the sword in her hands tightly, her two eyes staring at him like she was looking at her father's murderer. Looking at her expression, Rhode couldn't help but remember a phrase that was rather appropriate for this situation in front of him: love well, whip well. Rhode felt his head aching even more. If he were to reject her outright, it would be tantamount to failure.

Is there any other way to solve this problem? What should I do?

At this thought, Rhode's eyes glinted all of a sudden.

He recalled news he read when he was on Earth about a baby that was taken and raised by a she-wolf. When people found her again, she had completely turned into a wolf child. She couldn't speak the human language at all, and didn't know how to communicate with people. After a long period of education, she finally returned to society and gained humanly wisdom and etiquette. Although this matter was almost unrelated to the situation that he was facing now, for some reason, he saw his own way of correspondence from it...

Even though he didn't know if it was reliable and whether it would work, he didn't have any better ideas now. Or perhaps to say, he had to succeed. And if he couldn't, it meant that his entire plan was likely to fail. So in that regard, he had to do his best to make it work.

At this thought, Rhode looked up with a feeling of openness, sensed Celia's measuring gaze, and nodded.

"I've come to understand where you're coming from, Celia. Honestly, I never thought you would actually feel that way about me. After all, not everything I do is acceptable to you."

"That's right, Master; I really don't like what you're doing."

In response to Rhode's words, Celia was also quick to make a firm reply. At that moment, she was no longer confused, but seemed rather shaken instead. Or perhaps, the part of Celia that was suppressed by 'rationality' was gradually being revealed, venting the frustrations she had been hiding toward him so far.

"I don't like your dastardly tactics, and I don't want to see you slaughter those innocent civilians. I cannot comprehend your thoughts, Master. You are now the Void Dragon, so do you really need to do things using such means? I really, really dislike it, but Master, you keep moving forward and everyone trusts you. I don't want to say much, but I don't know why I fell in love with you, Master. When I found out, I was already in love! For that reason, what you did became more unforgivable! Master, why must you do this?!"

"I..."

Upon hearing Celia's frustrations, Rhode was completely stunned. This speech was really upside down and completely knowing. On the other hand, after hearing her question, he suddenly remembered a movie that he watched when he was bored, in which the male protagonist was a vicious mafioso, while the female protagonist was an ordinary woman who initially hated the male protagonist when she witnessed him killing someone. Despite that, she inexplicably fell in love with him later. But even so, the female protagonist still didn't like to see him kill others and even stopped him during the act, resulting in him being injured.

Later, the villain who was originally oppressed by the male protagonist learned that the latter was injured and sought revenge. Then, the female protagonist helped him defeat the villain. The male protagonist abandoned his profession and they lived happily ever after... Frankly, after Rhode watched this movie, he thought it was absurd. And It was also simply unbelievable that it won an Oscar with a script like this. But what he didn't expect was that he had to face such a script himself now!

Am I also going to abandon my profession and retreat into the woods? What kind of international joke is this?

"I understand now."

Rhode shuddered at that thought and nodded at Celia. It sure looked like he needed to use this method. No matter what, it was much better than abandoning his profession and retreating into the woods!

After making his decision, Rhode put away his sword and walked right up to Celia, gazing at her quietly.

"I've understood your feelings, Celia. I'm really surprised and happy that you like me. Because I've always thought that your feelings toward me are pretty average. After all, I don't do a lot of things that match your hopes and expectations, but the fact that you're actually able to like me makes me really happy..."

Rhode said and paused a little, before looking up at Celia again with a serious and earnest expression.

"... But even so, I won't change myself for you. Will you still be able to accept me? I like you, but I won't change myself for you. If something dangerous were to happen, I would still make the choice you dislike. Will you still be willing to accept me?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know. I really hate what you're doing, Master. But I really like you and I don't know... No... It's not like that! I'm not asking you to do anything for me. I just want you to know that I..."

"I understand, but I can't act like I don't, Celia."

Before Celia finished her sentence, Rhode interrupted.

"This is your mental world, and you won't lie to yourself. And I am not going to lie to you either. If you are going to be my woman, I will not change my ways by accommodating you. I want you to remember this, Celia. I can accept your feelings, but I cannot give you a corresponding response. In that case, can you accept it? I'm not going to accommodate you, but I need you to be able to gradually accept what I'm doing. Can you agree to it?"

"No, I'm not..."

Upon hearing his questions, Celia's expression grew even more panicked. She shook her head vigorously, as if she were afraid of something.

"I didn't intend for you to accept me, Master. I just... I... No, I didn't want to... All I want is... No! Master, you shouldn't have forced me!"

"Say what you really think, Celia!"

Facing Celia, who looked like she was about to break down, Rhode didn't have the slightest intention of pitying her. Instead, he stared coldly at her and yelled in a deep voice. Upon hearing his scream, Celia was shocked. She closed her eyes and her body shuddered.

"No, Master! I hate you! Why can't you change! You're just that stubborn, that is why I———!"

Along with Celia's scream, she raised the sword in her hand high once again, drawing a bright, dazzling arc in midair and striking down at Rhode. This time, in the face of her slashing blade, Rhode neither dodged nor hid. He stood there quietly and looked at Celia before him.

The sword swung down.

The sharp blade stopped right in front of his eyes. If it went down just a little bit more, it would be enough for his blood to spill. But at the very last second, Celia held back, which was the only thing that kept him from being split in two.

At the next moment, Rhode felt Celia's soft, tender body falling into his embrace. Shortly after, he heard a sobbing tone in her voice.

"Master, you're always so stubborn. That is why I hate you... But... It is also the very reason that I fell in love with you..."

Celia lifted her head and pecked him on his lips, catching him off guard. However, he extended and wrapped his arms around the battle angel young lady.

The pure white space shook. Soon after, as though a piece of mirror shattering, the colors of the scenery in this world changed. The pure whiteness turned into an azure blue sky, while the path paved by layers of white clouds underneath Rhode's feet stretched into the distance.

"Even though I knew it all along, after hearing you saying it personally, I feel like... This is indeed your style, Master."

Raising her head rather shyly from his embrace, Celia looked at him with a blush and spoke.

"But, thank you, Master... At least I won't be hesitant and feel lost again."

Upon hearing this statement from Celia, Rhode knew that he finally succeeded.

[1] A philosophical treatise written by Li Zongwu (1879–1943)

Chapter 1331: Dark Palace (1)

"All settled."

Standing at the edge of the high clouds and looking at the pitch-black door ahead, Rhode let out a long sigh of relief. In the beginning, he thought that Celia's mental world would be relatively easy to deal with. But now, he finally understood that none of the so-called mental worlds were pleasant, where even Celia, who was the most docile and obedient, actually had so many problems deep inside her. It seemed he wasn't going to have any fewer trouble with the rest of the holy sword card spirits. If he didn't take a risk at the final juncture, perhaps he would have failed.

