The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing.

Chapter 624 resets the second playthrough, and the final boss is also reset.

“It seems you’ve finished speaking… Now it’s my turn. First, I need to return some of the magic crystals to Zun Zun, just in case.”

Huihui took out a few magic crystals from her backpack, intending to give them to him. They seemed to be some leftovers from before.

"Huh, I don't need it."

Despite what Zun Zun said, Hui Hui stubbornly stuffed the magic crystal into his arms. Perhaps, as mentioned earlier, it was just in case.

In reality, Zun Zun's magic power is always abundant. Even if he runs out of magic power, he can draw it from the Star Cup. However, he will not say so, nor will he overly refuse Hui Hui's kindness.

Then, Huihui took a magic crystal out of her bag and handed it to Youyou...

"Wow! What a huge magic crystal... Can I really accept it? Megumin, is it really okay?... Hey! If you're going to give it to me, then hurry up and give it to me!"

Although she handed over the magic crystal, Huihui did not decisively let go of her hand.

"This is something very important that Zun Zun gave me, so you must cherish it and use it carefully! You must use it at the most crucial moment! This is a gift from Zun Zun!"

"I know you're happy to receive the gift, but could you please not show it off so much in the sun? I'll cherish it!"

Youyou accepted the magic crystal with a complicated expression.

It was a gift from my best friend, and the magic crystal was bought by my fiancé. The two together should have made me even happier. Why... why did it turn out like this...?
Perhaps influenced by Huihui, she also started to get into the "White Album" trend.

Zun Zun slightly turned his head.

His fiancée's resentful gaze was unbearable, and he couldn't very well say that he would give her an even better gift when they got back, as that would only make Huihui jealous and resentful, thus having the opposite effect.

The best way is to pretend to be mute.

Aqua seemed to want the magic crystal too, but she definitely wasn't going to use it in a critical moment; she was probably planning to sell it for a large sum of money later. Under these circumstances, how could Megumin possibly give it to her? The two began to fight over the magic crystal.

"Speaking of which, where are we now?"

"Hmm... This should be the entrance to the Demon King's castle? But it's strange, why are there no guards here? Or have they all been reassigned to guard the Demon King's room?"

"do not know……"

Everyone shook their heads.

Besides, it was their first time entering the Demon King's Castle, so how could they possibly know the whereabouts of the people inside? They could only rush forward in the dark.

"No matter what, we have to rush in, right?"

That's what Darkness said.

Then, she drew her knight's longsword from her waist.

"I'll lead the way! It's alright, I'm the Crusader of the squad, protecting my comrades is my duty! So... if we encounter a powerful enemy, you don't need to worry about me, just run away... leave me alone... hah... be surrounded and toyed with by them... hah... humiliation and all that... so great!"

The perverted female knight started to go berserk.

After exchanging glances, the group ignored her and walked straight ahead.

"I remember the previous level was guarded by an ancient angel?"

"Oh, that's the only way."

"In that case, we should go there first."

"Wait, wait! Don't ignore me, you lot!"

Darkness, seeing that her companions were ignoring her, anxiously chased after them—the foolish, perverted female knight showed no intention of restraining herself even in enemy territory.

We arrived at the territory of the old angel.

I thought this place would still be dilapidated, after all, Megumin's explosion magic had blasted it into a mess last time. But I didn't expect it to be completely transformed, just like the Scarlet Devil Village.

open the door.

"...Hahaha! You've finally arrived, heroes! To actually manage to break into the Demon King's castle, I'll give you a small commendation! But this is the last! For I am the oldest and strongest Archmage—"

"Old Angel? What are you doing here?"

"——!?"

The old angel was somewhat displeased that his imposing opening had been interrupted, but the condemnation from his companions did not end there.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Are you planning to stop us?"

"Oh, really? I shouldn't have spared his life in the first place; I should have just killed him!"

"What do you mean? Have you switched sides again?"

"No, that's not true!"

The old angel stomped his feet in anger.

He seemed to feel extremely humiliated by being told this, while in the eyes of Zun Zun and the others, it was no mistake to betray them again.

But the old angel had his own reasons.

"I'm following the classic story, the hero defeating the demon king, but I failed last time for some reason. Now that I have a second chance, I must make a comeback! This story must have a place for me!"

...What exactly is he insisting on?
Zun Zun was completely baffled.

However, the old angel's actions always made him feel like it was a game—once the reset button was pressed, everything from the relationships established in the previous playthrough to the items obtained, or even the defeated boss, would be reset.

