The Hero’s Sword Selection Ceremony 2

"Hero, this way."

One of the supervisors guided me to the waiting room. He opened the door for me, and my eyes met theirs. The room was white, adorned with intricate decorations on the walls and ceiling, and the lighting was more beautiful than anything I had seen in the Kingdom of Altherion. There were also several luxurious chairs.

"Oh, he's here."

I shot him an angry glare and thought to myself, This idiot is going to expose us.

"Oh? Do you two know each other, heroes?"

"No, this is my first time seeing him," I replied quickly and entered the room.

The supervisor looked at us with suspicion before closing the door and leaving.

I read through the list of names:

1. Valdron – Hero: Ragnar, a foolish man obsessed with strength.

2. Iltexa – Heroine: Nova, a commanding girl who values order and follows instructions.

3. Arkanthia – Heroine: Selina, a cheerful girl who resembles Lesia in personality.

4. Zervin – Hero: Isaac, an intelligent and strategic individual, but he doesn't compare to me.

5. Mordiath – Hero: Kyle, a kind person who always prioritizes his own interests.

6. Astrafin – Hero: Victor, an arrogant, selfish man, yet strong and cunning.

7. Termagus – Heroine: Alice, I don't know much about her, but I despise her.

8. Altherion – Hero: The Hero

Once we confirmed we were alone, Isaac spoke.

"The Hero? Did you not have another name?"

Nova added, "You can't change the name given to you by the Great Author."

"I just forgot it," I replied.

Both of them responded in unison, "What?!"

Another voice chimed in—it was Ragnar. "That's exactly what I'd expect from this idiot."

I retorted, "Who's the idiot? The one who almost exposed us?"

Kyle then spoke, "None of you will be able to write the ending."

Alice responded, "And will you?"

Kyle sighed. "I don't know. Generations of End Writers have failed before us. Are we special? Will our result be any different?"

He continued, "Maybe we should just give up. We don't even know the purpose of destroying these worlds."

Victor scoffed, "Are you questioning the orders of the Great Author?"

"No, I don't mean to doubt them. But haven't you all wondered—what is the purpose of the End Writer? Why do we destroy worlds?"

I answered immediately, "We all have, but this is our duty, and we must fulfill it."

Ragnar crossed his arms. "Only you two have asked that question."

"By the way, what's wrong with her?" I asked, pointing at Selina.

Her expression was empty, her face pale, and her body bore marks of bruises and burns.

"We don't know. She's been like that since we met her. But don't worry, this works in our favor. The competition will be between seven, not eight," Victor said.

I glared at him. "Are you an idiot? She's one of us. We can't just leave her like this."

I stepped closer. "Selina, what's wrong?" I began shaking her gently.

Selina flinched and backed away quickly.

Alice sneered, "What a coward."

"Shut up!" I snapped at her.

Suddenly, Selina bolted out of the room.

"Wait!"

"Let her go. Why do you care? This benefits you anyway," Isaac said.

"If you were in her place, would you say the same thing?" I shot back.

Isaac was taken aback. I continued, "I would do the same for any of you. I can't abandon someone in need."

Ragnar smirked. "That's just like you, the Great Author's spoiled child."

Ragnar was someone I had known for a long time. He had always been foolish, but before becoming an End Writer, he was kind. That's what irritated me.

I rushed out, following Selina's tracks until I found her sitting at the bottom of the stairs. I approached quietly and sat beside her.

"Are you ready to talk now?"

She mumbled something inaudible and remained silent.

I waited and waited until she finally spoke. "Go away."

"I can't. You need help."

She didn't respond.

I spoke again, "Is it about the Kingdom of Arkanthia?"

She nodded silently.

– Sinister

– Sir, what's wrong?

– I want to know everything about Arkanthia.

– It's the kingdom of science and energy. But why do you ask?

– Did they, by any chance, conduct experiments on humans?

– There are rumors about that, but nothing confirmed.

– Thanks.

