“AAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!” [Ryner]

A horrifying scream echoed in the audience room, surprising all those watching and sending a chill down their spine. Ryner was kneeling on the ground and had blood running down his face. His bloodied hands were holding two round orbs that should be in his eye sockets. Everyone was frightened, shocked and trembling, all except for Evelyn, Maya and Charles.

Going back in time, after Ryner had talked to the king, a meeting was held later on to decide the fate of the criminal, Dan Vandrocs. Those who knew and were allowed to participate were dumbstruck when they learned that it was a hero that nearly destroyed their city.

Those from the church, such as the bishop Nicholas, were greatly shaken up. They were doing their best to emotionally support the people whose homes were destroyed and whose loved ones were killed. If this information got out, the faith in their church might crumble. In fact, their own faith was being tested right now.

As such, inside the audience room, the only ones present were the king, his usual advisors, a few high ranking nobles and clergymen, Knight Commander Cain, his son, Captain Alan, the heroes and Ryner’s group.

Everyone was kneeling in front of the nobles and clergymen while the king sat on his throne surrounded by his entourage. There were no guards, so both Cain and Alan, who were standing next to the stairs, had to ensure the safety of everyone present.

At first, when Charles opened the talk about how to deal with Dan who was imprisoned in a cell, Kelly strongly pleaded to forgive him. The boy was like a vegetable, unresponsive to anything and he couldn’t take care of himself at all. The teacher, being completely biased towards her students, didn’t want any more harm to come to him.

Her pleas were obviously rejected by everyone present. His current state was a result of his fight, if one could call it that, not a punishment. They couldn’t let him go out of pity after all of the deaths he had caused. However, Kelly knew what awaited him. It was an execution.

She wanted him to repent instead of dying. But, they couldn’t question him and see if he would atone for his actions. Dan had become mindless, after all. If he ever recovered, what was to stop him from trying to take over the kingdom again? His power was too terrifying.

When Charles told Kelly, who was on the verge of crying, to be quiet, Ryner stood up and went towards the king as if on cue. Cain’s face stiffened and the heroes who saw his transformed appearance all looked away. Their expressions were pale and some were contorted in fear. The other half that didn’t witness it were uneasy. He was the one that put Dan in that state and from what they were told, he actually tortured his mind.

Besides the fearful looks from the high schoolers as well as the wary gazes from the nobles and clergymen, two individuals had bitter expressions. Maya and Evelyn knew what was going to happen next, so they steeled themselves.

Under everyone’s scrutiny, after having walked for ten meters or so, Ryner kneeled down again and said one thing.

“Your majesty, please forgive the lad for his actions.” [Ryner]

This instantly caused an uproar as those who watched thought that he had gone mad. They knew that he was the one who actually stopped Dan. In fact, they were quite cautious of him. So, they didn’t expect him to actually stick up for that rogue hero.

The heroes blinked a few times, Kelly stared at Ryner with a puzzled expression and Charles had a stoic look on his face. Obviously, he rejected his request, even when Ryner said that that was what he wanted as a reward for saving the city. He was accused of being a hypocrite for trying to save the enemy and that he was trying to win favors with the heroes to increase his reputation even more.

“Then, I will show my sincerity.” [Ryner]

With those words, Ryner took out a rectangular piece of white cloth from his pocket dimension and, without hesitation, put his hands on his face, ripping out his eyeballs.

“AAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!” [Ryner]

Blood gushed out from the empty eye sockets and flowed down his face. Everyone had the same reaction with a few variations. Some were scared, some were dumbstruck, but they were all greatly shocked by this sudden mutilation.

“Kyaaaaa!” [Random hero]

“Ryner?!” [Kelly]

“W-w-w-wha!?” [Random hero]

“W-what is he doing?!” [Random noble]

“H-his eyes…!” [Random noble]

“My god…!” [Random clergyman]

“Is he insane?!” [Random noble]

Ignoring the commotion, Ryner put his eyeballs on the white cloth before him, staining it red instantly. Then, panting hard from the pain, he bowed down to the king once more.

“Please… Please forgive the boy…” [Ryner]

“…” [Charles]

The king kept silent, not reacting at all to the spectacle that unfolded and hid his emotions. While everyone’s minds were still in chaos, Ryner pulled out the Fire Breather from his pocket dimension which stunned the crowd, put it under his left armpit and cut off his arm from the shoulder.

“GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” [Ryner]

Ryner screamed once more, making sure that his voice was really loud and sounded in a lot of pain to frighten the crowd as much as possible. His left arm fell to the floor with a wet noise and a fountain of blood gushed out from the fresh wound, staining his white shirt red. However, fire rapidly emerged from the blade and burned his flesh as he pressed it against the hole, closing it and stopping the blood loss.

Then, kneeling on his left leg, he cut his right leg mid-thigh which made him bellow with pain again before closing the wound in the same manner. People, horrified, yelled along with him, questioning his actions and mental state.

He stored away his Artifact and fell on his side with two missing limbs and his shirt completely red. Such self-inflicted mutilation made many feel queasy. The noblewomen present had pale complexions and looked like they were about to faint. In fact, some had already fainted.

“Enough!” [Charles]

King Charles suddenly shouted, covering the other people’s voices and, as if waiting for that signal, Evelyn instantly arrived next to Ryner. As everyone reeled back from the gory scene, she picked him up and brought him back to the group of heroes that were in an uproar. Waiting for her was Maya who had taken Elena by the hand and was dragging her towards the blonde vampire and her blood-covered master.

“Heal him.” [Maya]

She said in a strong voice, but there was uneasiness as well as impatience that couldn’t be hidden.

“Hurry, child.” [Evelyn]

It was the same for Evelyn as she gently lowered Ryner on the floor, but unlike Maya, she was glaring at the pale Elena that was clearly scared.

“Y-y-y-y-yes!” [Elena]

Elena nodded multiple times and quickly got to work with shaking hands. Aria, her best friend, already appeared behind her. She shot Maya a glare for suddenly pulling Elena away, but kept quiet and worriedly watched over the brown-haired girl and the blood-covered man.

Glittering light was released from Elena’s hands and began to heal the wounds on contact. It wasn’t after he was healed that they realized they forgot to stick his limbs and eyeballs back.

Agitated by the show of mutilation and strongly urged by both Maya and Evelyn, Elena completely forgot such an important thing. The arm, the leg and the eyeballs were still lying on the floor. Unless they opened his wounds again, they wouldn’t be able to reattach them with healing magic, not to mention that he had already burned the cut sections. It was capable of incredible feats, but it couldn’t bring back the dead or regrow limbs.

“Silence!” [Charles]

The chatter died down with his one word and Charles took this chance to rapidly give out his verdict, or rather, the reward that was requested of him since before this audience even started.

“Ryner, in light of you achievements during the recent incident, I shall grant your request. Dan Vanbrocs will not be executed. He will be confined in his room and stripped of his title as hero.” [Charles]

This caused those who wanted him dead to raise their voices, but the king shut them up by using Ryner like he had been instructed to.

“If his death is a matter of great urgency, prove it to me like he did. Rip out your eyes and cut off your limbs.” [Charles]

Remembering what they just saw, no one had the guts to object. So, the meeting on how to punish Dan came to a close with the result having already been decided on. But, no one were aware of it except for the involved parties which were Ryner, the king, Maya and Evelyn.

“What were you thinking?!” [Kelly]

Kelly tearfully yelled at Ryner who was moved to a room. Resting on the bed, the man was now missing both eyes, his left arm and his right leg. Evelyn and Maya were quietly waiting on the opposite side of the bed. In front of them, Kelly was clutching the sheets while four heroes were behind her.

“What, a lecture? Is this a lecture? I don’t wanna hear it. Come back when we’re open.” [Ryner]

He spoke weakly because of the massive blood loss, feeling faint and dizzy. Things went smoothly since he had planned everything beforehand with the king and his two companions. Just in case something went wrong, he also had Evelyn and Maya both hold on to one of his healing potions.

“Why are you joking at a time like this?! You could have died!” [Kelly]

“Don’t worry. I’m freaking immortal.” [Ryner]

“I told you not to joke around!” [Kelly]

“No, it’s true… But, if you stab me in the heart or shoot me in the head, I’ll die.” [Ryner]

Kelly was crying as she looked at his face. Evelyn had wiped the blood off and he had his eyes closed. Knowing that there was nothing underneath his eyelids, the teacher felt a pain run through her chest.

“Why… Why would you go that far?!” [Kelly]

“Miss Skye, could I ask you to stop there? There are other visitors as well and I want him to rest as soon as possible. Please leave it there for today.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn politely spoke up, prompting the brown-haired teacher to look at her. Realizing she was making a scene, she quietly nodded. Now wasn’t the time to ask these questions. She should let him recover instead. She took one last look at Ryner, wiped her tears and bowed before heading towards the door.