"Hehehe...Is that so? Is that so? But don't worry! Since I can defeat you once, I can defeat you a second time! Relax, just leave him to me!"

Huihui swung her cape with confidence.

The old angel retorted defiantly, "Heh heh, is it really okay to be so confident? Last time you used a large number of high-quality magic crystals to continuously unleash powerful explosive magic to barely defeat me, but do you have that many magic crystals this time?"

Hey, that's so despicable!
Since the final boss has been reset, shouldn't the items consumed also be reset? If they haven't been reset, then it's not a second playthrough, but rather entering the second phase, right? However, this is reality, especially in a world that is hundreds of times harder than Souls games, so there's no logic to it.

"Since you put it that way, then—"

Zun Zun raised his hand.

He planned to kill this traitorous angel who talked the talk of righteousness but actually pulled dirty tricks in one fell swoop. But before he could do that, his hand was grabbed.

"...Megumi?"

"give it to me."

"Is there any chance of winning?"

"Yes. I've been thinking about something. Magic crystals can be used to cast spells instead of magic power, but you can only use one at a time with no limit. If you extracted all the magic power from the magic crystals and combined it into a single burst spell... just how powerful would that be!?"

That's an extremely dangerous idea!
Huihui wasn't seeking overwhelming firepower at this moment, but rather a fatal blow—making the already powerful Explosion Magic even stronger might actually break through the old angel's defenses.

However, this idea has a key problem.

"Can your body handle it?"

"........."

Faced with Zun Zun's question, she fell silent.

There's definitely no bottom line.

I've never forced myself to do this before.

Magic crystals can indeed replace the magic power within the body, but it doesn't mean using them as a medium to cast spells. Rather, it means extracting the magic power contained within them before using magic.

Even if you use a lot of explosive magic, you will replenish your magic power after it is completely depleted; it's just a matter of frequency.

But what Huihui needs to do now is to allow the already abundant magic power in her body to absorb a large amount of magic power from ultra-high-quality magic crystals. The combination of the two could easily cause her body to burst.

"I don't agree with what you're doing! ...Even though I want to say that, Huihui, you won't listen to my advice, will you?"

Seeing the faint red light in the girl's eyes and her resolute gaze, Zun Zun slowly withdrew his hand and handed the magic crystals back to Hui Hui.

"go a head."

"Your Excellency...?"

The girl seemed surprised that her recklessness would be recognized, and she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"What's there to hesitate about? Huihui, have you forgotten why you wanted to learn Explosion Magic? Go! Stand firm in your beliefs. Break through your limits and unleash the strongest Explosion Magic ever! Let him know who the world's greatest mage is!"

"Yes! Leave it to me!"

Huihui said this with her head held high and chest out.

"...That's what you say. Well then, Youyou, return the magic crystal I just gave you."

"Eh?"

The poor girl, who had just watched her best friend and her fiancé flaunt their relationship, never expected that she would be brought up and that her magic crystal would be targeted.

It's like in a third-rate urban novel where the mistress sets her sights on the engagement gift her fiancé gave to his wife, and then uses various methods to steal it.

Although it was not given by his first wife, nor by his fiancé, nor was it a token of their love.

But Youyou still instinctively refused.

"I do not want!"

"Huh!? Why are you refusing?!"

"Because Huihui gave it to me! Since I've already given it away, how can I take it back? Huihui, you're not that kind of person, are you? We're good friends!"

"I'll just break off our friendship then! What nonsense are you spouting now? This is such a crucial moment, and you, Youyou, look at the atmosphere! Give it back to me! What if it's missing that little bit of power?"

"no no no!"

The two fought over the magic crystals again.

Not only were Miken Hibiki and the others extremely frustrated by this, but even the old angels couldn't stand it anymore.

"Hey you two, are you done yet? Hurry up and fight me!"

"Stop nagging! Get out of my way!" x2

The two said in unison.

Youyou even excitedly used magic on the heavens, and the powerful sword of light almost hit her.

"Whoa! A sneak attack!? Great, I get it! That means the battle has already begun, right!?"

Despite his words, the two men on the field continued arguing and even came to blows.

"Huh!? Who told Youyou to make a move?! This person was clearly my opponent!"

"Who cares! If I have to return that magic crystal, I might as well defeat him myself!"

"Who gave you the right to make that decision on your own!"

"Light of Saber!"

Although the two were arguing, one was using magic to keep the old angel occupied, while the other was concentrating on absorbing magic crystals to prepare a powerful explosive spell. Their coordination was quite excellent.

After seeing this, Zun Zun sighed and turned to leave.

"Let's go, everyone, next level."

(End of this chapter)