Last chapter for 2020 and it feels rushed, despite the long wait.

Proofreading is minimal and I have no editor, so please excuse the drop in quality. I needed to get something out this week, because there won't be much opportunity for me to write in January.


Arcanretia has always stood as a city of tremendous craftsmanship. Over the centuries, the citizens had thrown fanatic zeal for their goddess Aqua into building the most beautiful metropolis imaginable, mostly to rub their splendor into the face of other faiths. Defensive measures had never been a huge issue since nobody in their right mind would attack the spiritual capital of the axis church and risk the wrath of the rabid followers.

The new management changed that during the city expansion. All the new monster converts needed a place to stay and were more than happy to put all of their power into making it a reality. Not only did the city grow to four times its original size in barely a week, the new perimeter also had the largest walls ever made surrounding them.

Those walls had patrols at all times and had doubled in numbers ever since the royal army showed up. Only one part was left unguarded today to give two confidants of Pontiff Kazuma some privacy. No guard would have wanted to get close to crimson demons on any occasions.

Even for the most die-hard monsters, the smaller one was just bizarre to watch.

I am Megumin!

By righteous anger be judged in hot blood from my crimson veins.

Blindness to my greatness brought you before me.

Foolishness keeps you from running against absolute power.

Where the devil smiles and the gods weep is no place for mere mortals.

Explo-

An electrically charged finger flicked the posing mage behind the ear. Regardless how devastating Megumin's spell could be, Yunyun knew how easily her concentration could be broken.

The overblown theatrics weren't helping either to be efficient, although it made the task of keeping her in line much easier.

"The hell, Yunyun?!" Megumin rubbed her red ear and scowled at her friend. "What is your deal?"

She had granted Megumin a couple explosions as warning shots before cutting the girl off and Yunyun now entered the stage where she regretted allowing this indulgence. "Stop making trouble for others with your nonsense. Kazuma wouldn't want you making things worse while he's away."

Sometimes Yunyun wondered if she was born with a birth defect named common sense that made her different to all the other people of her clan. Her friend genuinely couldn't see the problem of blasting her signature spell at a nervous and trigger-happy army. None of their clan would have and it annoyed her for as long as she could remember.

"Every genuine crimson demon would be as eager to flaunt their powers. What kind of fraud are you not to feel anything from this target?"

Megumin hit the nail on the head. Rationality made her feel alien among peers.

"I really don't give a shit what people think about me." Yunyun said, her thoughts flavoring the tone bitter.

"You have changed."

Megmin wasn't only talking about Yunyun's newfound confidence and attitude. The physical appearance of her old, reclusive friend also had changed leaps and bounds. This Yunyun sat with pride swelled chest and straddle-legged in her tight tank top and black mini skirt, not giving a damn who might get a peek. On their way through town to get on top of the wall, all attention of male passerbys had been solely fixated on the bodily more gifted crimson demon.

"It's all because of Kazuma's effort and patience. I wouldn't have come this far without him."

Unfortunately, Megumin knew her friend only had one specific guy on her mind. "Do you really love him that much?"

"I struggle to name a person who means more to me than him."

Megumin didn't know how to reply. She had no right to lecture Yunyun about falling in love with somebody for weird reasons. All that mattered to her at the beginning was Kazuma's acceptance to join his party. Any party would have done at this point in her life when she struggled to even get food on the table.

Desperation had driven Megumin to cling to this boy, who bought her a meal when he barely had any money in his pocket. The same boy had let her stay after barely any convincing and despite all his grumblings, nothing stopped Kazuma from dropping her at any time. He accompanied her to explosion walks with the same amount of protest every time, but showed genuine interest in her passion to the point his knowledge about explosions was on par with hers.

Then he had died against the Winter Shogun and something inside her almost had too.

Nothing in her life had hurt more as those few minutes in a world where she had lost him.

Then he came back as if nothing had changed, strong enough to be independent from anyone. And yet he stayed with this dysfunctional party, using his newfound power to make all of their lives better, including learning explosion magic and taking hers to the next level. Unpleasant attitude aside, his list of actions read like the accomplishments of a saint, which brought a nagging feeling to her mind she couldn't silence.

And Yunyun, perceptive as ever, managed to pinpoint the source of this feeling in a single question. "Why did you propose to share Kazuma? I was half-joking back then in the bath, but you seemed to be dead serious."

"Survival instinct," Megumin sighed and pulled her hat over the eyes. "Let's be honest, I wouldn't be the first he chose among us."

