The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-346

The world beyond the crack bore a striking resemblance to the realm governed by the judge overseeing death. The desert remained the same as before.

"Oh my god... It's hot. So hot..." Illyna murmured, tormented by the intense heat. She contemplated removing one of her outer garments to find some relief.

As a member of the Imperial Family, she had received education in etiquette and culture, and the mere thought of undressing in front of a person of the opposite sex was unthinkable. However, the scorching heat put her in a predicament. In the end, she made the decision to remove her outer garment, revealing the sleeveless outfit beneath.

"Phew... That's better."

The fact that even a Sword Master could not withstand the sweltering heat indicated that the temperature was so extreme that ordinary humans would only be able to endure it for a few minutes at most.

Davey raised his hand and employed a magic spell to measure the temperature of their surroundings. The level of heat? Extremely, unbearably high.

"What's that?"

"A temperature-measuring magic."

"Hmm... So, what's the temperature?"

"It's the perfect temperature for getting steamed to death."

Davey observed as the petals on the buds that bloomed at the tips of his fingers slowly unfurled. After assessing their number, he closed his eyes gradually. Then, he retrieved a waterskin from his pocket plane and extended it to Illyna.

"Make sure to keep yourself hydrated."

"I... I don't want to..."

"If you wish to survive in this place, you must."

Davey's words coerced Illyna into accepting the waterskin, her eyes welling up with tears. Eventually, the tears cascaded down her cheeks the moment she opened the cap and caught a whiff of the scent.

"It smells absolutely dreadful..."

"It has a strong chestnut flower fragrance, which may be somewhat challenging to bear. However, it will undoubtedly keep you hydrated."

“…”

In the end, Illyna could only grit her teeth, closing her eyes and biting on the opening of the waterskin to suck its contents into her mouth.

"Urk!" Illyna vomited, a gloomy and depressed expression flashing on her face as she expelled about half of what she had drunk. "So sorry..."

"It's your first time. Everyone needs enough time to get used to it."

Davey silently left Illyna, who was glaring at the waterskin, behind and began summoning the spirit mana within his body. He wasn't sure if he could summon Gnoass or Ellaim in this place, but it was worth a try.

Bzzz, bzzz... bzzz!!!

Before long, a small spark danced lightly in his hands as grains of sand gathered in his palms. It seemed like the spirits were responding to his call. However...

Fwoooooosh.

The sand was completely crushed and destroyed.

"Hey, Davey. You can use magic, right? There must be some kind of water magic that can draw moisture from the air around us..."

"Let's move on."

"Hey!!!" Illyna jumped up in surprise, realizing that she had been deceived. Her mouth, wide open as if to attack Davey, was filled with the stench of the Desert Horn Moth's fluids that she had just drunk.

"..." Illyna immediately withdrew, covering her mouth as her face turned red, tears welling up as she cried, "I have never experienced something so shameful in my entire life..."

Feeling utterly embarrassed, tears threatened to stream down her cheeks once again. Davey silently reached into his Pocket Plane and pulled out a bottle filled with water.

Fwoooosh...

Perhaps due to the lingering power in this place, the water bottle in Davey's hands instantly turned to dust as he took it out of his Pocket Plane.

Holy power was the prevailing force in this place. It meant that Goddess Freyja had imposed restrictions on Davey, forbidding him from retrieving food and water supplies from his Pocket Plane.

For a moment, Davey couldn't help but wonder what Freyja hoped to gain by subjecting him to such unfavorable conditions, a complex mix of emotions swirling in his chest.

—Kiiiik?

Then, a strange cry floated into Davey's ears.

Illyna, who had been sobbing while rubbing away her tears with the back of her hands, lifted her face and gazed in the direction from which the sound had come. "What's that?"

When Davey turned to look, he saw a huge black bird about half the size of a human calmly observing him.

—Kiiiik?

The bird, which made eye contact with Davey for a few silent moments, tilted its head and let out another strange cry.

