Naofumi decides to try and make-up with the Three Heroes for the common good. Unfortunately, the only hero he finds, Motoyasu, is beyond reasoning with. He claims that Naofumi murdered Itsuki and Ren and is set to kill the "Devil of the Shield." That is until the Church steps in.
Tropes for this episode include:
- Big "WHAT?!": Motoyasu's reaction when the Pope confesses to killing Ren and Itsuki.
- Blow You Away: Filo and Melty use this to defeat Motoyasu and his harem.
- Bolt of Divine Retribution: "Judgement" is an exceedingly powerful group ritual spell the Pope and the Church casts, breaking through three of Naofumi's shields and leaving a massive molten crater where they stand.
- Corrupt Church: It is revealed that the Pope intends on overthrowing the government and replacing it with a theocracy where the Three Heroes Church is in control.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Having just promised to work it out with the three other heroes, who does Naofumi bump into? Motoyasu, the least reasonable one.
- Also, remember how Malty defeated Naofumi for Motoyasu in episode 4. Guess, how do Melty and Filo defeat Malty and her allies?
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Averted. Motoyasu and his allies think this battle will be one, especially since they have undergone the class up and Naofumi hasn't. Despite this the battle is more or less even at the start, before Naofumi and his party turn the tables and dominate the fight. As Naofumi later lampshades, the fight was essentially a battle of contrasts. Motoyasu did all the fighting, whilst his party stood in the background cheering him on and occasionally bolstering his skills. In contrast, Naofumi's team worked together like a proper party should. Whilst the Spear Hero may have the higher level, better equipment and an actual attack stat, he is ultimately shown to be nowhere near as strong as he believes he is. Thanks to what happened at the start of his adventure and a bit of assistance from Raphtalia, Filo and Melty, the Shield Hero has experience on his side.
- Evil Hero: How Pope Balmus and the Church view Naofumi. Thanks to Malty, Motoyasu also shares this opinion.
- Evil Is Petty: One of the "reasons" the Pope gives for wanting to kill Naofumi is not showing the proper amount of thanks for the holy water he bought from him.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: What the Church now considers the Three Heroes to be, after all of the trouble that they have caused.
- Frame-Up: Malty and the Church pin the dragon being freed from the obelisk by Idol on Naofumi, claiming he used it and the forest they burned down as a diversion to kill Ren and Itsuki.
- Kid Has a Point: Naofumi thinks that it is possible that they could find Itsuki and Ren at the check-point or they could just barge through the check-point without stopping. When Melty agrees with the later, she makes a point that with people like Idol running the country, keeping up appearances isn't a priority.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: After Filo senses it, Naofumi was able to protect everyone from the Pope's massive attack by encasing everyone in a shield prison, two air-strike shields and a block from the Rage Shield when it pierced the first three shields.
- Mistaken for Murderer: Motoyasu is convinced that Naofumi killed Ren and Itsuki. Despite there being absolutely no evidence for this, this is Motoyasu we're talking about, so of course he believes it unquestioningly.
- Never My Fault: When the Pope rightfully points out the damage the Three Heroes have done to the world, Motoyasu tries to save face by claiming that they still had the best of intentions.
- Strong as They Need to Be: This, Naofumi claims, is the reason why he and his party were able to beat Motoyasu's. He points out that whilst Motoyasu spent his time between battles doing as he pleased, the Shield Hero and his companions spent every minute working hard to earn both an income and experience points.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Motoyasu is shown two things in this episode.
- First, Naofumi and his companions show him the hard way what happens when you don't train to be your absolute best or take your duties as a Cardinal Hero as seriously as you should. This leads to the Spear Hero not only being defeated by Naofumi but betrayed by the Pope.
- Secondly, putting your trust and absolute faith in others rather than thinking on your own two feet is not a good idea. Motoyasu is left completely shocked when the Pope not only spells out all of the suffering that his previous actions have wrought, but reveals that he was the one who actually "killed" Ren and Itsuki, not Naofumi.
- In typical fashion though, he doesn't learn from this experience.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Once again Motoyasu is on the receiving end of a massive one. This time though it is Naofumi who delivers it; telling the Spear Hero flat out why he is nowhere near as powerful as he thinks he is.
- Why Won't You Die?: Motoyasu cannot understand why he lost to the Shield Hero.
- Villain Has a Point: While Naofumi isn't the "Devil" the church thinks he is and the Three Heroes are not "imposters", he is right in pointing out that the Three Heroes are more of a danger to the people than they are saviors.
