Athena's Despair

However, even in a state of extreme shock, Athena still reacted instinctively, floating back a few meters to dodge Muse's claws.

"Athena, what's wrong?" Muse asked, his voice trembling with frustration.

He wasn't a magician and couldn't sense anything amiss with this Soul Fragment, and this ignorance was the most distressing thing.

Athena's lips trembled, and she opened her eyes blankly, her chestnut pupils empty. "This Soul Fragment... it's empty, there's nothing inside."

Muse was still a little confused. "Empty?"

"Soul Fragment usually contain incomplete souls." Athena, fighting back a trembling urge, explained in a voice filled with astonishment and fear, "But this Soul Fragment is just an empty shell; there's nothing inside..."

"Why is this happening? It's clearly Qin Chu..."

Buzz...

The moment the name Qin Chu left her lips, Athena swayed violently and nearly fell over.

Qin Chu... Qin Chu... Qin Chu...

Why?

The Soul Fragment in Qin Chu's possession contains a remnant soul, and this remnant soul might even awaken and enter Qin Chu's body?

And the Soul Fragment in his hand was empty? Absolutely nothing?

This Soul Fragment was no different from an ordinary stone.

In an instant, a flood of thoughts surged through Athena's mind, countless intricate threads mingling together, tangling into a mess that nearly broke Athena's will.

No... that's impossible.

The Soul Fragment should all be the same; it's impossible for some to have remnants of the soul while others don't.

It's even more impossible that Qin Chu happened to obtain Soul Fragment of a remnant soul.

If the Soul Fragment in Qin Chu's possession also contained no remnant soul, then...

Athena's eyes widened as a despairing thought began to take root in her mind... Could it be that Qin Chu had been deceiving her all along?

Was all of this a lie?

There was no Jello at all?

Was it only Qin Chu from beginning to end?

So why did I submit to Qin Chu, submitting and fawning before him like a shameless woman in a brothel?

Despite the protective shield of flames surrounding her body, Athena felt an intense, piercing cold.

She felt her body was about to freeze, and she hugged her shoulders, gradually squatting down on the ground. Her trembling lips swelled up, and she let out a desperate cry...

Nothing could have caused Athena more pain and despair than this.

She gave everything to bring Jello back to life quickly, but now she discovers it might all have been a hoax?

Ahh...

The sounds of pain echoed through the icy snow.

Puff...

Athena could no longer hold back, and with a "whoosh," she spat out a mouthful of blood, staining a large patch of snow in front of her red, as vivid as plum blossoms.

Her heart seemed to be pierced in that instant.

No... not necessarily.

Confused and bewildered, Athena, on the verge of collapse, desperately searched for the reason within herself.

Maybe I'm just overthinking things.

She didn't know much about souls either. After a soul was shattered, it was probably normal for the Soul Fragment to be empty. After all, so much time had passed, it wasn't strange that the soul had been somewhat depleted.

After all, this fragment is so small, it's not surprising that the remnant soul inside would perish on its own.

The Soul Fragment in Qin Chu's hand was much larger, and contained more remnants of souls, which is why it had survived until now and hadn't completely disappeared.

That must be it; it might all just be a coincidence.

Athena kept searching for reasons and excuses for herself, hoping to soothe the fear in her chest.

But the doubts deep inside me grew stronger and stronger, and the fear intensified.

Muse's face was extremely gloomy. Athena's reaction was genuine. From the woman's appearance, Muse could tell that although they had obtained the fragment of Jello's Soul Fragment, something terrible had also happened.

However, the lack of understanding made Muse feel particularly uncomfortable. He wanted to know the whole truth, instead of being stuck like this.

"Damn it, Athena, what happened? Tell me everything!" Muse roared in a low voice, ready to rush forward, grab Athena's shoulders, and force Athena to tell him everything.

But at that moment, Athena suddenly raised her head and her eyes swept around.

Strange sounds began to echo in Athena's ears.

The sound was like countless tiny insects wriggling and rustling on the ground.

"Who? Who's there?" Athena demanded sharply.

There was no response.

Muse stopped and looked at Athena with a strange expression.

Could this woman have suffered such a huge blow that she's broken down?

There was clearly no one else around except for the two of them.

Rustling sounds...

It was still that strange sound.

The sound kept echoing in Athena's ears, making Athena even feel itchy.

Finally, from that eerie sound, Athena discerned some syllables:

"Poor people..."

Do you desire the power to achieve eternal immortality and corrupt all things?

The sound made Athena even more agitated. She gripped her magic wand tightly and waved it wildly. Her surging Magic Power was boiling over, and it seemed that Transcendent Magic could fall from the sky at any moment and completely destroy this area.

"Who, who's there? Get out here!" Athena screamed.

She was resisting the influence of that eerie sound.

His mad appearance even frightened Muse, who instinctively took a step back.