She nodded to her four students and closed the door. These four had asked to be allowed to see Ryner, so Kelly took them along. There were a few others that also wanted to come, but bringing a crowd wouldn’t be good for the patient.

Once the teacher waited for them outside, the four heroes, Ryan, Jayce, Elena and Aria, approached the bed and silently stared at the man with unkempt black hair.

“… What you just did… For Dan… I never could… Maybe not for anyone…” [Ryan]

Ryan was the first person to break the ice and he spoke dejectedly.

“No wonder you always treated me like a kid. If that’s what it takes to be a hero, then I don’t have it.” [Ryan]

“Huh? Are you stupid?” [Ryner]

Ryner turned his head and sent the blonde-haired man an amazed expression, but his eyes were closed, so he couldn’t see him.

“It takes way more than that to make someone a hero. Rather, by your logic, emos and masochists everywhere would be considered outstanding heroes.” [Ryner]

“Then… What do you need to be a hero?” [Ryan]

Ryan asked as he blinked his eyes, stunned by the sudden insult.

“Hell if I know. I don’t wanna be one and I’m not trying to either.” [Ryner]

Hearing his blunt reply, Ryan went quiet and looked at his feet, thinking about his next words. His friends were wordlessly looking at him.

“What about you?” [Ryner]

Ryner’s sudden question interrupted his thoughts.

“…?” [Ryan]

“Do you still want to be a hero? Even though it’ll force you to go through tougher, scarier and harder situations?” [Ryner]

“… Even so…” [Ryan]

“You might not manage to save everyone. You’ll probably go through worse than what happened yesterday. Things won’t be like in a fairy tale, you know?” [Ryner]

“Even so… I…” [Ryan]

He remembered what Ryner told him when he slayed the dragoon and saved the mother-daughter pair yesterday. Those words that he couldn’t say back then, he believed he should say it now.

“I… Want to be a hero…! Like in a fairy tale!” [Ryan]

Ryan looked at the face of the man that had defeated him, trained him, saved him and scolded him. He declared his childish wish in a loud voice and with bright eyes. His three friends, baffled, stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and breaking into smiles.

“You’re a kid, you know that? Chasing after some ideal.” [Ryner]

“… Yes.” [Ryan]

Ryner paused before talking again. What he said next surprised the blonde-haired high schooler.

“… In that case, if you’re gonna continue chasing it, you’d better have some friends that can keep your feet planted in reality.” [Ryner]

“!... Yes!” [Ryan]

Ryan had a dumbfounded expression for a while, but as Ryner’s words sank into him, ever so slowly, a huge grin appeared on his face and he nodded strongly. At the same time, he looked to his left and right. Jayce, Elena and Aria nodded and smiled at him. The friends that Ryner mentioned were right by his side. He was sure of that.

“I apologize, but this is taking too long. Please leave it at that so he may rest.” [Evelyn]

Once again, Evelyn told the visitors to leave. Knowing that she had a point, the four of them decided to heed her words and, after bowing to Ryner, went towards the door. As Aria was about to close the door, she stopped for a few seconds and looked behind her. In the end, she decided to give him her thanks right now.

“Thanks for helping us all the time, Ryner. We’ll do our best to get stronger. And I know we’re not exactly the great and oh so mighty heroes that would have made your life easier, but hey… We were just ordinary high school students before coming here.” [Aria]

The door closed and the four high schoolers plus one teacher went back where they came from.

“… Was that really necessary?” [Evelyn]

Evelyn reproachfully said when she made sure that they were gone. Maya, who had been silent the whole time, perked her ears up when she heard her question.

“I’m not exactly the right guy to tell that kid to stop, so we’ll just let him do what he wants.” [Ryner]

“Ryner, that’s not what I meant.” [Evelyn]

“It’s fine. I told you, I have a method to regrow lost body parts.” [Ryner]

“But, wouldn’t it have been alright to keep your limbs and reattach them later?” [Evelyn]

“It has more of an impact if we do it like this. Now, everyone believes that I lost my arm, leg and eyes forever. Besides, if they think I’m crippled, then I can use it in my favor.” [Ryner]

Back at the audience room, before being dragged away, Ryner had declared that he wouldn’t reattach his lost limbs with healing magic, shocking the crowd even more. He said he would offer them to the king as a show of gratitude which made them grimace. Furthermore, their ruler actually accepted them. So, under Charles’ orders, his body parts were wrapped up in the cloth he provided and were taken away.

They would be thrown out and buried in the soil. This would make it look like Ryner sacrificed parts of his body to protect Dan and the king would ask his vassals to show him the same level of resolve if they wanted to harm him.

