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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/38138
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

_Note: my story is for a video game, but that should hopefully be irrelevant to the question itself._

Our heroes spent a long time fighting their way to the evil demon king. The hopes of all the people in the land rest on their shoulders. If they fail, the entire universe will be destroyed! So after a long journey, the heroes finally confront the demon king! A lot has been building up to this battle of epic proportions, one that would be a worthy climax. One hard-fought battle later, the heroes emerge victorious! The villain has been defeated and peace returns to the land.

Except not quite...

It turns out the heroes didn't _fully_ defeat the demon king yet. After many years, the demon king was reportedly seen lurking around in the nearby mountains, but there is no sight of his army. Reluctantly, the heroes perpare themselves for another battle, to put an end to the demon king once and for all.

_(Note: to put things into perspective a bit, this whole "after climax" portion takes up about 1/20 of the overall story. People know they are getting close to the end.)_

Despite their victory, the heroes didn't walk away unscathed. Their victory was never assured, and they had a lot of doubts. They were overall less powerful than the demon king and they won with some luck. Many of them sustained injuries that never healed, both physically and mentally. When it comes down to it, _all_ of them wished they didn't have to fight the terrifyingly powerful and brutal demon king. But someone had to do it. They had to put their fear behind.

All the heroes moved on, some of them even started families, but they realize they had to fight the demon king once again. They prepare themselves for the worst, a battle even more damaging than the last. They go and find the demon king in the mountains and are terrified to discover his new final form!

The demon king is in a shriveled up state, just a shell of his former self. He is just a walking corpse at this point, unable to return to his glory and unable to die on his own. He can't leave this place and he couldn't hurt a fly if he tried. He was waiting for the heroes to finally put him out of his misery, having seen the error of his ways and wishing he never started his campaign of terror. He had many years to reflect on his actions and showed remorse. The heroes almost didn't recognize the former tyrant. Eagerly, he was awaiting his end. Reluctantly, the heroes grant him his last wish.

* * *

Now finally onto the question itself! The above is a **very** simplified version of what I have planned for my story. I want to know: is it a bad idea to tease the player/reader with another potentially even bigger battle than the last, only to _disappoint_ them like that, especially when it's near the end of the story? They already had a climax after all, and showing what happened to the villain afterwards should hopefully allow to give the villain some character growth and close his character arc before he bites the dust and the story ends. Would this kind of surprise be more annoying than satisfying?

Original score: 6