– Anytime. Let me know if you need anything else.

– Actually, I have another request.

"From what I've deduced, they conducted inhumane experiments on you. Is that right?"

As expected, she didn't answer. She looked pitiful, nothing like an End Writer.

"Can I read your past?"

Past Reading is an ability I possess that allows me to experience a person's past from a chosen moment to another. The downside is that I feel their emotions—pain, joy, sorrow—but not as intensely as the other Writers' abilities.

I placed my hand on her head and activated my ability.

In an instant, I was transported—or rather, Selina was—to a laboratory filled with human and non-human bodies inside glass chambers filled with a strange liquid.

I kept reading and lived through all the experiments as if I were in her place—all the electrocutions, the surgeries. The pain was real. The despair, the suffering. But even after experiencing it all, it didn't break me as it did her. Maybe my will was just stronger than hers.

When it was over, I had more than enough information—about Selina's power, the person responsible for the experiments, the chips implanted in her head to control her, and most importantly, the secret weapon being developed.

– Sinister, there's someone I want you to eliminate.

– Someone you want me to eliminate?

– Aldric Vailhart.

– May I ask why?

– Revenge.

I placed my hand on Selina's head and sent a weak electric charge—strong enough to destroy the chips but not to harm her.

"Why are you doing this?"

Surprised by her question, I replied, "Consider it a debt. Repay it someday."

"Thank you."

I smiled. "Don't mention it."

Somewhere else...

"Your Majesty, I wish to see the Hero for a moment. He must be nervous, and I also need to brief him on some things."

"Very well, Sinister. You may leave."

At the same time, in the Kingdom of Arkanthia, Aldric Vailhart realized he had lost connection with the Heroine.

"This is impossible! How?!"

"What's wrong, Aldric?"

"Your Majesty, I've lost connection with the Heroine. I must investigate immediately!"

This is my chance to get rid of him.

I followed them silently, waiting for the right moment to strike. But he had two guards with him.

Suddenly, we encountered Selina and the Hero.

"Aldric Vailhart, what does this mean?" Selina demanded.

"I should be asking you that," he responded.

"And who are you?" he asked, looking at me.

"The Hero of Altherion."

Selina drew her sword and pointed it at Aldric.

I stepped in front of her. "Wait. You can't kill him."

"Oh, I can. And I will."

In an instant, the two guards were sliced in half. Flames engulfed their remains, leaving nothing behind.

"You're Sinister from Altherion, aren't you?"

"You've got sharp eyes."

I turned to Sinister. "Didn't I ask you to eliminate him?"

"I didn't find the right opportunity until now."

Aldric smirked. "He likely has a device that sends an alert if he's harmed."

"Sharp thinking," I admitted. "Now, will you allow me to disable your devices?"

"I don't think so."

He pulled out a strange device, but I charged a knife with lightning and threw it, disabling it before he could press the button.

He then pulled out a gun, aiming at us, but I activated Lightning Transformation and instantly shattered his weapon into tiny pieces.

"Is that all you've got?"

He desperately reached for something in his pocket, but Selina was faster—she sliced his hand off.

"Hel–!" Before he could finish his plea, I slashed his throat, cutting his vocal cords along with a portion of his neck.

"Don't worry, you won't die until I'm done talking," I said, stepping closer.

"Is it fun to hurt people?" I asked, but he remained silent.

I shouted, "Aldric Vailhart, is it fun to hurt people?!"

I turned to Selina. "He's yours."

Selina stood before him. "People like you deserve to suffer, but I'm merciful, so I'll end this quickly."

Aldric tried to crawl away, leaving a trail of blood behind.

She raised her sword and decapitated him.

Sinister then burned his body to ash, erasing any trace of his existence.

"The alarm was supposed to activate Quick. We need to leave before we're discovered," Selina said, and we rushed to the waiting room. Standing at the door, we caught our breaths.

Suddenly, Selina spoke.

"Hero, thank you again. I'll make sure to repay this favor someday."

