A huge crater gaped among the ruined temple. Stone columns lay like bone fragments, the sky was torn by flashes of thunder and lightning, the sounds of clashing metal filled the room in the middle of which the two clashed tirelessly.
Blood dripped from the hero's chin. His breathing was ragged. The sword in his hand trembled. His whole body ached, but he did not give up.
— I… won't let you destroy this world, — he wheezed.
In front of him, leaning on a huge black sword, stood the demon king. His dark armor was cracked, his face scratched, but the fire still burned in his eyes. The smile on his lips was merciless.
— You lost, — he said. — Accept it, Hero. Fate is not on your side.
The hero fell to his knees. His fingers weakly gripped the hilt. The whole body refused to obey. The world around him compressed into a point of pain and fatigue.
— Kha.. Even if I have no strength, I will never give up and will not abandon this world — said the hero and once again raised his sword — I owe a lot to this world. Here I made many friends and allies. So as long as I live, you won't be able to harm anyone!
At that moment a bright light illuminated the hero...
And from the sky came a gentle and caring voice.
— Hero, I admire your perseverance and belief in good, therefore I grant you my blessing. Please defeat evil and light the way for the lost inhabitants of this world.
The light began to absorb into the hero's wounded skin, and his wounds began to heal.
He took a breath — What... this light in my heart, is this the power of the goddess? — he placed his hand on his heart.
— Of course, goddess, I will crush all evil in your name!
He pointed his sword, now filled with light, at the Demon King.
— What? how did the goddess manage to get here? — he growled furiously — But even if so, hero… do you really think you can defeat me?
He pushed off and delivered a lightning-fast and destructive blow to the hero.
But a moment later, the strike of his sword echoed across the surroundings and his arm was severed, while the hero stood in place, blocking the blow with his sword.
— Demon King, your tricks won't work on me anymore — He raised his sword for a strike.
The Demon King instantly sensed danger "No~, this could be dangerous" but before he could recover, the strike instantly sent him flying into a wall, shattering it into pieces...
— Kha~~ — The Demon King spat his blood.
What is this hellish power? even my attacks have never been this strong.
Thud!
The sound of realization and sharp pain reached the Demon King, in his chest, pierced through, was the hero's sword.
— That's it, Demon King, you won't be able to hurt anyone anymore.
He spat blood.
— Yeah, I guess I was too weak~~ hero, even though I die my...
Clapping.
Light and lazy applause echoed throughout the space, interrupting the demon's speech...
The hero turned around. The villain — too. Even the ruins seemed to hold their breath.
On a nearby fragment of the ruins sat a guy in a stylish gray blazer, pitch-black trousers, and a white shirt… surprisingly clean despite all the dust kicked up by their battle. He looked like a director who guided the performance and happened to appear on the stage.
He lazily looked at them and said:
— Hm... what can I say?
— Applause, — he said, still clapping. — Though this looks like the plot of a typical isekai...
— Who are you? — Said the Hero, tightly gripping his sword.
The guy smirked and stood up. He wasn't in a hurry. As if brushing off a jacket that was already clean, he adjusted his collar. Then slowly walked forward.
— Who am I? — He thought. — Ah, right. Seems that in the novel, you weren't supposed to meet me...
He thoughtfully looked into the air, into an empty spot, as if something was there.
— So... uh-huh... what a nightmare? who even wrote this story?
He looked the hero up and down, dissatisfiedly shook his head.
— Classic, right? Hero on the verge of death. Suddenly — a divine blessing gives him strength. And from such a hopeless situation he emerges victorious. What a finale...
— Tch, — he spat. — Even school harem stories try to deviate at least a little from this line. And you... just an example of how not to write books.
He looks into the sky and says — How do you even read this?
The hero squinted.
— You... servant of darkness? but you weren't in that novel.
— Hahaha... Me? — the guy laughed. — Aim higher, boy, I'm from another book. From another genre, though it's no better. But that's not so important. I'm here anyway to finish the story on my own note...
— Although... — he looked around. — Now we're all on the same stage. Funny, isn't it?
The villain tried to get up, but his body no longer obeyed. He looked at the strange guy with anxiety.
The guy extended his hand — and space trembled. A cube. Transparent, with edges barely distinguishable, as if made of glass light, appeared in front of him.
He put his hand inside it and pulled out a long dark and elegant sword.
— Well, don't be offended, you're just a stepping stone on the way to my goal!
The hero looked at him in confusion.
Strike... everything was filled with blood.
The hero's head split in two.
— Hahaha, now everything is different! — He laughed devilishly — The villain killed the hero, how's that for an ending?
The demon's eyes — froze in shock. In one blow. The hero?
The guy stopped laughing, became more serious and said — Well, if my task was just to rewrite the story I would have left by now... but I need to destroy the story!
He looked at the villain and swung his sword.
A huge blow sliced through the villain and the space around him...
A hole in space began to slowly close...
Everything trembled, the ruins, the corpses, the space, the whole world!
The sky turned black and space began to crack, from which a dark something began to seep, like a bottomless abyss... It began to devour everything, corroding absolutely everything.
A message appeared in the sky:
[Warning! ]
[Error... ]
[Error code "World hero missing — 708"]
[The main hero and villain not found!
The functionality of the novel world "About my reincarnation as a hero of light who was bullied in high school and committed suicide but after death was isekaied into the body of the main character of a novel he read in his spare time"]
[Is shutting down... ]
Ha, he sighed with the words — even the title is awful...
— Well, since my task is completed, it's time to return. Cube, transfer me to reality projection A-467
The cube in front of him vibrated and holographically said:
— Of course, sir, initiating transfer...
The guy stretched and looked at everything around him that was almost completely consumed by darkness, all for the sake of my goal... such is the fate of the fallen worlds..