Brought to hell

"If you all wouldn't mind, please line up with your class and place your palm against this crystal," Princess Millie requested, gesturing to a floating orb glowing with ethereal light.

Hikaru, the Brilliant class representative, stepped forward with a calm grace. He placed his hand against the crystal, which immediately glowed white.

"Magnificent," Princess Millie announced. "Your class has been bestowed the Element of Air. With training, you will be able to manipulate the winds themselves."

"Thank you for the explanation, Princess," Hikaru replied, bowing slightly before returning to his classmates.

Next was Glenn, the representative of the Greats. He confidently placed his palm on the crystal, which shifted to a bright yellow.

"Ah, the Element of Lightning," Millie smiled. "A swift and devastating element. Mastery over this will make your class formidable, especially during thunderstorms."

"Sounds like we got one of the most dangerous elements," Glenn replied coolly.

"Perhaps. But remember, every element has its weakness," Millie cautioned.

Glenn nodded and stepped aside as Sherl, president of the Excellent class, approached. She took her place, confident yet curious, and touched the crystal. A soft cyan light pulsed from it.

Xiandre watched intently. "Please let it be something powerful," he thought. "Dark or Controller, anything but something dull..."

Then he saw the color. Cyan.

"Damn. It's Water," he sighed internally.

"You alright, bro?" Enman asked.

"Yeah, just trying to process everything that has happened, cause I am still kinda confused," Xiandre lied with a smile.

"Same here. But we'll survive somehow, right?"

"Yeah... sure."

"Of course, that was a lie. I just wanted to see that crystal go black," Xiandre muttered in his mind.

But then Princess Millie spoke up. "Surprising. Your class has obtained the Element of Controller. It allows manipulation over both living and non-living things. With mastery, it can be devastating."

Sherl nodded. "Thank you, Princess."

"I guess I judged way too fast, thank you gods for giving me this element, and I guess for everyone in my class tho" Xiandre mused in relief.

One by one, the other class representatives stepped forward:

Class Good, led by Alice, received the Element of Fire.

Class Inaccuracy, represented by Kobe, was assigned the Element of Dark.

Class Mistake, with Raizen as their lead, got Water.

Class Blunder, led by Amelia, obtained Earth.

Then finally, Alisa, the president of Class Best, returned from the bathroom and approached the crystal. She placed her palm on it calmly as she awaits for it's glow.

The crystal shattered.

"What happened!?" Alisa exclaimed.

Before Millie could answer, Glenn stepped forward.

"If I may," he said. "Each element revealed a color when chosen, but this time the crystal shattered. I assume it could not handle multiple elemental inputs. That must mean her class holds more than one element."

"Exactly right," Princess Millie confirmed with a smile. "The Heroes possess all elements. The crystal wasn't built to handle that power."

"Thanks for clarifying," Alisa said as she stepped back.

"This Glenn guy... acting like he solved some deep mystery," Xiandre though. "It was as simple as there is only one element that hasn't been claimed yet."

"Now then," Princess Millie announced, "let's proceed to the second phase: scaling your magical power."

"A second test?" Sherl asked.

"Yes. This one determines your Tier—how strong your elemental manipulation is."

She raised her hand. "Configuration Procedure... System!"

A glowing window appeared before her, displaying stats.

"This is your Heavenly System. It will show your user name, element, tier level, and core stats," Millie explained.

Everyone mimicked her.

"Configuration Procedure... System!" Xiandre chanted.

A window materialized in front of him:

Heavenly SYSTEM

Level: 1

User: Xiandre Valkyrie

Element: Controller

Tier Level: 1

Stats:

Strength: 1

Speed: 1

Defense: 1

"Damn, I'm weak as hell," Xiandre thought.

"Bro, I'm cooked," Enman muttered beside him.

Xiandre glanced at his screen.

Heavenly SYSTEM

User: Enman Trazon

Element: Controller

Tier Level: 1

Stats:

Strength: 1

Speed: 1

Defense: 1

Xiandre laughed. "Man, we really are brothers in suffering."

But something else caught his eye.

"It knows my real name... Xiandre Valkyrie. Not Kian Natalist. This system can see through my alias."

He noticed a small option in the corner: Change Display Name.

He tapped it.

[This will change your display name and hide your user name. This can only be changed once per month.]

"Interesting," Xiandre mused. "This system... it's no joke."

"It's alright to have a low-tier magic level, everyone. No one is perfect—and everyone has their flaws, am I right?" Princess Millie reassured them with a gentle smile.

"Man, she really is an innocent and beautiful princess, huh?" Enman said dreamily.

"Yo, Kian! Enman!" someone called out behind them.

Xiandre turned and spotted Kaden, the class vice president. In his thoughts, he reflected, That's Kaden. Not only is he our VP, but he's also an incredible artist—passionate about every piece he creates. Just like me and Enman.

"What tier did you guys get?" Kaden asked curiously.

"Tier 1. We suck," Xiandre replied bluntly.

