The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-483

—Roooooooooaaaaaar!!!

Zombies were creatures that bore a striking resemblance to the beings Davey had encountered in his previous life. They moved sluggishly, devoid of rationality and intelligence, driven solely by their instincts. Their resilience was remarkable, and they transmitted the infection through their saliva, primarily by biting their victims.

Regrettably, once bitten and infected, there was no known cure, rendering the condition irreversible.

In the Tionis Continent, a significant number of individuals had succumbed to this reanimation, or zombification, during the Dark Mage’s War in the past. Many had even wept tears of blood in the face of the suffering it had unleashed.

However, in a world teeming with various other supernatural forces, the outcome wouldn't be quite as dire, especially for the Tionis Continent. It held the highest concentration of divine power among many other continents, making it relatively well-equipped to combat zombies created through black magic.

After all, reanimation could typically be purified with holy mana or thwarted by infusing mana to prevent further infection.

The issue of zombification had also posed a significant challenge during the crisis involving the 8th Circle Lich Grell Orphan. Fortunately, his expertise primarily lay in the realm of curses, which played a pivotal role in minimizing the number of victims.

But what if the narrative took a different turn? What if zombies emerged and ran rampant in a world devoid of mana? The consequences would be dire, as exemplified by zombies swarming and wreaking havoc in a once-thriving city, once home to millions.

“Do not resort to wide-area magic to incinerate them. Instead, cleanly sever their heads and ensure you remove the chips implanted on the napes of their necks,” Davey advised.

Upon hearing Davey's instructions, Rinne eagerly brandished her lightsaber and sprang into action.

Some might argue that the situation was hopeless when surrounded by zombies attempting to overwhelm with sheer numbers. However, the zombies posed no challenge to Rinne's strength. Even as they endeavored to crush her with their bodies, these human forms, weighing less than 100kg, were no match for Rinne, who could effortlessly wield an object weighing nearly a ton with a single hand. For her, the zombies' attempts at body pressure were child's play.

Slash!

—Roaaaaaaaaar!!!

As the ceaseless horde of zombies charged relentlessly toward her, Rinne displayed remarkable efficiency in swiftly and precisely severing their heads. Her deft hands promptly retrieved the chips implanted on their necks, methodically stowing them away in a bag. Her work was nothing short of meticulous and divine.

"Dark Cutter." Perserque, perched upon Davey's shoulder, elegantly waved her hand, conjuring a dark blade of wind that efficiently beheaded the approaching zombies, one after another.

Meanwhile, Davey harnessed his telekinetic abilities to collect the chips and carefully deposit them into the bag he held.

"Excellent work, this area is secure! Keep pushing forward."

However, what was Davey doing? He seemed lethargic, resorting to cheap tricks to evade the laborious task at hand.

"Davey, how about lending a helping hand?"

"Must I really step in?"

"That's not the point," Perserque replied, her mouth forming a discontented pout.

Davey had requested to collect a substantial quantity of chips containing materials he required.

Rinne had assessed that gathering the quantity needed was a daunting task.

After verifying, the limitation on the time he could spend in the other dimension while using an unnatural force had finally been lifted. Davey had accomplished this by modifying the dimensional key with the Taboo’s Karma.

With this restriction removed, Davey had the freedom to move around as much as he pleased until all of the mana in his body had been depleted.

But Davey's preparation went beyond that. He had also brought a substantial supply of mana stones, enough to enable Perserque and Rinne to unleash their abilities without constraints. So, why wasn't Davey actively participating? He preferred to conserve his strength in case of unforeseen developments.

The zombies, immune to fear, continued to converge upon them. Yet, even as a significant number swarmed their location, there remained a limit to the materials they could gather from the chips implanted on the back of the zombies' necks.

To amass the required quantity, they would likely need to ransack and thoroughly clear out an entire warehouse stocked with such materials. But even that might not suffice. Davey surmised that they might need to excavate an entire mine of it.

Despite the ongoing one-sided battle, zombies streamed toward them without end.

"Can't you somehow exert control over the zombies over there?"

