The hero's last visit

The Young hero had come back to my hall again and again over the years. He managed to eventually fight me a total of 14 times in the past uhhh years? He grew up and eventually grew out a beard so I assume its been some time. I suppose the young hero was no longer a young hero if he grew up. He came back with a few dozen different swords, hammers and even a whip.

The time span in which he would come back would always increase though. This was by far my longest wait yet though. I meditated while waiting it wasn't like I would stop getting stronger. With most of my strengths being supernatural I never really hit a cap or wall with my training. So the constant motion of regulating my crafted energy I would get stronger over time.

I didn't really interact with any servants or other people so the hall was always so quiet until the hero would show up... In his past visits he had brought food with him, I didn't really need to eat, but he brought it anyway. Apparently he had found that Sarah girl too, she wasn't dead just kidnapped. She became his wife and had kids, that was what he told me last time he visited. Now that I think of it though the hero seemed weaker on his last visit...

I perked up when I heard the echo of footsteps. Though there was what sounded like three feet...No it was a weapon. I jumped from my throne and prepared myself. Returning to my original form with my exoskeleton. As soon as I saw the hero though I retracted slightly..."Young hero is that you?"

A man with no hair and a long white beard stepped into my hall with a cane causing the echo. I had thought it was a weapon, but the man could barely walk with it. "Ah Himmernick! Good to see you one last time."

"One last time? OH! You have enough strength to fight me?"

"Hahaha....No I am too old for that now. Old age caught up with me quickly, you don't age do you oh Demon king?"

"I-I don't no...Old age, wh-where had..."

"The time gone? God I don't even know. I'm not really a young hero anymore."

I released my form back to my humanoid state, I fell back in my throne. Unsure of what to say, I had never even thought that, that the hero would age like this. "Don't feel so down, I was still a hero. Most monsters became legends and those that hadn't are dead. They will likely boom in numbers again, but there will be people who can stop them now."

"Now? other than you?"

"Yes, I had taught many students. Though i can no longer teach and my Sarah had passed away recently." "Ah...I see."

The now old hero looked at me, "Don't look so glum you bum. I got two things for you. The first is a prophecy."

"A prophecy?" I wasn't a superstitious type, but I had heard of some accurate prophets before.

"The prophecy is that would would meet your match in about 1394 years, 3 months 12 days and 4 hours."

"Wow that's specific."

"Indeed! That fortune teller was a surprising one. Anyway, you waited what 300 years for me and then fought me for another 80? You can wait that long can't you?"

"If I couldn't I wouldn't be who i am now. Hmmm, you said you had something else?"

The old hero tapped his cane once and pulled a wicked blade from its base. The blade was clearly some holy blade, but mixed with something dangerous... I smiled, "So it is a fight then!"

"Indeed EN GUARD!" The old hero was surprisingly spry. From what I had heard most his age would be slow and shaky. However this was likely his best yet. His speed caught me off guard and I had to dodge a few dozen swings of the blade. It grazed my cheek and the cut lingered.

The cut wouldn't heal! i was excited! I readied my exoskeleton, "Let's see if you can cut me now shall we?"

"HA! So we SHALL!" The blade clashed with my arm and bounced away however i could feel pain through it. That sword was a strong one, but it would break like all the others soon enough. The old hero dodged and weaved my series of punches I shattered wall and floor around me with each strike. However the old hero managed to dodge each with precise accuracy just barely moving in time.

The blade he wielded slashed through the pillars of my hall , except each time it hit me it would clatter and ring with a echo. The old hero was growing tired I had yet to use more strength. It seemed he had gotten faster in his age, but weaker as well. Making my previous peak of power for him fail to come out. Though I was still impressed, as i could barely catch him. Eventually I made a solid punch to his stomach. He hit the throne breaking it slightly. However it had embraced his fallen form.

The old hero didn't get up, but he wasn't dead. "Ha! It seems I still haven't seen you true strength all this time. In fact you made your punches weaker didn't you?"

I released my armor and walked over, "It isn't my fault you humans seem to grow frail...Though I suppose this is it."

The old hero looked up at me, I could see a single tear in his eye. "I suppose it is...Please show me your full power. I wish to see it before I go..."

"Of course, you deserve that much." I changed once more, but this time my exoskeleton thickened and hardened. Small spikes and nodes formed in places my exoskeleton growing in detail. I could feel my energy envelop me. A deep navy blue hue wrapped around me. After that it was simple to strike him down.

Except he spoke one last time, "Goodbye, monster. May you find defeat in the future..."

"Goodbye, young hero." He smiled as his life ended before I had even struck him down.