Heroes are revered and Villains are despised
Kouro stood outside the mansion on some sort of high floor so that the people outside could see him.
The reporters by now were already in front of him taking countless pictures of him, facing them, Kouro kept a calm expression.
Welt and the others stood not far away from him and stared at Kouro's firm back facing them.
"His actions were too hasty." Cocolia said softly.
Yes, Kouro's actions were really rushed, he had previously just arrived directly then asked for a Press conference towards the host as the organizer of the celebration without greeting the other guests.
If he was an ordinary person, he would have wanted to be on good terms with important figures in order to gain wealth, power, and so on.
Cocolia did not know that the World Serpent organization had previously tried to provide this to Kouro, but unfortunately he was completely uninterested and rejected it.
After all, the time Kouro had in this world was only 17 days, he felt that defeating Herrscher of the End and forming good relationships with central figures such as Welt and others was more than enough to complete his [Main Quest].
Money and power were really of no use to him unless it was really related to Honkai and related secret information.
"Sirin, do you know why Kouro suddenly changed his personality to be like that?" asked Welt to Sirin beside him.
Sirin's expression was a little strange when she heard the question, a mixture of pity and compassion, her eyes staring at Kouro's back before muttering, "… Kouro..."
The eyes of little Kouro, Ayame, and the others looked at Kouro with sparkling eyes.
"Is he the so-called hero of the world? He's really handsome and dashing." Rita said with sparkling eyes.
Ayame looked at little Kouro and Kouro's faces back and forth before saying in surprise, "Hey, his face really looks like yours, Kouro-chan!"
"Eh? Not only that, his name is even the same as yours, eh no, maybe it's more like your name is the same as him, Kouro-chan?" Mei said with some confusion.
"Woah~ Kouro is cool! You have the same name as the world's hero!" Kiana said while clapping her hands slightly.
Little Kouro ignored their words, his eyes focused on looking at Kouro's face from the side with his silver eyes shining brightly and momentarily reflecting a purple sheen.
From the moment he saw Kouro, a feeling of excitement arose in his heart, he didn't know how to explain this feeling other than it was similar to when a fan meets his idol.
"Kouro.... World hero... " He murmured in a restrained excited voice.
...
Fu Hua's eyes stared at Kouro's back with a dazed expression, she felt that this person in front of her felt very familiar to her but unfortunately she didn't have any memories towards him.
This was because as a result of using Fenghuang Down [First Order: Edge of Taixuan], she had to sacrifice important memories as a price.
Now, the longest memory Fu Hua had was in the 14th century where she was the protector of Shenzhou from Schicksal's invasion.
Of course, Fu Hua can actually recall the things she forgot using special tools, for example the tool Otto used to find the [Sphere] from the depths of Fu Hua's memories.
But for now, Fu Hua was just a Phoenix without immortality.
'Kouro... Is that his name? ' Fu Hua thought with a pensive expression.
Mobius and the others were in no hurry to help Fu Hua regain her memories, after all, the injuries she had sustained were quite severe physically and mentally, it was better to take a break for a while.
Higokumaru and Sakura looked at Kouro whose back was facing them, both of them somehow felt a sense of loneliness from Kouro who was standing alone.
"That's right... Although it is similar, in the end this world is not his original world, the destiny he made and the destiny he intertwined here mean nothing compared to his original world. "
Higokumaru's eyes seemed to contain sadness as she muttered this.
Kouro would sooner or later return to his original world, her purpose in life had also been completed, Higokumaru could now live freely as an ordinary person living a normal life and let time pass until she finally died.
'But... What kind of empty feeling is this in my heart...'
Higokumaru held her chest with a difficult expression.
Perhaps, after she had lived a long life in order to fulfill the last task given by KOURO and then the task had been completed, it left her without a purpose in life, making her feel empty.
Was this how KOURO felt in his last moments before turning into dust?
Higokumaru vaguely remembered, back when she was still the Herrscher of Corruption she felt emotions similar to this from KOURO after he defeated the Herrscher of the End.
The emotion shown by him was completely similar to the one Higokumaru was feeling now.
'Is this feeling of emptiness... Is it a feeling of relief for KOURO?' thought Higokumaru raising her head looking up at the sky.
She did not know.
...
Kouro stared at the hundreds of cameras before him with a calm expression.
He slightly glanced at the people outside who were mostly looking at him with fanatical eyes.
