Ah, the infamous Evil Continent. It goes by many names—demonic continent, Dark Land, Charred Land—but I prefer to keep it simple: evil continent, because, well, it's pretty evil. You might be wondering how a piece of land can be inherently evil. Let me enlighten you with a few examples.

First off, plants don't exactly flourish here. Sure, you might plant a fruit tree, but instead of juicy apples or sweet oranges, you'll end up with monstrous trees sprouting tentacles that are more interested in impaling unsuspecting passersby than providing a healthy snack. Not exactly paradise, huh?

And the air? Poisonous gas. The water? Poisonous swamp. Basically, if it's life-sustaining, you won't find it here. Oh, and did I mention the evil continent has a rather nasty habit of growing by devouring the land around it? Yeah, it's like a hungry beast that just can't stop munching.

But enough about the evil continent. Let's talk about my current predicament.

Here I am, locked in the fight of my life at the Devouring Palace, nestled deep within the core of this malevolent land. And who's my opponent, you ask? None other than the big bad himself, the Evil Lord, also known as the mightiest evil, the enemy of the world, Demon God, Devouring Emperor Melos.

Now, before you get too impressed, I should probably introduce myself. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I'm the so-called savior of humanity, Hero Titus. Yep, that's me. And right now, I'm doing what heroes do best—trying to kick some evil butt.

You'd think, being the strongest hero in history, I'd have this in the bag. But Melos? He's no pushover. We've been at it for seven grueling days, and let me tell you, the Devouring Palace? It's seen better days. Instead of a majestic fortress, we've turned it into a massive crater, courtesy of our little brawl.

As for my party? Well, let's just say they decided to bail on me before things got too messy. Cowards, the lot of them. But hey, who needs 'em, right? I've got enough heroism for everyone.

Now, as for the current state of affairs, I'm not exactly in the best shape. Melos's last attack cost me a limb or two—left leg, left hand, gone in a flash. But hey, at least I managed to leave a mark on him too. My holy sword, Durandal, landed a pretty sweet blow—the Divine Slash, I call it. Took out the lower half of his body, it did.

Now, he's floating there, trying to patch himself up with his ultimate regeneration skills. But guess what? Evil aura may be powerful, but it's got nothing on the Divine Slash. His wound ain't healing anytime soon.

And yet, despite his precarious situation, he's still grinning like a maniac, laughing like there's no tomorrow. Big, intimidating, and oozing evil aura—just another day at the office for ol' Melos.

"Hero Titus! You are simply the best. I've been waiting for a fight like this for eons. Many heroes before you tried, but all failed. Some couldn't even scratch me, while others willingly joined hands with me just to save their skins. But you! You're different. Why don’t you join me? I can transform you into an evil being. Together, we can take the whole world and rule it for eternity. What do you think?" Melos asked, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"You must be kidding! I don’t want to grow horns and become as ugly as you by joining the evil race. I still want to marry a beautiful wife after defeating you," I replied, a hint of disgust creeping into my voice.

"Too bad. It would have been interesting. On the other hand, killing each other is the best," Melos said with madness gleaming in his eyes.

After our exchange, we both prepared for our final attack and unleashed our strongest moves. The collision shook the entire evil continent to its core.

When the dust settled, both of us stood still. Well, sort of. I had a massive hole in the middle of my chest, where my heart used to be. And Melos? Well, he was standing there, holding my heart in his hand, with a giant golden sword sticking out of his own chest.

We were both as good as dead.

"Good job, hero! Your name will be written in history as the one and only hero who was able to kill me. Be proud. You have the right to do so!" Melos said, admiration lacing his words.

"I am always proud of myself; I don’t need your recognition!" I replied weakly.

But deep down, I couldn't help but wonder what my aristocrat party members would say. Would they celebrate my victory, or would they brand me a traitor and claim the achievement for themselves?

"Oh? So, you think that your companions will betray you? And still, you sacrificed your life for such people?" Melos asked, genuine surprise in his voice.

"Stop reading my mind! I will not die," I retorted angrily.

Just as Melos was about to respond, the already dark evil continent was engulfed in pitch-black darkness. An extremely powerful evil aura, hundreds of times stronger than Melos's, swept over us, forcing both of us to our knees. Even Melos looked shaken by its power.

For the first time in my life, I felt insignificant—a mere speck of dust in the face of such overwhelming power. The darkness consumed not just the evil continent, but the entire world.

But just as suddenly as it had appeared, the pressure vanished, leaving no trace behind.

When everything calmed down, Melos started laughing maniacally again.

"Hero Titus! You people never fail to amuse me. It looks like you've given birth to another monster just like me, but much, much stronger, with your endless greed, lust, and envy. So, you died for nothing. Even I feel sorry for you. But not as much as I feel sorry for the people of the world. However, it's not your burden anymore, as you are already dead," Melos said, his voice tinged with pity.

"I already told you I will not die!" I replied, my frown deepening.

"What do you… oh! You are blessed with such a powerful skill," Melos exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

"Stop reading my mind and just die!" I said, anger seeping into my voice.

"What's the use of being alive? Do you think you can defeat that monster from before? Just die and end your suffering," Melos teased.

With that, the mighty evil king, the Devouring Emperor, disintegrated into the air. As a result, a large amount of evil aura vanished, and the size of the evil continent shrank, no longer devouring the surrounding lands.

I was also dying.

So, this is what death feels like? It's like slowly fading into darkness, memories of my life flashing before my eyes. Hardly any good memories to speak of. What a crappy life it's been.

Even though I won't truly die because of my skill, is it worth living my life again? Maybe I should take Melos's advice and just die. Besides, that monster from before is way out of my league.

But then again, the thought of following Melos's advice really ticks me off. Just the idea of meeting him in hell while he laughs at me for committing suicide makes my blood boil.

"Melos, you bastard! Go burn in hell for eternity. Just you wait, I'll send that new monster your way so you can both burn and lament while hugging each other in hell," I cursed loudly for one last time.

And with that, I activated my skill and took my final breath.