Silently and slowly, Illyna stood up from the ground at the sudden appearance of the gigantic bird. She approached Davey and tried to say something but immediately shut her mouth.

‘Well, a person’s mouth can smell like insect fluids. So what?’

"What? Is the judge presiding over this world over there?" Davey opened his mouth, maintaining eye contact with the bird.

"How can a bird possibly answer you?" Illyna asked, a giggle bubbling out of her mouth. However, the bird nodded in response, causing her to release a strange cry of her own, "Kyaack!"

Illyna immediately grabbed Davey's arm, frowning at the bird's bizarre actions and behavior.

[This is a place that judges your greed. I am the judge who judges your Greed's Karma.]

The voice that rang in their ears was the crisp and bright voice of a young boy.

"Is that so?"

[The realm of the judge who presides over death has collapsed. Is it because of you?]

"..."

[This is an unprecedented scenario. In my heart of hearts, I wish to erase the existence that dared to harm another judge, but...]

The bird mumbled the end of its words, its head returning to its original position.

[The final judge is keeping an eye on you.]

The bird spoke calmly once again as it flapped its wings and soared into the skies. Then, the surrounding landscapes began to change at its whim.

[Following the special trial's regulation, I will now guide you to where the final judge is.]

In that place, Davey would be subjected to the trial and judgment of the six other judges. After that, he would receive the judgment of the final judge.

"Are you telling me that there will be no verdict that declares me innocent?"

[There is a possibility of being judged innocent. All of the karma, except for the Dead's Karma, has the potential to judge you as innocent.]

"That will be almost impossible."

[However, even though you have accumulated a lot of Dead's Karma, you were not able to receive proper judgment. Instead of being judged, you killed the judge in charge of the Dead's Karma and even destroyed his realm. It is impossible for you to not be subjected to some sort of punishment.]

Amidst the bird's words that judged others as they pleased, Davey realized that he was led to the middle of a space that resembled an amphitheater, hundreds of meters in height.

Illyna hurriedly grabbed Davey's arm, her eyes filled with shock at the sudden change in her surroundings. "Where is... this... Ugh!"

At that moment, an immense amount of pressure appeared from all sides, weighing down on Davey. The pressure was overwhelming, although not to the extent of defying gravity. Nonetheless, it was heavy and suffocating.

The intensity of the pressure was such that Illyna could not even bring herself to raise her head. Eventually, she collapsed on the ground, gasping for air and trembling. However, she refused to let go of Davey, tightly gripping the hem of his pants with her index finger and thumb.

"..."

Davey remained silent, surveying the shining and glittering amphitheater. The brightness was so intense that it would be difficult for anyone else to see clearly.

What he saw around him were dokkaebis of various colors and forms. There were blue dokkaebis, red dokkaebis, green dokkaebis, black dokkaebis, and many more. Some of the dokkaebis bore a striking resemblance to the two sets of twins that had served as members of the jury.

Silence permeated the entire amphitheater as Davey silently gazed at what lay before him, the intense light bearing down upon him. For some reason, he felt a peculiar sensation, although he couldn't quite grasp why.

"This divine punishment feels too mundane..." Davey unintentionally voiced the thoughts that flashed through his mind.

"Let the outsider out." A solemn voice resounded, and at the same time, Illyna's body was enveloped in light, vanishing from Davey's side only to reappear a few distances away.

Illyna, who had been sent far away to where the court's jury was seated, attempted to rise and run back to Davey. However...

Thud!!! Thud!!!

Something stopped her. It was as if a wall blocked her path in the empty space in front of her. Moreover, Davey couldn't hear her voice at all.

"Now, there is no one to obstruct the flow and aid the One Who Will Receive Judgment, Davey O'Rowane. The judges can now make clear and fair judgments."

"Yes, Final Judge," the black dokkaebi answered, rising in response to the grave and solemn voice coming from an unknown source.

