The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-223

In terms of power, the huge flame explosion that had erupted and devoured a large area was similar to the power of an overloaded mana stone. The high-ranking Multi-Explosion was a higher circle magic that could express more than three times the power of the 5th Circle Explosion.

However, with the help of Transcendence Demise’s computational abilities and tremendous mana, Davey was able to break through the limits of the assimilated and ideal mage levels with grace and ease to cast plenty of such magic.

Flustered by the sudden explosion, the elven army was left in a huge mess. They also had no leeway to stage a counterattack.

“Prince Sullivan, do it now.”

The opposing side was now turned upside down, so those who had been caught by surprise had the time to breathe and launch their own attacks.

[I understand.]

Waaaaaaaaaah!

The soldiers of the human army, who had been on standby, were beginning to advance. Shouts and the loud clanging of metal could be heard.

The elves, well-versed in battle and much more powerful at long-range battles, were busy trying to find their rhythm back after the sudden explosion. They ended up being caught off-guard by the human soldiers’ sudden charge.

In a moment, the area was rife with the elven army’s screams and shrieks. The human attacks could be seen as large-scale trampling, which resulted in the obvious decline of the elven army’s momentum.

The elves also had not found the location of the Multi-Explosion’s source, which was still erupting occasionally. Due to that, they had no other choice but to pay attention to the soldiers who were in front of them and the potential explosions that might erupt at any given moment.

No matter how many of them there were, if the elves were beaten by the soldiers and the eruptions, the result of this battle was obvious.

However, the elves did not allow themselves to only get beaten. The moment their commander and leader, Fourth Central Official Yulrgen, shouted a command, the elves began their counterattack.

The elves in the frontlines immediately abandoned their bows to wield their rapiers. Meanwhile, the elves at the rear nocked their bows with arrows with practiced ease. At the same time, all of them avoided the artillery fire coming their way.

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!!!

Black arrows soon rained down on the human soldiers.

Of course, the elves’ arrows were completely unlike ordinary arrows. After all, the archery that the elves had mastered was extremely lethal in nature.

As the battle became increasingly difficult, screams rang rampant in the entire battlefield. But of course, Yulrgen did not stop there and immediately made his next move.

Suddenly, a large wooden structure was brought in through a wagon from somewhere. It was placed in the middle of the battlefield.

Thuuuuud!!!

The structure, the barrier, began fulfilling the role that it had been given to play. The explosions that had been distracting the elves suddenly hit an intangible screen and exploded in the air.

After being free from the danger of the explosions, the elves’ counterattack naturally increased in intensity.

The human army was forced back in an instant. This was unsurprising, since they had significantly fewer numbers than the elven army.

“Ha. That’s just cheating.”

World Tree Yggdrasil’s power had an overwhelming advantage over every mana in existence, and she herself was not stupid. She should know that the human army would receive tremendous damage once Davey chose to step forward. The elven army was very mighty by itself, but Yggdrasil cherished her beloved elves dearly, so there was no way that she did not give them any sort of countermeasure against Davey.

The barrier, which blocked Davey’s explosion magic, the golems’ magic bullets, and all other external attacks, protected the elves. For the human army charging forward with the support of artillery fire, it was like they were charging forward and fighting with one amputated arm.

With the protection of the barrier that was made with whatever magic the elves had used, Davey could see that the elves started to move with more agility and fluidity.

Davey threw the Transcendence Demise in the air without any hesitation. Then, he pulled out another item from his Pocket Plane. The item was none other than a spear in the shape of a cross; it was the Divine Spear Longinus in the form of a divine cross. Instead of stopping there, he added some extra measures by taking out several talismans in the form of scrolls and sticking them on Longinus’ shaft.

Since the opponent was protecting their own with such powerful grace, then Davey had no choice but to break them apart with a bigger and more powerful force.

[Goddess Freyja, the God who watches over all creations.]

‘Since you’ve decided not to keep the World Tree anymore, then show us a miracle one more time.’

Davey knelt down on one knee, held his hands tightly together, and closed his eyes in prayer. He uttered his prayers very quickly.

[Bzzt… Bzzt… Prince Davey! The opponent’s offensive is getting stronger by the second! Please do something about it, quick!]

Davey found the cries coming from the communication crystal to be filthy nagging. He ignored them and chose to focus on forcing the holy power that slumbered in his body to awaken and activate.

[Your body does not have a corporeal form, yet you exist in every corner of the world. There is no place in this world that your finger cannot touch.]

Davey did not enjoy praying in such a serious and earnest manner. It was just not his style. However, he had to do it, since magic with power that was close to a God’s miracle was very difficult to manage.

[May your forefinger show us mercy.]