"It's nothing. It's my duty."

"Duty? I did all the work," Sinister said.

"Sorry, thank you, Sinister."

"Gratitude isn't enough. You must not let your emotions interfere with the mission," he continued. "And you, you need to endure the pain. Otherwise, you won't survive. Don't let a little pain affect your mission."

"I'll make sure of that. Thank you both."

For the first time, I saw Selina smile before she entered the waiting room. I remained outside, speaking with Sinister.

"Hero, how much do you know about Selina?"

"Everything since she entered this world."

"Is that also a power of the End Writer?"

"Every End Writer has a unique ability that distinguishes them from the others. It can be combat-related, analytical, or mental."

"And yours?"

"Mental. But it hasn't been very useful. In the 300 years I've lived, I've only used it six times."

Sinister was shocked. "Three hundred years?! I thought you were 28! Do End Writers live that long?"

"Even longer, usually."

"Did you spend every day destroying worlds?"

"Yes, except for the first year of our lives, when the Great Writer teaches us about the worlds and how to end them."

"May I ask, sir... why do you destroy the worlds?"

I fell silent for a moment before answering, "Even I don't know."

"What?"

I recalled an old memory from my first year before I became an End Writer.

"Great Writer! Great Writer!"

I was a child in a classroom filled with other children who would one day become End Writers.

"Yes? What do you wish to ask?" the Great Writer said with a smile.

I eagerly asked, "Why do End Writers destroy worlds?"

"Hmm… I wonder why?" He continued, "Do you really want to hear the answer?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then, follow me."

He took me away from the others, ensuring no one else could hear.

"You want to know the reason? Then listen carefully," he said, kneeling so that his face was level with mine.

"The reason is ■■■■■■■■■■."

I couldn't hear his words. It was as if the world itself rejected them. Nosebleed. Suddenly, my nose bled, and I lost consciousness.

"I don't remember anything after that."

Suddenly, we heard footsteps coming from the hallway. It was the soldiers of the Arcanthia Kingdom.

One of them shouted, "You two! Identify yourselves!"

"I am Sinister, priest of Aetherion, and this is the Hero," Sinister replied.

"Shouldn't you be by the king's side?"

Sinister answered, "The Hero needed some advice, so I came to speak with him. Is something wrong?"

"The signal of Drake Vielhart has vanished. We suspect he has been assassinated."

"What? Impossible! No one could be assassinated in this place! Are you certain he's dead?"

"Yes. We found his teleportation device stabbed and disabled."

"Who could have done this?"

"We don't know. We will ask the Heroine, as she was at the scene."

I quickly interjected, "No, she was here the whole time. Maybe your devices are malfunctioning."

"How dare you insult our technology? Do you have any idea how much each unit costs?"

"Then its creator disabled it and fled."

"Impossible! Why would he run away? He is…!"

"He is?"

"Ah… nothing. We'll leave for now. We are not allowed to disturb the Heroes under any circumstances."

I dropped my playful tone and spoke in a voice that shook the corridor.

"You were about to say he enjoys torturing people in his experiments, weren't you?"

"What? How—"

I stepped closer. "Is it fun?" I grabbed his neck and lifted him. "Is hurting people really this enjoyable?" His face turned purple.

Sinister placed a hand on my shoulder. "Enough, Hero."

I released his throat and looked at his comrades.

"Tell your people to stay out of my sight. I don't want to see anyone from Arcanthia again."

I turned away and walked back to the waiting room. After saying goodbye to Sinister, I stepped inside.

I sat in my seat— a luxurious and comfortable chair, something I had needed ever since I started training with Ronald.

I looked to my side— Ragnar was sitting next to me, and on the other side was Kyle. In front of me sat Selena, with Nova and Isaac beside her. At the far end of the room, Victor and Alice remained silent. The atmosphere was tense, but I didn't care. I closed my eyes, trying to get some rest.

