Before Kōichi could finish planning how to swoop in and claim the easy rewards, Darkness let out a delighted gasp. Her entire body became a golden meteor as she leaped from the city wall more than ten meters above the ground.
She landed squarely in the densest formation of the Demon King's Army. Her greatsword swings were hopelessly inaccurate, but the perverse aura radiating from her, practically screaming, "Trample me! Attack me all you want!" somehow brought the Beastmen's charge to a halt.
"Look! That's the daughter of the Dustiness family! As expected of a model noble of the kingdom, she charged into the enemy formation all by herself!"
The Knights on the wall were fired up by the sight. They drew their swords and roared.
"Charge! We cannot let that noble lady fight alone!"
Meanwhile, Aqua finally displayed some professional responsibility as a Goddess when she saw the wounded sprawled across the city wall.
She raised her staff, her entire body radiating sacred aqua-blue light that made everyone want to kneel before her.
"Lowly humans, accept this Goddess's blessing with gratitude! Heal! Group Heal!"
A vast shower of healing light rained down. The wounded, who had been screaming in agony moments before, instantly sprang back to their feet. Even severed legs were reattached on the spot.
"Ooh! It's a miracle! That blue-haired Arch Priest must be a saint reborn!"
The Adventurers erupted in cheers, and their morale soared.
Just as the Demon King's Army realized the battle was turning against them and began to retreat, an elite unit of one hundred Beastmen attempted to break through on the flank.
Megumin had already climbed to the highest point of the city wall, her black cloak snapping wildly in the wind.
"Crimson of the abyss, flames of the end... In my name, let all creation return to nothingness! Explosion!!"
BOOM—!!
A massive mushroom cloud rose from the flank of the battlefield. The elite unit was reduced to dust before any of them could even scream.
The shockwave made the city wall tremble three times, and everyone fell silent before the terrifying display of power.
"S-She's too strong... Is that little girl from the Crimson Demon Clan some kind of monster?"
"Wait, look! That tank Knight, that saintly Priest, and that Explosion Wizard... They all seem to belong to the same Party!"
"Is that the legendary elite Party from Axel?! They're the saviors of the kingdom!"
Amid the near-frenzied praise, Kōichi and Kazuma Satou stood out awkwardly in a corner of the city wall.
Kōichi was holding the stationery he had stolen the night before, preparing to record The Brilliant Strategic Decisions of Commander Kōichi. Kazuma, meanwhile, was about to use Lurk to slip onto the battlefield and search for valuable loot.
The two froze in their suspicious poses as the surrounding looks of admiration pricked their faces like needles.
"Hey, Kōichi..."
Kazuma stiffly turned his head and lowered his voice, his tone filled with indescribable embarrassment.
"Everyone's staring at us. They seem to think we're the central leaders of this superhuman Party... Should we jump down and swing our swords around a few times, just to keep up appearances?"
Kōichi looked down at Darkness, who was being surrounded and beaten by the Demon King's Army while visibly enjoying herself. Then he glanced at Aqua, who stood with her hands on her hips, basking in the worship with her nose practically pointed toward the sky. Finally, he looked at Megumin, who had collapsed flat on the ground like a sheet of paper after casting Explosion.
Feeling the almost tangible admiration of the surrounding Knights, Kōichi realized that if he kept loitering there with his stationery, his title of "national hero" might soon become "parasite clinging to the heroes."
"You're right, Kazuma. Those three women have already built the stage for us. If we don't go out for the curtain call, we might not get our share of the reward."
Kōichi lowered his voice and scanned the chaotic battlefield. His gaze eventually settled on a dog-headed man riding a giant wolf at the rear of the Demon King's Army, dressed in an extravagant cape.
The creature was waving a rusty scimitar set with large red gemstones while furiously berating the retreating soldiers.
Despite its fierce appearance, its shifty canine eyes darted around anxiously. It looked exactly like the sort of spoiled second-generation commander who bullied the weak, feared the strong, and held a high position despite being low-level.
"See that dog-headed man, Kazuma? That's our first-class military achievement. Look at how cowardly he is. I bet even you could take him out with a sliding tackle."
Kōichi pointed at the target, a wicked smile curling across his lips.
Kazuma followed his finger, and his eyes immediately lit up.
"Ooh! That cape! That gem-encrusted scimitar! That guy must be loaded! Kōichi, cover me while I sneak over using [Lurk]. We split everything evenly. No, wait, I get sixty percent and you get forty!"
"Stop talking and catch him first! All troops, heed my command!"
Kōichi suddenly drew the command baton he had stolen and roared at the remaining guards below the wall.
"For Her Highness Iris! For justice! We shall carry out the final decapitation strike! Everyone, cover me!"
Kōichi leaped from the wall. Although the drop was only a little over three meters, he still stumbled when he landed.
He immediately formed hand seals with both hands. To disguise the fact that he and Kazuma were simply trying to steal an easy victory, he began chanting at the top of his lungs.
"Feel my fury! [Breath of the Wind]! [Dust in the Air]!"
A fierce gale instantly swept across the battlefield, throwing clouds of sand and dust into the air. Visibility disappeared, and the already chaotic rear lines of the Demon King's Army were completely blinded.
"Now, Kazuma!"
Using the swirling dust as cover, Kazuma activated [Lurk] and vanished into the shadows like a nimble rat.
Kōichi gripped his staff and struck the pose of a peerless master, his figure flickering through the dust as he charged toward the dog-headed commander.
However, just as Kōichi drew close and prepared to knock the walking cash machine unconscious with a blow to the back of the head, the seemingly weak dog-headed man abruptly stopped shouting.
An eerie red light flashed through its murky canine eyes. Its giant wolf mount let out a low growl, and an overwhelming surge of magical power exploded outward.
"Awooo!! You lowly insects! Do you truly believe that dressing like heroes gives you the right to challenge the great Shadow of the Hellhound, Garlu?!"
The dog-headed man's previously small body suddenly doubled in size. Black magical flames ignited along its rusty scimitar, and a casual swing unleashed a blade of energy powerful enough to tear apart the ground.
Kōichi's smile froze.
As the terrifying pressure bore down on him, he screamed inwardly.
This bastard isn't some spoiled second-generation weakling at all! He's a vanguard officer of the Demon King's Army who was hiding his true power!!
"Hey! Kazuma! Retreat! This guy's cheating!!"
At that moment, Kazuma had just revealed himself behind the enemy, preparing to use [Assassination].
Then he saw an enormous wolf paw descending straight toward his head...