Judging from that, it went to show that the adventures in the mental world could be even more terrifying than in the real world. In the real world, if one encountered a problem, one could rely on powerful strength to suppress and break through the obstacles. But in the mental world, no matter how powerful one was—even if they had the strength to destroy the world—there was no way to fight against one's innermost consciousness. But now, Celia's problem was finally solved and of course, Rhode knew that it was happening in Celia's mental world, and she had no knowledge of this at all.

This situation was just like Lize's. Back then, she was manipulated by the Mind Devil. Rhode and Anne entered her mental world and the experience was as unreal and unrealistic as a dream to her. She only had a vague memory of it and had a hard time recalling the details. This was the nature of the mental world.

The same went for Celia. Even though she said a lot of things to Rhode, she wouldn't treat him too differently after his return. She also wouldn't have any memory of her confession because that happened in the deepest part of her mental world. On the other hand, changes would surface on an even more subtle form, which was why Rhode didn't take further actions in a rash decision. For him and Celia, the distance between them now was within the range of 'just right'. If it were too far out of bounds, it wouldn't do either party any good.

As for the next...

Gazing at the pitch-black door in front of him, Rhode felt rather conflicted. Celestina was unlike Celia. In a way, the former was a lot trickier to handle. The reason why he finally dared to venture inside Celia's mental world was solely because her nature was that of an angel's. And no matter what, this fact wouldn't change, which was why he dared to take the risk. As for Celestina, she was a demon through and through, and her mental world would definitely display behaviors that a true demon possessed. As for how he should go about dealing with this demon, it would be his problem to handle.

No matter what, when the ship reached the end of the bridge, it would go straight. It wasn't a good idea to stay here any longer. Fortunately, Rhode had a good rest in Celia's mental world after the series of events and was full of energy now. He had to admit that adventuring in the mental world was even more exhausting than in the real world. Physical exhaustion wasn't the issue, but mental exhaustion was really problematic. It was especially so as soon as he recalled the huge chunk of cakes he swallowed earlier. In an instant, he felt sick again...

Argh... I've to stop thinking about it.

At this thought, Rhode barely managed to hold down the unpleasant feeling in his stomach. He stretched out his right hand and held the pitch-black door in front of him. At the next moment, the door slowly opened and soon after, he felt a little giddy. Then, his entire body was sucked into the gap of the pitch-black door. In the blink of an eye, he was completely gone.

Just like after entering Celia's mental world, Rhode found himself standing on flat ground after a dizzying teleportation. But before he opened his eyes to check out the situation around him, burning heat struck his face, declaring its presence.

"It's so hot..."

Rhode groaned and opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was strong waves of hot air that seemed to be pounding on his face and body, bringing a burning sensation that almost scorched him from the inside-out. This suddenly reminded him of the scene in hell, where there was also eternal burning heat and flames. Everything blazed in never-ending flames and there was no end in sight. That was hell and here... Was exactly the same.

In the midst of adjusting to the high heat, Rhode sized up the mysterious place around him. But unlike what he imagined, what was around him wasn't an endless red wilderness and sky like the scenes in hell. On the contrary, it was a pitch-black and spacious stone corridor paved by stone slabs made of obsidian, while both sides of the walls had beautifully-carved murals. Not only that, but he also witnessed something similar to exhaust vents at the edges of the walls, from which streams of white, sparkling steam emitted. That was the source of the burning heat. Coupled with the flaming torches hanging on both sides of the walls, the entire corridor was enveloped in a dark and oppressive atmosphere, albeit filled with a certain majesty.

In a way, this place was pretty much in line with Celestina.

After taking a good look at the pitch-black corridor in front of him, Rhode reached out his hand to straighten his clothes before sauntering forward.

The silent corridor was empty. Unlike Celia's lively and fairytale-filled world before, the only thing Rhode felt as he strolled down the corridor was the stillness. He could hear his own footsteps echoing down the corridor before vanishing into the darkness. Other than that, there were no other sounds in the entire corridor. There seemed to be nothing here. This corridor was also as though extending to the end of the world...

"Whew... This is quite a problem."

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Rhode finally came to a stop. At that moment, even he felt rather dejected as he looked at the pitch-black and seemingly endless corridor ahead. At first, he was able to kill time by admiring the murals around him. But with the passing of time, he began to feel increasingly glum. What made him even more so was that it would be fine if the corridor was an ever-looping maze. But ever since he started ambling along, the murals never repeated themselves. From that, it could be seen that this corridor wasn't a torturous, infinite loop, but rather one that kept extending ahead instead... From a certain aspect, this was also considered a true hell.

"If this goes on, perhaps I can't get out without spending a few years."

Rhode mumbled to himself and lifted his head to gaze ahead. Under the illumination of the torches, the vaguely-seen shadows that were constantly swaying in the dark corridor blended in with the obsidian slabs and gave him a strange sense of beauty. And at that moment, he noticed a petite figure peeking out from the corner, seemingly looking over at him.

That is...

Upon seeing the petite figure, Rhode was taken aback. At that moment, she also seemed to notice that he had discovered her. She turned around and in a series of quick, light steps, she vanished in front of his eyes. Upon looking at this scene, Rhode no longer hesitated. He dashed ahead, following in the direction of the petite figure's escape.

Thud, thud, thud...

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed clearly in the dark and quiet corridor, so Rhode was able to follow the petite figure closely. However, there was no way for him to go further. The corridor, which was originally a straight path, began to split up with various corners, turns, and crossroads appearing in front of him one after another. The pitch-black corridor was more like a maze than a corridor now. But even so, he didn't stop, but continued to dart forward instead, trying to capture the fella who was playing hide-and-seek with him.

"Is this it?"

Arriving at an intersection yet again, Rhode stopped and looked at both paths ahead of him. Then, out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a shadow flitting across on his left. Upon noticing the shadow, he turned to the left corner without hesitation and ran toward the petite figure.

However, the moment he moved, the vent holes on the black stone walls slid open in a sudden whoosh. Also, in a loud bang, flames erupted from both sides and enfolded his entire body. Roaring flames sprayed out unceasingly, blazing the entire corridor in scorching heat. Not only that, but the obsidian path, which was originally dark and cold, also turned bright red under the licking of flames. The blaze lasted for dozens of minutes before coming to an abrupt stop and the entire corridor reverted to darkness and silence once again.

"... Hah... Hah... Hah..."