A sentiment the explosive wizard wholeheartedly believed to be true. What could she offer him in return what the others couldn't?

"A tall blonde with massive boobs and eager to do anything a perverted mind could come up. A literal goddess not only in body type, choosing him as her champion. And you, the sexier and less crazy version of me…" Megumin leaned on the stone balustrade and stared across the horizon, pessimistic thoughts running away with her. "I just come up short in comparison, so why not be grateful for what you can get, you know?"

Although they knew each other for years by now, Megumin realized three things at the same moment as the last word had gone past her lips.

First, Yunyun was at least a foot taller than her.

Second, her angry face was genuinely frightening.

And third, they both used the same scented soap.

Those things were hard not to notice with Yunyun getting up and right into her face, cornering the smaller girl against the wall with no way out. "I said no more nonsense! One more word of stupidity and I will zap you again!"

Before she could react, Yunyun pulled Megumin into her lap to sit and watch the view together with a softened expression. "You're not the type of person to act self-deprecating. The Megumin I know is the confident and tenacious type, louder and more bombastic than life itself. Why start now with this bullshit? I remember how everyone in our village ridiculed you for years and none of them ever managed to instill doubt in yourself."

The cuddled archwizard was too taken back to mention how she had been reprimanded five minutes ago for that exact behavior.

"That has been my shallow reason to be your friend." Yunyun admitted and shook with shame. "I clung to you in hope some of your courage would magically rub off on me, ignoring your own problems in the village."

The realization she wouldn't get her ass beat today relaxed Megumin into a comfy reclined position into her friend. "Who's corny now?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to be sincere here!" Yunyun said, her tone losing its sharp edge. "I didn't really care about you enough to get past how your friendship would benefit me. Kazuma showed me that relationships don't work like that."

"You're such a fangirl."

Yunyun whispered into her ear with a smile. "There might not be anyone who's more important to me than Kazuma, but that doesn't mean others won't come close."

A faint kiss on Megumin's neck sealed the meaning behind those words. "And who said you aren't beautiful in your own way? I know for a fact Kazuma thinks you're the cutest girl from us four."

This tidbit of information was relevant to Megumin's interests. "How do you know? Did he say something?"

More cuddles ensued as Yunyun couldn't hold back a delighted squeal. Hopeful Megumin was a sight to behold, cuter than puppies, sweeter as sugar, and strong enough to melt steel with its adorableness. "Besides outright admitting his attraction when you all helped me get back at my father? The way he dotes on you whenever possible? Who else can sit on his lap without him raising an eyebrow? Didn't you have an intimate bath and a picnic together?"

Now it was Yunyun's turn to learn something about her friend. Megumin couldn't handle compliments because of seldomly getting them from people, even less about her appearance of womanly charms.

A finger poked the cheek of a speechless archwizard. "Why wouldn't he find you attractive? A girl with silky smooth skin, petite doll-like features, and a perfect bubble butt."

Yunyun slid her hand slid under the skirt of Megumin to pinch the other kind of cheeks for demonstration purposes and got an embarrassed little squeak in return. "You're adorable enough to eat and I wouldn't mind sharing him to get you as well for cuddling." Yunyun's eyes focused on someone approaching and hardened to a steely gaze when she recognized the person. "The masochist and the blue bitch are a different story."

Darkness could be seen from far away due to her striking blonde hair and tall physique. The atmosphere lost it's playfulness with every step of the crusader bringing her closer to the small part of the city wall where the crimson demons held watch. As such, the silent staredown between lasted a solid minute and was only broken by a curt exchange of words.

"Kazuma sent me to check if everything is in order."

"Why isn't he coming himself?"

"He's looking after Aqua."

Mentioning of their archpriest had different effects on all three. Darkness spoke as if she had bitten into a lemon while Megumin bit the inside of her cheek in thought. Yunyun ground her teeth with flaring nostrils.

Needless to say, the desired pact to share Kazuma still needed ironing out.

"How was your trip?" Megumin asked.

"A lady doesn't gossip about matters of the heart." Darkness answered as smugness radiated in waves from her.

"You had sex with Kazuma." Yunyun said in a dry tone, her distaste only showing by her grip tightening around Megumin. The blunt statement had the expected result of igniting the situation like a barrel of lit blackpowder.

"SHE WHAT?!" Megumin screamed and tried to break free from Yunyun's embrace to get at the petrified blonde.

Yunyun continued to hold Megumin securely on her lap and stroked her hair to calm the girl. "You will grind your fists down to the knuckles before achieving anything against that iron body of hers."