Once again, a 9th Level holy magic began to emerge from deep within Davey.

[May your middle finger bring judgment and destruction to evil.]

Davey released the destructive energy that emerged from his body before gathering it all in one place.

[I pray for your consent and permission.]

As for the target, it was the place right above the elves’ protective barrier. That was what contained Yggdrasil’s protection.

[By your words, the Goddess has declared.]

[Do eat shit.]

—What kind of order is that…?

[9th Level, the Final Holy Magic]

[God’s Middle Finger]

Swooosh!!!

Once the order came from above, a pillar of light fell down from a sudden crack in the sky and broke the protective barrier that Yggdrasil had created.

Baaaaaaaang!!!

After breaking down the elves’ protective barrier, the pillar of light went on to burn the wooden structure completely.

Davey immediately regained his senses from a wave of dizziness, which had been caused by the sudden influx of magic. He then said to the communication crystal, “You can start now.”

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!!!

Once the elves’ protective barrier had broken apart, the human soldiers immediately retreated. They appeared to have been waiting for this very moment.

Meanwhile, the elves were overwhelmed by a sense of confusion. They completely forgot to chase after the retreating human soldiers when their protective barrier had been smashed into pieces by the sudden pillar of light. They were like a flock of headless chickens, all disorderly and lost.

Not long after, the human soldiers fired countless javelins from several ballistas that turned the sky black. If they only used ordinary ballistas and javelins, then their attack would not work at all.

But the Pallan Empire was no simple empire; they were an empire that swarmed and thrived with new weapons.

After some time, the released javelins exploded in the air and turned into shrapnels that flew all over the place. They became deadly weapons that rained down on the elves. This was [Ignite], the new weapon that the Pallan Empire had created.

This particular war would eventually become a battle of numbers. The elves might have beaten Davey and the human soldiers to take the first step, but they would also be calling the shots regarding the end of this fight.

Caught between a rock and a hard place after losing the power that had protected them, the elves completely lost morale. After all, they had lost their source of arrogance and confidence.

The golem fleet captains were still firing based on the role that each of their groups had been given, and the fragments of Ignite were still relentlessly pouring down over the elves. As for the human soldiers who had retreated after being hit hard by the elves, they advanced fiercely once again with their spears to take over the battlefield.

The elves had been safe just moments ago. But now, looking down on the ground beneath them, they could see the gruesome and horrible corpses of their comrades. The corpses were so cruelly distorted that one could not even associate them with the race that was known for their beauty and grace.

—God damn war…

“You make me look like a jerk.”

But Davey did not stop.

“Prince Sullivan, I’m heading to the Western Continent. Perhaps the elves will take a long time to reorganize themselves. Deal with it as you see fit. We’ll be done by the time they have finished preparing for their next attack.”

[There’s a considerable distance between our current location and the Western Continent…]

“I’m going to ride Fire Chicken.”

Davey did not know the location’s exact coordinates so he had to fly over there personally.

[Ah… You’re talking about that mysterious bird… I see. Don’t worry, you can leave this place to me.]

The more cruel the battlefield, the better. This was because the battle would then be over soon. However, Davey had to keep such thoughts mostly to himself.

***

After the pillar of pure and bright white light fell down from the sky, the ground was left devastated. The elves who had been touched by the light disappeared without a trace. They hadn’t even been able to scream.

The remaining elves thought the power was too destructive to be called a power of the Goddess Freyja, the symbol of benevolence and mercy. On the other hand, they also felt that the attack was so sacred and holy that they were seemingly witnessing the original and genuine truth of the world.

“My goodness…”

Perhaps this was what pure amazement felt like. Prince Sullivan and the nobles who followed him were all horrified to witness this catastrophe unfold on the battlefield that they were monitoring from afar. They felt like their entire world had been turned upside down the moment they saw the flash of white light, a power that God had brought down on this earth, in front of them.

They could use higher-level magic, which was already an amazing feat. However, the holy magic that Prince Davey could wield was definitely beyond their realm. They had to wonder if all of the Saints and Saintesses in the history books had been this strong too?

From how Davey carried himself confidently, Prince Sullivan could already tell that the rumors regarding him were all true. Still, seeing Davey’s power in person only made him realize that his power far exceeded his own expectations.

The most surprising part about Davey’s power was the golems that accompanied him. The golems, which looked completely different from the Iron Golems and Mud Golems that the Alchemy Schools ordinarily produced, had very sophisticated and elaborate forms. They were like living and breathing metal forms.

And was the golems’ firepower weak? No, not at all. Some of the golems could shoot an enemy’s head from hundreds of thousands of meters away. Some could even blow away dozens more by casting powerful explosion spells. Some of the golems could also release magic bullets and mysterious sticks that spun viciously and turned the enemies into hives.

