It wasn't the first time this had happened. He remembered quite well. The Demon Lord falling to his blade for the umpteenth time brought no satisfaction with it anymore. Only a grim sort of relief.

This was the ninety ninth Demon Lord he had slain. Demon Lord, Devil King, Monster God, they came under all sorts of names and epithets, but they were all the same. And they all died the same to his blade. Because that's just how things were supposed to be. The Hero always slays the villain. The Hero always wins. The Hero always pulls through and saves the world. It was just the way of things. It's what he had always known, since he had been born and told 'Son, you're destined for greatness'.

So why didn't he feel great?

As he knelt in one of the many craters dotting the Demon Lord's throne room, the chamber scored and demolished by the most intense fight of his life, watching the blood drip off his blade, all he could think was...

"It's over..."

He knew it wasn't really over, though, but for now, he was done. With the threat to this world ended, he could live out the rest of this life in relative peace, put down his sword, and spend the years growing old on some small plot of land the various kings would grant him for his service to the world. On the whole, it wasn't a bad way to end this cycle and relax for thirty to sixty-some years of peace, before he had to do it again.

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He didn't even dread it, anymore. It was a simple cycle, and over the many long lifetimes, he had grown used to the way things were... It would happen again.

He would be born into a world that suffered the oppression of some monstrous evil force. He would spend his youth training, preparing to battle the darkness. He would then go out into the world and make a name for himself with his heroism, eventually defeating the Phantom King, or Devil God, or Evil Emperor... And then he would be celebrated for a few years, grow old, fade into quiet obscurity, and then pass away. Sometimes he'd be surrounded by loving family. Others by rulers and kings from far nations that had come to pay their last respects to the world's savior, other times he would pass on completely alone.

All he knew was... Once this lifetime was over, he had to face the worst of them all. The Hundredth Demon Lord, one who he had spent lifetimes and countless years training and killing and preparing for. This would be his last respite before the grand and fated battle that would rock the various worlds and universes to their very foundations.

It would be a battle that tested every ounce of his learned skills, abilities, powers, and take all of his strength, wisdom, intelligence, and wits to overcome. He didn't feel ready, but he had to be. For the sake of all the worlds he had saved so far, and more.

He would be ready.

But first... He would rest.