"Well, that's rough. I ended up with a Tier 5," Kaden said nonchalantly.

"Lucky you…" Enman muttered, sighing in defeat.

Princess Millie stepped forward to explain. "The maximum tier a Holy Soldier can attain is Tier 5. Meanwhile, Heroes can reach up to Tier 7—and if they manage to awaken their full potential, even Tier 10."

"Um, Princess?" Raizen from class Mistake raised his hand. "What's the average tier for Holy Soldiers?"

"Good question," Millie replied. "The average minimum is Tier 2. And the percentage is.

"30% chance to get Tier 2"

"20% for Tier 3"

"15% for Tier 4"

"4% for Tier 5"

"And only 1% chance for Tier 1."

Xiandre sigh's. That's insane. The odds of being below average are even lower than being the strongest?

"I see. So we're either really unlucky... or really special," Enman said with a dry laugh.

"OH we're unlucky alright" Xiandre blurted out.

A sudden commotion stirred the crowd.

"Yo! Alisa got Tier 7!"

"Of course she did!"

"She's gorgeous and strong?!"

"She might end up being the most powerful among us!"

"If she'd just look my way, I could die happy…"

"She's the Ice Queen for a reason!"

Xiandre glanced at Alisa, Alisa Victory—ranked fourth in reputation at Ka-agahan Academy. A total perfectionist and straight-A student, admired for her cold demeanor. Never once seen smiling, but that trait made her even more appealing to some. Cold, distant beauty is apparently a whole aesthetic.

Then the noise escalated again.

"EVERYONE LOOK!"

"Xyrene just hit Tier 6!"

"What?! I thought Holy Soldiers maxed out at Tier 5?"

"She's built different!"

Xiandre nodded internally. Xyrene. The school's top icon. Idol, VTuber, actress—an actual celebrity. 52 million subs on her main channel alone. They call her the "Walking Diamond." Some even claim she's more than that and she is from class Brilliants.

Then, unexpectedly, Princess Millie gasped.

"What the heck—am I dreaming?!"

The students turned in confusion.

"I-I apologize," she stammered, composing herself. "I meant... what an unbelievable coincidence. You see, a Holy Soldier reaching beyond Tier 5 is extremely rare—like one in a million. It only happens once every century… It became such a myth that I didn't even mention it earlier."

But before she could finish, a bright light enveloped the area.

Descending gracefully from the sky, a woman with golden hair and a white cloak landed before them. A glowing halo hovered above her head as she smiled warmly.

"I must say… this is quite an unexpected occurrence," she said calmly. "Allow me to introduce myself."

So this is her… Xiandre thought. Goddess Fillia. Princess Millie mentioned her earlier but she didn't show up,this is her first appearance.

"I am Goddess Fillia," she declared. "And I am the one who summoned you all to this world—to fight the Eldritch God of Profanity."

"Anyways, I think it's time to make some sacrifices, am I right, Princess?" Goddess Fillia inquired.

"I guess it is time," Princess Millie responded calmly.

Xiandre's eyes narrowed, his voice serious. "I knew something like this would happen."

"What are you talking about?" a student from Class good asked the princess.

"Wait—sacrifice? What are you talking about?!" a student from Class Great shouted, panicked.

"Well, you see," Princess Millie said coldly, "in order for the rest to continue, those whose tier is below 2 will be sent to Hell."

"What the fuck is the meaning of this?! I thought you said it was okay to have a low tier earlier!" a student from Amelia from Class Blunder retorted.

"Sorry, but did I mention numbers?" Princess Millie smirked.

"Numbers? What do you mean?!" Enman shouted.

"What the Princess means," Xiandre thought, "is that she never said having a Tier 1 was fine. She meant Tier 2. This is just how reality works—fall below average, and the consequences hit hard."

"What I meant was Tier 2, not 1. Sorry if that confused some of you. I know this is sudden, and I understand if some of you don't agree—but Tier 1 students will only become burdens to the rest of you," Princess Millie explained.

"Burden or not, this is still not right! Sending them to hell?! That's eternal suffering!" Xyrene yelled.

"She's right, Princess! Have some remorse!" Alisa added.

"If Xyrene thinks it's wrong, then I'm with her!"

"Me too!"

"Princess, this is WRONG!"

The crowd turned against Millie. Fans of Xyrene and Alisa shouted for her to stop.

"This isn't going to work..." Xiandre thought.

Princess Millie lowered her gaze—and then smiled maniacally.

"Hehehe… hahaha!"

Everyone fell silent in shock.

"You see, there have been countless groups before you, and they all failed. Do you know why?" she asked.

"Because we made one mistake—letting the weak fight alongside the strong."

"She's right in her own twisted way," Xiandre thought. "She doesn't value life. She only values those who can stand in this world. Those who can't will drag down those who can."

"In this world, it's kill or be killed. The last group we summoned failed because they worried too much for their allies—only to be betrayed trying to save themselves," Princess Millie continued.

"And there's another thing—Tier 1 students will eventually perish and turn into demons," she added.

