The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-540

The swords, as if alive, began to move without their owners’ control. Knights, flustered by a strength they had never felt before, tried desperately to retrieve their swords, but each one betrayed its master and floated into the air.

"Damn it! The sword has a mind of its own!"

One knight, nearly clinging to his rising sword, struggled, but the plain iron sword brutally betrayed its owner's will. Disarmed in an instant, the knights hastily reached for their secondary weapons, but it was merely a futile resistance.

"Ugh?!"

"T-The sword again!"

"Stay alert! He's using some sort of magic!"

No one simply dismissed it as telekinetic blade control. It was clearly beyond the ordinary. Currently, only two people on the continent could wield such animated swords: Lyndis’ Grand Duke, known as a one-man army even before Davey's rampage, Kathryn Carabella, and Reina, the unique foreigner from a parallel world similar to Illyna de Pallan, although not exactly her.

Even the most skilled swordsmen, including Illyna, had only glimpsed this realm. The path from expert to master was more challenging than the realm of swordsmanship itself. The boundary was there for a reason.

Davey was precisely suppressing the king of the Boltis Kingdom and looking at him, but the sword, as if it had its own will, flew in and subdued the knights. A state of seeing without seeing, a boundary that controlled the surroundings through waves. It was the power of the sword of the mind.

After completely overpowering the knights in the audience chamber, Baris slowly moved. He then snatched a sword floating in the air and aimed it at the Prince of Boltis.

"Unconditional surrender, I won't accept anything else. You should've complied when I first made a reasonable request. People receive punishment for lacking too much conscience."

'He's utterly ruthless, whoever's brother he is.' Perserque chuckled, pleased with Baris' words.

The royal palace was seized by Rinne and the golems, and the interior was dominated by Baris and Davey. Perserque sat on Davey's shoulder, but she rarely showed herself to anyone other than him, as habits did not fade easily.

As things reached this point, the Prince of Boltis felt the situation had gone awry.

"Look here, Prince Baris. Even if it's a declaration of war, this is outrageous!"

"Why is it outrageous?"

"Where in the world is it normal to seize a royal palace immediately after a declaration of war...?"

Baris began to chuckle, but a coldness in his expression silenced the Prince of Boltis. He seemed genuinely angry.

"Prince of Boltis."

"..."

"Do you know what's the most efficient in a fight? A bloodless victory. There's no need for innocent people to shed blood while vehemently arguing over their ideologies in a formalistic dispute, which is only part of the war."

In a war where people fought to the death, there were no rules. Normally, envoys sent to deliver declarations of war were prepared to die. Historically, it was common for them to be captured and beheaded on the spot. War meant pushing boundaries as far as possible, regardless of casualties. In the process, many spilled their blood and fell, and the losers had to yield significantly to the victors.

"The art of war says the best strategy is to subdue the opponent without shedding blood."

So, why did Swordmasters not usually go to deliver declarations of war? Because a Swordmaster was a strategic weapon-grade talent. It wasn't easy to meet the opposing leader, and if the Swordmaster caused a commotion right after declaring war and got captured? For the declaring nation, there was no greater loss. Even the greatest strategic weapon could hardly return alive from a rain of countless arrows from the sky.

"In fact, the Lyndis Empire used a similar tactic when it occupied several small states."

The strength of the Lyndis Empire lay in its quantity—the quantity of talent. In the past, the Lyndis Empire sent a dozen Swordmasters to subdue and obtain the surrender of royal families on the spot. Earth might have similarities, but this place was an entirely different world. Ideologies could not perfectly align, especially when the laws of war themselves differed. Even considering the possibility of fake surrenders, this approach was still not deemed the most efficient.

"Argh! Release me, you vile creature!" The King of Boltis, realizing the situation wasn't unfolding as anticipated, furrowed his brow and yelled, "Do you think you'll get away with this? Even if you kill everyone here, the capital's defense corps, sensing something amiss, will swarm the castle! Then—"

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a sword flew into Davey’s hand, piercing through the King’s arm. His eyes bulged in shock.

"Argh...Aaaah!!"

"Your Majesty!" The knights, panicked and already subdued by the swords, could not move.

