After wrapping up things on the Demon Planet, I figured I'd have a bit more time to sweet-talk those two.

I was lost in my happy thoughts when Doraemon spotted us arriving and started explaining the plan he'd discussed with me in detail.

Everyone nodded in agreement with the plan—basically, no one had much to add.

Doraemon pulled out the gadgets right on cue, slipping the Denkomaru onto his hand.

Dorami did the same, with a Denkomaru in one hand and a Rebounding Cloak in the other. The siblings had matching styles.

I gripped that familiar Denkomaru sword in my hand.

Next up was the first phase of the mission: Doraemon and I would go rescue Shizuka and the others.

Dorami, Miyoko, and her mom would provide backup from outside.

Just as Doraemon and I were all geared up and about to head out, Miyoko called out to me.

"Be careful! If you really can't hold out, don't push yourself!"

Miyoko bit her lip, lost in some thought.

"I get what you're thinking. If you succeed and come back alive... Mom and I will be waiting for you!"

After saying that, Miyoko's face flushed bright red!

"Really?"

I felt a surge of joy. Was oyakodon thing actually going to happen?

"For real!"

With that, Miyoko didn't wait for me to say anything else—she turned and hurried back in a panic.

Getting the answer I wanted put me in an even better mood.

It felt less like heading off to fight a demon king and more like going on a picnic.

…

Miyoko hadn't gone far. She turned back to glance at Nobita's retreating figure.

Miyoko's mom walked over at that moment.

"Mom, do you think we'll find happiness?"

Miyoko murmured, unsure if she was speaking to herself or her mother.

Miyoko's mom wasn't sure if she meant defeating the demon king, being with Nobita, or both.

"We will. The future is happy."

…

As Nobita snuck back into the demon king's castle once more, Shizuka and the others—who'd been captured—were locked up in the dungeon.

"If you're gonna eat someone, eat Gian!"

"He's all bones—nothing tasty there!"

The three of them were tied to wooden stakes.

In front of them was a huge pot, with a demon sharpening knives menacingly.

It looked like they were really about to be eaten.

Earlier, King Demaon had interrogated them, but he hadn't gotten any info on Nobita's whereabouts. Even with magic, he confirmed they weren't lying.

So, King Demaon had just thrown them in the dungeon for now.

It was hard to tell if this setup was for real or just to scare them.

"What are you babbling about?"

"I'm all fat—nothing but grease!"

Gian yelled.

"Heh heh! I love greasy stuff."

A demon with a two-star hat, sharp fangs dripping with saliva, clawed at Gian's chubby cheek and licked its lips.

It gave Gian goosebumps!

"Let's deep-fry this one."

The two-star demon said to the knife-sharpening demon behind him.

"No, steaming's better!"

The chef demon replied without hesitation, drawing on years of culinary experience.

"I'm a two-star!"

Seeing the one-star chef demon dare to argue, the two-star demon snapped angrily.

"Fine, deep-frying it is!"

Faced with a higher-ranked demon, the chef demon couldn't resist.

Just as the two-star demon was gloating, a voice rang out.

"I've got three stars! I say we boil it in salted water!"

The one-star and two-star demons had no choice but to obey the newly arrived three-star demon.

…

From my hiding spot, I watched this whole scene unfold.

Demons and humans really couldn't coexist—after all, if they ate humans, only one side could survive.

This was a do-or-die racial war.

It seemed like destroying the entire planet was necessary.

I noticed the demons used stars on their hats to rank themselves—it was a strict hierarchy!

But when I'd faced King Demaon before, I hadn't seen him wearing any star hat to prove his status.

Was it because as the supreme ruler, he didn't need to?

Or did ultimate power put him at the top by default?

I couldn't figure it out, but looking at Doraemon's hat gave me a great idea.

I whispered a few words to Doraemon.

He nodded in agreement.

Then, he just walked right out.

"Doraemon!"

The three captives lit up with joy but were shocked—why was he just appearing in front of the demons?

"Who are you?" The three demons raised their weapons, on guard against Doraemon.

Doraemon puffed up arrogantly and pointed to his hat. "Look at the stars on my head!"

The three demons stared blankly at the multitude of stars on Doraemon's magic hat.

"Now get out of here!"

Doraemon scolded them!

"Sorry!"

The three demons bolted in fear.

"All good!" Doraemon turned back to the three tied to the stakes.

That's when I emerged from the shadows.

"Nobita! You came too!"

The three were thrilled, especially Shizuka.

I hurried over and freed them.

As soon as she was down, Shizuka threw herself at me.

"Nobita! I knew you'd come save me!"

"Alright! We gotta get out of here—they'll catch on soon." I ruffled the girl's hair affectionately.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the dungeon.

"Oh no!"

"What happened?"

"A huge blue tanuki is attacking us!"

It seemed like Dorami and the others outside were already kicking off the next part of the plan.

Outside the demon king's castle, a massive hot air balloon shaped like Doraemon floated in the air.

It drew the attention of tons of demon guards!

Dorami was controlling it remotely from afar with a controller.

"I'm not a tanuki!" Doraemon muttered in annoyance!

It made everyone chuckle knowingly.

"Alright, let's move! We can't stay here."

After the laugh, I urged everyone to run, before the demons snapped out of it and surrounded us.

Just as we were about to escape, a familiar, terrifying voice echoed.

"Escape? To where?"

"Just stay right here!"

A horrifying demonic shadow materialized before us, accompanied by endless burning demon flames and infinite lightning.

Terrifying pressure washed over everyone.

"This... this is King Demaon!"

Everyone panicked!

"It's worth the wait!"

"Finally, you're all here!"

This was indeed a trap—King Demaon had set another one to lure us in.

"You humans are always like this. Leave one or two behind, and the rest come rushing to their deaths!"

"This old trick is so reliable and effective!"