"Demons?! What are you talking about?!" Hikaru asked.

"This world has a different atmosphere than yours. Only strong souls can endure it. That's Tier 2 and above. The rest will mutate into demons."

"Will they still be conscious?" Sherl asked.

"Yes, they'll retain their minds. Their memories won't fade, only their race will change—from human to demon," Millie replied.

"Then I don't see the problem—they're still themselves!" Alice, Class President of Class Good, yelled.

"Well," Princess Millie replied smugly, "do all you angels really want to live with demons?"

"Angels? What are you talking about?" Xyrene questioned.

"You are Holy Soldiers—except the Heroes and the demons. The opposite of Heroes are demons," she explained.

"And you special angels really want to live with lowly demons??" Millie repeated.

"She's manipulating them..." Xiandre thought bitterly.

"This isn't fair! We didn't choose to become demons!" Enman shouted.

"Yes, we didn't!!" Heart cried.

Xiandre glanced at her. Heart, his classmate… she's always had a crush on Enman but never confessed.

"This is stupid, Princess!" shouted the Class President of Blunder.

Xiandre turned toward her. That's Amelia. I don't know much about her. But she's probably the one student I actually respect. From what I've secretly learned, she used to be an agent of NAO—the National Assault Organization. They capture the worst and most wanted criminals ever… including me.

"They're still right! They didn't choose this!" Alisa insisted.

"Alisa. Xyrene. May I have your attention?" Hikaru called.

The two girls, firmly opposing the Princess, turned toward him.

"I understand why you're so against this—but do you really plan to defy a goddess and side with these demons?" he asked coldly.

"What are you saying?" Alisa snapped.

"She's right—what's your point?" Xyrene demanded.

"What I'm saying is... sometimes sacrifices must be made. The ideal of 'being good'—it's not possible in this world. Remember, this isn't Earth like we know that was chained by laws. In this world It's kill or be killed just like what the princess said."

A long silence followed. Then—

"Thanks for understanding," Princess Millie said softly.

"It's easy to say 'sacrifice is okay'—until you're the one being sacrificed," Xiandre thought grimly.

"Y-you're right," Xyrene said.

"What!? You agree with him?!" Alisa shouted. "Do you not care about their lives!?"

"Why should I? I'm not them. I'm an angel—they're demons, right, Goddess?" Xyrene smiled.

"She's been completely manipulated. Her true self is now free from Earth's rules. She's embraced this twisted world," Xiandre thought.

"If Xyrene agrees, then I agree!"

"Me too!"

"Get those demons out of here!"

"You guys are disgusting!"

"Just seeing you makes me want to vomit!"

"We're angels—looking at you demons makes us want to kill you where you stand!"

"They're so easily manipulated. What a bunch of idiots," Xiandre thought though remaining his calm demeanor.

The Tier 1 students were dragged by armored knights to the center of the castle, surrounded by a glowing magic circle. There were six of them.

"What the fuck is this?!" Enman yelled.

"There's no way out. We're screwed," Xiandre whispered.

"No! No! This is wrong! Why are you all betraying us?!" Heart sobbed.

"Even if I fight back, I'm outnumbered. There really is no way out," Amelia thought bitterly.

"Why is this happening?! Fuck! FUCK!!" Ink shouted from Class Good.

"ALL OF YOU SHOULD DIE!!!" Reden from Class Great screamed at the other students since he was also a tier 1.

Alisa rushed to stop the knights, but Fillia caught her by the throat, lifting her into the air.

"Sleep, young one," she chanted.

Alisa collapsed, unconscious.

Laughter and jeers erupted from the crowd.

"Kaden!" Enman called out desperately.

"Womp womp," Kaden replied heartlessly.

Enman called out to more classmates—but every cry only dug the knife deeper. Each betrayal was a new wound.

Then, suddenly—

A punch flew at Goddess Fillia. She dodged, barely avoiding a follow-up kick.

"Sleep, young one," she chanted again.

Louie collapsed. Enman's best friend—now unconscious.

Enman fell to his knees in tears, helpless as the circle glowed brighter.

"There's nothing I can do. They've all betrayed me..." Amelia whispered, eyes filled with tears.

Xiandre watched the pain of the Tier 1 students—he felt pain by their betrayal but he also felt remorse for his friend and the rest of the tier 1.

"Betrayal cuts the deepest not because of the wound itself." Xiandre continued " but because it's inflicted by the hands we once trusted. It's not the knife that breaks us, but the fact that we handed it to them, never suspecting they'd use it, it never came from the enemies it came from your allies."

He glared straight into Princess Millie's eyes.

For a moment—she shivered.

"Princess. Goddess. And everyone here... If this Hell you're sending us to doesn't kill me—then be ready. I'll come back. And I'll make sure those you betrayed get their revenge."

"Because I know what you're all thinking right now—

'We're better off dead.'"

Amelia's eyes widened at his words.

But before she could look at him, the six of them disappeared into the light—

—and were gone.

As they were sent to hell to perish.