“Mhm~ so you’re the hero of this generation? You really are~ pitifully weak~”

Velian stood in the middle of a narrow path covered in falling leaves, her black long boots firmly planted on top of the chestnut-haired girl’s head, no matter how the other struggled, she couldn’t budge even the slightest bit.

The girl’s jet-black long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, a pitch-black aura silently spreading outward with her as the center, the corners of her lips curling into a playful yet dangerous smile.

She merely stood there, yet dyed the entire world in deathly silence.

The grass and trees that had been full of life just a second ago withered into charred black in the blink of an eye, the green lawn melted into thick black liquid and even the air pressed heavily against the chest.

A few wild rabbits not far away brushed against a trace of that aura and instantly twisted into ferocious corpse ghouls with exposed fangs.

Corruption Monarch Velian Mimiluci.

A Demon King who controls the concept of Corruption, before her, all life shares only one fate: to be eroded, rewritten and crushed.

Where there is a Demon King, there will naturally be a Hero.

Ever since transmigrating into this world, Velian had calmly accepted her setting as the final boss.

As a modern young man who had read countless light novels, she knew better than anyone that she must never give the one and only hero capable of killing her any chance to grow.

So she came personally.

And crushed the hero, who had been born for less than two hours, right at the “entrance of the beginner village.”

The Demon King was calm and unhurried, yet the hero beneath her feet was already on the verge of collapse.

Anlis Kachi smelled a faint fragrance of roses drifting from those spotless leather boots, thread by thread slipping into her nose.

She lay prone on the ground, her head pinned down tightly, even breathing had become a form of torture.

Under deliberate control, the corrosive aura did not turn her into a skeletal ghoul.

But every breath felt like fine needles tearing through her lungs, the pain causing fine beads of cold sweat to seep out across her forehead.

Anlis tightly gripped the refined iron sword in her hand, her knuckles turning pale as the blade trembled uncontrollably.

But in the next second, the longsword was devoured inch by inch by the ink-black aura, turning into ashes that scattered through the air.

Just two hours ago, she had only just awakened her hero aptitude.

When the Executor handed this refined iron sword to her, his eyes had been filled with expectation.

[Hero-sama, the future of the world is entrusted to you!]

She never imagined that this “future” would last only two hours.

Anlis trembled as she brought up her panel.

[Name: Anlis Kachi]

[Lv: 1]

[Class: Hero]

[Small Hope: No matter how desperate the situation, there will always remain a sliver of hope.]

[Stronger Through Adversity: The more setbacks you suffer, the stronger you become.]

[Will Against the Heart: A powerful will and unyielding belief will become your source of strength.]

[Evil Bane: Your belief grants your power a suppressive effect against the concept of evil.]

She hadn’t even begun to grow yet, her attributes pitifully thin, nothing more than a blank sheet of paper.

She stiffly raised her head and looked at the girl stepping on her.

A line of information instantly stabbed into her eyes, making them ache.

[Name: Velian Mimiluci]

[Lv: 999]

[Class: Corruption Monarch]

[Corruption Will: You are the ruler of the concept of corruption, all decay in the world empowers you, you are the embodiment of the will of corruption.]

‘Wait—Corruption Monarch? Huh? Are you kidding me! Shouldn’t the normal flow be starting from slimes and goblins, leveling up, meeting companions, gradually challenging the Demon King’s generals and only then facing the Demon King in the final battle? Who throws the final BOSS right in your face at the very start?! I can’t beat her! There’s no way this can be beaten!’

“Why are you the Demon King?! I don’t accept this! I only awakened as a hero two hours ago!!”

Anlis cried out in collapse, despair nearly drowning her completely.

Velian’s smile deepened, the corners of her lips curving into an ω shape.

“Miss Hero, instead of complaining, why don’t you try guessing what your fate will be next?”

Anlis clenched her teeth.

At worst, she would be devoured by corruption until nothing remained, not even her soul finding peace.

