I Am The Game's Villain

But Earth Tepes was ready. From his outstretched hand, a blazing golden flame ignited, materializing into the shape of a sword. The sword gleamed with a brilliant, almost divine light, its edges flickering with intense heat. With a swift, effortless motion, Earth gripped the flaming blade and leaped into the air, swinging down with calculated precision. The sword cut through the dark red tentacles with ease, reducing them to nothing more than charred remnants that disintegrated into ash before they could reach him.

”Hm?” Earthʼs eyes narrowed as he noticed something unusual midair. John was no longer grounded—he had propelled himself upward with a burst of speed, his foot aimed directly at Earthʼs face mercilessly.

Instinctively, Earth swung his sword again, the blade igniting with renewed golden flames that danced along its length. But before the flames could fully engulf John, the latter muttered under his breath, ”First Curse of Hecate.”

Hearing the whispered words, Earth let out a confident laugh. ”Curses wonʼt work on me. Iʼm immune to—what?!”

Earthʼs laughter died in his throat as his eyes widened in disbelief. He had expected the dark red curse marks to appear on his body, but instead, they were emblazoned across Johnʼs face. John wasnʼt trying to curse him; he was cursing himself to enhance his power.

-BAM!

Johnʼs foot, now glowing with a sinister dark red aura, collided with Earthʼs golden flames, dispelling them in an instant. The force of the impact was so powerful that Earth had to brace himself, holding up his sword to shield against the blow. A shockwave erupted from the collision, a chaotic blend of golden and red energy rippling outward, shaking the arena and catching the audience off guard.

”Second Curse of Hecate.”

As the words left Johnʼs lips, dark tentacles, even more numerous and vicious than before, sprouted from his body, lunging toward Earth with unrelenting speed. Their intent was clear—they aimed to ensnare, to choke the life out of their target.

”Heldora!” Earthʼs smile vanished, replaced by a cold, focused expression as he called upon his fire. The golden flames surrounding him intensified, spiraling into a protective coil that burned the dark tentacles to ash the moment they touched him.

”Third Curse of Hecate.”

This time, dark red snakes, each with glowing eyes and venomous fangs, slithered out from Johnʼs aura, hissing as they darted straight for Earthʼs face.

”Ahaha! Youʼre quite desperate, arenʼt you?” Earth laughed, though the laughter lacked the joy from earlier. He swung his flaming sword, once again using his golden flames to incinerate the serpents before they could strike. His eyes, now taking on a more draconic appearance.

Yet John remained unfazed, his expression as cold and neutral as ever.

”How the hell did someone like you manage to win Ameliaʼs heart? I wonder…” Earth muttered, the annoyance clear in his voice. He couldnʼt help but feel a pang of annoyance. Despite all his efforts to make the Heroines fall for him, none had reciprocated his feelings. He had returned to find Celeste in love with Edward and Amelia in love with John. All three of them were from Earth, yet somehow, John and Edward had succeeded where he had failed. What was the difference between them?

”Youʼre noisy,” John replied flatly.

Earthʼs frown deepened, but before he could respond, he sensed something above him and instinctively glanced upward. His blood ran cold. Suspended high in the air was a massive mana circle, drawn with great precision and glowing with an ominous dark red hue. It was a Curse Spell, but far larger and more potent than anything John had cast so far.

Earthʼs eyes narrowed in realization.

ʼSo all those Hecate Curses were just a distraction? This bastard…ʼ

The scale of the spell was staggering, and Earth knew that his golden flames, while potent against curses, might not be enough to counter something of this magnitude. His irritation flared into anger as he gathered a colossal amount of mana, his flames roaring to life as he prepared to burn away Johnʼs spell in one devastating strike.

But John was quicker. He leaped back, his body enveloped in a protective curtain of dark red fire. The flames wove around him like a living shield as he landed gracefully on the ground. With a single, commanding gesture, he raised his hand toward the massive mana circle above and swung it down in a sweeping motion.

”Blazing Cursed Breath of Hecate.”