She sways slightly where she stands.
Standing there in the midst of the rain, her figure seemed strangely forlorn.
There was a fragility about her, as though she might vanish if one looked away.
It was impossible to reconcile this with the hero I knew—the one who never yielded, whose noble spirit burned unbroken.
Yet the her before me was the truth.
The one bearing this mission had been deceiving herself all along.
"This is my thinking. Well? Are you disappointed?"
"Not at all. You are, without question, the true hero."
The answer left my lips instantly.
She regarded me with suspicion, her brow furrowed.
"...Why do you think so?"
"Your approach differs from mine, but you have reached one ultimate conclusion. That conviction cannot be denied."
She desired peace for the world.
Though the vision differed from my own, it was undeniably a better future.
True to the name of hero, she sought to change the world as it was now.
"Your hope for humanity is genuine. Even after being executed for reasons born of self-interest, you did not abandon that sentiment."
She was disillusioned with the world.
To the same extent as I—or perhaps even more than I had cast it aside.
It was from that very place in her heart that she had believed in humanity's future and, as the hero, accomplished the defeat of the Demon Lord.
An ordinary person could never have managed it.
Furthermore, she had been executed after enduring such hardship.
This was not an unforeseen tragedy; she had accounted for even her own life as a necessary sacrifice.
Even now, resurrected as she was, no clouding of that resolve could be seen in her.
She did not pursue a blind sense of justice.
Though aware of the inherent mixture of good and evil, she had remained steadfast in her own convictions.
This was a facet of her that even the sage who had accompanied her did not know.
I took one step forward.
And then, I spoke words of gratitude to her.
"It was good to hear your true feelings, Hero. It makes me very happy."
"Dwight..."
She murmured, as if surprised.
This might have been the first time I had seen such an expression on her face.
Though noting this small discovery, I continued to speak.
"I thought your methods were wrong, and I tried to pursue peace in a different way. However, you were not wrong! To believe in the people and entrust the future to them—that was also one answer."
Neither heroes nor demon lords were needed.
Sometimes they would fight and be wounded, yet they would proceed forward as they were.
That was the very world she had idealized.
It was the first step toward true world peace.
I found myself feeling that kind of future was compelling.
It was far more beautiful than the world peace I myself aimed for.
The demon lord of absolute evil can only bestow eternal terror.
An immortal threat is far removed from happiness.
Expressionless, she poses a piercing question.
"Now that you've heard my true feelings, what will you do? Will you abandon your own thoughts and choose oblivion?"
"The world peace you envision is magnificent. It is incomparable to mere tyrannical control by evil. Though I have fallen to such a state, I still hold you in respect."
I speak words from the heart.
I convey to her every lingering sentiment without reservation.
Having done so, I quietly raise my sword.
I draw forth the immense magical power contained within my entire being, channel it into the blade, and release it skyward as a beam of light.
The pitch-black light pierces through the clouds.
The aftershock sweeps away all the surrounding clouds at once.
Soon the rain ceases, and the night sky becomes visible.
Centered on the moon, countless stars shine brilliantly.
A silence descends upon the area, robbed of the sound of rain.
Standing in a daze, she is brought back to her senses by the wind sweeping past.
Under the moonlight, I take my stance and declare:
"Therefore, I must surpass you."