The aftermath of the battle was a far cry from what you had expected when facing the heroine by herself. Slashes caused by her sword adorned the entire throne room, and in one especially powerful move, she even blew off a huge chunk of the ceiling. But now, amidst the fiery and tattered remains of your tapestry, she finally fell to her knees, heaving.

"Damn it...if only I wasn't..." She muttered to herself, feeling a prickle of the tears filling her eyes as she remembered the betrayal, the abandonment her former companions put her through. As much as she tried, as much as she wanted to keep fighting for this world...what was the point? She had been backstabbed by those she trusted the most. Was that some sort of cruel joke of fate? Reincarnating in the land of her dreams, only to end up like this?

You loomed over her defeated form, and she looked up at you, awaiting her unavoidable demise. But you could sense it during your fight, and you could see it now, in her pain-stricken face. For whatever reason, the heroine wasn't herself in this battle. You could end her, right here and now...or you could try and find out why.

You were right in front of her now; the first time she had ever seen you as something other than a grotesque mockery of everything she believed in and stood for. She cautiously raised herself up to her feet, eyes locked on your back as you paced away from her. Something in her wanted to trust what you were saying...but after all that had happened, how could she?

"Why...?" The word came out barely above a whisper, and you didn't answer. She took another step closer, "What do you want me to do?"

Her anger began to simmer once more; was that it? Did you really expect her to just accept your cold dismissal? Fine then, she thought bitterly, if that's what you wanted...

With a shout that echoed through the throne room, she lunged at you with renewed fury in her eyes. Her sword slashed through the air, a blur of silver and adrenaline as she sought to cut down anyone who stood in her way, anyone who dared defy her...but there was no one there. She looked around, confused. "Where are you?!" she yelled.

Suddenly, an idea began to form in the back of her mind...an insane, reckless thought. Maybe if she could just get close enough, just touch your black hide with the holy blade at her hip, somehow...perhaps it would change things. It was a long shot, but what did she

"Shut up!" she spat venomously at your voice, launching herself forward once more, ignoring the pain in her legs and lungs as she raced towards you like a crazed animal. Her sword sang through the air, cutting down everything in its path with an unstoppable fury; broken pillars, splinters of furniture, and even pieces of masonry did not slow her down as she closed the distance between them.

Finally, she was close enough to reach out and touch you, her sword held high above her head as she prepared to bring it crashing down upon your black hide. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath came in ragged gasps, but she felt no fear; only determination and a strange, unfamiliar hope filled her now.

Her sword descended with all the force she could muster, a shining line of silver trailing through the air as she aimed for your heart. At the last moment, you turned to face her, towering above her small form. You raised your claws, and in an instant, they closed around her wrist, pinning it against the floor with unnatural strength. "Give up," you growled, eyes burning into hers. "It's useless."

But she didn't give up; she couldn't. Her free hand curled into a fist as she aimed another punch at your chest. As her knuckles connected with solid flesh, the impact reverberated through her entire body, sending waves of pain shooting up her arm and through every muscle in her torso. For a moment, she thought she'd black out from the agony...and then, slowly but surely, it began to fade away

She stared up at you in confusion as the pain ebbed away, leaving her feeling...almost good. It was a foreign sensation after so long; even during their training days when she would push herself to the limit, she had never experienced this sort of recuperative power. What were you doing? Did this mean...that you weren't trying to hurt her? "Why..." She started, but trailed off, uncertain what it was that she wanted to ask.

She gazed up at you, her eyes wide with surprise and disbelief as she tried to process this new information. You...you didn't want to hurt her? Was it possible that you were telling the truth? As much as she wanted to trust your words, part of her couldn't help but remain cautious; years of training and experience told her that demons were nothing if not deceitful creatures. But then again...you seemed different somehow.

Tentatively, she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, uncurling her fingers from the hilt of her sword as the tension began to drain from her body. "Why?" She repeated, her voice soft and uncertain now, almost pleading for understanding. "Why don't you want to fight me?"

When you removed your mask, revealing not the twisted visage of a demon but a face she would have sworn was human...it nearly took her breath away. Your features were strong and handsome, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to hold centuries of wisdom and sadness within them. You looked weary beyond belief, as if carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

"You're..." She trailed off, unable to find the words to describe what she was seeing. For all her time in this world, all her training and experiences, this was something she had never expected: a demon who didn't look like a demon...and one who didn't want to fight her. The implications of this realization threatened to overwhelm her senses, leaving her feeling dizzy and disoriented.

As she stared up at you, unsure of what to say or do next, one question echoed through