His eyes looked deep as he stared at all of them.
You must be wondering why Kouro suddenly disguised his personality to be this cold.
Then let's go back to half an hour earlier.
...
Kouro who was flying in the air with Sirin and Bella were chatting with each other, their flying speed was not too fast and quite relaxed, they were able to reach their destination in 20 minutes.
He who was chatting with the two of them suddenly slowed down and looked down in a certain direction.
Seeing him like that, Sirin then asked, "What's the matter, Kouro?'
Kouro didn't answer her, his expression looked strange, Sirin saw him swooping down, she and Bella looked at each other before following him.
Kouro quickly landed on top of an empty building before staring in a certain direction. Following his gaze, Sirin and Bella then muttered in confusion.
"Orphanage? "
Kouro then jumped and landed on the ground without making any sound at all. He walked closer to the orphanage before stopping and staring at a little girl of five or six years old who was in the yard outside the orphanage squatting in a quiet, hidden spot with a trembling body.
Sirin and Bella looked at the little girl to realize that she was crying and sobbing softly.
They then looked at Kouro who was currently kneeling down to equalize his height with the little girl.
'Is he here for that little girl? But why?'
While they were thinking like this, the little girl seemed to raise her head and was surprised to see Kouro in front of her.
"Who are you?!" she said in a slightly sobbing voice.
Kouro rummaged through his pockets before pulling out a plate with a large chocolate muffin on it, he also took out a small colored candle before sticking it on the muffin and lighting the candle with his finger.
"Happy birthday."
"Hu-huh?" the little girl blinked, looking at the muffin in confusion. She was really confused now that a stranger was suddenly celebrating her birthday.
"Ho-how did you know it was my birthday?"
"Didn't you previously wish to the stars in the sky for your birthday to be celebrated?" Kouro asked back.
The little girl's expression instantly brightened at his words, "Ah? Are you a star fairy who can grant wishes?! My father used to tell me about you!"
Kouro's expression did not change at all in the face of the little girl's question and simply nodded.
"Right, I'm that star fairy. What's your name, little girl?"
"My name is Sandy, Mr. Fairy! Did Mr. Fairy grant my wish? Then where's dad?"
"Your father?"
Sandy nodded her head slightly, her bright expression dimmed slightly before saying, "My mother passed away when she gave birth to me, father is the only one who takes care of me, although father's appearance is a little scary but he is really a soft heart!"
"You really love your father, huh?" Sirin asked, listening to their conversation.
But if she is in this orphanage- That means...
Sandy nodded her head vigorously before continuing, "Dad a few days ago promised me to celebrate my birthday with him... Unfortunately, dad didn't get to enter the magic place (Ark) because he was helping others."
"I hate heroes." she said with a sullen expression.
"Why do you hate heroes?" asked Kouro gently.
"From what my father told me, Heroes are those who help others selflessly, people who always save others without thinking of themselves..."
"Heroes are always worried about others, but who would worry about a Hero? Heroes always make sacrifices without thinking about the people who always worry about them... That's why I hate heroes." Sandy said.
Sandy was a very intelligent child who could think properly at the age of six.
But if Sandy is allowed to think like this, she might turn into a villain-
Kouro patted Sandy's head and said softly, "Sandy, do you hate your father?"
"Of course not!" she said firmly.
"I can't blame you for having such thoughts, but... Your father would be sad if you had thoughts like this. Perhaps... Those who are called heroes, as you said, are always worried about others without thinking about themselves."
"Kouro..." Sirin muttered after hearing his words.
"You should know, a true hero will not hesitate to sacrifice one person to save the world and a villain will not hesitate to sacrifice the world for one person."
Sandy, Bella, and Sirin raised their heads and looked at Kouro with shocked expressions. Their view of the definition of a hero was instantly shattered.
"So, a true hero doesn't hesitate to sacrifice others for the sake of saving the world even if the person sacrificed is someone very important to him?!" Sandy asked.
Kouro shook his head and replied, "What do you think the definition of 'World' is for a hero?"
He then pointed at Sandy before saying clearly, "To your father, you are his world."
"And to protect you, he was willing to sacrifice one person, himself."
Sandy mumbled Kouro's words with her head bowed, as she raised her head, Kouro and the others had disappeared leaving only a plate of muffins and a red polka dot gift box.
...