Charles didn’t know why he wanted to protect that traitor, but if this was what that unfathomable man wanted, then he would agree to it. Dan was no longer a threat with how he kept mindlessly drooling and, although it would be better to execute him, Charles had no intention of making Ryner his enemy. He had already made a mistake when he tried to forcefully take his gun away the first time they met. So, if it could appease him, he would heed his demand.

Of course, what would really happen was that Alice would send pawns that she had created to go to that world and pick up the parts. Ryner’s flesh that had carried his soul and was permeated by his power would be used to build a superior War Puppet, one that could reach higher levels than others.

Since he had to pay the penalty for losing the game, he figured he might as well use it as an opportunity. He didn’t go out of his way to sacrifice his flesh, he already had to do it from the start. Those who watched him didn’t know that and they all thought that he would be stuck in bed from now on. That was what he wanted. He was going to use that to his advantage tonight.

“I wonder if I scared those kids too much… Oh well, they need to get used to it.” [Ryner]

“… You and your crazy stunts… I’ll let it slide just this once, but if you ever ask me to help you do something like this again, I will tie you to the bed.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn sighed, crossed her arms and shook her head. She sternly warned him, completely serious with her words.

“Master… I sort of agree with Evelyn.” [Maya]

Maya leaned over Ryner, twitched her ears and nodded to what the vampire said.

“I prefer the term ‘original’ and I’m already stuck in bed.” [Ryner]

“I will tie you in bed and violate you.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn warned him again, completely serious with her words.

“Huh?! Oi, Evie, did you just say something freakin-owowowowow!” [Ryner]

Maya suddenly put her hand on his chest and pressed down with a lot of force.

“Master is quite weak right now. Should we do it?” [Maya]

“It would be unwise to let go of such an opportunity.” [Evelyn]

“Y-you two… Are you mad by any chance?” [Ryner]

““No.”” [Maya and Evelyn]

Closing in on him, Maya and Evelyn answered at the same time. They were smiling, but it didn’t reach their eyes. Ryner, now a blind man, couldn’t tell, but he felt the intensity they were giving off and decided to shut up. They were really mad right now.

After being lectured and messed with, he was finally able to relax. Despite saying that they wanted him to rest, Evelyn and Maya chewed him out. However, the two women were quite worried about him. So, they silently waited by his side to tend to his needs.

Ryner turned his head towards the door. He couldn’t see anything, so such an action was useless.

“(I’ve kept my promise, Alice… And…)” [Ryner]

He thought about the teacher that had just left his room. He thought about his conversation with her when they were in the library, before the whole incident began. At that time, she had asked him to help her and her students. She had asked him and said that she would believe in him, believe that he would do his best. At that moment, the face of someone very important to him appeared in his eyes and her words resonated with his soul.

“(This should count as doing my best… I guess.)” [Ryner]

He thought about Kelly who, despite not looking alike, reminded him of Adelina, someone that he could call a friend in the truest sense of the word. He found it weird and a bit amusing. That teacher that looked like a teenager had no combat ability whatsoever and their appearances didn’t match at all.

Yet, her face would overlap with a silver-haired beauty that was one of the best swordswoman in her kingdom and could take on hordes of enemies by herself. That ordinary teacher reminded him of the previous wielder of the White Wing. She was one of the greatest knights to have ever wielded a Heaven’s Blade, an amazing knight that died right before him.

In memory of his friend, for his self-satisfaction, pure hypocrisy.

He didn’t care about Dan. The brat was an enemy he destroyed for touching Maya and Evelyn. He held Kelly in a favorable light, but he didn’t like her or anything. He didn’t truly look at her when she made her request. He was remembering someone else, seeing someone else. Whether it was when he spared Dan’s life or when he cut his flesh in the audience room, it was the same as always. He was doing it for himself.

And that was why he had ripped his eyes out and cut his arm and leg off.

It wasn’t until much later that Kelly recalled what she had asked of him in the library and thought that it might have been her fault that he went out of his way to help her student. However, she wouldn’t have a chance to confront him about it since Ryner and his two companions would be gone by tonight.

Furthermore, along with their secret departure, multiple nobles would be found dead.

1. After reading the comments, what can I say, I feel like I tricked some of you with false advertisement. Sorry about that. The first few chapters were made to showcase Ryner's abilities. You would see that he was overpowered, smart, badass and capable of annihilating entire civilizations on a whim.

