I leveled the tip of my sword toward her.
The jet-black blade caught the moonlight, casting a faint, cold shimmer.
"Neither of our arguments is wrong. We both harbor flaws, yet we possess an equal measure of legitimacy."
I stepped forward.
Having reached the end of my contemplations, I shared my conclusion with her.
"That is why I have decided: the one who survives this battle shall be the one to move forward."
That was the answer I had derived.
Neither of us would ever yield simply because the other had gained the upper hand in a debate. If that was the case, then battle was the only way to settle it.
The outcome of the situation had been obvious from the start, but for once, the process leading up to it had been vital.
I had finally learned the true heart of the woman who had been resurrected. By doing so, I had managed to dispel the lingering guilt of transitioning from a Sage to a Demon King. I had fundamentally re-evaluated the very nature of my existence.
The result was this: I stood before her, composed and undaunted.
As the World's Enemy, I stood in the Hero’s path.
"The Best Hero and the Optimal Demon King. If both are correct, then let the stronger of us carry on the legacy. How does that sound?"
"Simple and clear," she said. "Not at all like the stiff man I remember."
"A decade has passed since I became the Immortal Demon King. My environment has changed in many ways."
The images of my subordinates flickered through my mind. They were a colorful, eccentric lot; I had no doubt they had influenced me. I hadn't been aware of it myself, but from her perspective, the change was apparently significant.
"...I see."
She murmured softly and smiled. It was the most radiant expression I had ever seen from her. It wasn't a mask or a polite facade; she was laughing from the very depths of her soul.
When she eventually composed herself, she took a long, deep breath. She settled into a natural stance with her sword, her gaze meeting mine over the length of the blade.
"Now then. You have no regrets?"
"None at all."
I nodded and took my own stance—one far removed from that of a Hero, optimized instead for a repertoire of diverse magic and supernatural abilities.
Seeing this, she offered a small smile. It was a look filled with unmistakable kindness and familiarity.
However, that warmth vanished in an instant. Her eyes sharpened with a dignified intensity, and she stepped forward with effortless grace.
"Then, let us begin."
◆
Under the night sky, our blades clashed.
In the silence of the wasteland, only the sounds of our struggle echoed.
I barely tracked her thrust, its speed nothing short of phenomenal. I tilted my head, feeling the blade graze my scalp. A slight shock registered, but it wasn't enough to disrupt my focus.
Exploiting the narrow window I’d gained by evading, I transformed my ribs into tentacles. I lashed them out, attempting to ensnare her, but she intercepted them with a single, fluid swing. Every last tentacle was hacked away, dissolving into black dust.
She moved to follow up the strike, but her eyes widened as she looked at me.
Within the palm of my hand, space itself had warped into a sphere. It hummed with a faint friction as it spun at high velocity. In the brief moment of distraction the tentacles had bought me, I had invoked Forbidden Magic.
The spell interfered with the flow of time, forcibly slowing everything but myself—including the Hero standing before me.
Accelerated by comparison, I immediately transitioned into an assault. Faced with my ultra-high-speed consecutive strikes, she shifted entirely to the defensive. Through a combination of miraculous skill and foresight, she managed to avoid a fatal wound. Her movements were becoming increasingly precarious, but knowing her, she would adapt eventually.
Even Forbidden Magic that distorted the passage of time wasn't enough to serve as a decisive blow against the Hero.
I know. I have to layer more traps... I just have to keep up the pressure.
I let my thoughts race with an unprecedented level of concentration. Observing her as she gradually reclaimed her speed, I shifted my tactics on the fly.
I began to unleash the full extent of my power as the Demon King upon the woman I loved most.