"The golems outside aren't just standing around for fun," Davey said with a smile, spreading fear across the King’s face. He added, "So, Your Majesty, shall I take your life now to make it less unfair for you?"

‘Does he think I can't do it?’

As the King finally seemed to grasp the severity of the situation, Davey relentlessly pressed on, making it clear Davey could end his life at any moment. Fear now consumed him, replacing his anger with dreadful terror.

"Ah, I understand! I surrender... I surrender! But one can't just kill a king without due process! Stop this life-taking business!"

Despite his words, Davey knew the King of Boltis, who would never surrender if death was certain. Yet, he attempted to negotiate, likely to buy time to find a way to save his life.

Normally, Davey would not wait, but now giving him time was the best strategy. As a result, the war with the Kingdom of Boltis ended with minimal sacrifice as soon as it began. The King's complacent decision-making led to this crisis.

"I hate to say it," Davey muttered, withdrawing the staff that threatened the King of Boltis and stepping back. "But they say war ends quicker the crueler it is."

While Davey agreed with the saying, he detested it.

"I won't kill you now. But I hope that declaration of surrender is sincere. Let's go, Baris."

"Brother? Are we just leaving like this?" Baris looked puzzled.

It was like seasoning a meal perfectly and then suddenly tossing ash into it. If Davey and Baris withdrew now, the King and the Prince of Boltis might flee or stab them in the back. So, Davey had to drive the final nail.

Snap!

With a flick of Davey’s hand, light gathered around him, and space in the audience chamber ripped open, allowing soldiers and royal knights from the Rowane Kingdom to flood in. The unprepared Boltis forces stood no chance against the overwhelming Rowane forces.

"What, what?!"

"Spatial transference? Impossible! The castle should be covered with a disruption field!"

They had been waiting in a pre-prepared space, summoned here through the reverse-use of spatial transference magic. Normally, the kingdom's castles would be protected by barriers against such magic, but the current continent's magic was too primitive compared to Davey’s. It was not hard to momentarily calculate and dismantle the barrier.

"Well done. Prince Baris, Prince Davey."

"Imprison the King and Prince of Boltis. Announce all their crimes to the kingdom before executing them."

Davey still had to round up those who had not appeared yet.

* * *

Rowane Kingdom's forces, on standby, stormed in, and the Kingdom of Boltis surrendered without a chance to react after the war declaration. Declarations of war were formalities; once the war began, each nation decided its course. If prolonged, many countries would join, leading to squabbles over the spoils of war.

Davey couldn't bear the sight. The crisis involved only the current King of Boltis and his close associate, the Prince. After Perserque's investigation, they were the only culprits.

Trampling Boltis was his aim, yet Davey aimed to consider the aftermath, avoiding blind slaughter of the innocent.

"Tsk tsk. Quite the sight," Perserque remarked.

"Perserque, take a look. Even if we hadn't intervened, Boltis would have fallen," Davey said.

As Perserque skimmed through documents, summarizing, Baris handed her a report. It detailed how Boltis increased military spending despite dwindling resources, rampant embezzlement, chaotic supplies, and a desperate surge in soldiers.

"It's like..."

"They were readying for war, weren't they? Davey, check this out."

"No need. Let's proceed."

If Davey handled the war, Baris managed the aftermath.

"We'll crush Boltis, but don't disrupt the kingdom recklessly."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you seen the morale of the people?" Davey gestured to the castle's disarmed knights outside.

"The morale?"

"Yes. Excessive taxes, famine, terrible order."

The people, oppressed, would blame the castle for their suffering.

"Even amidst this, royal feasts rival the empire's. But brother, if the people's spirit is so broken, dismantling Boltis might be better..."

"Human nature is cunning." Davey noticed someone outside and moved. He then said, "Perserque, they're here. Let's go."

"Such an obvious fight..."

"Brother?" Baris followed, perplexed. "Why stop? It makes me curious."

"Even the worst humans can't ignore belonging. If we annex, some will resist fiercely."

Anger might turn on Rowane. Annexing could breed guerrillas or resistance.

"So, if we leave..."

"We leave but win their hearts. For many, a meal is happiness."

