Re-written date: 7 / 13 / 2025
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Chapter 28: First Wrap-Up!
"Alright everyone, today's our final shoot! So get your heads in the game!"
With Edward's energetic shout ringing through the air, the final scene for "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World" was about to begin—an all-out battle against the Dullahan.
Preparations had been in the works for a while. Edward had already spoken to Winry and the upper brass at the Adventurers' Guild and even paid off the local guards. The only ones kept in the dark were the regular adventurers. Naturally, it was all so the shoot could go off without a hitch.
As for how the guild approved things so easily—well, that was thanks to Edward bluffing his way through with his identity as Baron Durin and a so-called Grand Mage. The Guild Master ended up treating the whole production like some high-level magic experiment.
And really, who would pass up the chance to get on the good side of a Grand Mage?
On top of all that, just like he expected, Viz showed up with a whole bunch of summoned undead. That part spooked the crew who weren't in the know at first—but once they heard it was all for the shoot, things smoothed over fast.
With all pieces in place, Edward gave the final checks a quick run-through.
And so, the last scene of the film—the grand showdown against the Dullahan—officially began.
…
This final act was one massive production. If Edward hadn't put in the work beforehand—especially casting subtle suggestion spells on most of the weaker-minded adventurers—then shooting something like this would've been completely impossible.
Sure, things got a bit rough around the edges, but the plot moved forward without too many hiccups.
That said, Edward had his hands full. Besides acting as the cameraman, he also had to secretly help Aya channel her Holy Light spell, keep Viz's undead in line, and even cast Wind Surge spell to time with Helena's explosion spell.
Honestly, while he was officially the director, he was practically the whole special effects team rolled into one.
Take the part where the Dullahan stands atop a glowing array—that was no illusion. Edward had spent the entire night preparing that Holy Light Array. Even for a high-ranking undead, a fight-level Grand Spell like the Holy Light Array would still leave a nasty sting.
Of course, it wasn't exactly fatal to someone like Belldia. At best, it'd mean he couldn't go sunbathing for a few days.
Still, it was all for the sake of presentation. Edward wouldn't dare let Belldia rely on nothing but bad acting for the climax. He poured everything he had into the scene to make sure it landed just right.
And Belldia didn't disappoint. Per Edward's request, he went all in on showcasing his sword skills. They'd known Belldia used to be one of the Empire's top knights, but seeing it in action was something else entirely.
Surrounded by a group of adventurers, Belldia simply swung his massive greatsword once—and that was enough to knock everyone out. Not a single one of them was actually hurt. They were just overwhelmed by the sheer pressure and force behind the swing.
That kind of swordsmanship wasn't just high-level—it was practically legendary. If the Empire still had him on the roster, he'd probably be recognized as a Sword Saint by now.
Another thing that caught Edward off guard was the skill level of the actress playing Darkness.
To stay true to the character, Edward had told her not to actually hit any of her opponents during swordplay. But landing close without hitting at such close range? That required precision—serious precision.
It's kind of like trying to get every math question on a test wrong on purpose. You can't do that unless you already know all the right answers.
By Edward's estimation, this nameless girl—whose real name he still hadn't asked—was already at a third-tier level. That put her sword skills above most adventurers in the southern territories.
Just like before, Belldia—the Dullahan—clearly noticed.
The actress playing Darkness wasn't just swinging her sword around for show; she had real skill. So in response, he stepped up his game too. After all, this was a performance—if he held back too much, the fight would look lame.
But even so, Belldia's swordplay, now reaching almost inhuman levels, didn't truly harm the girl. It only left her looking a bit disheveled, adding just the right kind of drama to the scene.
Their fierce duel gave the film a strong climax, and as their clash slowed, the plot moved forward. Zat, playing the brainy support character, deduced that Belldia's weakness was water. He called out for any adventurer with water magic to help.
But... this was the southern territories. Magic-users were rare—especially those who specialized in water spells.
In the end, it was Aqua who snapped out of it.
Wait— wasn't she the Water Goddess?
With a shout, she cast a divine-tier Water Creation spell straight down from the heavens.
Of course, the actual magic behind that spell was sponsored by none other than Edward himself. And to be honest, after stringing together so many large-scale spells, he was this close to passing out. The moment that fifth-level Grand Spell, the Tidal Surge, activated, stars danced in front of his eyes. He nearly collapsed on the spot.
But all that effort paid off.
The spell unleashed a flood worthy of a natural disaster, washing away Belldia, Darkness, and every adventurer in its path. Even the main cast standing farther back got caught up in the deluge.
—Which, of course, was exactly as scripted.
"This is for the ones you killed protecting me! I didn't get to swing at you enough, so—Take it all, right now!!"
With a shout, Darkness delivered a decisive slash. The unreliable-yet-strong warrior's final blow shattered Belldia's black armor, carving a deep wound across his chest.
Now stripped of the Demon King's blessing, the Dullahan couldn't resist Aqua's ultimate judgment spell.
At that moment, the massive Holy Light Array Edward had prepared earlier lit up beneath him.
Aqua raised her hand and pointed toward the wounded undead knight, who was already weakened from the divine water magic.
"W-Wait a—! GYAAAAAAHHHH—!"
The next thing they knew, Belldia was writhing on the ground, getting roasted by genuine holy light.
Edward, watching the scene through his lens, gave an apologetic smile—but didn't stop rolling.
Even though the Holy Purge was a devastating Grand Spell, it wasn't enough to finish off Belldia.
Still, for the sake of the story's flow, Edward had rigged a teleportation spell to activate just as the light exploded.
Belldia vanished right on cue.
"Did... Did it work?!"
"Oh my gods! We actually defeated the Dullahan?!"
"That was amazing!!"
As the supporting cast members finally shook off the effects of Edward's suggestion spell and realized what had happened, they broke into cheers.
In the post-battle epilogue, Aqua even managed to revive the adventurers who'd been "killed" by the Dullahan earlier—an emotional wrap-up to the final scene.
There was still one more gag left for later: the party would go claim their reward, only to discover that thanks to all the collateral damage, they now owed the guild 40 million coins.
But that scene could be filmed anytime with the help of the guild.
"Well then!" Edward stepped forward with a grin.
"Congratulations on completing the world's very first live-action movie shoot! Great job, everyone! I now declare—KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World: The Live-Action Movie—officially wrapped!"