Konosuba Light Novel Volume 17/Synopsis

Volume 17
We pick up right where the last volume left off. Megumin begins rapid-firing Explosions at the castle. The demon army falls into a panic and begins to send out troops to try and stop the explosion onslaught, but all get Exploded before they even get close. Eventually, some sort of angel claiming to be the strongest magic caster appears, but gets exploded. He survives but his clothes don't. Eventually, he retreats back into the barrier and begins to strengthen it, aiming for a war of attrition. Megumin fires 100 Explosions in a minute, breaking the barrier and wiping the angel off the face of the earth. (We never learn his name).

Kazuma and the gang quickly meet up with Yunyun and Mitsurugi, who began running towards the entrance after they hear the explosions. (They think that the demon lord saw Kazuma and co. and began attacking until Kazuma spills the beans that it was Megumin. Yunyun is not pleased, seeing as she and Mitsurugi's party could have become collateral damage.) Aqua managed to get lost while everyone was running.

While looking for Aqua, Kazuma finds a big red button that says "Please don't push". He detects a trap, but figures that the button is actually a secret passage that leads to the Demon King's room. The trap is a minor one, just to hide the purpose of the button. He pushes it and finds Aqua in the place he teleports to.

Aqua is super happy to see Kazuma. The two of them debate just teleporting back to Axel, but Kazuma doesn't think the rest of the party will turn back without finding them. They hear voices coming closer. Kazuma manages to find a pot to hide in, but it's full of water. Aqua tries to take the pot as a hiding place (she can breathe underwater), but Kazuma tips over the pot to spite her. The two are immediately discovered. (Kazuma tries to use presence concealment but there's a wraith that sees Aqua's godly aura, so that goes out the window.)

It looks pretty bad for the two idiots, but Aqua prompts Kazuma to blind his foes, which he does with a new "Flash" skill he got ... only he blinds Aqua too because she was expecting a dust trick like he usually does. The wraith (named Pain) doesn't have eyes either, so he's not blinded either. The Wraith and Kazuma fight, bonding over "Drain Touch" tastes, but eventually, Aqua god blows the wraith after she gets her vision back. Kazuma ends up teleporting the other goon back to Axel, leaving only his armour behind. (Which was immune to teleportation for some reason).

Kazuma takes the goon's armour and pretends to be him (aided by the buff to make him a party trick god). He pretends to capture Aqua, and reports to the boss of the floor, suggesting they use Aqua as bait to lure out the other intruders. (Everyone in the demon army is suddenly grossed out by what low-brow villainy their comrade is stooping to all of a sudden). While the army waits for the intruders to be caught, they interview Aqua about the intruders. They even give Aqua tea, which she of course purifies several times.

Aqua hypes the hell out of Kazuma causing all the demons to freak the hell out, just in time for the party to arrive. In order to distract the demons, Kazuma (in disguise) begins to bully Darkness. As the other demons recoil in disgust, Kazuma begins to force Darkness to strip off her armour. This distraction works well enough that Kazuma is able to sneak up behind the bosses back and backstab him with a poisoned dagger. The party manages to slay all the demons there in the ensuing chaos.

The party then debates heading through the door ahead. Aqua actually starts suggesting that the gang all teleport back, but Kazuma remembers Aqua wanting to return to heaven, deciding to at least give it the old college try. But he makes sure that Aqua won't try and revive anyone if they die: they'll just collect the body and teleport out and revive em later. Darkness suddenly asks if Kazuma still has the ring that he stole from Iris, then starts demanding that Kazuma give her the killing blow on the Demon King. (Whoever kills the Demon King has the right to marry royalty) Before they go in, Megumin gives one manatite to Yunyun and five to Kazuma.

As they open the door, Kazuma sees Darkness tank four "Cursed Lightnings" to the face and be fine. Also, Yunyun "Infernos" the Demon King before he can finish his speech, using up her Manatite. Kazuma's plan is to sneak up behind the Demon King and stab him in the back. But before he even makes it halfway, one of the Demon King's undead opponent's sees him and chops his head off.

While hanging out with Eris, Kazuma does some of his regular complainings while he's dead. However, Eris is buffing him up for some reason. Eris apparently wants Kazuma in the fighting condition when they revive him. Kazuma tries to say it's over but then hears Aqua trying to revive him. Apparently Darkness and Megumin have gone berserk now that Kazuma is dead. Megumin is threatening to blow them all up with Explosion, and Darkness is egging her on. Aqua is using the distraction to revive Kazuma.

Eris gives Kazuma her plan: Aqua will use her god powers to seal the Demon King's powers and Kazuma is going to sneak up to the Demon King and teleport him to the dungeon he power-levelled in. The demon king won't teleport back because of his pride and Kazuma can fight him one on one. Kazuma wonders why Aqua never used such a convenient spell before. Eris hesitantly says Aqua probably forgot about it. Eris notes that the adventures in Axel are being pushed back and that Iris is using Aegis to fight the Demon King's daughter, and is also in trouble. And the fact that if the Demon King is defeated, all the monsters will get weaker. Kazuma eventually agrees to the plan and gets a "Blessing" from Eris. Kazuma revives and discuss the plan with Aqua. Much to his disbelief, not only did she forget she could seal a portion of the Demon King's powers, she completely forgot she was Goddess.

Kazuma then takes advantage of the distraction by his comrade and manages to teleport the Demon King to the dungeon, but the Demon King thinks that he's just there to buy time, so he begins to teleport away. After a series of taunts, including stealing a handkerchief embroidered by his daughter, the Demon King finally gets ready to fight. Then Kazuma runs away.