"How can you be so calm? She took his first…" The smaller girl shook with rage, clawing into the arms of her friend until she noticed the red on her fingers. Those fingernails of hers had cut so deep it drew blood. Yunyun didn't seem to mind or care, just looking at Darkness in solemn calm who swallowed the lump building in her throat.

"How would you know?"

Yunyun paused and blushed, garnering the attention of both. "We watched a lot of things on the black crystal ball during my lessons. The item also stores everything you viewed for later, which includes stuff he watched without me. Kazuma doesn't know I can access this personal material. Curiosity made me take a peek and I admit to being very overwhelmed when I witnessed a series of wet dreams."

Warm shudders ran over the crimson demon as she remembered some of the juicier bits Kazuma's mind had concocted. All the while, Megumin and Darkness watched her with big question marks above their heads.

"Wet dream?"

"I'm also unfamiliar with the term."

The prospect of explaining Kazuma's erotic fantasies to them cracked Yunyun's behaviour mask enough to revert back to the easily flustered girl. "Imagine something like the succubus dreams we paid for in Megumin's home, only self-made, less intense and free of charge."

A spur of the moment idea, which had turned into an interesting experience. Succubi were around them at all times to wait for their chance to strike an opportunity towards snaring Kazuma. That closeness inevitably led to some form of exchange between the girls and demonettes, despite their obvious rivalry for the same guy. Clear differences in devotion became apparent though. Where his party members could comfortably claim love, the succubi dabbled in zealous obsession for their master. They had an unending thirst for anything Kazuma and accepted even the smallest tidbit about him as currency. Four full-course dreams cost as much as knowledge about his favorite food and fondness of hot baths.

A cheap price to simulate intimacy from the safe confines of your mind.

"We all featured in his dreams at some point. Sometimes more than one of us."

Megumin fought through her blush and embarrassed stutter. "How does that proof that Darkness had sex with him?"

Yunyun mustered the crusader until her red eyes seemed to burn into her soul. "His dreams varied in tone and scenario with one detail always staying the same. It involves a move where he leaves a large love bite."

The eyes of Darkness widened as she hid the large patch of irritated red skin on her neck with a hand.

"This little gathering is shaping up to be quite the delicious cocktail of emotions." Three pairs of eyes looked down to a small doll wearing a tux and mask. It bore a striking resemblance to a certain Duke of hell that two of them knew. As such, Megumin and Darkness were instantly on their guard while Yunyun took a similar stance of distrust by imitating the sneer directed at the Vanir doll. "Am I interupting at a bad time?"

Darkness brandished her sword, pointing the tip right between its masked eyes. "You again?"

The construct of clay and magic took the frosty reception in stride. "Put that thing away before you hurt yourself, clumsy knight who is deathly embarrassed about the reveal of her kinky escapades with her party leader. My visit concerns the young man and his well-being, something you all are very interested in to continue, aren't you?"

Megumin bristled. "Are you threatening him?"

"Far from it, little girl who is afraid of being ignored for her female companions with the bigger assets. Moi is an all-seeing demon and what I saw was very detrimental to Mr. Satou and in extension to my bottom line."

Any reservation they had about Vanir being here evaporated the moment he put the possibility of future harm of their party leader out there. Distrustful of him or not, the devil wouldn't be allowed to leave without telling them what he knew.

And fortunately, Vanir was eager to please. "It's the simplest to show you. Who's got his little trinket?"

Megumin produced the black crystal ball from her robes, still in her possession after their last explosion date.

"Excellent, hand it over." the Vanir doll said, making grabbing motions like a toddler asking for a cookie and Megumin gave it to him after glancing towards her party members and getting a reluctant nod. The doll holds the ball over his head, making himself a pedestal to gather around. "Be forewarned, my prediction is a lot less precise since I have to use my powers on the world as whole. Moi would have used one of you as an magical anchor, but none of you are alive at that point in time."

The girls tensed up at the information that they would get a peek towards a future without them. After the mist cleared in the black crystal, they saw Kazuma sitting beneath a giant statue of Aqua in a crumbled throne room, still wearing the same blue vestments in spotless condition. He looked taller and a few years older, sporting a scruffy beard which gave him a rugged appearance. It suited him in all the right ways and made him all the more handsome in the eyes of the three girls watching.

But, another detail had their attention. The empty expression on his face stood in stark contrast and could have made somebody mistake him for a corpse, if those dull eyes hadn't blinked every few seconds. They were glued to a familiar black crystal in his hand, until the sound of footsteps echoed through the empty halls.