The black dokkaebi was unusually short compared to the others.

"I am the Judge of Greed, responsible for passing judgment on Greed's Karma. Are you the One Who Will Receive Judgment, Davey O'Rowane?"

"..."

Davey didn't answer, but the black dokkaebi approached him as if the response didn't matter at all.

Vwoooooong—

Then, he stretched out his hand toward him. The expression on the face of the black dokkaebi with the voice of a young boy turned dull.

"This is different from the Killing Karma. You have committed a crime that you should never have done. That is why the contents of the trials and judgment have been changed."

As soon as the dokkaebi's words changed, something like a video appeared in the sky above them.

[Grow up well. From now on, you will all become my seed capital.]

The video showed Davey leisurely mumbling to himself as he looked at the huge field in front of him.

Baaaaang!!!

Davey watched the video above him silently. When he tried to move, something dug into the place where he was in an instant.

Thuuuuud!!!

It was none other than a huge hammer that promptly crushed the place where he had just been.

"The judgment will now proceed. We will begin the punishment of the One that Will Receive Judgment, Davey O’Rowane, who dared to harm a judge," the black dokkaebi continued to speak as his huge hammer slowly transformed into a cane. "You have artificially cultivated countless lives and sold them away to satisfy your own greed."

"Is it a habit for you, judges, to try and find ridiculous faults in a person so that you can kill them?"

"Our judgment is fair and encompasses all living beings."

"If you're truly fair, then there should be no living being left alive in the world."

Why? Because according to their criteria, one would immediately become a sinner the moment they tried to pluck a plant or consume meat to survive.

For Davey, he had no reason to entertain such nonsensical logic. He simply looked at his status window and assessed the situation repeatedly.

Now that Illyna was not by his side to assist, it would be completely impossible for him to defeat them all at once. When he glanced at her, he could see that she was still screaming and pounding on the invisible wall. She seemed incredibly furious. Strangely, Davey felt as if he could hear her voice from over there.

"That's why there is a trial."

"Your greed is actually not that significant. It's neither above nor below average. The level of your greed is quite low considering your abilities. Furthermore, you haven't profited personally from it; instead, you have used the money to save countless lives. Taking all these factors into account, the One that Will Receive Judgment, Davey O’Rowane, you have been deemed innocent."

Unlike the judge responsible for the Dead's Karma, the black dokkaebi had allowed some room for consideration and delivered a very unexpected judgment.

Crack, crack, crack, crack!!!

The ground cracked as another black dokkaebi charged at Davey.

"However, you have been found guilty of harming the judge in charge of the Dead's Karma. You will receive punishment from all the judges. May you survive all their attacks."

Ultimately, they meant that he had to fight against them under the worst possible conditions.

'Shall we try using the power of the Demon Lord?' Davey contemplated.

However, the power he had obtained from killing Belial, the Demon Lord, was still a chaotic mess, rendering it unusable for now.

Boom, boom!!!

Thuuuud!!!

Deep in contemplation, Davey was suddenly struck by a heavy blow from a massive hammer on his arm. The impact caused the veins on his neck to bulge, fueling his inner frustration.

‘Is this dokkaebi nuts?’

"If a person is thinking deeply, then you should stay put and wait!!!"

Thwack!!!

As if on instinct, Davey brushed off the incoming hammer and grabbed the dokkaebi by the head, dragging him toward him. Then, frustrated and irritated, he put his all into the punch, ensuring a lethal blow to the attacking dokkaebi.

Then, he made contact with the dokkaebi. Well, the impact of the punch alone could be considered a one-way ticket to hell. However, it was alright since they would not die in his hands.

Booooom!!!

"Huh?" Davey hummed, unable to hide the incredulous expression that flashed on his face as the black dokkaebi flew away the moment his punch collided with his face.

[Davey O'Rowane is prohibited from killing.]

The prohibition on killing that Goddess Freyja had enforced upon him was still intact. However, he was able to kill his opponent.