What happens is then a series of slapstick cat and mouse games, where Kazuma sets up traps, throw dynamite, and snipes from afar, which pretty much serves to just annoy the Demon King. Then finally, Kazuma realizes if he uses the Manatite, he can actually cast spells with some oomph. He manages to create a giant earth golem. Eventually, the Demon King counters with his own golem, which Kazuma blows up. Eventually, the duel ends with a hole in Kazuma's shoulder and through the Demon King's leg. (Kazuma has one manatite left). As a reward, the Demon King offers his name: Sakaguchi Kouichi, and some time to chant a teleport spell. Now, the Demon King actually is a Demon, and he's never heard of Japan, so that's something. The Demon King promises to tell Kazuma the secret of his name if he beats him. Kazuma looks at his adventurer's card and notices something. When the Demon King turns the corner, he sees a magical light in Kazuma's hand and begins to panic. He asks Kazuma if he really doesn't want to know the secret behind his name, or why he's attacking the humans. Kazuma's like "Nope". Then he casts Explosion using the last manatite.

Kazuma's in heaven now. Aqua's there now too. While sobbing, Aqua gives him three choices: be reborn here, in Japan, or go to heaven. Then Eris gives him another two choices because he killed the Demon King. He can go to Japan as is with all the money he could want and "his ideal partner". Or he can just go back as is. Y'know what he chooses. But it seems like Aqua can't go back with him because the other world is out of her jurisdiction. Then Kazuma asks for his wish for defeating the Demon King. (The god's never really expected anyone to achieve it by the way.) Both Eris and Aqua are initially terrified of Kazuma's wish as, knowing his personality, he could wish to rule the universe or even become a God. Instead Kazuma asks for the cheat he was always supposed to have. Both Aqua and Eris catch on and smile. Then he asks if a goddess counts as a cheat.

Kazuma was going to pick Aqua obviously and both Eris and Aqua knew that despite Kazuma not saying a word. But Aqua started behaving like Aqua and pissed off Kazuma so much while Eris stood across them as a perfect model heroine. Kazuma keeps looking back and forth between the annoying useless goddess and the perfect useful one. Eris then asks Kazuma to voice his wish. Scene cuts off here.

Kazuma gets revived in a pillar of light and tells everyone that he decided to revive and took the goddess Eris as his reward. Everyone is shocked but Darkness falls to her knees to greet Eris but then freeze once she focuses on her face. Aqua then descends and cries about being left behind. Both Eris and Kazuma are shocked at her stupidity as a goddess going by force to a world out of her jurisdiction results in penalties (not being allowed to return freely to Heaven). Kazuma tries to calm her down, mumbling that he did have a way to get her back, but guesses it's all fine. The reunion is cut short when the main demon army begins to teleport back to the castle, but Megumin fires a few last explosions at them, and the group begins to teleport out.

A crying Aqua resists the teleportation spell much to Kazuma's annoyance. As he's chewing her out she says she wanted to say something but was too embarrassed in front of the others. She says she knows that she's not smart, but she wanted to express her feelings to him. She gives him a tear filled smile as she thanks him. Her image was so touching that Kazuma was stunned into silence ("……I never once thought that there would come a day where my heart would skip a beat because of this person.")

The epilogue is from Eris's point of view. Much to Eris' surprise, Kazuma has been returning frequently to heaven. She mentions that she had to go through a lot of trouble to return to Heaven (she's classified as Kazuma's cheat). Eris wonders what killed him as Kazuma isn't weak at this point and all the monsters have been weakened by the death of the Demon King while Kazuma is relaxing around like he lives in this place while giving an update on everyone. Megumin is going somewhere with Yunyun to do her 1 explosion a day and returns looking very satisfied. Eris knows she is blasting the old Demon King's castle, but thinks its better not to tell Kazuma about it. Darkness, as recognition for her role as a Noble who aided in defeating the Demon King, got a province to rule and was made so famous that messengers have been arriving around around the world (even from out of Belzerg) requesting her hand in marriage (Eris notices that Kazuma pretends not to be bothered by this but clearly is). Darkness kept rejecting everyone and locked herself in her mansion to escape them. Eris internally says that Kazuma is the reason Darkness is rejecting them all and feels for her as she has fierce competition from Megumin and Iris.

Kazuma is grumbling because Aqua kicked him out of the house again. He was getting showered by praises for defeating the Demon King and he got carried away and made a joke: "Alright, daddy's making a harem!". Eris who was sympathetic to him up to this point suddenly gave him a silent treatment and Kazuma apologizes. Things go back to normal between them and Eris then says he can wait while Aqua revives him. Kazuma reveals that he never died. He actually recorded Heaven as a teleport location (much to Eris' disbelief) to get Aqua back later. It just occurred to Kazuma to record the place and he was just surprised when it worked. Kazuma also mentions that Darkness is continuously searching for Chris ever since she saw Eris come back with Kazuma in the throne room. Eris doesn't want to meet her yet because she knows what Darkness will ask of her (her real identity).

Now Kazuma is grumbling that he's being treated the same as usual by the girls despite him being the hero who saved the world. He said he was too soft on the girls and they let it get to their heads. As he's heading out he starts stretching in preparation to make the girls cry again (same business as usual). Eris smiles as she imagines the usual everyday scenario that would occur again between Kazuma's party. She asks him not to be too hard on them.

On Kazuma's way out, Eris, who lamented that he wasn't rewarded properly in return for his astronomical achievement (defeating the Demon King despite his terrible class, stats and his dysfunctional party), asked him to wait. She wished him fortune and gave him her sincere prayer from the bottom of her heart ("Blessing!").

Note: No one else is mentioned in the epilogue except for Kazuma, Megumin, Yunyun, Aqua, Darkness and Eris.