At that moment, Rhode leaned against the stone wall on the other side, looking on with lingering fear at the corridor that burned red. He was no longer as calm as he was a moment ago. Stains of smoke and flame could be seen all over his body. Although he reacted the instant the flames erupted and rushed through the corridor as fast as he could, he still wasn't able to escape the heat. Fortunately for him, his mental self inherited the characteristics of the Void Dragon, so the flames did almost negligible damage to him. However, his clothes were entirely out of luck... They looked tattered and torn like the clothes of a refugee.

"Hehehe... Hahaha..."

And at that moment, laughter as clear and crisp as bells rang in his ears. As soon as he heard the laughter, his face sank. It was apparent that the other party was making a fool out of him! That was a true demon for him, behaving exactly the same even in such a cunning and annoying place.

"Hmph!"

With a soft grunt, Rhode dashed toward the area where the laughter sounded from. And upon seeing him coming after her, that petite figure turned away hurriedly, disappeared down the corridor, and turned a corner again. But this time, after seeing the petite figure in action, Rhode's lips curled up slightly and a smiley glint flashed in his eyes.

All of a sudden, the sound of footsteps disappeared entirely. The entire corridor once again returned to its original peace and silence. Aside from the shadows caused by the burning flames, there was no other presence here. After some time, along with a nearly imperceptible rush of footsteps, the petite figure returned to the earlier corner again. She looked around suspiciously as if she were searching for Rhode. But what astonished her was that there was not the slightest sign of his presence as far as the eye could see. It was as if he had completely vanished from this world. The puzzled petite figure walked to the corner cautiously and poked her head out to look at the other side. However, she didn't find anything.

Then, she raised both her hands to her mouth.

"Ah———!

Along with this scream, the petite figure hid once more, while her scream echoed deep in the corridor. But even so, Rhode didn't appear. This left her even more confused. She stepped out from around the corner and took a few steps forward as if she were investigating the situation. But all of a sudden, as though recalling something, she retreated instinctively. But unfortunately, it was too late.

"Caught you!"

In the sound of a gust, Rhode leaped down from the ceiling, seizing the petite figure with gripping hands like that of an eagle's talons. And upon sensing his touch, the petite figure panicked and struggled. But unfortunately, she wasn't as strong as him. Rhode's hands were like iron pincers imprisoning her, where she couldn't even move one bit.

"Alright, little rascal. You've caused me so much trouble. Now, it's time for me to see your true colors!"

Rhode said and revealed a proud smile. Since the entire corridor was only lit up by the faint light of the torches, he was only able to faintly see her silhouette. Although he was certain that this petite figure was, in fact, Celestina's mental self, judging simply from her silhouette, she was much smaller than the Celestina he remembered. Could it be that this was also Celestina'younger self?

However, while Rhode was about to get a glimpse of her face, the petite figure that seemed to figure out what he was trying to do screamed out loud.

"Let go of me, you pervert!"

With that, the petite figure stomped her foot onto him violently. At the next moment, the solid ground beneath his feet suddenly disappeared and he fell into the abyss of darkness along with that petite figure.

The sound of the whistling wind blew past his ears. There was only darkness around him. But even so, he still had a firm grip on that petite body and didn't let go despite how hard she scrambled. It was clear that this little fella was the key to Celestina's mental world. Rhode had no doubt for a second that if he were to let her escape, he would fall into this darkness for eternity.

Bam!

Finally, after some time, Rhode found himself crashing onto a soft object. And surprisingly, the impact of the fall from that height didn't hurt him at all. Instead, he felt like he had jumped onto a comfortable bed. And almost at the same time, a bright glow once again emanated before his eyes.

"This place is..."

Rhode looked up and saw that he was now in a lavishly-decorated bedroom, surrounded by all sorts of luxurious decorations and furniture. He was in the center of this bedroom, on a bed that was a full two to three meters wide. Crimson drapery hung down from the ceiling, exhibiting a graceful and luxurious atmosphere. And at that moment, a young voice sounded from below him.

"Let go of me, you pervert! Lecher! Rogue!"

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing the voice, Rhode looked down.

And a petite little girl came into view.

She was undoubtedly Celestina. But compared to the Celestina in his memory, this Celestina was much smaller in size and about the same age as Mini Bubble Gum. Not only that, but her gorgeous black dress was also disheveled from the struggles she put up. The little girl's slender legs wrapped in black garter belt stockings stuck out of her messy skirt, kicking him hard. Even though her arms were grabbed tightly by Rhode, she didn't seem to have the intention of giving up yet. On the contrary, she glared at him, her adorable face revealing unmistakable wrath.

"Get out of my way, you pig! How dare you hold me down! Do you know what crime this is!"

The little fella grumbled and wrestled as she twisted her body. However, there was no way for her to break free from Rhode's restraint. One had to admit that looking from a distance, this scene was as if Rhode were about to violate the girl. It was filled with a certain unspeakable criminality.

But...

This feels exciting.

Looking at the girl struggling desperately in front of him, Rhode's mind, however, came up with a rather dangerous thought.

Chapter 1332: Dark Palace (2)

Come to think of it, something similar has also happened before.

Looking at the warm, petite, and constantly-wriggling body under him, Rhode couldn't help but curl his lips slightly and recall that similar moment between him and Celestina. Back then, Celestina looked down on him and even provoked him, so Rhode immediately seized the opportunity to let her have a taste of his power. Thereafter, she looked at him as if he were her father's murderer. However, he ignored her and occasionally came up with new tricks to force her into compliance.

In the beginning, she held a non-cooperative and abusive attitude, but as time passed, her attitude softened gradually and she became one who, though insisting on rejecting his advances, remained very honest with her bodily reactions. Once in a while, she would shun away from her sisters and make out with him. Rhode wasn't a roundworm in her stomach, so naturally he couldn't read her thoughts. But he was certain that her attitude toward him leaned more toward the positive side. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sneaked in and taken the initiative to make out with him.

Honestly, he was more interested in Celestina's mental world. And now, this petite version of her was clearly as much a part of her mental projection as Celia's was in her mental world. However, he had yet to figure out which part of the original projection this petite version of her embodied. After all, demons and angels were different, and it wasn't surprising that Celia held childish innocence within her heart. But if Celestina were to also hold such childish innocence, it would be a totally different story. Despite that... He couldn't be too sure either.

Anyway, I will know the answer after going for it.

At this thought, Rhode curled up the corner of his lips. He extended his right hand and seized her slender leg that kept stamping on him. He had to admit that even though the kicks didn't hurt one bit, she was really vicious, where almost all of her kicks targeted his 'manhood'. She looked so aggressive and fierce as though she was determined to turn him into an eunuch.