Just then, light footsteps came from behind a cedar tree.

Four figures emerged from behind.

One man, three women.

That man was tall and handsome.

A faint smile played at the corners of her lips.

Of the three women, one wore a long black dress with black stockings underneath. Her long hair, also of the same color, cascaded down to her hips. She had a face as pale as snow, and her beautifully shaped feet were encased in stockings. Her body seemed to float above the snow like a feather.

This woman looks stunning in stockings; her dark eyes hold a mixture of compassion and coldness.

Another woman, dressed in an ice-blue long dress, seemed to have completely blended into the surrounding snow, her face as exquisite as if sculpted from ice.

The last woman shared a similar aura with the women beside her—cold yet elegant. Her long, icy blue hair fluttered in the cold wind, and her slender legs supported her graceful figure. Her white boots left a trail of footprints in the snow.

These three women were none other than Ileta, the Daughter of Death; Heloise, the Snow Woman Heloise; and Antasia, the Princess of the Ice Grand Duchy.

Muse instinctively gripped the battle axe in her hand, her crimson eyes, filled with corruption, staring at the four people in front of her, finally fixing her gaze on Qin Chu.

Muse sensed a strong threat from the man with a smile playing on his lips.

This man came to kill him... and even Athena.

He was smiling, but he made no attempt to conceal his murderous intent.

Athena's body froze the moment those four... no, to be precise, the moment that man appeared, remaining completely still.

It was as if she had transformed into a beautiful doll.

Suppressing the urge to cough violently, Muse stared wide-eyed at the man. "Who are you? What are you trying to do, sneaking around like this?"

The man didn't answer; he just smiled helplessly and glanced at Muse with some surprise, seemingly not expecting Muse to have become like this.

His gaze immediately shifted to Athena, his expression of helplessness deepening.

After a long while, the man sighed:

"You actually found me?"

"Athena, you are very smart, but sometimes being too smart isn't necessarily a good thing..."

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Chapter 294 Athena's Despair (4)

The moment these people appeared, the eerie sound that had been lingering in Athena's ears vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

The feeling of being entangled by countless threads dissipated at this moment.

That strange entity seemed unwilling to make contact with these people for the time being.

However, Athena's face showed no relief whatsoever; instead, it was filled with even greater despair. When this man appeared there, Athena felt as if her entire brain had exploded.

Is being too smart necessarily a good thing?

The man's voice made Athena tremble for a moment.

What does that mean?

Given Athena's intelligence, it's impossible that she didn't know what those words meant, but she refused to believe it.

Because once she believed, it was as if she had personally extinguished the last glimmer of hope deep within her heart, leaving her only with endless darkness and despair.

The sight of the two made Muse even more confused.

His gaze darted back and forth between the man and Athena. This feeling of being the only one who knew nothing was awful, Muse couldn't stand it.

"Damn it, what are you? What do you want?"

"You cowards, if you have the guts, give me your name!" Muse shouted sternly.

The knuckles of his fingers, gripping the battle axe tightly, were white, and Muse did not notice the swelling that was beginning to appear on his body.

The man smiled and nodded, "This must be the Mad Berserker Muse, right?"

"A former member of the Hero's Party, the most insane and reckless member in the war against Magic Creature."

"It is an existence that even Magic Creature tremble with fear."

"It is truly an honor to meet you today."

But how did Muse become like this? In the first playthrough, Muse was insane and cruel. Although she was often sick later on, she wasn't as wretched as she is now.

It is said that the Muse's battle axe, having slaughtered too many living beings, is stained with countless blood and filth. The blade is covered with the most terrifying germs, just like the teeth of a giant lizard. If it bites, even if the wound is not fatal, the bacteria inside can quickly weaken the target's body, and the target will die in a state of illness and despair in a short time.

Muse's current appearance is far more terrifying than in the first playthrough; she no longer looks like a normal person, but rather a monster.

It was even more disgusting than Karthus, only it hadn't completely lost its mind compared to Karthus.

The man only glanced at her briefly before looking away, because Muse's appearance was so disgusting that even he, who didn't have trypophobia, found it hard to bear.

He bent slightly at the waist, a standard gentleman's gesture. "I seem to have neglected to introduce myself; how rude of me!"

"My name is Qin Chu, and I am Second-Generation Hero."

Qin Chu.

The moment the name was uttered, Muse's expression changed drastically.

Just as Athena and she obtained the fragment of Jello's Soul Fragment, the Second-Generation Hero appeared here? Could it be that this man already knew about their plan?

A burning killing intent surged within Muse's chest.

The plan has been exposed, so we absolutely cannot let Qin Chu leave here alive.

Not only Qin Chu, but also the women behind Qin Chu must not be let off the hook.

This was never a problem for him, since killing was his favorite pastime. Unfortunately, Muse was already a bit dazed; he couldn't even discern the true extent of the difference in strength between the two.