"The zombies here aren't the result of black magic. They're infected with a bio-parasitic virus. How can I command them?" Davey replied, standing at ease while surveying the area.

Just as he was about to relocate to an area that had emptied of people, he detected a faint response to the subtle mana wave he had dispersed around them.

"It seems there are roughly four of them. Are they fleeing? The ones pursuing them... Oh, there's quite a few."

Despite Davey's earlier intention to conserve mana, he couldn't overlook the necessity of basic detection and exploration. Instead of relying solely on his vision, he extended his mana in a wave and employed a technique reminiscent of ultrasonic motion sensing. In the process, he discerned signs of movement and promptly shifted his attention in that direction.

"Rinne, come back. We're changing our location."

Their primary objective in this place was to locate people. It would be ideal if they could find Evanov, the boy whom Davey suspected might be a descendant of his teacher Eva and someone to whom he felt a strong connection. If they couldn't find him, they could at least search for the twin golems from the Decepticon Fleet that Davey had entrusted to the boy.

However, since their arrival here hadn't been part of any prearranged plan, such a serendipitous encounter seemed unlikely.

"Run!"

"H-ha...ha... I can't run any longer!"

Rinne, who had dispatched a pursuing zombie with a kick, stood beside Davey, her wings neatly folded against her lower back. It appeared she had also heard the sound.

They observed four individuals clad in various uniforms sprinting desperately as the zombies gave chase.

"Just a bit farther, keep running! Once we reach Brooklyn Street, we'll be close to the heliport! We can escape this accursed city as long as we can board the cargo plane!"

The fervent plea brought a smile to Davey's face. He commented, "Well, it seems we have some unexpected company."

"Ha...haa... I can't run any farther!"

At that very moment, the youngest-looking boy collapsed to the ground, his breathing labored. His pale, exhausted face bore witness to the considerable distance and duration of their escape. It was evident that one wrong move could easily send him into shock.

"No! Boris! Get up! We've come all this way for you just to become their meal!" the man with a muscular build yelled at the boy as he yanked him by the collar.

Then, the man produced a small weapon. This weapon seemed to use gunpowder, but its design and materials differed from those of modern Earth's weaponry. It appeared as though the technology in this world had developed similarly, almost as if it had been molded to be that way.

"Just... Just leave me here... Aaaaaaaack!"

In that moment, the ground beneath the fallen boy shifted, and a massive, reinforced hand emerged.

"Aaaaaack! It's Indra!"

"Damn it!"

In response to their terrified cries, a colossal being emerged from a fissure in the ground. It was a grotesque monster, standing three to four meters tall, a fusion of bright red muscles and chunks of flesh.

"My God, how did an Indra…?"

"I knew it! Those cursed Parasol Corporation! They had no intention of letting a single survivor escape this city!"

"Uwaaaaaaaack!"

The monster seized the boy, who had collapsed on the ground, by the leg, swung him around, then bit and tore off his arm before tossing him aside. It appeared that despite the immense shock, the boy's life force remained strong, and he wouldn't succumb easily.

‘Davey, regarding those individuals... The parasites won't enter their bodies. There are already parasites inside them, but they aren't active.’

The zombies in this area were biochemical worm-like viruses. Once they parasitized a host, they would continue to multiply and take over the body indefinitely. But Perserque was suggesting that the dreadful virus was not parasitizing these individuals?

‘Are they carriers?’

Setting aside this perplexing notion for a moment, Davey focused his attention on the monstrous creature known as the Indra, which was exerting pressure on the three other survivors. Among the creatures he had previously encountered here were the zombies and the Abyss monster. However, the being before them appeared to be a mutation that had evolved from the zombies.

“Let’s make a move.”

Having completed the search, Davey finally sprang into action. Rinne, closely monitoring the situation behind him, swiftly materialized an ultra-high heat gun in one of her hands.

"Rinne has opted for an ultra-high heat gun, utilizing 3% of her available energy for output. Estimated likelihood of eliminating the enemy: 99.8%," Rinne declared as crimson particles started gathering at the gun's nozzle.