Despite that, Rhode was no pushover either. If she were someone ordinary to him, he would have perhaps crippled her on the spot. But as the Void Dragon, his constitution was also naturally much stronger than most people's, so no matter how much force she put into her thrusts, they felt nothing more like massages to him. Not only that, but instead of them feeling like a form of resistance, it was more appropriate to say that her soft foot was seducing him even more...

"Let me go, you pig! Pervert! Disgusting man! Bast*rd! Rogue! Lecher! What are you trying to do to me?!"

But at that moment, the little Celestina didn't notice that danger was coming. Although her hands were firmly grasped by Rhode, she couldn't stop twisting her body and struggling to try to get away from him. Her pair of slender legs just couldn't stop stomping on his crotch. At the same time, she glared at him with her scarlet eyes burning in unyielding, intense anger. But upon seeing her furious eyes, he had no intention of letting go of her at all. On the contrary, he smiled, freed his left hand, and slammed it downward, grabbing her soft and sleek foot in one hand.

"Yelp———! Pervert! Lecher! Let go of me! Hurry up and let go of me! What are you doing?!"

"What am I doing? What do you think, Miss? I almost turned into roasted meat because of you earlier, and as a form of courtesy, I should thank you properly for that, shouldn't I?"

"That's because you're too stupid. How can an average person fall for that? That is the rightful consequence for a human as stupid as you! Hmph! I am very powerful! If you don't let go of me, I'll show you how great I am! When that time comes, I'll make you regret it completely!"

Although a frightened expression appeared on her face, the little Celestina was still incomparably stubborn. She gnashed her teeth, raised her head willfully, and glared at Rhode. But as soon as he sensed her gaze, Rhode, however, revealed a meaningful smile.

"Is that so? Then I shall see how long you can hold out on me."

"Hmph, I will not be afraid no matter what you do! You are just a human, so don't get too cocky!"

Celestina, whose leg was grabbed by Rhode, resisted more violently now. However, the latter also lay on top of her, suppressing her resistance entirely. Soon after, his left hand climbed up her perfectly-curved leg that was wrapped in the black garter belt stocking. And upon sensing his touch, the expression on her face began to change from being furious to overwhelmed and dazed. Not only that, but Rhode also spotted some fear and anxiety in her eyes.

Her struggles weren't as intense as before not because she resigned herself to her fate but because the sudden and unknown sensation made her lose the ability to think. She had no idea what to do in the face of this assault that was beyond her knowledge and experience. But at that moment, Rhode's left hand had already found its way up her smooth, soft thigh and into her skirt.

"No! Stop!"

Feeling the extraordinary thrill, the little Celestina yelled out abruptly. She wriggled her waist to avoid his fingers, but there was no way for her to escape his ambush. At that moment, a layer of mist had even permeated from her scarlet eyes. It was obvious that although she was Celestina's mental projection, knowledge in this area clearly wasn't shared with her by the original self. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to show such an expression.

Just by looking at her expression before him, Rhode was certain that she was still a virgin. In this regard, women's expressions couldn't escape his eyes. The first experience was always very precious to them, and this wasn't just the line of a moralist, but was a fact instead. Some women might be able to fake their first night to deceive men who had little experience with women, but in front of the experienced Rhode, their acting skills were ineffective in the slightest. That was why he could tell at a glance that this little Celestina was deeply fearful and uneasy about what he was doing to her. It was just something that could be disguised. It could also be said that from this aspect, this little Celestina was almost as pure as the little queen inside Celia.

But... It was also kind of odd to describe a demon as being pure and whatnot.

Upon looking at the little face before him that almost broke into tears, Rhode had a hard time adapting to her reaction. When he first met Celestina, he realized that she was really good at using her charm to seduce mortals, where even at the beginning, she conspired to turn him into her faithful servant. But thanks to his experience in dealing with demons in the game, he quickly exposed her scheme. Although the fact that Celestina was a virgin surprised him, other than that, he didn't have a problem with her because he knew it was the demons' nature to seduce mortals. To put it bluntly, a high demon like Celestina had already learned to seduce, corrupt, and subjugate mortals even when she was still in her mother's womb. This was how it was with the demons, not to mention a high demon like Celestina, which wasn't any more surprising.

That was why upon seeing this Celestina who resembled a pure angel in the mental world, Rhode was all the more uncomfortable.

As for how exactly she behaves, I shall see what happens...

With this thought, not only did Rhode not stop his action in the face of her struggle, but he also went further and caressed her instead. His fingers slithered between her legs, rubbing rhythmically without stopping. And upon feeling his actions, the little Celestina's face showed a troubled and shocked expression.

"Wait, you pervert! Pervert! Where do you think you're touching?! Help, Father! There's a pervert doing strange things to me! Stop right now! Let go of me..! Mmm... It's so itchy. Why is it so itchy... W-Wait. What are you doing?! You bast*rd! Don't... Touch there. I feel really... Mmm..."

Along with Rhode's actions, a blush appeared across her originally fair and delicate cheeks. Her body wriggled as she also held and rubbed his fingers instinctively.

"What's going on with this feeling? It's so hot... So unbearable... And yet so comfortable... Mmm... No, you can't touch there. It feels so weird like something is coming out... No, no, no...! Ahhhhh!"

With a deep and loud moan, Celestina's petite body shuddered all of a sudden, her slender waist thrusting upward before falling heavily onto the bed. Soon after, a clear, viscous liquid trickled down her thighs, leaving a trail of water stains on the otherwise clean, soft bed. And upon looking at the girl who collapsed on the bed weakly with dazed eyes like a doll whose strings were cut off, Rhode smiled triumphantly. Then, he withdrew his left hand, only to see on his fingers glistening with body fluids reflecting vaguely in the light of flames.

"How's that, little rascal?"

"Mmm... Mmm..."

The little Celestina, who just returned from her daze, heard Rhode speaking proudly. In response, she blushed with shame and indignation, staring at him with wide eyes of dissatisfaction. She opened her small mouth, but as it was too intense earlier, she couldn't say a word. And upon seeing her in this state, Rhode felt even more amused.

The reason why he dared to do such a thing to her was that in reality, the connection between them was strong enough. Earlier, he was overcautious in Celia's mental world because the connection between them still wasn't deep enough. Meanwhile, he and Celestina had a rather connected and intimate relationship, so in her mental world, he was naturally bolder and more open. But now, after seeing the little Celestina who gave him a completely different impression and actually showed such an adorable reaction, he couldn't help but feel a little interested.

For the little Celestina, the thrill was indeed a little too much for her to handle. After a short while, she climbed up from the bed, while tears welled up in her scarlet eyes as she stared at him in displeasure and anger. Despite that, Rhode was rather thick-skinned as he didn't say a word. And upon seeing his reaction, the little Celestina became increasingly furious.

