The battle between Kyle and Selina began.
Selina raised her sword and activated her gravity manipulation, pulling Kyle's body violently toward the ground.
But he wasn't an easy opponent. He invoked "Rejection", neutralizing her power, and lashed out with his chains — one of them pierced her shoulder.
"Not bad…" Selina muttered, blood seeping from her torn shoulder.
Kyle didn't reply; he had to stay focused. In a flash, Selina yanked him toward her with a sudden surge of gravity and thrust her blade into his shoulder.
'Rejection.'
He twisted around her sword, attempting a counter, but she dodged with astonishing speed.
There was no time for thought — Selina raised several rocks from the ground and hurled them down like meteors.
Kyle tried to evade, but before he realized it, he was trapped by rocks on all sides.
Selina descended from above, driving her sword into his back.
'Rejection!'
This time, Kyle didn't dodge the falling rocks — he used their momentum to climb upward, aiming for Selina in the air.
His chains shot toward her face and abdomen.
She barely avoided them — or so she thought. When she glanced down, her face turned pale as she saw another chain coiled tightly around her leg.
"What—?!"
Before she could break free, Kyle yanked her downward, slamming her into the arena and shattering the ground beneath her. He gave her no time to breathe — his chains soared above her, ready to end the fight.
But in that crucial instant, Selina increased the gravity on his body, pulling the chains back toward him and buying herself a moment to escape.
Her mana was nearly depleted, while Kyle had only one use of Rejection left.
Selina dashed in, dodging the chains as she thrust into his shoulder — then lunged again toward his stomach.
'Rejection!'
He reversed time to the moment he had just landed, shooting his chains toward her sword and ripping it from her bloody hand before hurling it out of the arena.
He was ready to finish her — until he noticed the sly grin curling on Selina's lips.
"What…?"
With the last of her mana, she raised the gravity around her sword to the limit — and in a single instant, it was pulled back into the arena.
"The winner — Selina!"
The crowd erupted.
"Selina! Selina!"
Selina approached Kyle, extending her hand with a smile.
"Good match, Kyle."
He didn't answer. His expression remained cold as he stood and quietly walked toward the heroes' stands.
Selina frowned and sat beside me.
"What's wrong with your brother?"
"Why?"
"He's been like that since you two talked. And you too… you look off. What happened?"
"Nothing. Don't worry about it."
She gave me a doubtful look. "You're hiding something."
"Maybe we are." I tried to joke, to smile, but it came out hollow.
Selina frowned, muttered something under her breath, and left in haste.
*******
"One hour break for the heroes! During that time, we'll hold a vote for who the audience thinks will win the group battle!"
Sheets were distributed with all the heroes' names, each with a little box beside it for voting.
*******
45 minutes later...
"Now, let's see the results."
A giant screen appeared out of nowhere, projected by some mysterious power.
1st – Selina: Her unique ability and raw talent made her the audience's clear favorite.
2nd – Kyle: His strength was undeniable, and it seemed he was still hiding much more.
3rd – Ragnar: With a Myth-level ability, many believed he only lost because of the "out of bounds means defeat" rule — a rule that wouldn't apply in the group battle.
4th – Victor: The one who lasted the longest against Selina, after Kyle.
5th – Isaac: Despite his quick defeat, his intellect stood out — perhaps enough to narrow the gap or even win.
6th – Nova: Similar to Isaac, expected to show a battle of wits.
7th – Alice: Despite her effort, she lost to Isaac.
8th – The Hero: His ranking didn't reflect his power, but rather the crowd's hatred toward him. Even after wielding a Calamity and causing that incident, he'd disappointed me… I thought he'd be stronger.
*******
"What?! I'm seventh?!" Alice shouted.
"I deserved a higher rank," Victor grumbled.
"These are just predictions. Don't take them too seriously," the referee announced.
"Alright — time for the group battle to begin!"
The crowd roared, chanting the heroes' names.
But Kyle and I were somewhere else entirely — lost in our own worlds.
We stepped onto the arena. My eyes never left him.
At the signal, Selina bent gravity and vanished — reappearing behind me to strike.
I unleashed Earthquake Calamity, spiking the ground with stone thorns that forced her to retreat.
Ragnar, in his tiger form, charged alongside Victor, landing blows on Selina. But she pinned them to the ground with gravity and lunged toward me.
Ragnar roared, shaking the entire field and slashing Selina's side with his claws.
She increased the gravity around Isaac, pulling everyone toward him — except Ragnar and Victor, who failed to anchor themselves.
Isaac halted their bodies mid-air using telekinesis, while Victor backed away to change tactics.
Selina refocused on me, thrusting her sword — I enveloped myself in a hurricane barrier, blasting her back, though she clung to the ground.
I ignored her and advanced toward Kyle.
The others tried to stop her, but she pulled me toward her again and whispered,
"Don't ignore me."
I activated Lightning Form, and in a flash, appeared behind her — stabbing her in the abdomen, shoulder, and leg, dropping her to her knees.
Ragnar, Alice, and Isaac moved in.
"Step aside," Ragnar growled.
"And if we don't?" Alice shot back.
I summoned a flood from nearby waters, sweeping her away.
"Ragnar, stop him!"
"I—"
Before he could finish, a bolt of lightning struck his metallic skin, knocking him out cold.
I turned toward Isaac — his face frozen with terror — and plunged my blade into his chest.
"Do you truly believe you can defeat the Great Writer?"
The heroes froze, staring in shock.
"Even if you join forces, even if you live a million, a billion, or countless years — you'll never stand against him. Your battles, your causes… all decided before they began."
