The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-407

Chapter 407: Rules of Parallel Lines

The atmosphere around Davey twisted strangely at his outcry. However, how they saw him did not concern him at all. If he could go back to the past right now, he would thoroughly plunder the golem research lab when he first encountered Urd.

"Why in the world did I create that thing?!"

Their expressions were uneasy as they watched Davey crumble in agony.

"Your Majesty... This one... seems a bit... human."

Vacant-eyed, Perserque looked different. Instead of being dressed in her usual revealing outfit, baring her navel and thighs, she was currently dressed in an attire that resembled the Demon Tribe’s traditional attire.

It was not so much that the Demon Tribe enjoyed destruction, but rather that their hatred had been suppressed over a long period of time. Perserque had no option but to take action against Davey.

Her threatening power started to flow out as she quietly lowered her eyes at Davey’s outcry, then began to slowly suppress the surroundings. There would not be anyone but the strong-hearted or the powerful who would dare to act in such a peculiar manner as he did. But all one could see in her gaze was the need to somehow avoid this situation.

Davey slowly got up, desperately suppressing his bitter emotions. There was no point in mindlessly regretting what should not have happened. Rising slowly, he carefully looked at Perserque from the tip of her toes to the horns sprouting from her head.

Then, it happened.

Slash!!

A black knight clad in black armor drew his sword and swung it at Davey with incredible speed. The speed was truly astonishing, but Davey managed to dodge the attack by stepping back and moving out of the way.

"You dodged?" The man's voice, filled with murderous intent, questioned him coldly. "For the crime of daring to look directly at Her Majesty with those vile eyes, you should have your eyes gouged out..."

It was a remarkably sharp attack. The way they aimed for his vitals suggested that they were practiced killers. Davey kept a moderate distance and slowly looked up at the sky.

The moment Davey was about to move, a bow was drawn taut, and the arrow was filled with a large amount of magic energy ready to counter him at any moment.

"Stop... it."

Perserque, who had been supporting her head with one hand, slowly opened her mouth to speak. There was a strange sense of resistance in her voice.

"Stop... pointless killing..."

"Your Majesty! We must eradicate all humans!"

"Your Majesty, please leave this place to us and go to the remnants of the Divine Tree..."

"Do not kill. If possible, we should capture him alive."

It was a brief command. In response, the man in the black armor clicked his tongue so quietly that it could not be heard.

"Just wait, there's still more to do."

Before Davey finished speaking, another attack swooped in. The problem was not just the two of them, as Dark Elves in black attire appeared from all sides in an instant. Their murderous intent was palpable.

The Dark Elves, seemingly determined not to give him any space, thrust their swords at his vital points, demonstrating that they were reliable direct subordinates of the Dark Lord.

"Do not move, human. Her Majesty has graciously allowed us to spare you. If you move, you'll be killed by the swords targeting your vital points in her name."

Davey quietly looked at the Dark Elf speaking.

"It's odd. You don't seem to have particularly strong mana..."

"Given the chaos in the surroundings, you should probably realize something," Davey calmly replied and slowly moved.

"Do not move!" the Dark Elf yelled out hastily, noticing his action, but Davey’s hand was faster and caught the dagger flying at his eye.

"Step aside. I have a once-in-a-lifetime task to perform here."

Crack!!

With those words, the dagger in Davey’s hand shattered like a biscuit. Startled, the Dark Elves’ attacks came pouring in, but as Davey lightly moved his hand…

Crash!!

With a disturbing sound, as if something broke, a Dark Elf in black attire was flung away, blood spraying. The surprised elves tried to retaliate, but Davey’s hand plunged in faster.

Crack!!

An assassin crumpled to the ground, accompanied by the sound of cracking bones. Their swords, black as the night, were razor-sharp, capable of ripping through the skin of weaker creatures with ease. Enveloped in an aura, they possessed the keenness to slice through rocks or metal as if it were paper. But to their surprise, he caught those prided blades with his bare hands. Fear filled their eyes, which were visible through the slits in their masks.

Crack!

The sound of bones shattering rang out again. Within an instant, several of them fell. Others with their wits still about them immediately noticed that something was off.

Davey caught a lightning-fast arrow aiming for his heart with one hand and fended off an attack from a swordsman, who was slashing at his throat, with the other. Slowly, he closed his eyes, staring into the eerie red light emanating from beneath the swordsman’s helmet.

Thud!

Before the lightning arrow dissipated, the swordsman’s attack poured onto Davey. Abandoning his caught sword, he attempted hand-to-hand combat with him. In an instant, his fists dove into Davey’s vitals.

Davey recoiled back, lightly riding the force of his attack to gain distance.

Boom! Boom!

Explosions followed as continuous attacks rained down on Davey. He defended against the swordsman’s onslaught silently, but from the outside, it appeared that Davey was continuously retreating.

"Die!!!"

As the swordsman’s fist wreaked havoc on his vitals and aimed to bore into him with deadly precision, Davey was just about to be impaled on the ruined tree nearby. He then withdrew his gaze from Perserque.

‘Odd.’