"Scram, get out of here!"

Along with her bellow, Rhode felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed him and at the next moment, along with winds whistling past his ears, the scenery before his eyes changed abruptly. It was only after a moment that he finally stood firmly on the ground. But now, what appeared in front of him was no longer the luxurious bedroom from before, but the stone corridor that he was tired of looking at earlier instead. At that moment, the corridor still seemed as endless as before, as though extending into eternal darkness.

"Oops, I didn't expect her to get so angry."

Rhode wasn't too surprised at the treatment he received. And he was also well aware that Celestina hadn't really banished him. It was apparent that she was bewildered. Otherwise, she could have just kicked him out like this long ago when he first laid hands on her, instead of waiting until he was done with all the manhandling. Judging from that, it could be seen that the little Celestina harbored some feelings for him. The mental projections in this world might not be aware of who Rhode was, but they inherited the trust they had toward him from their original selves.

"Either way, it looks like I have to keep walking."

Of course, Rhode wasn't going to just stand here and wait. After all, he still hadn't confirmed which side of Celestina that little Celestina represented in reality. Was she an embodiment like the little queen in Celia's mental world? Or a completely new mental projection? The mental world was just this complicated. And everyone's unique personalities caused their mental worlds to be entirely different as well. For instance, Celestina's mental projection earlier was somewhat confusing for Rhode. Although he had prepared himself mentally, he didn't meet the Celestina he expected, at least for now. It was true that the little Celestina was a bit cunning, but through his experiment earlier, he determined that she lacked the ferocity and violence of a demon. In that case, it meant to him that the most dangerous part of this journey in the mental world had yet to come.

But now, it wasn't the time to think about that. Soon after, Rhode collected his thoughts and ambled along the pitch-black, stone-made corridor. Unlike before, this time the corridor showed a noticeable change. Not only was there no more of those complicated intersections and corners, and the murals were also gone. Instead, along with his advancement, what appeared on the sides of the walls was more weapons as well as torture props.

Looking at the bloody torture props hanging on the walls, Rhode's relaxed mood became heavy. Moreover, as he advanced, the originally scorching place turned much colder at some point. White, bone-chilling mist replaced the flames and heat that shrouded the world around him. There was even a faint layer of frost that surfaced on the ground and walking along this path made him feel as though he were walking in a chilly morgue.

Shortly after, a door made of steel appeared before him. It was rusty and stained with blood all over. The large, razor-sharp teeth made it look like the tightly-closed mouth of a monster. As soon as it opened, it would mercilessly devour all life.

Seems like this is where my next trouble is at.

Looking at the steel door in front of him, Rhode remained silent for a moment, before walking forward, reaching out his hand, and pushing the door open. Along with this action, the rusty door creaked sharply and opened slowly. It was so dark inside that no traces of light were seen. But even so, he pushed the door open and entered the room. As soon as he entered the room, the steel door closed behind him in a whirring sound. He was enfolded by the boundless darkness.

Soon after, he heard a click. And a dazzling light filled his vision all of a sudden.

An ice-cold, melodious voice sounded in his ears.

"Oh, my, a strong man is here as a guest this time. How interesting. Let me see what you're made of, human."

Chapter 1333: Dark Palace (3)

The moment Rhode heard that voice, he tensed up and raised his guard instantly. Although the voice that rang in his ears was still Celestina's, it was in a completely different tone this time. If it were said that the voice of the little Celestina, who had just been toyed with by him, sounded as refreshing as an ice-cold spring, her voice now was like a glass of strong, aromatic wine. Before the wine entered one's mouth, one could feel the hot and spicy scent hitting one's face, seizing control of one's nerves almost instantly.

Rhode entered a state of trance as soon as he heard the voice. He felt as if there were a naked, gorgeous woman standing behind him right now, stretching out her soft arms to gently caress his body and tease his nerves. The alluring fragrance that was as strong as poison assailed his nostrils, almost succeeding in stealing his consciousness. There was a moment when he simply wanted to lie down and let the other party do whatever she wanted; as long as he could fall into a heavenly dream, everything else was irrelevant!

But fortunately for him, this wasn't his first time dealing with Celestina. He relaxed his mind a little and soon woke up with a start. He frowned and collected his thoughts quickly. He had to admit that this was difficult for him as well. He was as though one who slept in when it was time for one to get up, feeling frustrating and reluctant. His instincts longed to just fall into a dreamland and never wake up again. However, he used his senses to instinctively pull himself back from the edge of danger.

Just this single statement from her brought such a terrifying charm upon him. Rhode knew right away that this 'Celestina' was a demon in Celestina's mental world—that's right, Celestina was still a demon at heart, so it wasn't surprising that there was a 'Celestina' in a pure demon form in her mental world. After all, it was a part of her nature that could never go away no matter what. And though she might be able to hold it back, it would never go away. It was just like how humans were essentially humans.

As expected, when Rhode looked in the direction of the voice, he quickly saw the Celestina he expected. Unlike the brat from before, this Celestina in front of him looked exactly the same as the original Celestina. However, their clothes were quite different. Even though the original Celestina was also attractive, the clothes she wore were basically gorgeous, western-style dresses. Because in her opinion, this was the only way to show off her status as a high demon. She had more than once shown her dissatisfaction toward the Lustful Demons, sarcastically criticizing them as lowly wh*res of hell, who had no other uses apart from relying on their bodies to seduce a herd of rutting male pigs. That was also why Celestina basically never acted similarly to them.

But now, the Celestina that appeared in front of Rhode was basically no different to those 'prostitutes' that she described. She wore a one-piece, tight leather suit, which could be said to be really bold. It revealed her white, smooth belly and more than half of her breasts were exposed on the top. Not only that, but the plump base of her thighs were also exposed completely. At that moment, she was dressed like a queen in an SM club, wearing jet-black riding boots and black leather gloves that extended over her elbows. And in her hands, she held an equally black leather whip, making her look like a genuine queen.

Rhode looked at Celestina who sat on the middle of the throne with her legs crossed and showed an odd smile at him. Her gaze was so strong and aggressive as if he were just an innocent little boy. He would have already passed out under her gaze by now, but unfortunately, he wasn't an innocent little boy at all. Facing her gaze, he remained unmoved and didn't avoid it. He also took advantage of this opportunity to scan the room around him carefully.

It was only at that moment that he discovered that the room was built entirely of steel plates. And as far as the eye could see, be it the ceiling, walls, or floor, all of them were heavy steel plates. Icy-cold air blew from all directions, mixed with the hardness of steel and distinct scent of blood. On these thick steel walls, blood was stained everywhere. Hard shackles could also be seen, as well as a variety of torture props that sent chills down one's spine just by looking at them. This room seemed just like a torture chamber, while Celestina was the mistress. And upon observing the torture chamber, Rhode felt a bit of a headache. It seemed like this Celestina was even more difficult to deal with than the previous one. She made him almost lose his mind with just one sentence. And although it also had something to do with the fact that Rhode was in a bit of a trance, if she were to continue using that kind of method to influence and manipulate him, this would become a very difficult and dangerous test.