"It's been a long time since somebody managed to get here."

Kazuma's voice was lethargic and lacked energy, as if the mere act of speaking took a toll on him, underused vocal cords trying to form words and stringing them to a sentence. Out of the shadows, a short red-haired girl with twintails revealed herself and did a curtsy in her black dress.

"Her?!" Megumin exclaimed.

Darkness remembered her in white t-shirt and shorts. "She seems a lot less laid back this time."

While Megumin and Darkness were flabbergasted about the appearance of Devil-chan, Yunyun frowned at the strained atmosphere between them. "Who is that girl? She hasn't said a word to him for two minutes now."

"He never mentioned her in your lessons?" Darkness asked, "The sole reason he's still alive?"

Yunyun hesitated. Kazuma had mentioned the devil who saved him from death before, plenty of times, but Yunyun had opted to change the subject every time she came up in conversation. Call it a severe dislike for how he gushed over his savior at every opportunity. The jealous heart of a young girl could only take so much.

It made the frosty behaviour of future Kazuma all the more concerning.

Eyes were drawn back to the crystal ball as the long silence was broken and Kazuma acknowledged the existence of Devil-chan by gettin up and dropping the black crystal to his feet. The man cut an imposing figure as an adult, towering over the childlike devil by multiple heads.

"Can you bring them back to me?"

"I'm afraid, the answer is still the same, my boy."

"Then we have nothing to discuss."

Kazuma walked away to a nearby balcony and stepped outside, establishing for the viewer how a world ruled by him looked. His enormous citadel stood amongst a ruined landscape and under a crimson sky. Devil chan joined him at the balcony, mustering the endless wasteland with much more enthusiasm than its creator.

"You should be proud. This hellscape is a masterful piece of art."

"It's cliche and full of copyright violations. Why do you keep bothering me?"

"I love you like a son. What else can I do when you insist of acting stupid?"

The Vanir doll made a disgusted face, but said nothing as Devil-chan reached up to cup Kazuma's face in her hands.

"Come with me. Hell has a place for you."

"What would I even do there?"

"I think we can find a position for the man who waged war against an entire world and won."

The adult version of Kazuma didn't share the enthusiasm of the devil girl. He leaned over the balcony staring wistfully at the red sky until his eyes glazed over from the building moisture.

"I'm the champion of a dead goddess, a failed teacher, disappointing master and terrible friend."

"Their fate isn't your fault."

"Who else would be to blame?"

The Vanir doll became as serious as a one-foot tall golem made of clay and magic could act. "Watch closely, the next part is most important."

In a simple gesture of sympathy, Devil-chan hugged Kazuma around his hips due to the difference in eight. The small act of kindness had a huge effect on the stoic man, most of all breaking the concrete mask of indifference he wore at all times. Dry sobs came from his shaking frame before sunk to the floor, barely holding on to the reiling to stop his fall.

"Goddamnit..."

"The exact moment Kazuma Satou breaks, shatters and ceases to exist." Vanir said with a matching zoom in to Devil-chan, who shifted her hug to proper one after Kazuma had dropped to her eye level.

"Damn the gods. Exactly right, my boy."

"Blame the gods with their stubbornness and pride."

Devil-chan's voice was calm and soothing, but the face hidden from Kazuma stayed without emotion.

A red glimmer came back to his dull and lifeless eyes.

"I'm officially done playing diplomat with those fools."

"Help me lay waste to heaven."

"Channel all your frustration towards the ones responsible."

Devil chan cupped his face again, this time speaking softly into his ear. Kazuma's eyes kept flickering between his usual green and piercing red. Kindness and humanity bled out from his face, leaving only a mask of total contempt as his hand found the hilt of his sword. Devil-chan seemed concerned for a moment, until he released the blade from its sheath in one swing towards the crimson horizon. The sky teared open like a curtain and revealed the ivory spires among lush greens of a luminescent world.

The monstrous inhabitants of Kazuma's personal hell didn't need the instructions of their master to know what he wanted. Like an endless swarm of locusts they flooded into the breach with reckless abandon under the eyes of two full-blooded devils.

"Welcome home, son."

The vision stopped and the black crystal went back to its dull, unreflecting surface.

"I'm not on board with how upper management handles this situation in the future." Vanir said to the silent girls. "You seem at a loss about your next move. May I suggest taking an interest in whatever is happening down there?"

Vanir pointed at the army below, seeing a single figure walking towards the sea of enemies, the familiar green of the tracksuit visible from far away against the brown soil.

Kazuma was engaging the enemy.