Kouro, Bella and Sirin while flying in the air continued their journey but with a silent atmosphere, Sirin seemed to have a thoughtful expression before asking.
"Kouro, what's the connection between your words and Sandy's father?"
Kouro glanced at her before saying, "Do you know 7 days ago Grey Serpent told me inside one of the Arks there was a crazed psychopathic killer who was spreading chaos secretly and would try to kill a little girl for personal satisfaction."
"Grey Serpent caught him too late to stabilize the chaos and a civilian restrained the psychopathic killer using his body to protect the little girl who turned out to be the civilian's child."
Hearing the story, Sirin and Bella's eyes widened slightly and realized Sandy's identity.
"But why doesn't Sandy remember it?" Sirin asked, thinking of Sandy.
Kouro glanced at the orphanage that had become a point of distance for them, he did not answer their question directly and only said, "The orphanage where Sandy lives is managed by Miss Aponia."
Sirin and Bella immediately put on an understanding expression as they knew Aponia's abilities.
After flying for a few minutes, Sirin, who was seen wearing a thinking expression, raised her head and asked Kouro again.
"Kouro, about what you said earlier about heroes-"
"Ah~ You don't have to think too much about it, it's just my own opinion." Kouro said without turning to look at her.
"... Then Kouro, what is the difference between a true Hero and a Villain to you?"
Kouro seemed to slow down a little when he heard her question, he seemed to pause for a moment before saying without turning to look at her.
"... I think the most significant difference between Heroes and Villains is that Heroes are revered and Villains are despised." he said with a hint of humor.
"Hahaha, what's that~ You say it as if you've met both villains and heroes." Sirin laughed a little at his answer.
Kouro didn't say anything to her.
__
Kouro, who was staring at the reporters' cameras, finally opened his mouth.
"I would first like to apologize for my hasty actions. I'm holding this press conference to express my condolences and apologies to the people out there who have lost their loved ones."
After saying that, Kouro then bowed his head deeply in front of the camera in front of billions of human eyes.
"I am truly sorry."
After bowing his head for a while he then raised his head again and said with a sad expression.
"I know my apology is of no use to you out there, people who are gone in the end will never come back. I also have people I care about... That is my grandfather, unfortunately... He's gone now, so I understand how you feel."
'Lies.'
Kouro heard his inner voice in his mind.
Every time he said the words of condolence, his inner voice always said the same thing, 'Lies'.
The words he was spitting out now were just to deceive himself that he was the one suffering.
Even though Kouro himself knew, 30% of the world's population who died indirectly died because of him.
If he was not here, the Herrscher of the End would not have risen and wreaked havoc on mankind and destroyed the earth.
Thinking of the title of hero that humanity had given him… made him want to vomit.
After saying his final condolences and hearing his final inner voice.
Kouro closed his eyes for a moment, he was silent for a long time before opening his eyes again revealing his discolored eyes with his irises the sheen of silvery iridescent prisms and his pupils the shape of bright purple rectangular stars.
[Herrscher form: Herrscher of Salvation!]
The cameramen, no, everyone staring at Kouro felt their breath catch.
"Those who can hear my voice, raise your heads to the sky."
Kouro's voice was not loud but everyone's expression changed as they heard Kouro's voice from within their minds.
They did not know that all humans from all corners of the earth raised their heads to the sky with a surprised expression.
"I will pay my last respects to those who have passed on, they were brave and their names will always be remembered. Now, think of the name of your loved one and stretch your hand forward."
Kouro's voice could now make people unconsciously follow his orders happily.
People from all over the world stretched out their hands, closed their eyes and remembered the name of their loved ones who had passed away.
Simultaneously after opening their eyes, they saw a lantern in their hands that had the name of the person they were thinking of.
With shocked expressions, the people who owned the television turned their heads and looked at their TVs to see Kouro.
...
Kouro also had a lantern in his hand marked with Ashborn's name. He looked at the lantern and said, "May they rest in peace."
After that he released the lantern in his hand.
People then followed suit and released the lanterns in their hands letting them fly into the sky.
The lanterns strangely began to gather led by the lantern released by Kouro and flew up to the ceiling into starlight.
People watching the beautiful scene immortalized it by photographing and recording it, and some even painted it.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the lanterns in the sky, unaware that Kouro had disappeared from the camera.
It was the last time Kouro was seen in the eyes of the world.
(E/D: Back to canon.)