It was not ideal, but pragmatic in many societies.

"Rowane must win the hearts of the Boltis' people. There will then be less resistance later, whatever we do."

Some resistance was inevitable, but blind puppet governments were trouble.

"How did we end up at war with Boltis…?"

"Weren't relations strained? International coalition?"

"Pending, but seems positive. The Boltis royalty's heinous acts..."

"They'll face consequences."

"Are we exposing it?"

"Of course. It's our way out."

Public exposure would trigger grievances and anger...

"They'll demand retribution."

"It's inevitable. Denying human nature is pointless. Use what you can and prevent what shouldn't happen."

That was Davey's decision.

"But where are you going, brother?" Baris followed Davey and Perserque down the eerily quiet corridor despite the chaos outside.

"How long will you wait? Let's welcome our guest."

Davey slowly drew his sword, Blue Ribbon, with its tip pointed down. A bluish hue gathered around its blade, known for cutting through all that defied physical laws.

"If you have something to say, say it now."

Ping!

Blue Ribbon's blade shimmered, and a surge of blue energy tore through the air. The once-empty hallway now hosted a figure in a black robe exuding a relaxed aura—a familiar face, the Illuminati's leader, Decent (the Bringer of Death), half his face marked with dark red veins.

"I never thought you'd find me," Decent said playfully.

Davey smiled. "Seems the karma judgment I implanted worked?"

"Quite astonishing. I almost died, but somehow I stopped it."

Stopping that judgment wouldn't have been easy. The scars on his face spoke volumes, likely side effects of Davey's title power judging his karma.

"Showing up here means you've got something to say?"

"Yes. Though it's a prototype, it's the best time for testing."

"Who are you? Reveal yourself!"

Baris tensed, but Perserque restrained him.

"An experiment?"

"Yes. Not finished yet, but I intend to harvest the lives of everyone here using the Deathlord's legacy."

He produced a crystal ball emitting a dark light.

Whoosh!

Black energy, foreign to elemental mana, spread like mist.

[This magic's creation is unknown in this world.]

The voice faded into the mist. Davey relaxed his grip on Blue Ribbon. The Black Mist was indeed Rho Aias's creation.

"The mist is Rho Aias's doing," the voice echoed from within.

[Everything here moves at my will. Though someone like you might not find sensory confusion significant, fighting endless enemies without properly wielding mana will be challenging.]

"You think I'd perish to something like this."

[Even if I can't kill you, erasing everyone in this castle isn't difficult. It's a shame I can't take your life, though.]

The Black Mist magic was causing chaos in all five senses, shrouding the area. It could either assist or strike fear into enemies, elusive and formless, impossible to cut or dispel.

[Ha... Hahaha! Truly satisfying!]

Davey sensed the murderous intent penetrating the mist and swiftly extended his hand.

Boom!

The monster formed from the mist dissipated before Davey could strike it.

[By the way, this magic is immune to dispelling. Even your famed dispelling is ineffective here.]

The provocation continued.

[The great Deathlord created this magic to instill endless terror in her enemies. Though my power is inferior, I can manifest this magic through her legacy. This transcendent magic is truly remarkable.]

The Deathlord's transcendent field magic, a testament to her existence, was unique to her alone.

"You're mistaken," Davey spoke coldly, dispersing the approaching murderous intent in the darkness.

"The primary purpose of the Black Mist is to prevent war."

Within this mist, except for the caster, no one could harm each other. It was optimized to halt an enraged army.

[What?! How do you know the name of this magic?!]

"But it's odd, isn't it? I recall Deathlord Rho Aias being forgotten on the continent of Peslisa."

At Davey's words, the Illuminati's leader, Decent, vanished, his astonishment palpable at Davey's knowledge of the magic and the Deathlord.

"Don't you think we have much to discuss?"

Davey's hand reached into the mist, grasping something tangible for the first time within it.

[Devil Ylgr’s Crowd Suppression]

[To the Heaven with One Blow]

Davey yanked him closer, disrupting his stance, and precisely struck the vital point with his elbow.

[Ke... Huh?!]

‘Quite boldness before an expert,’ Davey thought.