The knights staggered. Ji-won charged forward, his real weapon—a massive warhammer—appearing from his storage. He caught one knight in the chest, the impact sending the man flying backward. Seol-ah danced between two others, her daggers finding joints and gaps. Sang-ho chanted prayers, his holy magic burning against their corrupted flesh.

Ha-neul stayed back, coordinating. "Seol-ah, left flank! Ji-won, the big one with the cursed sword! Sang-ho, keep the dispel pressure up!"

I faced Cassian. He drew his sword—a beautiful blade that screamed with demonic power. Around us, palace servants and nobles began to gather, drawn by the commotion. Perfect. We needed witnesses.

"You were a mediocre prince even before you sold your soul," I said conversationally, circling him. "In my first run through this floor, I protected you. You rewarded me by trying to claim credit for stopping the ’villainess’ yourself."

Cassian lunged. Fast, faster than he should have been. I parried, the ornamental rapier ringing like a bell. The narrative weight of the duel gave the ceremonial blade strength it shouldn’t have had.

"First run?" Cassian’s face twisted with confusion and rage. "You’re a returner? You’ve done this floor before?"

"Seven times," I said, ducking under his wild swing. "The first six, I tried different approaches. Protecting you. Ignoring you. Evacuating the city. Nothing worked as well as this." I riposted, my blade scoring a line across his perfect cheek. Black blood welled up. "Killing you."

He screamed and activated his demonic power. His form began to change, skin rippling, eyes turning completely red. The watching nobles gasped in horror.

"You see?" I called out to them. "Your beloved prince is a monster wearing a pretty face!"

Luminara realized her cover was blown. She dropped her saintess act entirely. "Fine. Fine! We’ll drain this entire palace if we have to!" She raised her hands, and unholy light burst from her palms. "We’ve fed on this empire for months. We’re strong enough to take you all!"

"Sang-ho!" I shouted. "Now!"

The priest had been waiting for this. He drove his staff into the ground and activated the strongest dispel he had. "By the light of the true stars, I cast out corruption! [SANCTIFIED GROUNDS]!"

Holy magic exploded outward in a dome. Luminara shrieked as her stolen divinity burned away. Cassian’s demonic transformation reversed violently, leaving him gasping and weak.

The Silver Seven collapsed, their enhancement contracts shattered.

And in the sudden clarity, every NPC in the room could see the truth. The summoning marks on Cassian’s skin. The demonic sigils that had been hidden under Luminara’s glow. The corruption that had poisoned the palace.

"Monsters," someone whispered.

The crowd’s adoration turned to horror, and with it, the demons’ food source vanished. Cassian fell to his knees, suddenly mortal and powerless.

I walked up to him and placed the rapier at his throat.

"Any last romantic speeches?" I asked.

He spat at me. "The Constellations won’t forgive this. We were their favorites. Their perfect love story."

"The Constellations can submit a complaint form," I said, and drove the blade through his heart.

『**MAIN CHARACTER DEATH: CROWN PRINCE CASSIAN - ELIMINATED**』

『**GENRE COLLAPSE IMMINENT**』

Raven appeared behind Luminara, daggers crossed at the false saint’s throat. "For six months," she said quietly, "I watched you corrupt everything I loved. This is for my empire."

She cut. Clean. Professional.

『**MAIN CHARACTER DEATH: SAINTESS LUMINARA - ELIMINATED**』

『**ROMANCE FANTASY GENRE: SHATTERED**』

『**CALCULATING NEW GENRE...**』

『**GENRE SHIFT: SUCCESSFUL REBELLION**』

The palace shuddered. The romantic lighting flickered and died, replaced by normal firelight. The enchanted music stopped. And all around us, the NPCs blinked as if waking from a dream.

One noble, an older man who’d been mechanically praising Cassian all night, looked around in confusion. "What... where am I? Why am I wearing this ridiculous outfit?"

The NPCs were becoming real. The narrative collapse was freeing them from their scripted roles.

『**FLOOR 22 - CLEARED**』

『**CLEAR RATING: PERFECT REBELLION (HIDDEN)**』 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

『**METHOD: NARRATIVE ASSASSINATION**』

『**REWARDS CALCULATING...**』

『**WARNING: MULTIPLE CONSTELLATIONS ARE FILING COMPLAINTS**』

『**Player Kang Min has acquired: [Crown of the Usurper King] (Legendary)**』

『**Player Kang Min has acquired: Title [Romance Breaker]**』

『**All Party Members: +20,000 EXP**』

『**Hidden Achievement Unlocked: "Not Today, Cupid"**』

We stood in the Great Hall, surrounded by confused nobles and freed NPCs, holding weapons dripping with the blood of the "main characters."

"That," Ji-won said, wiping demon blood off his hammer, "was the most satisfying boss fight we’ve had in weeks."

Raven approached me, extending her hand. She looked solid now, more real than before. "Thank you. For seeing the truth. For not just following the script."

I shook her hand. "What will you do now? The scenario is over. Will you..."

"Disappear when the floor resets?" She smiled. "Maybe. Maybe not. You’ve changed enough that I might persist as a permanent NPC. The Tower does that sometimes with individuals who break their programming." She glanced at the bodies of Cassian and Luminara, already dissolving into golden particles. "Either way, I’m free. We’re all free."

Ha-neul was reading the system messages, her eyes wide. "Look at this. The chat is going insane. Half the Constellations are furious, but the other half are offering sponsorship deals. Apparently killing the main characters in a romance scenario is ’unprecedented entertainment.’"

"Let them be mad," Seol-ah said. "We got legendary gear and a perfect clear."

Sang-ho looked exhausted but satisfied. "Twenty-two floors. We’re really doing this. We’re really going to catch up to the Americans."

I pulled up the global ranking board. The USA’s top guild, "Star Breakers," was currently on Floor 30. They’d been climbing for three years. We’d been climbing for seventeen days.

"Floor 30 by the end of the month," I said. "That’s the goal."

Ji-won laughed. "The Tower’s not going to know what hit it."

The exit gate appeared, shimmering with the usual golden light. But before we could leave, one more system message appeared.

『**SPECIAL NOTICE: Due to repeated narrative disruptions, Player Kang Min has been flagged as "Genre Hazard"**』

『**Future floors may deploy additional countermeasures**』

『**The Constellations are watching with great interest**』

"Genre Hazard," I read aloud. "That’s new."

"That’s a threat," Ha-neul corrected.