After finishing off the Demon King's Army that had attacked, it was finally time to head to the Demon King's Castle.
However, before that, there was still one matter that needed to be resolved.
After the battle ended, Megumin had fallen into a mild state of self-isolation because she had personally dealt with Wolbach. Her usual lively demeanor was gone.
So now, Eriri's task was to help Megumin recover from her withdrawn state.
Eriri walked up to Megumin and gently pinched her small cheeks.
"Our genius archwizard—why do you look so down? Did someone bully you? Tell me who it is, and I'll go teach them a lesson."
Upon hearing that, Megumin looked up at Eriri, then took a few steps forward and rested her head directly against Eriri's chest.
"I didn't want to fight her…"
Chomusuke, caught between Eriri and Megumin's bodies, squirmed helplessly. But when she caught the sweet scent coming from Eriri, she immediately stopped struggling, a blissful expression spreading across her small cat face.
Eriri placed her hand gently on Megumin's head and stroked it softly, a tender smile forming on her lips.
"Don't be sad. Even though Wolbach was absorbed by Chomusuke, that doesn't mean she's gone forever."
"I know… but I still feel sad…" Megumin murmured in a low voice.
Eriri didn't say anything more. She simply continued to hold Megumin close, softly patting her head.
Nearby, Ilina, Lilian, and the others remained silent as well, quietly watching the two girls embracing.
At that moment, Iris was not with Eriri and the others. She was saying her farewells to her father.
"Iris, when you go to the Demon King's Castle later, make sure to stay safe. Even though your strength surpasses mine and your brother's, don't underestimate the demons."
The king, weary from the previous battle, looked at his beloved daughter with worry. He knew Eriri would protect her, but as a father, he couldn't help but feel concerned.
"Don't worry, Father. I'll be careful."
Iris nodded slightly, not refuting his words.
"Alright then, I won't say more. Your brother and I will return to the capital. I hope you all can defeat the Demon King."
The king originally wanted to say goodbye to Eriri as well, but after glancing at her and seeing the atmosphere between her and Megumin, he wisely decided to refrain.
After giving Iris a few final words of caution, Prince Jatice joined the king in leading the remaining knights and adventurers back to the capital.
Some of the adventurers who had planned to accompany Eriri's party to attack the Demon King's Castle chose to stay behind, intending to formally make that request.
Once the king began organizing the teleportation back to the royal capital, Iris returned to Eriri's side.
By then, Megumin, who had been resting quietly in Eriri's embrace for several minutes, finally lifted her head. The sorrow on her face had completely faded.
"Eriri, I'm fine now!"
Megumin gave Eriri a bright smile, reluctantly pulling away from her embrace.
She picked up her fallen wizard hat, dusted it off, and placed it back on her head.
Seeing this, Ilina and Lilian quickly gathered around.
"Megumin, you've finally cheered up!"
"Of course! I'm the number one genius archwizard of the Crimson Demon Clan. How could I let something this small keep me down for long!"
...
Just as Eriri and the others were about to head toward the Demon King's Castle, the adventurers who wanted to accompany them stepped forward.
"We heard you plan to attack the Demon King's Castle. If you don't mind, we'd like to join you in the fight."
The swordswoman who had previously spoken with Eriri took the lead in addressing her.
Hearing her words, the other adventurers quickly chimed in.
"That's right! We may not be as strong as you, but we can still handle the lesser demons!"
"The more people, the greater the strength! Together, we can definitely defeat the Demon King!"
...
There weren't many adventurers who chose to stay—only a little over a dozen in total.
Aside from a few reincarnators, the rest were simply the teammates of those reincarnators' parties.
"Since all of you want to go, then you can come along. We could use a few spectators anyway."
Eriri didn't refuse these adventurers. In fact, she intended to have them spread the story of how Megumin and the others destroyed the Demon King's Castle across this world.
Upon hearing Eriri's approval, the swordswoman immediately jumped up in excitement, while the others also wore thrilled expressions.
Without wasting any time, Eriri used spatial transfer to teleport everyone near the Demon King's Castle.
"Alright, we're here."
As Eriri spoke, the adventurers—still disoriented from the sudden shift in scenery—looked ahead.
Not far away stood an enormous black castle towering into the sky.
"So that's… the Demon King's Castle…"
The sight left the adventurers awestruck. For most of them, this was the closest they had ever been to the legendary stronghold.
"Lady Eriri, what should we do next? Are we attacking the castle directly?"
The swordswoman turned to Eriri, her face filled with anticipation and excitement.
"There's no need to make it so troublesome. You just have to sit back and watch."
Eriri replied casually, then turned her gaze toward Megumin.
"Megumin, it's your turn now."
Upon hearing Eriri's words, Megumin lowered her hat slightly and smirked.
"Fufufu, finally, it's my time to shine. Let my Explosion Magic mark the end of the Demon King's Castle!"
With that, Megumin stepped forward, raising her staff toward the castle.
"Oh, oh, oh! She's really going to use Explosion Magic on the Demon King's Castle!"
The adventurers' eyes widened with eager excitement.
In the previous battle, they had been too busy fighting to properly witness Megumin casting her Explosion Magic. Now, they had a front-row view.
Under their expectant gazes, Megumin finally began her incantation.
"Swift Wind! Swift Wind! Swift Wind!"
"The greatest, most powerful, and supreme magic—the user of Explosion Magic!"
"My name is Megumin! My favorite thing is Explosion Magic! My special skill is Explosion Magic! My hobby is Explosion Magic!"
"The blast I unleash shall sing with blind affection, like the melody of kinship itself!"
