“…This…”
This sudden, shocking truth startled Shien.
He knew that although the people of Omnipotence correctly recognized the worlds he came from, even ordinary people knowing of their existence, they were generally considered ordinary worlds without power or mystery. Therefore, people believed those worlds were unrelated to the Supreme God who created Omnipotence. A world created by the Supreme God shouldn’t be so ordinary and devoid of any mysterious power. So, in the eyes of the people of Omnipotence, the countless other worlds where Heroes came from were simply naturally occurring, scattered worlds, unconnected to Omnipotence. Only Omnis, the Supreme God, had the power to transcend worlds, interfere with those other worlds, and create the magic ritual to summon Heroes.
But now, Nien told Shien that the creator of those worlds was also Omnis.
And Omnis’s purpose in creating those worlds was to serve as a breeding ground for Heroes.
“To ensure the smooth birth of Heroes, that goddess imposed strict limitations on those other worlds, preventing the emergence of mysterious powers,” Nien explained.
“Just like in Omnipotence, where a third being on par with the Supreme God and the Demon King couldn’t be born, so, to allow life to be born smoothly, the Supreme God added the concept of the limits of life to Logic, reducing the difficulty of life’s creation.”
In other words, to ensure the smooth birth of Heroes, the Supreme God set the “limits of life” in countless other worlds to level one, or even level zero, preventing the emergence of mysterious powers. This meant all the resources of those other worlds were dedicated to cultivating Heroes, creating incredibly favorable conditions.
Thus, every once in a while, a human with the potential to become a Hero would be born in one of those countless other worlds, becoming a vessel for the concept of “Hero.” They would live ordinary lives in those other worlds until their death, after which they would be summoned to Omnipotence by the Hero Summoning Grand Ritual, awakening their exclusive Holy Sword and Unique Skill.
“The omnipotent Goddess’s plan succeeded, using countless other worlds to cultivate the ‘third person,’ the Hero.”
“And these humans who became Heroes, as the Goddess foresaw, did possess the power to counter and defeat the Demon King.”
“Under such circumstances, the first Hero was summoned to this world.”
Speaking of this, Nien’s tone became somber, no longer calm and indifferent, nor her usual holy and playful self, but rather melancholic, filled with a faint sadness.
“I believe you’ve already heard about the fate of the first Hero, right?” she said sympathetically, “She was killed by the Demon King before she could fully mature.”
Nadue had indeed told Shien about this.
However…
“The first Hero wasn’t killed by the Demon King because she rushed into battle unprepared, but because the Demon King sought her out,” Nien revealed.
“Before facing the Demon King, the first Hero had been with the Supreme God.”
“That period was very short.”
“At least, compared to the incredibly long lives of the Supreme God and the Demon King, those few years were but a fleeting memory.”
“But during those few years, the companionship of Nien, the Hero, made the aloof Supreme God feel emotions for the first time.”
“A strange relationship called ‘friendship’ was thus recognized by the aloof and omnipotent Goddess, making the Hero and the Goddess the first two beings in Omnipotence who needed, cherished, and accompanied each other.”
“That was probably the first and last time Omnis, the Supreme God, possessed something called a ‘heart’.”
“Until the appearance of Claudis, the Demon King.”
Nien looked directly at Shien, her emotions unreadable.
But Shien knew what she wanted to say.
“Just like that, the first Hero was killed.”
“Because she was killed by the Demon King, the Supreme God, whose power couldn’t overcome the Demon King’s, couldn’t resurrect her only friend, falling into despair.”
“That day, the world was filled with the Goddess’s wails, and it rained for years, flooding the entire world.”
“Then, the Supreme God completely closed off her heart, becoming a truly indifferent and aloof god, seeing the Demon King as her nemesis.”
Nien’s voice was slow and soft. Shien could barely hear her tone. Because, for some reason, hearing this story made his heart ache.
Vaguely, a strange conversation appeared in his mind.
—”You’re spacing out again. Can you focus?” This was his voice.
—”Oh dear, you caught me again,” a gentle voice, unfamiliar yet somehow incredibly familiar, replied.
—”I’m all grown up now, and you’re still like a little girl, always spacing out. Don’t tell anyone you know me, I’m embarrassed.” This was Shien’s voice, filled with exasperation.
—”You brat, you want me to pull your ear again, don’t you?” This was the gentle voice, scolding him angrily.
Then, the conversation continued.
—”After all these years, you should at least tell me what you’re thinking about when you space out, right?”
—”…Nothing, just thinking about a friend.”
—”A friend… ?”
—”Yes, a friend.”
—”Are you close to her?”
—”…Yes, she’s my best friend.”
—”Do I know her?”
—”…Perhaps you’ll have a chance to meet her one day.”
—”So, I don’t know her now?”
—”Well, something like that.”
—”If you miss her so much, why don’t you go find her?”
—”…Because I can’t go back anymore.”
—”…You’re an old woman now, and you’re still acting like a little girl, wallowing in self-pity?”