The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing.

Chapter 607: Overturning the Chessboard
When we were children, we thought the world was simpler.

There are no unwinnable games, hard work will be rewarded, and nothing is impossible.

Is it wrong for a child, ignorant and foolish, to have thoughts after observing the world with innocent yet tainted eyes? ...Is it really wrong?

Rick had been pondering for a long time how humanity could defeat those powerful races.

Because he realized that no matter what he did, all he could do was prolong his life, at most forcing them into a stalemate, so he shut himself off, suppressed his feelings, and stopped thinking about it.

But it was only after meeting Zun Zun that Rick finally faced this problem squarely.

'Humans, with their skillful hands, have become the dominant species in the world; so what else about the human race can stand at the pinnacle?'

Rick thought about it for a long time.

I really thought about it for a long time.

Whether it's physical strength, martial prowess, or sheer power, the human race is overwhelmingly weak. Even the 'nimble hands' that Zun Zun spoke of cannot be replicated at all, since there are many people with hands more nimble than his own.

When he secretly manipulated everything, changing the course of the battle according to his own ideas, no matter who it was—the forest elves, the goblins, and the winged creatures, or even the gods behind them—they had no choice but to follow suit. Only then did Rick realize what was happening.

—It is wisdom, it is intellect!

That's right!

This world is really simple; there's no need to think so much. And for a person... no, for a living being to survive on this planet, there are only two things to consider—

Force and intellect.

Humans, abandoned by the entire planet, are the weakest race, even weaker than monkeys. They have no way to compete with other races in terms of military strength; they are just that fragile and insignificant.

However, the world is fair.

Even without magical talent, even without the talent for bloodlust, even without the talent for transformation, even without the ability to fly or go underground, the length of life and death are unfair.

Only wisdom—

Rick knew that he was absolutely no less capable than anyone else in terms of being able to proudly say "Yes!" among all races, even humans!

……is that so?
Rick suppressed his emotions, trying not to think about these things, because he knew that hesitation would lead to defeat—Zun Zun's words made perfect sense.

But when he saw the God of War Artesius, whose strength was invincible, he couldn't suppress his emotions even as he took the final step.

"Can it really succeed? Can Zun Zun defeat Altshu? Rule Two... no one can die, can that really be achieved?"

Rick murmured involuntarily.

As the white light illuminated the red sky, he grew increasingly uneasy. Just then, a hand interlocked with his, fingers grasping slightly.

It's Hugh.

"It's okay... With Einzsch here... there won't be any problems..."

The hands of the machine race were cold; even in human form, these mechanical beings remained icy. But these words reassured Rick, though they also caused him some pain.

Rule 2 has a loophole.

By treating the Machine Racers not as living beings but as tools, they wouldn't be breaking the rules. That's why the Machine Racers would raid the Skywing Races' lair in droves.

But thinking about it carefully, that was the God of War, Altshu, the strongest divine species. How could he not have sacrificed himself when facing him?

"Shubi, I...!"

"It's ok!"

Shubi gently embraced him, stroking her husband's head repeatedly, as if to tell him that the sacrifice of the Machina was nothing—for this man loved by all the Machina, they were willing to 'die'.

Or rather, scrapped.

Because the machine race has no concept of death—if they want to exploit loopholes and use themselves as tools.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Rick remained silent, only offering repeated apologies.

The two hugged each other.

In this great battle that can be called the final showdown.

"Um..." a slightly embarrassed voice suddenly came from behind, "Excuse me, did I come at a bad time?"

"—Your Excellency...!?"

The familiar voice made Rick turn around abruptly. When he saw the stunningly beautiful young man with red eyes and black hair standing unharmed behind him, his heart finally settled down.

"Artes, the God of War..."

"We successfully shattered his essence, putting him into a deep sleep."

Zun Zun gave a thumbs up.

He doesn't seem to have been through a fierce battle. Come to think of it, doesn't he know that he defeated the strongest war god, Altshu? Why isn't he excited or happy at all, and even seems a little frustrated?
Seemingly noticing Rick's confusion, Zun Zun shook his head.

"I took a shortcut."

In reality, he did not actually defeat Altshu head-on. When he learned that Altshu could connect to the Elf Corridor to infinitely regenerate mana and become stronger, he knew that he had absolutely no chance of winning.

However, Altshu is also arrogant.

He considered himself the strongest and wanted to be the strongest in every aspect, which is why he was defeated by Zun Zun with the "who has the toughest life" technique, which shattered his divine essence.

