Chapter 296: Athena’s Self-Twisted Soul
Athena’s eyes were dull, tears freezing on her cheeks before they could fall.
Seeing Muse impaled, writhing on the ground, his blood staining the snow crimson, shocked even Qin Chu.
Then, a smile touched his lips as he turned to Ireta: “Ireta, you’re amazing. I didn’t expect… huh?”
He had intended to praise her, but her expression was even more shocked than his own.
He frowned: “Ireta, you didn’t do this?”
Ireta looked bewildered, muttering: “I did, but… not entirely.”
She looked at Athena, a strange mixture of amusement and admiration in her eyes.
“Her will and soul are far more resilient than I anticipated.”
“I intended to twist her soul, but I found I could destroy it, but not twist it,” Ireta explained. “In the past thousand years, I’ve purified billions of souls, many far stronger than hers, but none as… resilient.”
“It wasn’t me who twisted her soul, but… herself.”
She paused, then continued: “I merely sealed a portion of her feelings for Jie Luo, making her see you as her master, and I noticed her soul becoming… unstable.”
“Her soul seemed to activate a self-preservation mechanism, suppressing and even altering anything that could cause her to break down.”
Ireta frowned. This woman’s soul was truly bizarre. She had never encountered such resilience.
“In short, her thoughts and memories might have been rewritten. I don’t know the extent of the changes.”
“If you’re concerned, it’s best to kill her now,” she concluded.
Qin Chu was also surprised by Athena’s resilience, but it made things more interesting. Watching the former Hero Squad members turn on each other brought him immense pleasure.
He looked at Athena.
Her beautiful face was still tear-streaked and contorted, as if she herself was shocked by her actions.
She clutched her chest, a strange expression on her face. She hadn’t wanted to do it, but seeing Muse attacking Qin Chu, she had instinctively acted.
Muse was her former comrade, but Qin Chu… was her master, and the man she loved.
The dullness in her eyes faded, her twisted expression returning to normal.
“Athena…” Muse gasped, blood bubbling from his lips, his eyes blazing with fury.
“You… you betrayed us.”
“Betrayed?”
Athena looked bewildered.
“We agreed to work together to resurrect Jie Luo! You loved him so deeply! But now you’re with this bastard, Qin Chu! Shameless woman! Jie Luo was blind to choose you for the Hero Squad!” Muse roared, his anger escalating.
“It was the biggest mistake of his life to fall for you!”
To Muse, Athena’s betrayal was even more unforgivable than Qin Chu’s actions.
Their Hero Squad had revolved around Jie Luo. While not all members were close, Muse had believed their loyalty to Jie Luo was absolute.
Even after the deaths of some members, he had believed their team was perfect, united by a common goal.
But now, Athena’s betrayal had shattered that illusion, creating an irreparable rift.
He struggled to rise, wanting to tear her apart.
Covered in blood, he looked terrifying.
“Shameless woman?” Athena trembled, repeating his words. “Yes, I am a shameless woman.”
“I loved Jie Luo, but I compared him to Qin Chu in my heart, concluding that he was inferior. My feelings wavered.”
“Now, I don’t even know who I truly love.”
Qin Chu’s expression was strange.
This must be a fabricated memory, a result of Athena’s twisted soul.
It couldn’t be real.
A Hero Squad member comparing him to Jie Luo and finding him superior? Impossible.
In his eyes, they were all obsessed with Jie Luo, especially Ronald… who had harbored… unconventional desires.
This was the first time Athena had openly expressed her true feelings, especially in front of so many people.
But now, she spoke with newfound courage: “Jie Luo saved me.”
“I was grateful to him, and it was natural for me to fall in love with him.”
“But that doesn’t mean I agreed with everything he did.”
“What?”
Muse’s eyes widened. This shameless bitch was questioning Jie Luo’s actions?
Unforgivable!
“Muse, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten. You and Jie Luo once discussed how to inflict the most pain…”
“You tied a man, dressed differently from us, seemingly from another world, to a tree.”
“At Jie Luo’s suggestion, you used him to practice your axe skills, slicing off bits of his flesh with your battle qi infused axe…”
“That poor man from another world, you tortured him for an entire day, using magic to heal him, keeping him conscious, forcing him to watch himself die slowly.”
“I told Jie Luo to stop, but he said the man was evil, very evil…”
“Now that I think about it, what was I thinking? He was just a man from another world. He hadn’t even done anything.”
Qin Chu frowned. This must also be a fabricated memory, a product of Athena’s twisted soul.
Muse would surely refute it…
He thought so, but Muse’s face only darkened further. He didn’t deny it, merely spitting on the ground: “Tch, a dog from another world. Good riddance.”
“This world doesn’t need so many heroes. Jie Luo is enough.”
Qin Chu’s expression turned grim. He had thought it was a false memory, but it was real.
Jie Luo and Muse were truly ruthless, torturing a man from another world, a potential hero, keeping him conscious while slowly dismembering him.
Qin Chu wasn’t kind, but perhaps because they were both heroes from other worlds, he felt a pang of empathy, and Muse’s callous attitude fueled his killing intent.
Muse, you won’t die easily. I promise you that.
Athena sighed: “Compared to Jie Luo, Qin Chu is so much better…”
Before she could finish, Muse’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he screamed: “Qin Chu is better? Athena, are you insane? Have you forgotten what he just said?”
He sensed something was terribly wrong.
As if reality itself was being twisted.
Athena frowned: “What did he say?”
She couldn’t remember.
She only remembered Muse, the madman, trying to attack her master.
She had traded her body, soul, and eternal loyalty for Qin Chu’s promise to provide some of his blood for Jie Luo’s resurrection.
It had been a transaction, but she had developed feelings for him, falling in love with her master, a shameful infidelity.
But the former Hero Squad members, especially Muse, were still obsessed with killing him.
She wouldn’t tolerate that.
Seeing her reaction, Muse, despite his usual dullness, had a moment of clarity.
He realized Athena’s mind had been altered, manipulated by the woman in black stockings.
This was an unexpected development.
Interesting.
Qin Chu, who had been silently observing their exchange, finally spoke: “Athena, do you still love Jie Luo?”
Athena trembled, her face paling: “Love… I think so. Maybe.”
She couldn’t be certain of her own feelings.
Her mind was in turmoil.
She glanced at Qin Chu, worried he might be angry.
But he wasn’t.
He smiled, extending his hand towards her: “Then, my sweet Athena, will you give me Jie Luo’s soul fragment?”
Athena shivered.
A flicker of resistance appeared in her eyes, but her body seemed to move on its own, walking towards him.
Muse screamed: “Athena, wake up! You’re being controlled! Snap out of it…”
“Don’t give that bastard the soul fragment! Don’t!”
His screams tore at his throat.
But he couldn’t stop her. He could only watch as she placed the soul fragment in Qin Chu’s hand.
Muse’s face turned ashen.
He knew it was over.
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