"We'll succeed," one of them said through gritted teeth. "We'll cut off the Great Writer's head. If not after a billion years, then after the next — or the next after that."
I laughed softly. "The power you gain in a billion years, the lowest of his servants earns in five minutes — doing nothing. Your hope and perseverance are meaningless."
The others charged — Victor, Nova, and Selina.
Selina hurled rocks with gravity, Victor's punch broke through my defense, cutting my side, and Nova rushed in with her dagger.
I pushed her away with wind, and Kyle sliced her tendons — she fell, unable to fight.
Selina asked, "Why didn't you help him?"
"…I don't know… maybe because this is my fight."
Kyle appeared behind her, stabbing her in the back — she fell unconscious.
Victor looked at us, trembling. "I-I surrender!"
His surrender was pathetic, but my gaze couldn't leave Kyle.
"Looks like it's just us now."
"Yeah… let's finish this, Kyle."
I charged, sword raised.
He dodged my chains; I deflected the rest.
But the last one — I had no choice but to grab it, the links slicing deep into my hand. I bit my lip, endured the pain, and used the chain to pull him toward me.
Suddenly, time slowed — and in that stillness, Kyle stabbed me again and again without blinking.
Each strike precise — his chains moved like living limbs.
I activated Lightning Form again, surpassing the slowed time, and stabbed straight toward his chest.
'Rejection.'
Time rewound — not by Kyle, but by my speed itself, having surpassed its limit.
In a blinding flash, my sword cut across his chest, and his body was thrown back, unconscious.
"The final winner — the Hero!"
I looked down at Kyle — no, the person I once called my brother.
Even after all this — the pain, the wounds, even when he tried to kill me — my heart wouldn't let me hate him. Or hurt him.
I'm sorry, brother.
As my vision faded, the last thing I saw were feet running toward me… and other, unfamiliar ones lifting Kyle off the ground.
My consciousness flickered — bed, surgery room, medical team faces — until I finally woke up.
Only Selina was there.
"Congratulations on your victory."
"K-Kyle… is he—" My voice was weak, my energy gone.
"Still thinking about the traitor, even after he tried to kill you?" she sighed. "His group took him. He's probably alive."
A faint, broken smile appeared on my face — hollow eyes paired with a joyful expression.
"Hero, I'm leaving now — like the others. Don't ruin the mission with your foolishness. Kyle is no longer a brother. He's an enemy."
Her tone was cold, her usual cheer gone.
Her body began to disintegrate into ash, fading until I was alone in the room.
*******
At the Edge of the Abyss
A black land stretching endlessly.
Thick fog.
A sky littered with worlds, like distant stars.
Above them… a dark sphere, featureless, hovering in silence.
Here… is where all End Writers are born.
[Well done.]
The voice thundered across existence itself.
Selina — now once again an End Writer — bowed.
"Thank you, Great Writer."
"But we lost Kyle," said the one once known as Ragnar, standing with the other End Writers who had left before her.
[That was his choice. Nothing can be done.]
Victor's blood boiled. "Then we'll fail this mission too."
[I don't think so.]
"How can we succeed when one of us can't even remember his own name?"
Nova snapped, "How dare you doubt the Writer's wisdom?"
[It's fine… Doubt is healthy sometimes.]
Isaac spoke next. "Actually… he's right. The gap between our skills is enormous."
Selina raised her hand. "Sir Writer, do you have a Class-A world I can enter?"
[Huh? Why now?]
"I want to reduce that gap."
"Or maybe a new name," Alice said mockingly, but no one acknowledged her.
The Great Writer snapped his fingers, opening a void gate.
[Your name there shall be... Hera.]
"Yes, sir."
She gazed into the abyss — and stepped through.
*******
I was sitting in the waiting room after fully recovering, told to wait while preparations for the Hero's Sword Summoning were completed.
"Hero," called Ronald as he opened the door.
"Ronald! Good to see you. How did I do?" I couldn't stand, the pain still too much.
"You did great. You should've seen everyone's faces when you took down three heroes so easily."
A lifeless smile crept across my lips. "That's thanks to your training."
"No — it's thanks to your effort."
"Congratulations on your win," came a familiar voice — Lysia.
"Thanks… Did Raphael, the king, or Sinister come?"
"They're preparing for the summoning of the Hero's Sword."
"Shouldn't you be there instead of Raphael? You're the heir."
"True, but Raphael's better suited for it."
"What about Ryan?"
"I haven't seen him in a while."
"Why ask?" Lissia tilted her head.
"Just wondering."
"I want to thank the king later — for everything."
"You mean the protests?" Ronald asked.
"Yeah."
"You should — but for now, focus on resting."
Then a memory from Selina's mind flashed in mine.
"You must be careful… of the Kingdom of Arcanthia."
Ronald frowned. "Why?"
"They—"
Before I could finish, a voice interrupted
"Prince Ronald, Princess Lysia — the king requests your presence."
It was Captain Reinhard. He turned to me.
"Hero, my apologies for the interruption, but the royals must go."
"It's fine. We can talk later."
"Congratulations again," he said, before leaving with them.
I sighed and tried to rest.
Then a cold, familiar voice:
"Finally, they're gone."
"Ryan… What are you doing here?"
"I came to congratulate you."
"Oh… thanks, I guess."
*******
"Wait, Lysia — did you give the Hero his gift?"
"I forgot! I'll go give it to him right now!"
She ran toward the waiting room — only to freeze at the sight before her.
Ryan was there.
Ryan? What is he doing here?
"But Hero…" Ryan said, with that sly smile that revealed everything.
"Aren't End Writers supposed to have names?"