" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

Your POV:

"Finally found you guys. So, what is the plan moving forward now ?"

Mitsurugi: Wh- Where were you this whole time ?

"I was just... taking a walk. A very enthusiastic walk. And with what a few charred steaks told me on my way here, I think there's but one room left at the end of this hall. Thus my question: What's the plan ?"

Kazuma: Well, we've achieved our original purpose of bringing Aqua back. We could just use Yunyun and my spell to Teleport back home, but...

Mitsurugi: What are you saying after having come this far ? The Demon King, the enemy of all humanity is right before us. With the majority of the Demon King's army away attacking the capital, there's no way we will get another chance like this. We can put an end to the war between the Demon King and humanity right now.

"For once, I agree. I have him quite literally at gunpoint, and you want us to leave without pulling the trigger ?"

Aqua: Ouch ! Ow- ow- ow- ow ! It really hurts ! Hey, why are the two of you pulling at my cheeks ? This is an emotional reunion, so shouldn't you be hugging me and saying stuff like "I was so worried about you" ?! Ow- ow- ow, it really hurts !

Kazuma: Well, listen up. The barrier that surrounded this castle was blasted apart by Megumin. Thanks to her, we can attack this castle at any time. Let's leave the rest to the Belzerg's knights, the cheat-holders, and the Crimson Demons.

"Oh, so she did destroy the barrier in the end ? Even the whole Crimson demon clan couldn't make a dent in it."

kazuma: That's right. i'm sure you felt the castle shake under the force of a barrage of Explosions, right ? That was actually fired by megumin whith the help of a ton of Manatite-

Megumin: K- Kazuma, don't say anything anymore...

Yunyun: S- So that wasn't an attack by the Demon King, but you... Megumin, you let loose with your magic despite knowing that we were in the castle... ! You're horrible ! Are you really my friend !? I can't believe you tried to bury us along with the Demon King !

Megumin: T- That's not it ! It's just, I got a gift back then, and various other things happened, so I got a little too excited... !

Aqua: hey, darkness, I don't mind you rubbing my head. I really don't mind, but it kinda hurts when you do that while wearing gauntlets ! I apologize for running away from home, so please forgive me !

"Yeah, that's something I wanted to ask, what's with that dark paladin-type getup you have, Darkness ? And... Why were you half-naked when I got here ?"

Darkness: ... Kazuma...

"For the first point or the second one ?"

Darkness: B- Both.

"Not surprising."

Followers: ... So, what are we going to do ? Are we going ahead ? Well, I'll follow you wherever you go, Kyouya. I came here for Kyouya's sake, too. We'll die together, Kyouya. I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth...

Mitsurugi: ... Aqua-sama, what do you think we should do ?

Aqua: Me ? ... Well, if we could easily take out the Demon King, I would do it, but after meeting up with everyone... Umm... I kinda don't feel very motivated...

"I do !"

Kazuma: Right, let's go home then. We can come back next time with better preparations and a better plan. For starters, now that the barrier is down, I can set a teleport point in front of the castle and bring Megumin here every day to launch an Explosion on it-

Mitsurugi: Wait, Satou Kazuma, there's no reason for the Demon King to remain in this castle now that the barrier is down. There's a high chance that he will hide out in a dungeon somewhere and waylay knights and adventurers until he gathers enough Generals to establish the barrier. With that in mind, I really don't think we should let this chance slip by.

"... Okay, he does have a point with that. In these circumstances, a smart leader would hide somewhere remote and gather its strength to launch a counterattack. If we just let him go, he'll come back stronger and more prepared next time."

Darkness: Hey, Kazuma, I'm done with chastising Aqua, so now it's your turn ! I can't believe you embarrassed me like that in front of so many people ! What is with that ill-fitting armor ! Hurry up and strip already !

Kazuma: Oh ? It looked like you were enjoying it... Ow-ow-ow-ow ! Stop it, I'm sorry ! Don't trap me in a joint lock while I'm wearing armor, my bones are creaking !

Mitsurugi: You were the one who dragged Aqua-sama to this world, right ? Despite that, you're giving up on taking down the Demon King ? Isn't it only proper for you to risk your life to take out the Demon King and deliver her back to Heaven ? That should be your responsibility.

"... To be fair, I think he risked and even lost his life enough times already. What about you ? With that cheat sword of yours, how many times exactly did you 'risk your life' ? How many times were you properly at a life-or-death struggle against an opponent overwhelmingly stronger than you ? Why don't you show how much you care for Aqua, go defeat the Demon King, and then use your wish to send her back to Heaven ?"

Kazuma: ... He has really bad taste.

Mitsurugi: Dammit, you're still like this ! And here I thought we would be able to become friends and reach an understanding if we defeat the Demon King together ! H-Hey, what is this skill !? I feel like I'm losing strength...

Kazuma: I have plenty of male friends in Axel ! I would only come off as a sidekick if I hang around someone like you ! Go somewhere else !

Aqua: ... Umm, I've been having fun every day since I came here, and I don't mind being here at all, you know ?

Mitsurugi: ... then, why did you leave town ?

