This World Needs a Hero

Chapter 326: [The End]

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HELHEIM SCANS

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I walked.

The mud that had clung to me for so long had all disappeared.

The terrifying screams that had once made my heart sink had turned into faint moans.

"......"

The demon who brought misery and sorrow to this world.

The Demon King was now pathetically shriveled, writhing on the ground.

I stood before him, pondering how to describe my current feelings.

When was it?

Someone had definitely told me.

That after despair, hope would come.

That after night, the sun would rise.

That after flowers wither, they bloom again.

So even at the end of this seemingly endless winter, spring would come.

As if they were sure of it.

As if it were as clear as a mathematical formula.

As if it were as righteous as a law, someone had told me.

'...Who was it?'

Perhaps because of the fragmented memories, I couldn't recall it immediately.

But the feeling I had when I heard those words was vivid.

A heart full of anticipation and a faint but burning hope.

I murmured, "Yes, that's right. It was true."

The Demon King looked up at me with crushed eyes.

There was no longer any fight or will left in his gaze.

Perhaps in exchange for my fading memories, my feelings of hatred and relief became even clearer.

Oscillating like a pendulum between those two emotions, I continued to mutter, not knowing to whom.

"...It was heavy."

Too many noble and righteous people had died.

Too many kind and innocent ones had suffered.

I had seen too many sacrifices from those who bore responsibility and conscience.

Too many things had depended on the tip of my sword.

It was always heavy even amidst the battlefield's cries and the night's silence.

Every moment was a continuous choice.

No matter how much I thought about it, I could never know if the results were right or wrong.

"But I did well enough, right?"

I lifted my sword.

Sling-

The black greatsword was worn and rugged.

It looked so dull that it seemed like a mere lump of metal now.

But it could still perform one last strike.

"Hoo..."

My consciousness was still a jumbled mess, all tangled up.

But one fact was clear.

The moment I swung this sword,

Humanity would be liberated from its long suffering.

Those who had left before us would finally smile before God.

And those who remained would live in a peaceful and tranquil world.

...But I would not be there.

For a moment, it felt as if a cold wind had seeped into my chest.

I gazed at the sword that had paused in mid-air.

"......"

I remembered seeing someone else's hands trembling like this not too long ago.

What choice did he make?

As I dug through my memories, I suddenly let out a small laugh.

"No, no."

What did his choice have to do with anything?

"This is my decision."

I wouldn't imitate anymore.

Every life I lived,

Every moment I experienced was mine.

Even though many parts of it were patched together from other people's lives, the one who felt, experienced, and lived through it was me.

I had created myself from within imitation, and I had crafted my way of being.

Therefore, even now, when those core elements were long gone... I remained.

I was still me.

So—

"Let me bring humanity a future."

I would answer the words that had started this journey in my own way.

Of course, the answer had been decided long ago.

"Yes..."

I smiled slowly.

Strength returned to the hand that held the sword.

This time, it didn't tremble.

"I'll take you there."

...To the freest future possible!

I swung the sword down.

The sensation of the Demon King's skull shattering was deeply satisfying.

* * *

"Everyone, stand by!"

"Don't lose focus."

"You never know when it might jump out."

Even as the Avalon forces regained consciousness and recovered their strength, the black sphere remained before them.

The massive sphere, which had absorbed all the world's despair and darkness, continued to tremble and shake even after the hero had entered it.

For those waiting outside, it was a nerve-wracking sight.

"How long has it been since the professor went in?"

"...Three hours."

"...Damn, time sure drags on. It's almost dawn, isn't it?"

Fortunately, all the demons and monsters had long been swallowed by the black mud.

So there was no external threat to the forces.

But none of them let their guard down.

"......"

Everyone stood on deck, gripping their weapons.

Even the Emperor herself had come out and was silently staring at the black sphere.

Thanks to the unexpected turn of events during the final battle at the 50th sector, there weren't many casualties.

But since the outcome of the most crucial battle had yet to be determined,

Optimism was premature.

...It was at that moment when the tension that had settled over them suddenly dropped.

"Huh, huh!?"

From one side of the deck,

A confused voice came from where the Lotus Knights were stationed.

"It's breaking! It's breaking!"

Breaking? What's breaking?

Before anyone else could grasp the meaning,

Crack, crack, crack—

Simultaneously, massive cracks formed on the black sphere, and intense light burst through the gaps.

The blinding light overwhelmed those who had grown accustomed to the darkness and had concentrated their mana on their eyes.

Everyone cried out as they shielded their eyes from the light.

"Ugh!"

"Wh-what? What's happening?"

A moment later,

Cuculli, the first to open her eyes, muttered in disbelief.

"What's happening, you ask?"

Everyone quietly waited for him to continue.

Cuculli took a deep breath, then reached out towards the light that illuminated one side of the dark sky.

"...The dawn is breaking in this world."

Wooooooong—

A radiant white light pierced through the sky of the cursed realm and soared upward.

It was a colossal pillar of light, visible even from the other side of the continent.

Finally, it reached the edge of the sky.

