I love time travel the most!

As Kobayashi shouted, Aqua came running over, a mischievous smile on her face that didn't suit a goddess, and a surge of divine power emanating from her, looking eager to try.

"Holy Purification!"

That's it! ...No way.

As Aqua assumed a goddess pose, radiating light, and unleashed her skill from the tip of her staff, Darkness suddenly leaned back to dodge the attack.

"Wait, Darkness, don't move!"

The silly goddess was a little angry. She had finally managed to show off her skills in her goddess form and come to an end, but Barnier just wouldn't let her have her way.

He even pinned Kobayashi down.

—If Kobayashi hadn't stepped in in time, Aqua would have been the one pinned down.

The female knight, clad in heavy armor, did not feel any enjoyment; instead, she found it difficult to breathe.

Barnier's eyes emitted an eerie red light, and countless masked dolls reappeared on the ground, swarming towards them.

The other adventurers took up arms to defend themselves.

Kobayashi couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Barnier, are you trying to break the contract? If this keeps up, I'm going to do this and that to Wiz!"

The threatening words reached the ears of the Duke of Hell, who couldn't understand who the real demon was.

Barnier lowered his head and said, "I am a demon, an enemy of the gods. I have no desire to be purified. We must never be defeated by our nemesis in that way. Any other method will do!"

This guy is surprisingly stubborn.

Right.

After all, they are a demon and a goddess who can't stand each other. If Banir could be purified by Aqua so easily, he definitely wouldn't be able to accept it.

To outsiders, the two appeared to be wrestling, with Banir making a final struggle. However, the strength of the Demon King's military officer was not to be underestimated; the fact that he still had a way to fight back surprised the adventurers nearby.

"If that's the case, then let's try a different approach!"

As Xiaolin spoke, he used his feet, like a rabbit kicking an eagle, to send the female knight flying into the sky with a gentle force.

then--

"boom!"

His right fist gathered terrifying magical power, and as Darkness plummeted, it shot into the sky with unstoppable force, transforming into a massive pillar of light that illuminated the entire Axel.

By the way, it's just for show.

It has absolutely no lethality.

As Darkness, radiating heat, fell from the sky along with her fallen black and white mask, Kobayashi caught her, thus ending the battle against the Demon King's army officers.

The adventurers cheered enthusiastically from all around.

Kobayashi held the unconscious female knight in his arms, looking around at the burned-down lord's mansion, wondering if the lord had felt the warmth he was sending.

Chapter 282 Reincarnation of the Dirty Land

The day after the fight with Barnier.

Inside the mansion, everyone gathered together.

With a sorrowful expression, Kazuma Sato said, "Sacrifice is always inevitable on the journey to defeat the Demon King, and our companion—the Crusader Darkness—has completed her arduous yet brilliant life. Today, with hearts full of grief, we hold this farewell ceremony here to express our condolences. First..."

"Wait, wait... wait! Why are you saying that? I'm not dead yet! That's so mean, Kazuma! I don't like this kind of thing!"

Darkness was shouting loudly from the side.

Sato Kazuma's grief-stricken expression gradually subsided. He stared at the female knight sitting diagonally opposite him with dead fish eyes, and then let out a loud voice.

"Tsk!"

"Hey, Kazuma! You did this on purpose, didn't you!"

Darkness slammed his hand on the table.

The perverted knight was now full of energy, showing no trace of the miserable state she had been in when she was dominated by Banir. She even claimed that she maintained her self-awareness during Kobayashi's fight with Banir, though she simply didn't interfere.

After all, he is a crusader who worships a goddess, so his resistance is no joke.

Most importantly, Darkness seemed to really enjoy the thrill of challenging numerous adventurers on her own, especially the hostile and disdainful looks that excited her even more.

"You're not thinking about something strange, are you?"

"No, no, no, I didn't!"

"...Before saying that, at least wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth."

Kazuma Sato rolled his eyes at the perverted knight wiping his drool from his wrist. He wasn't hostile towards Darkness, or had any issues with him; he was simply annoyed.

Every time he does a mission, he's the only one who inexplicably gets into trouble and then dies inexplicably.

Even though he can revive every time, there seems to be a strange aura surrounding him that he can't clear the game unless he dies, forcibly forcing him to die.

So this time, Darkness was possessed by Barnier, and he wanted Barnier to experience the same pain he had felt back then.

It was definitely not because of the incompetent knight's outstanding performance that he felt unnecessary jealousy.

Well, absolutely not.

Just as he was convincing himself to nod subconsciously, he saw the silly goddess across from him drawing on the table with water from her cup.