"What's wrong, human? Come here and let me get a good look at you."

Looking at Rhode's appearance, Celestina smiled proudly. She changed her sitting position and leaned forward as if she were tempting him. Those scarlet eyes, glowing in brilliances that were more glorious than jewels, stared straight at him as she stuck out her tongue, licked her lips lightly, and leaned back in her chair.

"Come here, human, let me take a good look at you. Tell me who you are and how you got here. Come here. Come closer to me..."

Celestina said, stretching out her right hand and grabbed at Rhode. Although Rhode was prepared for it and dodged as soon as she struck, it didn't seem useful at all. He felt tightness in his chest, while the scenery around him flew backward all of a sudden. Soon after, he appeared right in front of Celestina. Not only that, but at the same time, he also found that he lost the strength to resist her. It was as if his body were completely bound and couldn't budge in the slightest. Upon realizing that, he could only helplessly shake his head and show an inward bitter smile. There wasn't much that he could do. This was Celestina's mental world. Unless he really wanted to resist, there was no way he could stop her. Just like the little one who threw him out of the room before; she wasn't very strong at all and was unable to put up any strong resistance though she was held down by him. This was the mental world, where will was everything. And no matter how strong his strength was, it was useless. After all, if one resisted too much here, it could cause irreparable damage to the owner of this mental world.

"That's interesting... I like you, human."

While Rhode thought hard about how to face this situation, Celestina, on the other hand, grabbed the whip in her hand, lifted his chin, and gazed at him. Her scarlet eyes emanated a faint glow, which was also the ability of the high demon. As long as a mortal was enveloped by the demon's eyes, the mortal would be completely lost in her charm. But Rhode was obviously prepared for this. Facing her 'flirtation', he let out a light snort and didn't do anything strange.

On the contrary, he was pondering over how he should deal with the Celestina in front of him. For him, this Celestina was even trickier and more difficult to deal with than the little brat from before. And judging from the way she gazed at him, he perceived that she was a true demon. Celestina in this form was the most troublesome to handle because even if Rhode were to use his strength to make her give in, it would be impossible to really gain her acknowledgement. She would keep lurking, like a viper waiting for the right time to bite him, so that she could eventually turn over to the top.

There wasn't much that he could do about this version of her. The only idea he could think of right now was to rely on Celestina's other mental projections to hold back this demon. After all, from the Celestina that he knew, although she also possessed the same demonic characteristics, she didn't really display that side of her. That was why he was certain that a third mental projection must still exist within Celestina. After all, he refused to believe that the little brat had any ability to suppress this purely demonic Celestina.

"Why don't you talk? Am I so ugly that you don't even have the desire to open your mouth, male? Come on, tell me. Am I pretty? What do you think of when you look at me? Tell me and I'll bring you on a journey that you'll never forget..." While whispering softly, Celestina reached out and stroked her fingers gently along Rhode's cheek, neck, and chest. She held her hand on his chest and squinted at the same time.

"Your heart is beating so fast, male. And I can feel the life force contained within your body burning so wildly... I think we might be able to communicate even better about this? What do you think, human? Come on, let's introduce ourselves first. Tell me your name..."

"I don't think I need to tell you my name, Celestina. And if you don't know who I am, then I don't think we need to have any more interactions between us for the rest of our lives."

This time, in response to Celestina's teasing, Rhode finally responded. The corners of his mouth curled up in a mocking smile.

"And I must say, Celestina, that you're full of confidence for speaking about beauty in my face."

"You———!"

Upon hearing his mockery, Celestina sulked right away. Indeed, even though she was considered an outstanding beauty, she couldn't compete with him at all. Rhode's face that was identical to his younger sister's was capable of making even his harem feel bad about themselves most of the time, not to mention Celestina. Although Celestina was considered a beauty among demons, it would be both hilarious and ridiculous if she showed her satisfaction with her beauty in front of him. For that reason, her expression changed abruptly after hearing his jeering. After all, this was a huge slap in the face by him, so much so that she was left entirely speechless.

Rhode initially didn't intend to do that either. But now, the situation was critical and he had to take advantage of it. Something worthy of a mention was that as much as he resented being judged on his looks, he had no psychological barrier if it were up to him doing the judging. That was why he would mess with one when one judged his looks and yet, didn't mind dressing up as a woman. Wasn't that how cool it was to make use of double standards?

"Hmph! How dare you talk back to me when you're just a human! You're asking for death!"

Celestina retorted and lashed out the whip in her right hand. Almost at the same time, with the slightest switch of Rhode's thoughts, the invisible object binding his body dissipated. In the blink of an eye, he flitted across and in the sound of a whistling wind, the long black whip flew past his body and slammed onto the ground in a loud, resounding crack. Celestina, on the other hand, raised her eyebrows slightly after missing her assault. She stood up from her throne and stared at him with a teasing smile.

"Interesting, human. I didn't expect you to be so capable. In that case, I shall see how long you can continue hiding from me!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Immediately after she yelled, Rhode felt a series of shadowy whips striking him from almost all directions. He stretched out his hand instinctively to pull out the sword at his waist, but ended up grabbing only air. It was only until then when he realized that the sword at his waist had somehow made its way to Celestina's left hand. It must have been stolen when she caressed his body earlier.

What a bothersome fella.

Upon seeing her smug smile, Rhode criticized inwardly. However, revenge was a dish best served cold. At that moment, he didn't do anything else, but darted across to evade her attacks continuously. And upon witnessing this scene, Celestina's smile grew wider and wider.

"That's right. That's right, cute little mouse, keep running hard. Heh, heh..."

Along with Celestina's coquettish laughter, long shadowy whips once again sliced through the air and swept past toward Rhode. And in the face of her attacks, he had no other solutions apart from dodging them for now. Although he thought of taking advantage of the openings in her attacks to take her down, he tried several times and realized that at some point, a solid and transparent protective barrier would appear in front of her and he was blocked no matter where he rushed over from. It seemed like this Celestina also realized his thoughts, which was why she prepared the barrier in advance. There was nothing that Rhode could do about it. This was Celestina's mental world. If she didn't want him to get close to her, no matter how hard he tried, he would end up like a clown...

Smack!