As her chant continued, the dazzling light effects unique to Explosion Magic manifested in the sky, causing all the surrounding adventurers to stare in awe.
This time, Megumin's chant was different—it was her own self-made chuunibyou-style speech. But even so, the power gathering within her was no weaker than ever before.
As the surging energy of her spell blanketed the area above the Demon King's Castle, the commotion naturally drew attention from within.
"Enemies! Enemies are attacking!"
Alarms blared throughout the massive fortress.
Countless demons rushed outside the castle walls, while those capable of flight soared into the air—only to freeze midair in shock as they saw the dozens of enormous crimson magic circles forming above the castle.
"Is that… Explosion Magic?"
"Who's casting it? Why is it so powerful!? Even Lord Wolbach's Explosion Magic wasn't this strong!"
"Could it be the Explosion Mage who wiped out so many of our troops on the battlefield yesterday!?"
"But wasn't she supposed to still be fighting alongside Lord Wolbach on the frontlines!?"
The truth was, the surviving soldiers from yesterday's battle hadn't yet returned to report what had happened. Thus, the demons inside the castle still knew nothing of the army's defeat.
"This isn't the time to be wondering about that! The Explosion Magic is about to hit—we need to find a way to defend!"
"Calm yourselves. The outer defenses of the Demon King's Castle are protected by my barrier. A mere Explosion Magic spell won't be enough to break through it."
The one who spoke was a humanoid demon wearing a white robe and a mask—one of the Demon King's Army officers stationed at the castle.
He was the oldest and most experienced of all the Demon King's officers, known throughout the world as the strongest archmage alive.
However, just as this so-called world's strongest mage declared his confident words, Megumin's chant reached its final verse.
"Turn malleability into brittleness—let it shatter in violent tremors!"
"Demon King's Castle, final bastion of evil! Become nourishment for my growth, and be destroyed by the crimson-black flame! Let your ruins witness the birth of a new Demon King!"
"Explosion!"
With Megumin's shout, the dozens of massive overlapping energy circles above the castle converged into one and surged downward.
In the next instant, the crimson explosion collided with the castle's defensive barrier.
This was Megumin's full-power Explosion Magic—the strongest she had ever cast, far surpassing even her endgame level in the original story by dozens of times. There was no way a mere barrier could withstand it.
The crimson flames pierced straight through the barrier without resistance and detonated directly upon the Demon King's Castle.
A thunderous roar shook the heavens as the massive fortress was instantly reduced to rubble. Every demon within—including the Demon King himself—was obliterated, vanishing completely from this world.
...
"A mere Demon King's Castle—pathetic!"
Megumin crossed her arms proudly, chin raised high. With a dramatic flick of her cape, she struck an exaggeratedly chuunibyou pose.
"From this day forth, I am the new Demon King! Hahahahaha!"
Watching Megumin laugh triumphantly, Eriri smiled faintly and walked up beside her, resting her hand atop Megumin's head.
"If you're the Demon King, then what does that make me?"
Megumin's laughter stopped abruptly. She choked on her words, coughing as her crimson eyes darted nervously around, searching for an answer.
"Uh…"
Then, as if struck by inspiration, her eyes lit up. She looked up at Eriri with a grin of pure mischief.
"Then you'll be the Great Demon King above the Demon King, Eriri! As for Lilian and the others, they'll be the new Demon King's Army officers!"
She nodded repeatedly, clearly quite satisfied with her self-proclaimed hierarchy.
"Mm-hmm! Perfect! From this day forward, we'll rule the world together!"
"Wait, why are we just officers? I want to be a Demon King too!"
At that moment, Darkness and the others joined them, and it was Lilian who spoke up with an indignant pout.
"Hmph, there can only be one Demon King—and that's me, Megumin! The Crimson Demon Clan's number one genius—no, the world's number one genius archwizard!"
"But you said Eriri-senpai was the Great Demon King!"
"No, no, no! The Great Demon King is the Great Demon King, and the Demon King is the Demon King! They can't be confused!"
As Megumin and Lilian continued their silly chuunibyou debate, Ilina and the others simply smiled, quietly watching the two of them.
Meanwhile, Iris stared at the smoking crater in the distance—once the Demon King's Castle—in utter disbelief.
She had always known Megumin's Explosion Magic was powerful, but she never imagined even the Demon King's Castle couldn't withstand a single blast.
The adventurers nearby shared her astonishment, gazing at the ruined landscape in stunned silence. Their shock far surpassed Iris's, and they were too awed to even notice Megumin and Lilian's conversation. And even if they did, they would have dismissed it as a joke.
Eriri clapped her hands lightly, drawing everyone's attention back to her.
"Alright, the Demon King's Castle is gone. Our little 'Hero vs. Demon King' game has officially come to an end."
"Eriri-nee, where are we going next?"
Iris looked up at Eriri with bright eyes, clearly not wanting to return to the royal capital so soon. After all, she wanted to enjoy herself while she was out here.
Understanding Iris's thoughts, Eriri smiled and gently patted her head.
"Let's just wander around this world for a while."
"Mhm!"
Iris nodded happily, her eyes full of anticipation for the adventures ahead.
But Megumin, having overheard their exchange, suddenly raised her hand in protest.
"Wait a second! Shouldn't we rebuild the Demon King's Castle right here, on its ruins?"
Hearing that, Eris rolled her eyes.
"You really do want to be the Demon King, huh?"
"Of course! Did you think I was joking? That's been my ultimate goal all along!"
Megumin declared proudly, standing tall with a smug grin on her face.
—
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