2. But, as you follow the story, you realize that it's one side of him, one face only, and hidden underneath it is a whole lot of... well... Darkness. I don't explicitly write some stuff and just show it instead, but let's say it now. Ryner has issues, lost of issues. You know, nightmares, flashbacks, traumas and Alice's words that peppered the chapters pretty much say it all.

3. "Ryner should man up already!" was the message I got from the comments, but this is chapter 50 and we're at the second arc. There will be development, but that's really fast. There is an end to the story, so it won't last forever like it's name, but I have quite a bit to write about. It's not fun if it's too short.

4. He's not the prideful, arrogant badass that does whatever he wants and always looks cool. He's the badass, tortured soul that keeps on fighting to the end, even when everyone is dead. Ah, that was good. I'll add it in the summary so that there's no more misunderstandings.

5. Anyway, I'm only adding bits of information in every chapter and not the whole picture, so it's fine to speculate. In fact, speculate. It's great when people think about your work. But, when you come to a conclusion and it pisses you off, at least ask to see if it's right. Write something like @question in your post so that I know you want me to reply and you're not just commenting. If it's a spoiler, I won't answer, but I'll try to give some hints.

6. Dan's power was overpowered, but it was foreshadowed at the beginning. The horned wolves that he mentioned once while he was bragging, how a bunch of them all gathered together was because of him. It was a test. I'll talk about it in future chapters. His power will also be explained. There's a reason, not a good one, but a reason.

7. Ryner's twisted, but he doesn't see everything in black and white. Eight hundred thousand years of experience made him meet a lot of different people. He knows that the king he hates is not Charles. He won't kill him, but he doesn't like him. He'll kneel to him if it avoids trouble. There's no rule saying he should never bow to anyone. He's no god. He's got his own code, but he doesn't have such pride.

8. I think the main issue was the second game he accepted with Alice. In the first one, he lost because Alice counted on his bad luck. Sure enough, in a huge world, he met a hero that could control anyone he wants. Chalk it up to misfortune. Some didn't seem to like it, but I wanted to put it in. It was for that single moment in the fight with Dan. Epic.

9. For the second game, I wanted to make it really vague for a reason. I guess it backfired. Soul splitting isn't the punishment. It hurts, it's tiring and it doesn't give him more life force, but he doesn't lose any either, except for when he needs to create the bodies and have his fragments cross through different worlds. Since it's a game they decided on, Alice will supply half of the power needed and she might even give some bonuses.

10. In a seperate part, every rule of the game will be explained. What you probably want to know is if it'll seal his power. No. The second game was actually to explain a little something I'm working on and I quickly went through it. Though I said I would end the arc faster, that wasn't a good idea. But, the game will depend on stuff I haven't finished, so I left it vague. It'll depend, but it won't really affect the story much. I wanted to make it a surprise once I'm done, but I might as well show it now. Here's a small part of a work in progress:

The rules for this game are quite simple. I will have your fragment live in this world in a form that I chose. Yes, do not worry. This world has plenty of life force, so it will be alright. Of course, the power needed to send you there will be equally supplied by the two of us. Those were the terms, after all.

As we have decided upon, you will live as an elf. You will go through the reincarnation process and experience everything from infancy. Rebirth will not be allowed. I will not be creating a new body for you. I know, I know. I have chosen a child who will not have any complaint even if you stole his place.

The life awaiting him is a cruel one that he would gladly yield to you. Obviously, his soul will not be destroyed. I will gently remove him from the body and insert your fragment inside it. He will have to wait for the next time he is born, but it is better than living through hell since birth.

As per our agreement, your objective will simply be to live. For every year you spend in that world, I will not absorb any life force. If you die before the time limit we set, then I will get an equivalent amount of life force to the numbers of years you’ve lived through.

You may cross dimensions and go to your fragment’s rescue. However, you must not give it any items in your possession such as your guns or the Heaven’s Blades. It will survive using its own powers, powers given to it by the world it will inhabit.

Using the gene pool from its parents, I will modify its appearance a bit to suit your tastes like you asked. However, its body’s health and strength will not be changed. If you are born with a weak body, then you will live with a weak body. Yes, I know. If it is terminally ill, then I will make it healthy to be fair.

As per the rules, I will not be interfering in any way. Use everything at your disposal to survive. Your fragment will not possess any of your powers, so do be careful if you want to make this game last longer than the other one.

I believe this covered everything that we decided on. Now, shall we promise? I promise to abide to the rules and conditions that we set up. Good, then let the game begin.

Welcome to your life as a female elf, Ryner.

*Author* Forgot to mention, this is a seperate story. It's another fiction that I'll submit once I'm done with the first chapter, not an arc.