But her whole body trembled and as a hero, she refused to bow her head and beg for mercy.

“Corruption Monarch, even if you kill me it’s useless, heroes can’t be eradicated, even if I fall, thousands more will appear!”

The hero cannot be killed, or rather, the concept of Hero cannot be killed.

As long as a Demon King is born, the world will inevitably produce a Hero.

Like a priest and a young boy.

Like tragic lovers bound by fate.

“You’re right, so I came up with a more interesting idea~”

Velian lightly rose onto her toes, looking down at her from above, her voice sweet yet bone-chillingly cold.

“Since I can’t kill you, I’ll just corrupt you instead. If you occupy the concept of the hero but can no longer fulfill the hero’s mission, then wouldn’t that mean no new heroes will ever be born?”

Anlis looked confused, completely unable to understand what scheme this Demon King was plotting.

If she were eroded by the concept of Corruption, the concept of Hero would simply choose another host.

Seeing her confusion, Velian smiled even more brightly.

“I’ll plant a curse inside you. You’ll be overtaken by extreme pleasure, controlled by instinct, never able to raise the holy sword again. You’ve heard of a succubus, right~”

Since killing the hero wouldn’t work, then crippling her would.

That way, someone who couldn’t even control their own primal desires, what could they possibly use to come and subjugate her?

A perfect plan.

Anlis’s face flushed bright red instantly, both embarrassed and furious.

“Th-this… what even is this nonsense! You! You! You’re too much! You filthy Demon King! I’ll fight you to the death!”

She even cursed out loud in anger, just imagining that scene was enough to drive her to the brink of collapse.

Rather than being forced into becoming a succubus, she would rather risk everything and fight to the death, to die passionately in light and flame!

In an instant, dazzling holy light erupted from within her body, warm yet sharp, shooting straight into the sky.

The will of a hero could, in desperate situations, be transformed into power.

Velian’s heart tightened abruptly.

As expected of a hero, she could actually erupt like this even in such a state!

She immediately retreated, a world-destroying power of corruption condensing at her fingertips, preparing to erase this hidden danger in a single strike.

But in the next second...

Perhaps because she pushed off too hard, her foot instead slammed heavily into Anlis’s back.

With a dull thump.

Anlis tumbled like a ragdoll through the pile of fallen leaves for five or six rolls, her forehead striking a rock and bleeding, her eyes rolling back as she completely lost consciousness.

The forest instantly fell into silence.

Velian: “……”

She stayed silent for two seconds, then couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“What was that, just a bluff, you really scared me for a moment.”

‘Well, of course, a newly born level 1 hero couldn’t possibly turn things around.’

She slowly walked to the unconscious girl and condensed a faint strand of pale pink curse power at her fingertips.

A small heart-shaped mark flashed briefly before sinking into Anlis’s lower abdomen and completely disappearing.

“Done.”

Velian chuckled softly, “Just wait, Miss Hero, I’m really looking forward to seeing how you fall completely.”

Ink-black mist slowly swirled around Velian, her faint smile lingering as she was about to turn and slip into space, leaving in a carefree manner.

But at that very moment, a sharp pain suddenly exploded in her mind.

A segment of memory that had been forcibly sealed broke through its restraints and surged in violently.

Scenes of the future she truly did not remember all appeared before her eyes in the form of comic panels.

Velian staggered a step and collapsed heavily onto the fallen leaves, her face deathly pale.

‘…Who sealed my memories?!’

Velian hurriedly sorted through the fragments of memory that had just surfaced in her mind.

Battles, cries, begging, despair.

And among them, the one who suffered a complete and utter defeat like in a galgame… was herself.

Velian’s expression changed drastically.

She stared blankly at the unconscious Anlis on the ground, her mind going completely blank.

A ridiculous and terrifying thought tightly seized her.

‘No way… my true death in the future… is actually at the hands of this hero… This is completely wrong!!’