Chapter 1893: Heroes
When it was time for Ning to leave, two men came to take him away. He was brought down to the hotel lobby, where he saw a few other heroes already gathered, all ready in their costumes.
No one had any of their managers around, so this meeting was really only going to be between the president and the heroes.
Lightspeed stood near the entrance, his white suit reflecting the overhead lights. He turned around and saw Ning looking in his direction.
The man hesitated for a moment, as if wanting to be left all alone. But something compelled him to socialize, so he moved. His body blurred as he arrived before Ning in less than a second. “I heard you were coming. Glad to see you again.”
“Great to see you too,” Ning said, giving a firm handshake.
Lightspeed smiled behind his mask. He attempted to strike up a conversation, congratulating Ning for his new rank. Ning could hear just how bad the man was when it came to small talk.
He had heard the man was an introvert, and it seemed to truly be the case.
Ning chatted with him still, letting him feel as if he was doing well. While they were in the middle of their conversation, a figure appeared next to them.
Ning turned toward the newcomer, immediately recognizing him. He had seen his face plastered on TV just this morning.
“Hey there. I’m Bloodborn,” the man introduced himself.
Ning smiled, greeting the 3rd-ranked hero in the city.
Bloodborn wore a scarlet metallic costume that looked like armor, with a helmet that covered half of his face. Ning failed to properly see his race behind the costume, but according to online sources, Bloodborn was in fact a Vampire, who just so happened to gain the power to control all blood.
“You ranked quite high for a newcomer. Although your exploits do make it understandable,” Bloodborn said. “You’ve made quite a name for yourself after killing a billionaire and getting away scot-free.”
“I don’t know if I would call it scot-free. I had to pay a fine and perform community service,” Ning said.
“Yes, but that is practically a slap on the wrist for people like us.”
Ning wasn’t sure if he was hearing Bloodborn right, but there was almost a hidden aggression in his tone. “Do you think I should’ve been punished more?”
Bloodborn froze. “That’s not what I said.”
“No, but I wish to learn what you think about the situation,” Ning said. “Do you think it’s unfair that I went, as you call it, scot-free?”
Bloodborn stood around for a moment, trying to find something to say. In the end, he could only smile. “I’ll see you around.”
He walked away.
Ning smiled as the man left, turning toward Lightspeed.
“If I’m going to be honest, I think you needed a harsher punishment,” Lightspeed said. “Just saying.”
Ning chuckled. “Thank you for being so candid. Honestly, I’m surprised I got off as easily as I did too. Not because I think I deserved punishment, but because no one actually understood the severity of the action I had taken. If they knew more about Forgath, I might not have even been punished.”
Lightspeed gave a blank stare, not knowing what else to say. He turned to look at the other heroes that were gathering around the lobby. There were about two dozen of them, each no doubt one of the strongest in their cities.
Ning didn’t recognize most of them, but their costumes alone were enough to let him know just how high-valued these heroes had to be.
One, though, stood out immediately.
A blond-haired man with an almost ethereal presence stood motionless in the center of the lobby. He wore a white costume with a golden hood that framed his face. Two white wings folded behind him outside of the costume, giving him more of an angelic feeling than any other angels had since Ning’s arrival.
The man’s head slowly turned toward Ning, as if pulled by Ning’s gaze. He smiled softly, turning toward Ning as he drifted toward him rather than walking.
“You must be Blackfang,” the man said with a voice that sounded as smooth as wind chimes.
Ning could feel something trying to change within his body. It didn’t take effect, but he could notice it far more easily than anything else until now.
“I am,” Ning said. “You must be Godhood.”
Godhood smiled. “That’s correct. I’ve heard great things about you, Sir Blackfang. You’ve entered the top 100 rankings in your very first month. That is impressive.”
Ning smiled. “Thank you, although I doubt it means much to you.”
“On the contrary,” the angel said. “I am always happy when a new hero comes to the scene and makes a difference. It makes me happy that there will be those who will keep peace in this country if I were to someday die.”
Ning frowned slightly, but he didn’t let it show on his face. Was the man just saying that for the sake of saying it, or did he actually believe his life was in danger?
Plus, there was the constant power being used on him, all by this man.
’What is his power?’ Ning wondered. Godhood’s powers were some of the best-kept secrets in the entire world. The best guess around was that he had some sort of hypnosis power, but Ning wasn’t sure that was the case.
If he was trying to hypnotize him, he would’ve known. This was… far stranger than that. He actually wasn’t sure what this was.
A suited official appeared and gestured toward the entrance. “The cars are ready. Please follow me.”
Godhood turned. “I fear we must resume this conversation at a later time. If you’ll excuse me, I will be leaving.”
The man floated away, heading toward one of the many cars waiting for him.
Ning stayed behind for a few seconds, taking the time to reflect on his conversation with Godhood.
He had just met the highest-ranked hero in the entire country of Conjora, ranking 3rd in the entire world.