The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-410

Riding on Megalodria, Davey crossed the barrier once again. Only after feeling the peculiar sensation of his physical body and soul resynchronizing did he swiftly fly toward the southern region of the Central Continent.

[The Prugrepf royal tomb is a relic that dates back five thousand years. A culture of the distant past that doesn't even have any records left. No one in the world remembers it, but I, who have seen and felt everything on this land over a long time, know that there is one creature who remains awake inside the dungeon where everything else slumbers. Its name is the "Silver Chime."]

There were cases when the numerous rules of the world overlapped by chance and created treasures. If his explanation was right, the Silver Chime was one such case. It took thousands to tens of thousands of years to form, and it was a treasure that was created at an extremely low probability over a long time.

Mana flowed in a certain direction for a long time, accumulated, and became a jewel when blocked by an obstacle, forming with the addition of special pressure, heat, and other factors. If what the Observer said was true, it seemed that the Silver Chime had been created only once since his will awoke.

Its effect was... immunity. As long as it was not divine power, there was a possibility. If an unknown power was not just deleting Aeria’s memory, but completely scratching it out and sealing it somewhere, the effect of immunity could erase its efficacy and restore the memory.

The Observer’s proposal was quite simple. He would reveal to Davey the hidden location of this treasure. In other words, it was also a suggestion that if there were a Silver Chime, several problems imprinted on Reina’s body could be solved at once: the possibility that she could cause problems by confronting Illyna, another entity like her, and the likelihood that she, the unwanted guest, might disappear. The idea was that a single dewdrop could solve all of these issues.

Now it was too late to use it on Reina, and because Aeria was also having her memories deleted according to the rules of the world due to a similar situation, it seemed that his intention was to use it here.

"What exactly are you? There couldn't be an existence like you in the world where I lived."

[Didn't you say it yourself? This world is unstable. Why is it strange that a bizarre existence like me would appear?]

‘So, is this entity essentially the embodiment of the world's will, but one that has been created by chance?’

Woong!!!

Having descended from the back of Megalodria, who landed by halting its four pairs of giant wings, Davey stared directly into the red eyes that were looking at him.

“If I leave here and return to where I was originally, is there a possibility of being eroded again?”

"There shouldn't be any major issues since we've dealt with it here. Your Grandmaster-level power will gradually return as well."

That would mean that apart from the Abyss Princess in the Tionis Continent where Davey was, there would be no entity that could beat Megalodria. Even Davey would have a hard time battling Megalodria.

“I will wait here, Davey. Again, I thank you for restoring my will. But there is a clear limit to what I can help with. As erosion disappears, the time I can exist in the intermediary world, not the dimensional world, is also rapidly decreasing.”

Megalodria had once explained to Davey about himself, the other King of mythical beasts, and their homeland, the Lux Continent. One day, due to the sudden appearance of the Abyss Princess, that damned "Urd," and the bizarre entities she controlled, a war broke out for several decades, leaving only a handful of humans and mythical beasts on the Lux continent, which eventually perished.

‘If we leave entities like the Abyss Princess, Urd, or Verdandi as they are, it would be the same for Tionis. I can't synchronize in the original world of the Tionis Continent where I live. I'd like to meet them here if possible. I can erase them here without leaving any aftermath.’

Davey left Megalodria and held the hand of Aeria, who had quietly followed him to this place. No one but Davey could cross the boundary, but thanks to the power of the Observer, Aeria was given a very brief right to interfere.

"Ah..."

She looked at him, surprised. Finding herself holding hands with a strange man she had never seen before, she tried to pull her hand out of his. "Let, let go, please!"

"You'll get hurt if you go alone."

At his words, Aeria seemed to realize her situation, her eyes wide open, and slowly bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I've been causing trouble for you..."

Her mind was inevitably in a chaotic mess. When she came to her senses, she found herself in a strange world, alone with a man she had never seen before, and her previously grotesque face due to illness had vanished entirely, too cleanly for comfort.

Upon seeing her face and realizing her disease was cured, she wept miserably for nearly an hour. It was as though she was rebelling against the stares and whispers she had endured in the past. This behavior, identical to when she first started, was proof that she was nothing if not consistent.

"We must endure here for the remaining two days, whether we live or die. It would be best to find a way to treat the patient."

"Prince Davey... you really are considerate..." Aeria stated calmly, managing a faint smile. "The person who marries you will surely live a happy life."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes." Her response was peculiarly firm.

"Did... Did I know you well, Prince?" At her cautious question, Davey fell silent for a long while. Her wary behavior was vastly different from the little girl who used to yearn for him in the past, causing a sense of dissonance and unsettling thoughts.

"I... I feel like I know you well, even though it's strange..."

At her statement, Davey responded matter-of-factly, "It's called Stockholm Syndrome."

"St... What's that?"

"It's when a hostage and a captor become emotionally attached.”

[I don't understand the logic of this Stockholm-whatever, but at least I know it's not that.]

“Shut up," Davey whispered to the Observer.

As they were moving, a few sharp arrows accompanied by a strange smell of sweat flew from the forest toward Aeria.

"Eek?!"