The moment Rhode was distracted, a stinging pain landed on his wrist, which made his heart sink. But it was a pity that it was too late. The instant the long whip wrapped around his arm, he lost the ability to move his body. And at the same time, Celestina also looked satisfied as if she had enough of the game. She tugged on the long whip and gazed at the prey in front of her with a smug look.

"That's amusing... human, I haven't had this much fun in a long time. How about you stay here with me, become my pet, and let me love you well? Heh, heh, you look like you're not going to give in, huh? Good, I think we'll have plenty of time to discuss this issue..."

With that, Celestina strolled over to Rhode's side, pressed her body up against his, stretched out her tongue, and gently licked his earlobe as she whispered in his ear.

"I'll show you what eternal pleasure is. I'll make you the most faithful slave of all; until then, resist as much as you can, my little darling. Heh, heh, I can't wait for the time I see you surrender to me and crave my gifts..."

Argh, she's so annoying!

Upon hearing her words, Rhode was at a complete loss. He was also really unlucky to meet this version of Celestina in her mental world. It seemed like if things didn't turn out better, he would have no choice but to use his strength to deal with her. Otherwise, if he were really trapped here by this demonic Celestina, how was he going to gain the acknowledgement of the next holy sword card spirit? Rhode felt like it was unlikely that using force would make this Celestina yield, but it was still better than letting her torture him, wasn't it?

Bam!

However, just when he was about to take action, suddenly, a deep crashing sound came from the closed iron door. And in a loud bang, the iron door was blown out. Immediately after, a voice filled with pride emerged and rang out from the smoke.

"What's going on here? Why is there an ugly human here? Damn it, what are you up to this time?! Didn't I tell you that you're not allowed to do that kind of nasty business here? You slut! Are you trying to mess around again while I'm not watching?"

Chapter 1334: Dark Palace (4)

Along with that angry voice, Rhode saw a third Celestina storming into the torture chamber. Her outfit looked rather similar to the original Celestina: gorgeous but not arousing at all. At the sight of the demonic Celestina and Rhode, the young lady who strode in frowned with a clear and unmistakable display of bone-deep disgust.

"Bloody hell, how many times have I told you! We are high demons; be worthy of who you are. Don't behave like one of those cheap wh*res. Just look at you! Hell, you're no different than some hellish demon who sticks up her *ss at the sight of a male! You're a disgrace to us! Look at what you're wearing; you might as well be in a beggar's outfit!"

The missy glared at the demon in front of her. But in the face of the proud and noble-looking lady, the demonic Celestina curled her lips into a charming smile. She moved her body away from Rhode slowly and blinked a provocative gaze at the missy. Upon sensing her provoking gaze, the missy's eyes grew sharper and angrier as if she were shooting daggers. But unfortunately, the demonic Celestina's skin was apparently as thick as a city wall's. She acted as though she were totally unaware of the sharp gaze by the other party.

"Oh no, my adorable missy. Why are you so annoyed? We may be demons, but we're also women, aren't we? Since we're born with such beauty and a magnificent body, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it. Say, stop nagging like an old hag. Why don't you enjoy your life? Is there anything more important in this world than enjoying life? Take a chill pill. Nothing bad is going to happen... Indulging yourself doesn't mean the end of the world..."

"I've had enough of your nonsense! Just who is this man? Where did he come from? Why is he here? This is not the place for him!"

Upon hearing the demon speak, the missy gave a vicious glare. It seemed like this wasn't her first encounter with a demon's enticement. As for how to deal with demons, she seemed to be really experienced. As for the demon's words, the young lady couldn't even be bothered to entertain them. She waved her arm quickly and at the next moment, Rhode felt the ground beneath his feet vanish. Soon after, his vision was once again engulfed by the darkness.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself at another location yet again. This time, he was unmistakably in what seemed to be a jail cell. It could be seen from the thick iron door, heavy walls, and rough furnishing that this place was used to hold prisoners. It was apparent that the missy had imprisoned him in this cell after she seized him from the demonic Celestina.

"Why do I feel like I'm always locked up after coming into a mental world?"

Sitting in his chair, Rhode shrugged, mumbled to himself, and showed a helpless and bitter smile. First, he was locked up in the bedroom by the little Celestina, next he was tied up in the torture chamber by the demonic Celestina, and now he was locked up in a cell by the third Celestina... Life was tough for him.

But now wasn't the time to feel sorry for himself. Taking this opportunity, Rhode calmed down and thought carefully about the issues regarding Celestina's mental world. First of all, just like Celia, the personalities of the three mental projections of Celestina's had different emphases. In Celia's case, it was 'rationality' that prevailed. But here, in Celestina's mental world, it was clear that 'self-esteem' dominated. In other words, the missy, who was the third Celestina, was the most important and core presence in Celestina's mental world.

Honestly, even to this day, Rhode couldn't understand why the nobility's self-esteem was so high. After all, there was no such aristocratic system in his country anymore, plus the fact that he was just an ordinary person in the first place. Therefore, it was hard for him to understand the approach of trying every possible way to restore his family's glory like Angelina. He also didn't understand Celestina's self-esteem, which was so arrogant that no one was allowed to touch it.

But this was different from Celia.

In Celia's mental world, Rhode united her 'instincts' and 'ego' to retaliate against 'rationality', achieving victory in the end. That was because he didn't think Celia needed to shoulder so much burden all the time, but should be more relaxed and outgoing. And with her temperament, even a little bit of 'ego' wouldn't cause any problem. That was why he chose that method to resolve the issue.

But here in Celestina's mental world, he wouldn't choose to overthrow his pride. Because based on the current situation, putting aside the little Celestina, the demonic Celestina also didn't flip out solely to the missy's high self-esteem. In other words, in Celestina's innermost consciousness, self-esteem and honor were far more important than instinct. Besides, she was also dismissive of such instincts, which was naturally a good thing for Rhode. After all, if Celestina also instinctively screwed around like those demons, it would be big trouble for him.

Well, the best thing to do would be to unite the missy and the little brat to handle the demon's 'instincts'. Rhode would love to do that because if he could partially strike down the demon's instincts, it would be good for both Celestina and him.

But what should be done to put that demon in order?

At this thought, Rhode couldn't help but frown and ponder the problem. He thoroughly experienced firsthand just how powerful projections in the mental world were. In this place, Celestina was the omnipotent god, while he was just a passerby. Although he could forcefully break through her restraints if he wanted, that would cause irreparable damage to her mental world. That was why he didn't retaliate at that moment. If that was the case, his resistance wasn't really a threat. Even the little brat could throw him out of the room in an instant, so it simply wasn't realistic for him to deal with anyone in the mental world. It was especially so if the other party was still the owner of this world; it really wouldn't be good for him to do so.