The pillar of light grew even brighter as it gathered boundless energy.

In a moment where it felt as if time had stopped, everyone held their breath.

BOOM—!

The explosion reverberated like a silent shockwave across the sky.

In that instant, particles of light scattered like stars, and the sky was simultaneously painted with new colors.

Avalon.

No, the world was enveloped in silence.

The light descended, erasing the boundary between sky and earth.

It marked the end of centuries of suffering, sorrow, and despair.

All darkness was absorbed by the light and vanished as if it had been drawn in.

The light was intense yet warm, as if it understood all the sins and pain of humanity, spanning its long history.

People unknowingly shed tears.

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No one was an exception.

Everyone realized that after this light disappeared, the world would never be the same.

They were about to embark on a new journey in a new world.

It was a scene they had imagined countless times, for a very long time.

"...Is this real?"

"Is it really over?"

"Wait... wait!"

"Ah...."

"Thank you, everyone. Thank you."

The starting points of the onlookers were all different.

A cold and hungry back alley.

A comfortable room in a splendid mansion.

A shabby barn.

A mountain of gold and silk.

A fiefdom still reeking of blood.

A battlefield littered with corpses.

They had all walked different paths.

But they met at a single milestone along the way and ultimately reached this point together.

A world without demons.

A new era.

Their lives were now their own.

Tssss—

...And finally, the light that had brightly illuminated the world gradually began to fade.

The hero of this victory slowly revealed himself.

Step—

The Hero staggered as he approached Avalon.

All the passengers, as if they had made a promise, moved as one.

Even those who had followed the hero from the start, and those who had inwardly rejected him, were no different.

Salute—

Their hands rose to their foreheads in a crisp, precise salute.

In that moment, filled with pride, respect, radiant smiles, and gratitude,

the Hero collapsed to the ground.

The emperor rushed forward.

* * *

"...Wake up."

I opened my eyes to the voice calling me.

A familiar face wore an unfamiliar expression.

"Ah, Euphemia."

By some miracle, when the Demon King perished, a part of what he had taken returned.

It included the memories of my loved ones.

It was truly fortunate.

I could bring things to a proper end.

Euphemia reached out her hand.

"...What are you doing here? Let's go back."

"Yes, we should go back."

I tried to take the hand Euphemia extended to me.

But unfortunately, all I could manage was a brush.

The disintegration magic planted by Zero had already progressed more than halfway.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to exert physical force.

"......"

But my hand didn't fall to the cold ground.

Euphemia had grabbed my sleeve instead.

Her joints, where strength was concentrated, were abnormally pale.

It was then.

"P-Professor...?"

"You..."

"No, what is this...?"

"Professor!"

The group of crusaders who had belatedly followed surrounded Euphemia and me.

My blurry vision suddenly cleared.

Evergreen and Karen were weeping uncontrollably.

Gerald had his back turned, his shoulders shaking violently.

Luke and Ban looked as if they were about to tear their lips apart.

When I met Cuculli's gaze, she mouthed the words "Thank you."

...And both Leciel and Nyhill wore expressions full of regret.

It was clear that leaving my comrades behind would be just as difficult.

Noubelmag, who had bowed his head deeply.

Barun and Zion, kneeling in prayer for me.

Arpheus was still saluting.

Kasim, supporting the limp Pia, bowed his head to me.

Amidst the commotion, I saw Izaro leave.

Surprisingly, Yussi stayed by my side.

That damned Larze had a smirk on her face for some reason.

Well, it was better than seeing her bawling his eyes out.

Finally, Euphemia, my first accomplice.

"This isn't right."

"...Euphemia."

After a suffocating silence, the emperor's eyes turned blood-red.

"This isn't right!"

A torrent of incoherent words spilled out.

She spoke of taking turns.

That it was now the world's turn to love me.

That I deserved to enjoy what was rightfully mine, the emperor cried out in rage.

"How ridiculous... you fool."

Thud—

She fell to her knees in the mud, reaching out to support my drooping head.

Grateful that she allowed me to face the people,

I looked at those who wept for me.

"......"

Suddenly, I recalled my very first memory.

When I first faced this world, my first awareness was undoubtedly loneliness and pain.

But how was it at the end?

"Thank you for crying for me."

It was dazzling.

The sun was rising, the dawn was breaking.

I squinted my eyes and looked up at the brightening sky.

I used to despise this sight.

The sky where dawn breaks.

Another day begins.

A world where only I cannot take root.

But now, it was blindingly beautiful.

All my actions.

All my sacrifices.

Everything had meaning.

The proof was scattered everywhere.

I asked them aloud.

"Does this world still need a hero?"

The answer came after a brief moment of silence.

Warmth enveloped me.

Euphemia whispered.

"No, it's okay. It's all okay now."

"How... amusing."

Indeed.

There was nothing left to do but laugh heartily.

"It's amazing."

[TL/N: This was a journey that i’m glad i was on. Thank you for bearing with me and my mistakes.]

[PR/N: My first novel that I pr’ed. Damn. Sadder stories incoming.]

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