Conclusion
“GiiyaaAAAAAHHH!!!”
A holy light, radiant as the sun at its zenith, blazed forth—scorching and purifying the soul of the Demon King Kanan.
In a flash, Kanan’s soul was obliterated—erased without a trace.
But I wasn’t the same man who once thought that defeating the enemy before me was enough.
“Not yet. This time, you’re not slipping away. Got it?”
I’d already uncovered the trick behind how the Demon King Kanan, once felled, had fled as a soul and survived.
“I’ve figured it out. What I just destroyed was only your outer shell—and this subspace is the true seat of your soul!”
A phase-dimensional space, created by Kanan, for Kanan, and devoted solely to Kanan.
But in truth, it was the complete reverse.
This strange subspace was the true form of Kanan’s soul all along!
That’s how—even though I’d definitely struck him down before—he still managed to cling to life.
With the ultimate blessing of the goddess Athena flowing through me, I felt it in my very bones.
“S-Stop—”
I heard a voice—Kanan’s—quivering with fear, though I’d already defeated him.
And that voice echoed all around me, as if the entire space itself were speaking—confirmation in every direction.
“You’ll regret getting in the way of me and Hasumin’s love story—in the afterlife.”
“W-Wait—”
“No waiting. This ends here. Riena—raise a full-strength defense barrier around yourself and Hasumin.”
“Yes! You’re using that technique, aren’t you? Understood! O most revered goddess Athena, grant me the sacred shield of divine protection! Absolute Defense Barrier [Sacred Aegis]!”
A mighty, silver-white defense barrier surged to life around Riena and Hasumin.
As I felt its protective pulse resonate at my back,
“O holy flames of purging light, cleanse the world and annihilate the wicked! I bear the will of divine justice! Holy Light—Final Release! [Sacred Burning Burst Big Bang]!”
I channeled holy power raised to its absolute peak, amplified it with the Holy Sword Strelka, and unleashed it in a radiant burst in every direction.
The divine light surged across the phase-dimensional space—the true heart of Kanan’s soul—searing away every trace of evil in a blinding white-silver blaze.
And when that overwhelming brilliance finally faded—
The strange subspace was gone, replaced by the familiar front entrance of the Hasumi residence.
“It’s over.”
As I exhaled, long and deep, Strelka began to dissolve—its gleaming form crumbling into shimmering motes of light.
Its purpose fulfilled, the sacred sword Strelka returned to the other world, Orphermaus, where it would slumber once more, awaiting its next wielder.
“Hero-sama, that was magnificent.”
Riena ran up to me, her voice full of awe.
“So that’s the power of a Hero… That’s what changed you, Shuhei-kun.”
Hasumin murmured softly, like puzzle pieces falling into place in her heart.
“Just one favor… could you not tell anyone about all this?”
“Of course. I mean, if I did, people would just think I’m nuts, right?”
“Exactly.”
“Besides, it’s a secret no one else in this world knows—something just between you and me, Shuhei-kun. There’s no way I’d ever tell anyone.”
With that, Hasumin flung herself into my arms.
She clung to me tightly, nestling her face against my chest like she never wanted to let go.
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her just as tightly.
“After the rain, the earth hardens, huh?”
Riena watched us with a faintly wistful smile—tinged with longing, yet filled with quiet contentment.
And so, the death-defying lovers’ quarrel between me and Hasumin—who had once been the parallel-world incarnation of Demon King Kanan came to a close, as our “true love” brought about Kanan’s complete and final destruction.