Without hesitation, Davey reached out and caught the arrows, then he blatantly showed his dissatisfaction to the Observer. "In a place where no one knows?"

[Uh, Ahem. I forgot. There were human resistance survivors hiding here.]

“Are you trying to kill two birds with one stone?”

[Ahem! You may be in a hurry, but so am I! What a difficult human! A promise is a promise. There's no need to go far, just help them a little!]

"There should be a sequence in handling tasks."

[I don't know! I don't know! You promised to help! Do both tasks at the same time! And don’t act so stingy!]

The Observer’s voice sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.

* * *

"Your Majesty!"

Loyal subjects gathered around Perserque, who was sitting on her throne with one hand covering her face.

"How dare they commit such blasphemy against our Majesty!"

"The elves have completely lost their minds! They dare to touch the body of Her Majesty!" a demon of giant stature, enraged, roared out.

"Inflicting such harm on the body of Her Majesty... Even with the weakened Divine Tree, it should be impossible, right?" A succubus dressed in radical attire slowly voiced her opinion with a cautiously raised hand.

Dark Lord Perserque had headed toward the sacred place of the Divine Tree with her two escorts. The escorts lost consciousness almost immediately upon their return, and Perserque did not speak easily, perhaps due to the complexity of her thoughts. In the end, all they could ascertain was that their Dark Lord had been ambushed by the elves on her way to the Divine Tree.

"It is time we show the Divine Tree a taste of bitterness."

They did not know that the Divine Tree had been destroyed by Davey's hand.

"But the Divine Tree is the Divine Tree. What are you going to do about it…?"

"We first need to find out if it really was the Divine Tree that attacked our Majesty..."

"No!!"

Just then, the silent palace doors opened, and a Dark Elf woman rushed in. She was one of the few survivors who had accompanied Perserque.

Thud!!

All eyes turned toward her. From Archduke Astaroth to several archdukes and First Lich Nyx, who was checking Perserque’s condition, their gaze held immense pressure.

"I, who failed to protect the body of Her Majesty, am unworthy! I think I should still tell the truth even if it can't be repaid in death, so I ran from the sickbed!"

"You wench! How dare a sinner who failed to protect Her Majesty's body..."

"Enough. Let's hear her report first."

At Nyx's resonating words, everyone fell silent.

"The Divine Tree... did not attack Her Majesty."

The Dark Elf spoke with difficulty, but her words were firm.

"It was a human. It was a human who, single handedly, killed the Divine Tree! He’s a completely new enemy who has never shown his face in all the wars so far! He is strong! You must not underestimate him! Carelessly, we could all be wiped out...!"

At these words, confusion began to appear on the faces of all the demons in the hall. However, soon the hall erupted into boisterous laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! A human? A human, you say?! What a joke! Those human scum who have been washed out in the face of just three legions, what can they possibly do!"

The words of the Archdemon Formalion might have been a bit exaggerated, but it seemed like everyone shared the same sentiment. They would not believe it so easily. The Dark Elf woman grew impatient with this dismissive attitude from the demons.

A direct confrontation had to be avoided. What could be seen in the eyes of that human boy was a dreadful madness, and an enormous amount of power that could shatter the world. But they were unaware.

Their Dark Lord, Perserque, had not even engaged in direct conflict with him. She was a dominant figure among the demons; even simply considering her physical power, she was called the greatest of all time among the demon lords.

Of course, her power was not as it had been, but it was a common understanding that once she started to exert her authority, it would be a matter of moments to annihilate the humans on this continent. But even she, without being able to exert her authority, was shocked.

Just what was that human? An unseen human throughout this long war has appeared, causing such shockwaves. The Dark Elf woman, enveloped in confusion, eventually looked at Nyx, who led the demons.

The massive lich, reduced to bones, silently stared at Perserque before slowly opening his mouth. "No matter what, we can't let the human who dared lay a hand on her Majesty go. Majesty, please give your command to Grimghast (Black Dragon Troop). They only follow the orders of the one who ascended to the hierarchy of the Dark Lord; they could be a great help."

Nyx's eyes flashed once, and Perserque took a short breath. She then slowly opened her mouth, biting her lips lightly as if in pain. "I... I command in the name of the Dark Lord. Grimghast is to... find him immediately..."

It was a subdued voice, almost tired. It was a command given in a state where she could not properly think, but Nyx seemed satisfied.

Originally, unlike the other demons, Nyx knew her secret well. Perserque, who had always been strong, was a girl who proclaimed the importance of life dreadfully. This fact still held true even after more than 3,000 years.

That was why Nyx had made a body that controlled most of Perserque’s spirit, and it had now reached this point. Her existence will be a major center for scattered demons or anyone who has teamed up with the demons.

Soon, Nyx gave a command as if he had taken the throne in the absence of the Dark Lord. "Find him. And show those foolish ones who dare to oppose the Dark Lord a painful lesson!"

At Nyx's words, the demons bowed their heads together. They did not know. The human who had appeared suddenly was not just a human, but a monster who could sweep away the entire continent single-handedly.

And that he was identical to the Dark Lord they pledged their allegiance to. No, rather, he was the one who had inherited all the power of the Dark Lord, unlike Perserque, who was unstable due to her created body.