"Everyone!"
Standing on a high platform, Shilph brought Satou Kazuma and Megumin to his side.
"The man standing before me is named Satou Kazuma!"
With one hand over his heart and the other raised to the sky, Shilph declared passionately, "Just now, this young man expressed his intentions to me—he wishes to marry Megumin!"
"If that is so, we shall test this love with a trial!"
"We shall see if this man named Satou Kazuma is worthy of entrusting our clan member's future to him!"
Pointing behind him, Shilph shouted, "Let this Demon King Army serve as the touchstone for this man's strength!"
"Here, we shall witness the birth of a true hero!!!"
"Ohhhhh!!!"
Excited cheers erupted from the Crimson Demon villagers, dressed in their various eccentric outfits. They looked up at Kazuma with anticipation and cheered loudly to encourage him.
"Young man! Don't give up! No mere monsters can stand in the way of your love!"
"My soul, as clear as a mirror, bears witness to your sincerity!"
Waving to the crowd below, Kazuma smiled as he held Megumin's hand. "I'll be right back."
"Mm." Megumin nodded gently, her voice soft. "I'll wait for you."
With a grin and a thumbs-up, Kazuma leapt toward the Demon King Army.
"Megumin, Megumin."
In the crowd that surged onto the platform, a few young girls gathered around Megumin. A petite girl with twin tails tugged on Megumin's clothes, her face full of curiosity.
"Megumin, how did you manage to find a boyfriend?"
Blushing, Megumin looked at her former classmates, a victorious smile spreading across her face.
"Of course, it's because I'm the strongest and cutest mage of the Crimson Demons!"
Puffing out her chest slightly, Megumin teased, "Funifura, you still don't have a boyfriend, do you? Want me to introduce you to someone~?"
"No way!"
Raising her arms dramatically, Funifura lifted one leg into a crane stance and tilted her head upward.
"I'll never lose to a mere Explosion Mage like you, Megumin! One day, I'll find the perfect boyfriend."
"But…" Blushing slightly, Funifura turned her head and muttered, "Since you're so eager to help, I'll give you a chance. So… give me his contact info."
"Pfft~!"
"Hahaha!"
Holding her stomach, Megumin doubled over with laughter as Funifura's face turned a deeper shade of red.
"You know, Funifura~," Megumin teased, "from what I've learned recently, this behavior of yours is called being a tsundere."
"Megumin!"
Funifura's crimson eyes sparkled with a mix of embarrassment and anger as she lunged at Megumin, her hands aiming for her underarms.
"How dare you mock me! Take this!"
"Hahaha~!"
Megumin's laughter twisted into cries for mercy as Funifura's hands tickled her sides.
"Funifura, you're cheating! How can you use such a dastardly move?! Let me go!"
"No way!"
Clinging to Megumin's back, Funifura grumbled, "I can't believe you're about to get engaged while I still don't even have a boyfriend! It's so unfair!"
"All right, all right."
Separating the two, Arue, wearing her signature red eyepatch, smiled warmly at Megumin.
"Welcome back, Megumin."
"You've been away for so long, and everyone's been worried."
"Mm." Megumin looked up at Arue and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry for worrying everyone."
"But…" Turning to watch Kazuma face the Demon King Army with a blissful expression, Megumin added softly, "I'm very happy. Truly happy."
Below, Kazuma listened to the cheering behind him, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"If they're welcoming me so enthusiastically, then I should give them an equally lively show in return."
Hovering high above the ground, Kazuma surveyed the vast Demon King Army below. Extending his hand, he began to chant.
"The convergence of wind and gold, a torrent of cyan and gold flows through the heavens and earth."
His dark eyes shimmered with cyan-gold light as a magnificent longbow materialized in his hand. Grasping the bowstring, woven from wind and gold, Kazuma pulled it taut.
In the sky, torrents of cyan and gold energy gathered, illuminating the battlefield.
"The arrow that pierces the stars will shine with the light of dawn, bringing new hope to the despair of the night."
The cyan-gold arrow solidified. With steely resolve, Kazuma aimed at the fleeing Demon King Army below.
"Don't run! Bring me my trial!"
"Sniping!!!"
The arrow shot forth, flooding the sky with cyan-gold brilliance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Explosions erupted across the battlefield as the Demon King Army was scattered like dandelion fluff in the wind.
Looking down at the thoroughly devastated battlefield, Kazuma's expression turned melancholic as he dismissed the longbow. Glancing at the remaining arrows in the sky, he sighed.
"Forget it. Let's call the rest fireworks. If any of you survive, consider it your lucky day."
With a casual wave, Kazuma turned and began to float back toward the platform.
Meanwhile, deep underground, Sylvia, the head of the Demon King Army's Monster Enhancement Division, was desperately fleeing. As a synthesis beast capable of fusing with objects to gain their abilities, she had instinctively realized the danger when Kazuma summoned the bow.
Without hesitation, she used her earth-fusion abilities to burrow deeper into the ground, fleeing as far as possible.
Feeling the tremors subside, Sylvia shed tears of humiliation. Although she was used to being beaten by the Crimson Demons during attacks, this defeat was unprecedented. Before her forces could even complete their first charge, they had been annihilated by a single human who wasn't even part of the Crimson Demons.
Clenching her teeth, Sylvia recalled the camaraderie she once shared with her subordinates. Her eyes burned with anger.
"I will find the forbidden weapon hidden in the Crimson Demon Village and avenge my beloved troops!!!"
Boom!
A brilliant light engulfed Sylvia. Her fiery determination vanished as she was erased from existence.
"Oh dear~."
Scratching his head, Shilph smiled wryly at the villagers beside him.
"It seems our Demon King Army attack tour project won't be happening anymore."
"But it looks like we can start preparing for the Abyss Exploration Project instead."