Despite being nearly overwhelmed by the actions and words of this other self, the Hero managed to stay conscious, forcing herself to look away, her expression gradually becoming serious.
Though the other's words made her feel extremely uncomfortable, she consciously ignored the aggressive taunts, focusing solely on extracting key information.
[Identity of the Depraved Hero]
2. Remnant of the Corrupted Phoenix?
3. Devouring Curse Demon?
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
Note: Only option 9 "Look, Fist" enters the Psychic Realm's Counterattack phase; in the Psychic Realm, unrelated skills cannot be activated. Victory leads to the automatic dispel of the Hollow Curse, while failure results in R Depravity Skills.
Looking at the thoughtful Emerald Eye Hero, and the calm, observing Ancient Hero, the scarlet Hero appeared gloomy, her gaze cold.
She was not the remnant of an Archdemon, nor the dark side of the girl, or even the curse of the Magic Patterns.
To be precise, she was the continuation of the corrupted will of the Phoenix, what the Great Demon of the depraved world expected, the "destiny" destined to lead the Hero into depravity.
She was a manifestation, mixing all of the above—remnants, grudges, dark sides, curses, and everything else.
At last, she seized this opportunity; the turning point of destiny was set, yet was disrupted at the very last moment.
If all had gone smoothly, the current Hero should have already awakened to corrupting power, gaining new skills, becoming the new Corrupted Phoenix, and devouring that Devouring Curse Demon completely.
However, even if she felt contempt and disgust, she first had to acknowledge a fact.
In front of her, this naive girl obsessed with goblins, this simple-minded foolish Hero, was blessed by the world, possessing inexplicable strong luck.
She might not even think so herself, nor would others, but the facts until now were undeniable.
The Depraved Hero knew clearly that before setting foot on the Highland to battle the Corrupted Phoenix, this clueless girl couldn't even defeat the most ordinary Snow Woman on the Snow Mountain.
Yet, in a short period, she underwent multiple awakenings, not only advancing her strength rapidly but also receiving the Blessing of the Ancient Heroic Spirit, and awakening enough Holy Power to suppress ancient evil.
That unsullied Radiant Power ensured that even the resentments of the Corrupted Phoenix before death could not warp the girl's Spirit.
Even the curse in her final moments could only be shallowly etched beyond her surface consciousness, capable of causing a temporary loss of rationality and changing the aura she exuded. Still, it couldn't touch the essence of her Soul.
Yet—even the brightest Sun would eventually set, and even the strongest dam would collapse from an ant hole.
So, the erosion must start from the smallest part.
The Hollow Curse serves as the foundation, capable of shielding against the resistance of will, waiting for misfortune and malice to arrive at the right moment.
And that moment didn't take long to come.
Although the Magic Patterns weren't strong, they silently created various obstacles in daily life. If the Hero wanted to free herself from the tangles of the curse and eliminate these effects, she had to actively seek dispelling methods—in other words, she would also encounter more curse-related things.
As expected, much sooner than she expected, the Hero, with that inexplicable strong luck, entered the lost Curse Temple, personally summoned the Devouring Curse Demon, and almost ended that evil entity with one blow.
But destiny was always fickle and merciless, and luck could never indefinitely favor anyone—sooner or later, the opportunity would turn to her.
During the first failure, she did not appear, only drawing a little power from the Devouring Curse Demon's curse.
Because she knew that this level was not able to pierce the protection of "Dawn Break."
So she wasn't impatient, choosing to be gradual, first shaking the girl's strongest Transformation, causing the Phoenix to lose reason, expanding the crumbling ant hole.
As for that scorpion's task, she also thought it would end there.
But to her surprise—and though she wasn't yet fully conscious of her emotions—the Devouring Curse Demon had a stronger survival instinct than anticipated.
In the face of its natural enemy, it erupted with power near its limit. Simultaneously, the curse within the Hero resonated and seized the opportunity, making the heartbroken Phoenix lower its guard at the crucial moment.
Then destiny bared its fangs, and depravity was born inevitably.
As the legacy of the Corrupted Phoenix, she should have fulfilled her mission, guiding the Hero into a new fate, allowing this being, who instinctively looked away from the darkness, to understand what true "depravity" meant.
Yet, absurdly, even at such a perfect opportunity, an unexpected disruptor emerged.
Right, she should have foreseen it, since the Corrupted Phoenix was absorbed by the Hero; the Ancient Heroic Spirit would naturally leave its mark in the girl's Abyss.
Although both existed in death, appearing this way was not impossible.
But compared to her, strengthened by the power of the Devouring Curse Demon, the existence of the Ancient Hero was but a fleeting flower.
The Depraved Hero curled her lips into a cold smile.
The outcome wouldn't change, as long as a crack appeared in the girl's heart, even the Ancient Hero couldn't save her.
"This is Grandpa's house, where you didn't seem to like all these books very much before; however, it's perfect now, as a place to correct your stupidity through education."
The Depraved Hero displayed an enticing smile, with contempt flooding her tone, causing the Ancient Hero's gaze to become serious.
She couldn't let her junior's mind be shaken—
The Depraved Hero glanced at the Ancient Hero, her cold smile unchanged.
She knew this Ancient Heroic Spirit too well, this fool who would bear everything alone no matter where he was, couldn't change anything.
So she leisurely looked at the Hero again—
But the Emerald Eye girl was no longer there; only a small fist grew larger and larger in the scarlet pupils.
[Hero & Depraved Hero LV49]