Then, my senses started kicking in, and their auras seeped into my consciousness. Wait… this aura… It's the aura of an End Writer! It's the same aura I sensed from Ryan… but how?

An End Writer's aura… How could a human possess it? A human who had never witnessed the destruction of his world? Could it be…?

"You— have you ever met a frail-looking boy with black hair named Ryan?"

This was a problem. If he had met anyone else besides me, they would never be able to handle him.

"Are you talking about that curious kid?" Ragnar asked.

"You've met him?"

Victor replied, "I've met him too. He kept asking a lot of questions about the world I came from."

"Didn't you notice anything strange about him?" I asked.

Alice frowned. "Strange? Like what?"

"Like the aura of an End Writer."

They all burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! The aura of an End Writer? What nonsense!"

Kyle, however, seemed to consider it. "Is it possible that he is one of them?"

"I don't think so," I answered. "All I know is that he has the ability to read memories."

"Then he's like you," Ragnar said.

"Almost," I admitted. "He can probably read a person's memories when they answer his questions."

"You guys are overreacting," Victor said. "He's just a normal person."

Ragnar nodded. "Yeah, I think so too."

Idiots. Well, I expected this much. But it seemed that not all of them were completely clueless. I glanced at Kyle, Isaac, Selena, and Nova— they weren't laughing.

Nova scoffed. "No wonder you're all idiots. You're addicted to C-rank worlds."

Ragnar crossed his arms. "And what's wrong with C-rank worlds?"

I smirked. "Plenty. First of all, the people there are weak and stupid. You get overpowered abilities that allow you to defeat any enemy in one or two hits, and the rest of the characters exist just to stand around in awe with their mouths open."

Victor shrugged. "You talk as if you've never been to a C-rank world yourself."

Nova replied, "Of course, we had to in the beginning. And by 'beginning,' I mean the first five years."

Ragnar pointed at me. "That guy entered a B-rank world as his first mission."

Selena's eyes widened. "Oh, that was you? I heard about that story, but I didn't believe it."

I hesitated. "Yeah… and I've also never entered a C-rank world before."

"Not even for a vacation?"

"Nope, never."

The World Rankings:

C-rank worlds: The easiest category. End Writers summoned here are the strongest and smartest, while the rest of the world is weak and foolish. Many End Writers visit these worlds as a form of vacation.

B-rank worlds: Medium difficulty. The inhabitants are a mix of intelligence and ignorance. An End Writer's power is usually equal to or slightly stronger than the strongest beings in the world. My first world, Earth, was a B-rank world. I still remember it clearly.

A-rank worlds: Hellish and difficult. Only elite, professional End Writers dare to enter these worlds.

AA cases: These occur when multiple worlds merge. It often takes several generations to resolve them.

AAA worlds: This world, however, was the result of more than 100 worlds merging. Add to that the presence of those beings who had made this world their base… It was no surprise that 10,000 generations of End Writers had failed. The world had been classified as AAA.

Suddenly, a voice called out.

"Heroes!"

The door opened, and our guide stepped in.

"The ceremony is about to begin. Get ready."

We stood up and made our way to the arena. My nerves tensed, but I kept walking. When we arrived, we were greeted by a roaring crowd and the eight kings of the kingdoms.

"Good luck, hero."

"Thank you, Sinister."

The announcer's voice echoed across the arena.

"Heroes, prepare yourselves! Ragnar, Nova, Selena, and Isaac, step forward for the drawing!"

Four papers were placed inside a glass sphere. Ragnar drew the first one.

"Ragnar, Hero of Valderon, will face the Hero of Altherion!"

It looked like my first battle would be against my old friend.

Nova drew the next one.

"Nova, Heroine of Iltixa, will face Kyle, Hero of Mordyath!"

"Selena, Heroine of Arkanthia, will face Victor, Hero of Astraven!"

"Isaac, Hero of Zirfen, will face Alice, Heroine of Termagus!"

It looked like the battles were about to begin.

I felt a spark of excitement.