‘They’re strong… They’re so dangerously strong. Were these the golems created after working hand in hand with the dwarves? Even if that’s the case, their technology is still something that’s beyond common sense…! I want them. I want to take away that technology from him and keep him in check!’

Prince Sullivan was clearly getting greedy, but he was a smart man. He knew that if he dared to backstab Davey, then he and his empire would face the same fate as the opposing elves right now.

The Pallan Empire might be strong but Prince Davey possessed something that could rival an entire empire. Furthermore, Sullivan’s instincts were telling him that this was not everything that Davey had up his sleeves.

Sullivan shook his head at the frightening thought that flashed in his head. He thought, ‘I should never pretend or keep up appearances when I am around him.’

The nobles who followed Sullivan also had hardened expressions on their faces. It seemed like Sullivan was not the only one who had thought about it. All of them were wondering how ridiculous it would be if Davey could take on the entire battle by himself.

At that point, Sullivan thought that they should not think about this matter anymore.

***

There were no chances when it came to fate.

One of the elves’ Ancient Guards, Janice, stood in cold silence as she watched the peaceful territory beyond the great forest.

[All of you, take a detour and go over there. The lives of our people are at stake, so make haste and complete your mission as quickly as possible. Go to the Moon Forest and bring Yuria to me. Make sure to bring her unharmed, no matter the cost.]

Their Mother Divine Tree had told the elves that the elven army would fail to cross the Pallan Empire to reach the Moon Forest.

It was true that the humans did not know much about the elves, but the elves did not know much about the humans either.

It also did not help that the humans now had a devilish human who had killed five Ancient Guards and their Mother Divine Tree’s incarnation by himself.

The elves did not know much about his individual power, but they knew that he was a prince of a small kingdom. They also judged that he had gained a lot of help, since he had wider reach in terms of connections than they had expected.

Although Davey was a monster that went beyond any kind of common sense, Janice thought that him having that kind of power was not completely impossible. She knew that he was the contractor of a Spirit King.

“Janice, there’s a barrier.”

Janice nodded silently at her comrade. Then, she said, “Listen well. We’re in enemy territory. We are in a place where we don’t know what is going to happen next.”

Although they were inside a forest, which was a very familiar place for the elves of the Divine Tree. However, they were feeling a subtle sense of unfamiliarity and separation from this land. They looked at each other uneasily.

The elves were at least Ancient Guards or of a higher level of authority. They were the ones who did not participate in the war like the other Ancient Guards, because some of them had stayed back to protect the Divine Tree.

This group in particular was being led by Janice. They had made a detour to this place, the enemy’s base and stronghold, the Heins Territory.

“Our task is to recapture the priestess, Yuria Helishana, who is living here in the Moon Forest. In fact, the troops stationed in this place are not that great. We can easily defeat them,” Janice said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. From what they could see, the monstrous human had created a new barrier to protect Yuria Helishana. But they were Ancient Guards. Anyone who had gathered here could break a barrier of such toughness and strength.

Janice was very proud of that fact.

“Cobbs, the bow,” Janice said.

With her eyes on the barrier that blocked their path forward, Janice reached her hand out to the elf who stood next to her. She soon received an exquisite wooden bow inlaid with several beautiful and glittering jewels, a weapon that they had prepared in advance.

The bow was made from the World Tree’s branches and several spirit stones. It was a very rare treasure in the Divine Tree’s Sacred Land. Janice was confident that she could break everything with this bow in hand.

Right now, the barrier was nothing to her.

When Janice took on a stance with her bow, a high-ranking wind spirit appeared next to her as a light wind began to gather around her. Janice then ordered, “The signal will be the barrier’s collapse. The moment I break the barrier, enter the territory.”

The other Ancient Guards immediately pulled out their weapons in preparation.

[Spirit Arrow]

Janice closed her eyes and pulled the bowstrings tightly, concentrating the surrounding power in her arrow. A harsh sound rang out from the bowstrings as the tautness and tension increased.

Meanwhile, a violent wind blew and surrounded Janice and her chosen weapon.

The arrow, which contained a high-ranking spirit’s power, and the bow, which was created from the World Tree’s branches, resonated. Soon, a powerful force was created and began to affect the nearby area.

Janice was sure that the people of that territory must have noticed the change. However…

‘It’s too late. That barrier will be broken before you know it.’

Janice thought the barrier was nothing but strong. However, it didn’t take too long for her to become disappointed.

What the Ancient Guards did not know was that Davey had mixed several magic spells at the 8th Circle, perhaps even higher, in the creation of this barrier. He was also able to expand this barrier, which was only able to cover a palm, and cover the entire forest.