If the manifested essence can be used to perform a "marrow explosion," how could it possibly be truly fearless, even for the so-called strongest war god?

in other words.

Zun Zun defeated Altshu by attacking Altshu's weakest point with his strongest attack, using the most effective method to counter his opponent.

"But no matter what, a win is a win!" Rick clenched his fist excitedly. "Now the great battle can finally be over, right, Master!"

He had been waiting for this day for a very, very long time. He had been waiting since childhood, and now his wish was finally about to come true.

"There's another piece of good news, but I'll let Einzsch tell you about it."

Zun Zun gestured to the manager of the machine-type connector following behind him.

"Report. According to Rick's calculations, not a single machine... Correction, no one was injured or killed. It is a complete victory for Rick."

As if reading his mind, Einzsch spoke in a cold tone, but what was most unexpected was that he actually smiled at the end. Although the smile was slight and fleeting, Rick saw it clearly.

In the final moments of the final battle, all the machine gunners gained the ability to have a 'heart'.

Rick couldn't help but shed tears.

Is this a dream?

From as far back as I can remember, I have always been losing, always being plundered, never having tasted victory. But now, humanity is about to triumph, the machine race has gained a heart, and the eternal war is about to come to an end.

"If this is a dream, I really hope I don't keep waking up."

"...What nonsense are you talking about? The best is yet to come."

Zun Zun patted his back hard.

Suddenly, a sound—no, a planet-shaking vibration—burst through the air.

Heavens, earth, and all things in the world.

listen!
The voice that had been giving such a command began to speak, and it was truly the voice of a god—the absolute voice that best suited the strongest divine species.

"So this is defeat—I see! It was indeed a thrilling and exhilarating battle!"

You can hear me, right?

He said it as if he were certain.

"The most glorious thing about reverting to your original name is that you can feel proud; you are now truly the strongest enemy!"

It is the declaration of the God of War, Arthas.

It's no different from saying "I, XX, am willing to call you the strongest".

"Tsk, still trying to act tough at a time like this? Just lie down already, will you?"

Zun Zun scoffed at him, then looked at Rick.

"I'm saying this to you."

"……I?"

"Ah. Although I ultimately defeated him, it was you, Rick, who orchestrated all of this and created this one-on-one situation for me. You were the one who plunged my sword into Altshu's chest, and he's thanking you for it."

"Well……"

Just like in the movie.

Rick is like a ghost, receiving cheers for defeating a powerful enemy in public while silently paying tribute to those who helped him behind the scenes.

And the God of War is indeed the God of War. Most gods would have collapsed long ago after their divine essence was stripped away, but he was able to hold on until now—presumably because he wanted to see someone become the only god.

But this is not possible.

As long as his 'strongest' divine essence remains, the manifested Star Grail will definitely appear beside him; therefore, we can only act after he lies down. And now—

“It’s time, Rick.”

"Ah! Let's go get the Star Cup!"

In Konosuba, there is a board game that is similar to chess, except that the roles of Queen, Knight, and Soldier are replaced with Archmage, Crusader, and Adventurer.

However, there are some differences in the rules.

that is……

If you force both sides into a prolonged draw, you can use a special move—Explosion—to overturn the board and achieve final victory.

(This is not a fanfiction; it appears in the original manga/side story. Megumin often uses this trick to bully Yuyu.)

And now, Zun Zun and his friends are about to overturn the chessboard!

"Are you ready?"

"No problem... There's a magical barrier... protecting him, magic can't harm... Rick's body..."

Hubie nodded.

As the weakest human race, Riku was incapable of touching the Star Grail; he couldn't even get close without any protection. Riku hadn't originally planned to come along, but—

"Do you know about the Moon Rabbit of the Little Garden? The Moon Rabbit sacrificed its body when the gods suffered, thus becoming the gods' servants and the nobles of the Little Garden. Riku, you are the same."

Seeing the place where the One God was born so closely was a privilege reserved for Rick, and a reward for him.

Even--

"Is this the weapon the Machine Gundam prepared?"

Rick was holding a huge gun, so heavy that he and Hugh had to hold it tightly together.

This gun will pierce through the planet, becoming the final move that destroys the chessboard, hence the name.

True Scripture: Star Killer.

Rick bears the heavy responsibility of building the final step to help Zun Zun sit on the throne of the One God.

He glanced at Zun Zun, then at Hugh and Einzshi, and suddenly pulled the trigger of the huge gun that was stuck in the ground like a wooden stake!
"So... that's the end of the game! Sorry, gods—"

(End of this chapter)