Observing this, Davey left Rinne behind and approached the fallen boy on the floor.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

A deep and thunderous sound, distinct from the discharge of the flame gun, resonated throughout the area. It should be noted that even the survivors who had been resisting were unable to breach the muscles of the monstrous creature.

"Rinne, increase your penetration power," Davey instructed.

The attention of the survivors, who had been sporadically firing their weapons at the monster, instantly shifted to Davey upon hearing his command.

"Rinne has received the order."

Clink... Thwack!

In an instant, a blinding flash erupted as colossal ultra-high heat beams surged toward the gigantic muscular monster. Its entire body exploded into oblivion without a trace.

While everyone remained immobilized by the perplexing situation they had just witnessed, Davey had already reached the fallen boy. He directed his holy power toward the boy's vacant shoulder, where his arm had been brutally torn away earlier. Regenerating a limb that had completely vanished presented a formidable challenge, but Davey persisted, considering it an investment well worth making.

[8th Class Holy Magic]

[Great Regeneration]

Vwooooooooooong!!!

Simultaneously, a light green aura emanated from Davey's hands, permeating the boy's body. Although there was no longer a time reduction penalty, Davey began to sense a profound fatigue washing over his body. It appeared that this was the penalty he had incurred in place of the time reduction, which, while bearable, was far from a pleasant sensation.

"Watch... Watch out!!!" one of the men who had been staring blankly at Davey suddenly shouted.

This was because another colossal monster had emerged, this time from the equally massive mode of transportation that had been smashed earlier. The monster lunged at Davey with its lengthy, thorny tongue thrashing about like a steel wire. The tongue, resembling a wire, coiled around Davey's body, its thorny sections moving swiftly and aiming directly for his head.

"No!!!"

Boom!

Naturally, Davey had no intention of letting the monster's thorny and repugnant tongue make contact with him. He regarded the sticky tongue, coated in foul saliva, with cold indifference, knowing it was thankfully held at bay by an invisible barrier of air.

"You dirty bastard."

Bang!

It took only an instant for the monster's brain to explode.

Witnessing both Davey and Rinne effortlessly dispatch such colossal monsters, the remaining survivors could only gape at them in astonishment, clearly flustered by the sudden turn of events.

Then, carrying the unconscious boy as if he were carrying luggage, Davey addressed them, "What are you doing? Did you come here to join those monsters back there for a meal? Do you want to stay here and become their dinner?"

Davey's voice dripped with sarcasm, jolting one of the men from his daze. The man’s eyes widened as he shouted, "Everyone... Everyone, let's run!!! The heliport is just around the corner!!!"

"Alright!"

"Follow me! I've arranged for a cargo plane to help us escape from this place!"

Despite the earlier confusion, they all recognized the necessity of escaping together, as they were all survivors. In this apocalyptic world, no one would undertake such benevolent deeds solely for altruism's sake.

Davey, carrying the unconscious boy, strolled leisurely behind them. As the fleeing group of people distanced themselves further and further from him, he casually extended his hand toward the relentless zombies that continued to pursue them.

‘Shall we give it a try?’

Vwooooooooooong!!!

[Doth hath said the goddess can no longer bestow her revelations due to her waning power.]

[Doth hath said I would tremble and grit my teeth.]

[Are you prepared to bear God's wrath? You should cease grinding your teeth, or you'll require dentures prematurely.]

[8th Class Holy Magic]

[God’s Middle Finger]

‘Doth hath said, God hath declared… Let’s feed you some big shit!’

Vwoooooooong… Crack!!!

The reverberating sound of something shattering filled the air as the pursuing zombies were violently obliterated by a brilliant explosion of light. Davey continued his unhurried advance, observing how some zombies scrambled over the remains of their fallen comrades, all the while trailing the group of people who remained oblivious to the unfolding spectacle.

Davey's plan was straightforward: he would shadow them until they reached the survivors' gathering place. From there, he intended to employ his persuasive charms to win over the camp's leader, convincing them to arrange an airlift for the materials he required. Following this, their collective journey would lead them back to the Tionis Continent.

‘Now that I look back at it, isn’t this the perfect plan?’