The exquisite work of art moved him to say, "...How should I put it, you really can show extraordinary talent when you do things like this that don't seem to have any particular meaning."

"Is there even a question? Who do you take me for?"

Aqua proudly puffed out her chest and raised her head, then casually sketched out the masterpiece.

—This is what Kobayashi looked like when he defeated Barnier.

The painting is very dynamic.

Honestly, if it could be photocopied, it could be sold as an advertising poster.

Aqua scoffed, "Hmph, I am Aqua, the goddess of water! What is such a trivial matter as long as there is water to use?"

Kazuma Sato said instinctively, "If you used the title of 'God of Entertainers,' maybe some people would actually follow you."

The sigh was tinged with deep sarcasm.

It's hard now, it's hard now, my fist is hard!

When Aqua heard him say such foolish things, she really wanted to punch him hard in the jaw with her holy fist, but being a magnanimous goddess, she wouldn't do such a thing.

It's definitely not because Kazuma Sato's counterattack was more terrifying.

Well, absolutely not.

Besides, the rest of the team are always causing trouble, so at least she, as the goddess, should take responsibility and look after everyone.

Just as Aqua was thinking this, Kazuma Sato's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "I say, you're probably thinking about something strange right now, aren't you? Why are you looking at me with that pitying look? Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm not deliberately picking a fight. Besides, being looked at like that by you just makes me feel a little uncomfortable."

"...Tsk."

The idiot goddess clicked her tongue loudly.

She had just begun to project a goddess-like image when Kazuma Sato came to her rudely and undermine her, so it would be strange if she wasn't happy.

Ignoring the goddess's worsening mood, Kazuma Sato turned his attention to Megumin, who was tending to her pet in the corner of the sofa.

The little girl has been like this since yesterday, listless and spacing out all day, I don't know what she's thinking.

It's probably because it wasn't put to any use.

The composition of this team is incredibly bizarre. On the surface, the Knight of the Cross, the Archmage, the High Priest, and the Adventurer each have their own roles, making the team seem perfectly matched. But only after spending time with them can you understand just how strange the team really is.

Even so, Megumin has always been the team's ace. From blowing up the headless knight, a high-ranking officer of the Demon King's army, and intercepting the mobile fortress destroyer, to blowing up the low-level monster giant toad and defeating the weak snow sprite, the little girl always performs exceptionally well.

...Let's just call it a superior performance.

But this time she couldn't help at all.

The dungeon setting restricted the use of explosive magic, and the fact that the Demon King's officers had taken control of their companions' bodies left her helpless.

Huihui is like a supporting character.

It's like a bonsai tree standing in a corner of the stage, out of the light, without any lines.

This caused the little girl to experience a great sense of loss.

No!

As the most sensible person in this team, I must be the most competitive!

Huihui revealed a resolute expression.

Mame-no-suke jumped onto the table and ran towards Sato Kazuma.

Perhaps it was because Kazuma always fed it that it became addicted to the food, and it became very attached to Kazuma.

Kazuma Sato took Mamenosuke and couldn't help but say, "This guy seems to be inexplicably clinging to me. He doesn't want to get close to Aqua at all, and neither does Kobayashi-senpai. Could it be that animals can instinctively tell whose heart is the purest?... Yes, that must be it!"

"Wait a minute! Because Kazuma has always suffered so much because of everyone, I was magnanimous and thought I would be nice to you out of pity, but I can't pretend I didn't hear what you just said! According to what you just said, it sounds like my sacred heart is impure!"

Aqua, the water goddess who can purify all liquids into pure water, has something to say!

Kazuma Sato said disdainfully, "I was indeed saying that your heart is impure!...Wait a minute."

He suddenly thought of the silly goddess's naivety, and that this could be considered another kind of purity of heart.

"What do you mean by 'naively foolish'? You're an idiot!"

"...Oh no, did I accidentally say it out loud?"

Aqua, her hair standing on end, grabbed Kazuma Sato by the neck and shook him back and forth as if trying to shake his brains more evenly.

Seeing the two wrestling, Mame no Suke quickly ran back into Megumin's arms.

In a corner of the living room, Youyou was squatting there, her shoulders hunched and her head down, her index finger moving back and forth on the door frame of the wall, as if she was counting the patterns on it.

She was like this when she came back yesterday.

However, unlike Huihui who was disappointed that she wasn't useful, Youyou was shocked by the deal between Kobayashi and the Demon King's army officers.

The inexperienced next leader of the Crimson Demon Clan never expected such an extraordinary turn of events.

Making deals with the Demon King's army officers or something...