My throat tightened as her words sank in. The hero with the hero's blessing had killed the others? It was not what I had expected to hear. I had read in the book that there were some who had betrayed the group because they didn't want to fight the demon lord. But I had thought that ultimately, they would all band together for the sake of returning home. After all, the only way for them to open a path back to their world was to defeat the demon lord.
As far as the story in the book was concerned, the heroes had simply had a disagreement that escalated into a fight. There was no mention of their numbers being reduced to nine, let alone being killed by the hero with the hero's blessing.
"So, how does it feel to learn that the hero you so admired wasn't the noble hero you thought he was?"
As someone who had always held the heroes in high esteem and aspired to be one of them, I couldn't help but wonder how I would feel upon learning that they weren't the noble and heroic figures I had always believed them to be.
Suddenly, the darkness surrounding us quivered with an intense surge of negative emotions. Was it disappointment? Anger? Or maybe even a sense of betrayal? I couldn't quite tell.
"What was the point of summoning them if they didn't fulfill their duty as heroes?" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could even think them through. It was as if they were instinctive, a natural reaction to the information I had just learned. "All those lives that were sacrificed... it was all for nothing."
"Fufu. I love how you wear your heart on your sleeve, Leon." the girl chuckled. "You're absolutely right. Those lives that were sacrificed were completely wasted. The hero they summoned was no hero at all. He was a straight-up villain. It just goes to show that not everything goes according to plan, doesn't it?" The girl's mischievous grin widened as she continued, "You've probably figured out that the hero-summoning was the catalyst that triggered the war between the three races and the demons, and ultimately led to the World War. But what if I told you that this was all part of "their" plan from the very beginning? That everything went exactly as they intended it to?"
I looked at her with confusion and asked, "What do you mean by 'their' plan?"
Her emphasis on the word "their" suggested that someone had orchestrated everything that had happened. But I couldn't be certain of her meaning unless she explained it.
"You do understand that the war that took place a thousand years ago was due to the hero-summoning ritual, right?"
"That's right."
According to the book, the World War happened due to something seemingly trivial. After the demon lord was defeated, the three races became distrustful of each other. Humans were technologically advanced and skilled in close combat, elves were known for their vast reserves of mana, and beast people had exceptional control over natural energies. They couldn't determine what the other races were capable of, which caused fear of the unknown. In short, the World War was a result of this fear.
The girl's grin disappeared as she picked up the pawn, which I had barely paid attention to while she spoke. "The war was definitely sparked by the fear of the unknown, but there's more to the story than that. You see, each race has a monarch, a king who rules over them. These kings were quite greedy, you know. Their greed went as far as desiring other resources and power. Without the demon race keeping this situation in a stalemate, they bared their fangs toward each other and started the World War."
The summoning of heroes proved to be the catalyst for the onset of World War, as it led to the near-annihilation of the demon race, which had hitherto been the common adversary that had brought the three races together. With the demons gone, the remaining races turned on each other and engaged in a deadly struggle for dominance.
"But, as I mentioned earlier, that's not the end of the story. There is something even more powerful at play here. Something more potent than a mere king. Want to take a wild guess, Leon?"
I furrowed my brow, trying to wrap my head around what the girl was saying. 'Is there anyone more powerful than a king?' I asked myself. Then, a sudden feeling of unease washed over me. Why did she picked the pawn? Was it a subtle hint that there was someone else pulling the strings? Was there a greater power at play, someone behind it all?
What if there was a puppet master behind the priest, the kings, and the heroes, controlling them like pieces on a chess board? But instead of a small game, they were being manipulated on a much larger scale, the world itself being the board?
No, that idea was ludicrous. No single being could possibly manipulate such a vast array of individuals. Even if it were somehow possible, there was no way that anyone could control them with such precision and accuracy. Furthermore, the notion that one individual could control so many in such a short span of time was preposterous. It would take an enormous amount of time for any such plan to come to fruition.
...Unless that someone was a god.
"Fu fu.. Fu Fu fu fu fu fu fu Ha, Ha, Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! The way your mind works, Leon, it's simply fascinating!" The girl suddenly burst out laughing with an amused tone.
"You've managed to figure out who's behind it all with just simple deduction! I must say, I'm thoroughly impressed!" The girl wiped away her tears and spoke again, "You're not wrong, Leon. But it's not just one god behind all of this. There were multiple gods who used worlds as a way to entertain themselves. What happened a thousand years ago was just another form of entertainment for them. To them, it was just a game, a way to pass the time."
She continued, "Well, as you might expect, some of the gods were not on board with this idea. They believed that worlds were not meant to be used as a plaything, so they rebelled against the others. This resulted in the division of the gods into two factions - Vanir and Aesir. Vanir was the faction that opposed using worlds for entertainment, while Aesir was the group that continued to use them for their amusement. These two groups of gods clashed and started a catastrophic war that destroyed millions of planets across all dimensions and killed countless beings. This world was no exception and was affected by the war as well. Quite the mess, if you ask me."
The World War occurred because the gods had used this world as their game board, and they were responsible for dividing the three races. I could feel anger welling up inside me, and I had the urge to punch those gods who had made our world such a mess. But then, reality hit me. There was no way someone like me could beat, let alone punch a god. With that realization, my anger slowly subsided.
"Ah, but it wasn't just the mortals that perished in that war. Many gods met their demise as well. It was as if the end of everything was upon us. If you had seen it with your own eyes, Leon, you would have felt like everything was slipping into the abyss. It was a truly dark time."
Although she sounded like she was exaggerating, I could sense that there was some truth to what she was saying. This world suffered greatly as a result of the war between gods. The aftermath claimed the lives of ninety percent of the entire population, including humans, elves, and beast people. With the realization that there was more to the situation than I had initially thought, I couldn't even fathom the extent of the damage that had been done to all the worlds across different dimensions.
"The war was called Twilight of the Gods," she finally said.
The word "twilight" not only describes the time of day when day turns into night, but it also signifies the end of something. It was strange, but given the devastation wrought by the war, describing it in such a way seemed oddly appropriate.
"And then, you're saying that the same war is going to happen again?"
"Yeah, and you know what's crazy? This time, nobody's lifting a finger to stop it. Not even the gods are willing to go back to that dark time. Some of them even think it's a good idea to destroy all the worlds. Can you believe it? I tried to stop it, but I failed miserably. I mean, I tried everything in my power, but it was all for nothing. If only I had known what was going on sooner, maybe I could have prevented this catastrophe. But now it's too late," the girl declared, looking me straight in the eye. She wore a serious expression, something I'd never seen her do before. "Anyway, there's no telling what will happen, but here's something to keep in mind: if you don't get stronger, you're risking everything that matters to you. So, better start training and leveling up, or you'll lose it all. Got it?"
"So, you're saying I need to get stronger? For what exactly? To stop this catastrophe from happening?"
"For your own sake, Leon. It's not like I'm telling you to get stronger for my sake, you know. I came all this way to give you a heads up about the impending disaster that's lurking around the corner. If it weren't for me, you'd be caught off guard. So, a little appreciation wouldn't hurt, you know?" she quipped, her mischievous glint returning to her eyes as if her serious demeanor from before was all a joke.
"Now that you've told me all of this, can I ask you something?" I spoke up. I had a burning question that needed to be answered.
"Well, if there's anything you want to know, feel free to ask away. We still have plenty of time before you wake up, so don't be shy," she said, giving me a playful wink.
I took a deep breath and asked the question that had been gnawing at me.
"Alright then, why are you telling me all of this?"