Aqua: I just wanted to feel what it was like to run away from home... You know, I kinda wanted to punish those who've forgotten how important I am by leaving town for a bit. So how did it go ? What did the people in town say about me ? Were they worried ?

Megumin: Of course they were worried about you. You still get lost in that town even after living there for more than a year, so there's no way you can travel alone. Before we left town, the adventurers told Kazuma to make sure to bring you back before teaching him all of their skills. If it weren't for the attack that the Demon King's army had planned for Axel, I'm sure most of them would have come with us.

Aqua: Oh, is that what they call "Tsundere" ? They always act so cold, but now look at them... Well, I guess there's no helping it ! Let's go home, Kazuma !

Mitsurugi: ... Very well, if Aqua-sama says so, this time, we will...

"... You're the party leader. But i'm keeping my Death Star stationed above the castle. Or are you really planning to just go home like that~ ?"

Kazuma: ... Hey, do you know what "Opportunity makes a thief" means ? Oh, stop grinning at me like that, you three. It's just... After trading almost my entire fortune for manatite, i'm almost broke.

"Sucks to be you. Almost everything I make is immediately used for the public use projects."

Kazuma: I know that, so I've been wondering... Just how much is the Demon king's head worth ?

Kazuma: Okay, so everyone remember the plan ?

"Darkness draws the enemies' attention, Mitsurugi and Yunyun are our main damage dealers, the spearwoman acts as the rear guard while the thief provides support..."

Followers: H- hey, we have names !

"Yeah, well you never said them to me, so blame yourselves for that one."

Follower: It's-

"Wait, I seem to have stopped caring. So Aqua will heal anyone who get wounded, and by some miracle, Megumin accepted to stay at the back and be a trump card."

Kazuma: And you...

"Yes, I wait for an opening and then go death Star on his ass."

Mitsurugi: You are really underhanded, you know? Between our duel and that sneak attack you pulled off earlier, I'm starting to think that you just hate a head-on fight. You've been boasting about how you beat me to the four corners of the world, so it'll reflect badly on me if you keep using such underhanded methods...

Kazuma: This isn't underhanded, I'm just being prudent. Plus, there are fights that are worth taking even if I end up getting branded as a devious lowlife. After all, this battle would decide the fate of humanity... !

Aqua: ... Kazuma is saying all that, but he's been pretty underhanded in all the battles we've fought so far, hasn't he ?

Megumin: Shh ! You shouldn't say that, Aqua ! he's acting cool just before the battle with the Demon King !

Darkness: yeah, don't press him on that; What will we do if he throws a tantrum and teleports home without us ?

Mitsurugi: Everyone, please listen to me. It's been hard fighting making it this far. What awaits us is a battle that will decide the fate of humanity...

Aqua: Kazuma-san, Kazuma-san, are we really doing this ? After everything, we have gotten a little stronger, so we can just earn money the usual way. Defeating the Demon King to get rich in one shot doesn't seem like you, as cowardly and cautious as you are.

Kazuma: ...Who exactly was the one who said all that stuff about defeating the Demon King in the first place ? I'm giving you a good telling off once we get home. At the end of the day, you do want to go back to Heaven, right ? Then, let us defeat the Demon King, gain the right to go back to Heaven whenever you want, then live your life happily after that. Putting on a brave front here or forcing yourself to go on is a death flag, so just do things normally. Especially you, you often do stuff that triggers death flags, so be careful.

Aqua: Kazuma, I think I had enough, so let's go home. I miss Emperor Zell too, so let's go home. I can enjoy a glass of delicious wine while letting your lectures wash over me, so... Let's go home ?

Kazuma: Oh shut up ! Even if you are fine with it, I'm not ! If I don't make it such that I can return you to Heaven at any time, it's really going to weigh on me if anything happens !

Aqua: What do you mean by return, you Tsundere NEET ?! Can't you be honest for once in your life ?!

Mitsurugi: Fio, Clemea, there's no need to be tense. Even if we lose here, we can always get stronger and come back for another go. I know the two of you are getting worried about plateauing and sneaking out to various places to train... Thank you for sticking by me all this time. Let's defeat the Demon King and go home together !

Kazuma: Hey, Aqua, you know the plan, right? The moment someone dies, we'll retrieve the body and teleport out immediately. Don't go out there and revive them on instinct, you hear ? If you get downed while reviving someone, we'll all be done for. Don't revive them until we teleport to a safe place. You got that ?

Aqua: You don't need to tell me that over and over again. Just trust me... But, Kazuma, I have a really bad feeling about this. And not just the usual bad feeling about you dying like a lemming, but something that can't be reversed...

Kazuma: You idiot, don't say any more! Why do you like hoisting death flags so much !? Just listen to me for once in your life. No matter who dies, don't go out in front. Just support us from somewhere safe. As long as you are alive, we'll be able to pull through as long as we have the bodies. Do you understand ?

"Well then, I believe we're all set. Regardless what happens, this is our one and only chance !"

*F-TWOOOOOOOM*

"Demon King, prepare thyself to taste defeat-"

???: CURSED LIGHTNING !!

???: CURSED LIGHTNING !!

???: CURSED LIGHTNING !!

*SCHBROOOOOOOOOM*