Perserque was not the one who had been gazing at Davey either.

Boom!

When Davey deflected the punch aiming for his head, the shockwave followed his fingertips, causing a massive explosion in the surrounding terrain, sending everything flying. This power was rather interesting, even for the Dark Lord's guard.

"Ugh?!"

However, it was not his fault that his opponent was not up to par. All this time, Davey had only been retreating, but soon, he shrugged off the sensation in his hand.

‘The power was quite heavy, but after all, whether it's them or me, the level of demons who have not joined hands with the abyss is predictable.’

"Still, you are better than the humans that regressed as time went by."

Humans, who had forgotten about the war and became weak due to a peaceful life, were much weaker compared to ancient times. In comparison, the demons, who still harbored resentment against humans while desperately surviving in harsh conditions, were somewhat better.

"What are you babbling about…?"

"There's a saying in another world, 'Reviewing the old to understand the new.' Remember it. You can interpret the meaning yourself."

With that, there was a flash in Davey’s eyes.

The swordsman’s dark helmet flew into thin air, revealing his short, gray hair and a stunned expression. He stood still as if he had seen something unbelievable.

Davey's subsequent actions were simple. Swiftly and precisely, he struck the swordsman. The attack was neither too loud nor too quiet, but it was so natural that it interrupted all his attempts to counter.

Thud!

With a clear sound, the swordsman staggered back. He had been hit on the upper right side of his chest, right through the armor, but there seemed to be no damage to his flesh. Then, he stopped, not moving an inch.

Walking toward the swordsman, looking as if he had turned to stone, Davey casually dusted off his clothes where the swordsman had been aiming earlier and slowly reached out his hand toward the swordsman's face. "Hmm… Only one transcendent remains."

Crack...

A short spark arose from Davey’s hand, and then lightning emerged from his hand before anyone could intervene.

When the tremendous roar had died down, what everyone saw was the figure of a man, burnt black in his armor, blown away dozens of meters from Davey.

"Melbak!!!" a Dark Elf shrieked in surprise, turning her gaze toward Davey.

"Human!!"

In her rage, she aimed her arrow at Davey, then froze.

As Davey released his suppressed strength in case Perserque tried to escape, others had clearly realized something was off.

Thud!!

The Dark Elf woman crashed to the ground, vomiting blood and shaking violently.

"You're lucky," Davey said calmly. He then left the Dark Elf woman to her own devices and looked at Perserque. He tried to reach out his hand toward her but stopped himself.

"Hmm."

Davey never intended to kill her in the first place. Having handed himself over to impulse and madness after seeing Myuu’s corpse and setting the Divine Tree ablaze, the consequences in this other world were not something he could take responsibility for. And if he were to kill the Dark Lord, who ruled this world, on top of all that...

Ares, who had raised Perserque like his own daughter and had poured out his love for her more than anyone else, had given her up in a bid to end the racial war. Unlike Ares, who had suppressed his sorrow with his devotion to end the war, Davey had no such intentions or reasons.

"You... What exactly are you?" Perserque’s question echoed in Davey’s ears as she remained alert, even though her eyes were vacant.

"Who am I..." Davey quietly muttered and offered a broad smile.

It was a friendly smile that humans and demons could not show each other in this world. And before Perserque could react, he approached her.

She had, in her own way, awakened as the abyssal Dark Lord. However, the power she displayed as an awakened Dark Lord was merely on par with the greatest Dark Lord in history compared to the force the abyss showed. So, even though she was strong, it was not enough to affect Davey.

Was it because she abhorred the power of the abyss and did not want to use it? Or was it because her position as the Queen had nothing to do with power in the abyss?

Surprised by Davey’s sudden actions, Perserque retreated step by step. Having witnessed many humans during the resurgence of the continental war, she probably had not encountered a case like his before.

"My abyssal power doesn't work on you... Who are you, exactly?"

"Ah, that."

‘I remember feeling the same. When I first saw Reina.’

Seeing her on high alert due to the unknown enemy, Davey slowly reached out his hand to her. He had no intention of doing anything to her. Regardless of what happened, he did not plan to kill her or take her back to the original world.

‘The Doppelganger system, was it? A system where if two identical entities exist in one world, one of them must perish. I had already confirmed this once through Reina. Therefore, all I can do, especially since I can’t stay here for a long time, is to slightly loosen the control that dominates her mind.’

‘How could a human handle the demon realm? I am a rival to the Dark Lord and also the Dark Lord who has officially inherited the hierarchy once through Belial. Even though I'm not as proficient as she is, it's clear that I'm slowly getting the hang of mana manipulation.’

As he was reaching out his hand, he abruptly stopped at the sound of an elderly, whisper-like voice.

[Stop.]

He momentarily stopped moving and turned his head. This voice felt the same as the gaze that had been watching him from the beginning.

[If you lay your hand on her, you will have intervened more than it was prescribed. You already have the blood of the Divine Tree on your hands, so you will not be able to return to your original home if you interfere with this world any further.]

"What?"

[If you still wish to touch her, then you may.]

Davey stopped his action.