Yukihime’s smile drifted into the back of my mind, along with her words. I could feel her nudging me, pushing me ahead.
Redge was slouched down, his sword on the ground. He was wide open.
And so, my final fist exploded.
Redge’s body fell flat on the ground.
...I won, Yukihime.
Despite the fact that he was lying motionless on the ground, Redge’s eyes still burned with bloodlust. “Why are you standing still? This is your chance to get revenge.”
If we had been in opposite places, he surely would have swung down his sword without any hesitation.
“...I inherited Yukihime’s duty – her duty to protect the world. It has nothing to do with killing you.”
If I hadn’t met Yukihime, if I hadn’t inherited her duty, I surely would have killed him right there on the spot. I still hated him to the extent that I wished I could kill him several times over.
“Don’t ever come back to our world again.”
“What if I say no?”
“...Then I’ll beat you again. And again, and again, and again,” I said, as I stared down at him. “Your world, your empire, is in a crisis, right? Put all that power of yours to some use and figure out a way to handle it on your own.”
Right after, Elemia appeared from a star circle and recovered Redge. I didn’t stop her. If I killed him here, his subordinates would only come to get revenge, and the war would never end.
This is how it has to be...
I had defeated the man who killed Yukihime, at the very place she’d passed away, and saved the world. Suddenly, I realized I couldn’t hear that murderous voice in my head anymore. The desire for revenge that had been eating away at my heart for the past ten years had completely vanished. My fury, hatred, sadness, and pain were all still there, but my appetite for revenge was gone. I had something more important now – the duty I had inherited from the woman I loved.