But now, Rhode couldn't find much of an opportunity. And so far, the only information he was able to get was that in this mental world, Celestina's 'self-esteem' dominated. And her world was... Depressing.

That's right, depressing.

Celia's mental world was always filled with blue skies and white clouds and seemed really soothing. But here, in Celestina's world, there were countless labyrinths and oppressive dark corridors. And no matter where one looked, all one saw was darkness. It wasn't surprising that Celestina, being a demon, had such a mental world. And it would be most frightening for Rhode if her mental world became as fairytale like Celia's. Sometimes, dark fairytales were more frightening than horror stories.

As for her self-esteem... Rhode couldn't find a good solution for the time being. After all, he had too little contact with the 'self-esteem' part of her.

At this thought, he suddenly recalled the little Celestina he met at the very beginning. Come to think of it, it was really strange. Up until that moment, he still hadn't understood what exactly that little brat represented in Celestina's mental world. Was it 'naivety'? No, she didn't seem naive at all. Besides, she must hold a great importance in Celestina's mental world to be able to take shape inside it. But even now, Rhode hadn't figured out exactly what she represented.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Rhode caught a glimpse of a shadow flitting across the corner of his eye. And when he turned around, he saw a petite figure like a terrified rabbit scurrying away. And upon seeing this scene, he couldn't help but twitch his brow. This scene felt so familiar...

After a few moments, the petite figure appeared in front of him again. And this time, he clearly saw that it was the same little Celestina he initially encountered. The little one lay on the window of the cell door, staring curiously at him, who was locked up in it. The two of them exchanged looks. After a few moments of silence, the little one finally asked in curiosity.

"Who exactly are you?"

"I'm Rhode."

Rhode gave a quick answer and continued to stare at the little girl in front of him. But soon, he noticed that the little girl was somewhat different from before. At the very beginning when he met her, the latter was very mischievous. But looking at her now, she wasn't acting as high-and-mighty. On the contrary, she was more curious and somewhat inexplicably closer to him. And just when he hadn't figured out who the little one in front of him really was, she spoke up.

"Rhode? Is that your name? I'm Celestina. What are you doing here? What did you do to get locked up by Big Sister? You didn't do something bad, did you? Hahaha. It's funny. It's the first time I've seen an outsider apart from the other fella locked up by Big Sister."

That's interesting.

Rhode clearly recalled that she didn't want to talk to him half the time before. But now, she kept asking him questions like a curious baby. This piqued his interest. And it was also a good opportunity for him to communicate with her. After all, he still hadn't figured out who this little one was yet.

"I don't know. I just happened to be discovered by that missy, and then she locked me up here."

Facing her question, Rhode answered ambiguously. He neither told the truth nor lied. And when the little one heard his response, she blinked curiously. Just as she opened her mouth, intending to reply to him, all of a sudden, her ears perked up as if she heard something. Then, she fled and disappeared into the darkness without a trace.

What's going on?

Before Rhode figured out what was going on, he heard a series of footsteps and what sounded like high-heeled boots. Soon after, the third Celestina appeared before him. She knitted her brows, scanned the place, and turned around to look at him.

"Human, I don't know how you got here, but this isn't a place you can just walk in and out of. And with that annoying fella around, I'd like you to get out of here as soon as possible." The missy said and came to a pause as if she was considering her wording. But shortly after, she shook her head again, throwing what she was going to say to the back of her mind. She lifted her head, staring at the man before her with scarlet eyes.

"Do you have any questions, human?"

"Seems like I have no other choice."

In response to her words that sounded no different from expulsion, Rhode appeared really calm and didn't oppose her directly. On the other hand, he shrugged and forced a smile, spreading his hands apart in a rather helpless manner. He knew very well that this missy's self-esteem was really high, and the self-esteem of the so-called nobility would never allow others to defy her.

He witnessed Celestina on more than one occasion berating others for defying her. And he knew that if he were to oppose her, she would likely throw him out of her mental world without saying a word. She was indeed capable of doing such things, so in the face of her question, Rhode chose to comply sensibly.

"Good."

As expected, Celestina nodded in satisfaction after seeing his obedience.

"Then I'll go ahead and handle the other side of the problem. Once I'm done with that annoying fella, I'll let you leave this world. Until then, you will stay here and remember; don't leave no matter what happens, or I can't guarantee the safety of your life."

"Got it."

Rhode nodded in response to her warning. He realized that this projection was also the same as Celia's; perhaps neither of them knew him, but they accepted his existence subconsciously. Otherwise, with Celestina's character meaning what she said, there was no need to wait for her to finish dealing with other things before kicking him out. As long as she was willing to just wave her hand, no matter how reluctant he was, he would need to leave. And now, it looked like things weren't completely without a turn of events.

At this thought, Rhode's eyes glinted.

"I have a question, Miss Celestina."

"What question do you have?"

Upon hearing his question, Celestina frowned and asked. And in response to her gaze, Rhode thought quickly before speaking his mind.

"Do you have a younger sister?"

"If you're referring to that wh*re in oestrus, then no, she is the furthest thing away from being my younger sister. It's always been the two of us here. But she was always unwilling to do my bidding and is a problematic scum!" Celestina grumbled and let out an angry snort. Then, she turned around and walked into the darkness with the same graceful steps she came in with. This time, however, Rhode didn't show any worrying expression. On the contrary, as he looked at Celestina's departure, he showed a meaningful gaze. Judging from the answer she gave him, Rhode noticed a problem.

It seems like she is totally unaware of the existence of that little Celestina.

Was it really possible for such a thing to happen? This was the mental world: Celestina's subconscious. And now, to say that there was a being in the mental world that even she didn't know about or wasn't aware of? This was an unlikely possibility. But if that were the case, it only meant that something was seriously wrong. One had to know that the projection in Celia's mental world that represented her true self was still aware of the existence of 'instincts' and 'ego'. But now, it seemed like Celestina's 'self-esteem' wasn't even aware that there was a little one running around in her mental world.

As he pondered this question, all of a sudden, a petite shadow shuttled across in front of his eyes again. Shortly after, he saw the little Celestina lying on the window of the cell door once again, staring at him curiously. She looked to her left and right as if to make sure no one else was around and whispered to him.

"Rhode, do you want to come out? I can let you out."

"Of course."

Upon hearing the little Celestina's question, Rhode hesitated for a moment and eventually nodded. He discovered that the key to his success this time was probably this little one. And although he had yet to figure out what was going on with her, he was certain that she was the key to his victory in Celestina's mental world. When the little one heard his answer, her face brightened up. She jumped down with a flip and soon after, he heard a click from the door. The locked door opened quietly and the little one peeked out from the opening with a smug smile, beckoning to him.

"Come with me, Rhode. I'll take you to a nice place that they'll never find!"