The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-554

In the Kingdom of Alrus, Finance Minister Donmana's eyes widened in shock as a bright white radiance enveloped his body. A moment of silence ensued.

Amidst this, Duke Brugos, lying on the ground, felt a horrific sense of his blood boiling in reverse, thinking that this demon had been blessed by God. How could this be a divine blessing when his sister had been brutally raped and murdered, and his parents had died in the man's treachery? If there were a God in this world, such things could not happen.

With bloodshot eyes, filled with a sense of vomiting blood, he glared at Donmana.

"Oh... It seems the Finance Minister's loyalty has reached the heavens! God has blessed him!"

“Ohh!” people around exclaimed, flattering Donmana.

However, the stark contrast between the jubilation of the nobles and the Duke's despair did not last long.

“Ugh?!”

Suddenly, Donmana's body started to twist, and he screamed in agony, rolling on the ground.

“Ugh… Ahh!”

No longer was there a pillar of light around him; instead, flames that looked too holy to be of this world engulfed him.

Shh…

At the same time, characters formed of light began to appear where he had fallen.

[Those who have broken the taboo shall have God's mercy withdrawn.]

It was a chilling revelation.

* * *

"Holy shit... Davey!" Illyna rushed to Davey, her face stricken with horror. "Divine punishment! It's happening–like what you received before!"

"It seems it's started," Davey remarked.

"What?"

"Cause and effect, it's clear."

Confused by his words, Illyna looked at him, puzzled. Davey lightly shook the manifestable divine scripture in his hand.

"Thought it was just a Bible, did you not?"

This Bible was fundamentally different from those made of ordinary paper.

"This is the original scripture."

In some sense, it was similar to the Ten Commandments but existed on a higher plane. Davey showed her the first page of the original scripture, filled with unfamiliar writings incomprehensible to humans.

"I had only heard of it, never thought it actually existed. Once God has a reason to intervene, what follows is clear."

This first Bible, created by God, was simple in its power: a vessel containing God's will. This Bible was God's power, God's will. Different from feigning divine power through mere prayers or borrowing it. The first page allowed all divine power in the world to seep under God's power, and the second page turned all land into a holy sanctuary. And...

"The third page I unfolded upon returning here... manifests God's will. To root out each and everyone indirectly related to this, she must be really furious."

"In the world... This one book is shaking the world now?"

Illyna had already received multiple reports through various channels. Across the continent, people were engulfed in divine light, receiving ruthless divine punishment.

"We've seen similar things several times; there's no reason to deny it."

In this world, unlike Earth, gods existed. The proof was right in front of them.

"Starting with the utterly wicked Finance Minister Donmana of the Kingdom of Altasha..."

"Donmana?”

"I don't know who he is."

Illyna waved her hand dismissively and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "An irritating man. I met him once at a celebration for my father's birthday party. Even then, he tried to approach me..."

"And then?" Davey inquired.

"The King and the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Kartas, Grand Duke Eshel, along with several nobles including the Finance Minister of Altasha Kingdom, and more. Nobles and royalty of the Three Empires, mercenaries, commoners, serfs, slaves, prostitutes. Just the discovered number alone exceeds 7,000.”

"They all began burning in divine flames simultaneously. Trapped in a state neither alive nor dead," Davey observed.

"The organization must have been massive."

With such a scale, Davey would have struggled to root them out without Goddess Freyja’s divine power.

"How long had they been hiding?"

"Doesn't it mean there's nothing left for you to do since Goddess Freyja has intervened?" Illyna asked.

With Goddess Freyja withdrawing her mercy, the entire Illuminati, involved in the resurrection ritual of Yorgan, began to receive divine punishment. This meant that the remaining influential figures, the higher-ups, and leaders like Descent were also...

"No, if that were the case, the scripture would have only three pages."

The divine scripture contained five pages in total. While God's will might be vague, certain things were clear. Goddess Freyja, in particular, wanted Davey to personally send the top members of the Illuminati, including Descent, to her side.

"Those guys are my responsibility."

"Hmm... Why make such a decision?"

"The method doesn't matter. There's an old saying. Whether it's a white cat or a black cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.”

"What does that even mean?"

Pushing Illyna's head down to make her sit, Davey turned to Grand Master Knight Klomen with a serious face. He asked, "What's the situation?"

"Permission granted. Knight Davey O’Rowane, come to the main headquarters of the knights immediately to explain the situation and report on subsequent issues."

There was no mention of other knights, including Boris, who had been wrongfully accused in this affair.

"So, where are we headed?"

"To the lowest floor of the knights' headquarters; there's a portable large magic circle."

‘Perfect timing.’

"I've been wanting to try this out." Davey took out a scorpion-shaped badge from his pocket plane and gripped it tightly.

Crack!

As he exerted force, a sinister sound of destruction and crackling echoed.

The more dangerous the organization, the more need for caution. He had to hurry but take caution, even in advantageous situations, and act boldly.

"Let's start cleaning the anthill. Lure them all out before I return. Goddess Freyja is dealing with the rest."

As Davey spoke, the mana gate to the knights' main headquarters activated. Intense light enveloped the area, and in the blink of an eye, a massive cavern appeared. The first thing Davey noticed was how high they were, as the clouds seemed close.

"Welcome, Knight Davey O’Rowane and Illyna de Pallan, and Grand Master Knight Klomen." A middle-aged man in a white robe, covering his face, bowed to Klomen.

"What about the elders?"

"They're currently judging those who broke the rules. You'll have to wait... But who is this young lady?"

The man could not hide his surprise as he turned toward Rinne, who was walking barefoot behind them.

"She's under Davey's command. Not an official member, but permitted to stay under special circumstances."

"But we only approved the Grand Master and the two knights to come here..."

"Rinne, an excellent battle golem, highly valued for protecting Davey." As she spoke, Rinne summoned a black club, ready to swing at any moment, causing the man to groan.

"This might work against you."

"If you're aware of the current situation, you'd know it's not the time to be strict about rules."

Rinne, unearthed from a ruin discovered by the knights, could essentially be considered a knight as well.

Of course, Perserque was also present, hidden thanks to her perception-inhibiting magic and Davey's field, invisible to all but Illyna.

"Speaking of which, you're conducting trials for rule-breakers?"

Woong… Woong…

A rumbling sound echoed as if the Emperor of Contas had replied, the shattered magic stone fragments vibrating. With the Contas Empire initiating the event, not only outsiders but also the upper echelon of the Illuminati attempting to escape Goddess Freyja's influence had no choice but to fight back desperately.

The item Davey entrusted to the Emperor of Contas was akin to a symbol of the Deathlord. The followers of the Deathlord, who worshiped her as a deity, would undoubtedly recognize whether it was authentic or not. If they knew it was genuine...

Even in this situation, Davey knew they could not back down. It was the weakness of a fanatical group. The knights had to block their escape routes in the process.

"Yes, several elders are advocating for them... but with many stubborn members, especially the Central Three Elders and the Seven Chief Protectors strongly advocating for the extreme penalty..."

The extreme penalty, another term for execution, was being considered. It was all happening in the course of duty. Surely there was room for some leniency given the circumstances. This was how it always went with incompetent allies.

"..."

"Cough! Hurry up and lead the way!" Knight Commander Klomen, observing Davey's expression, turned pale and yelled.

"But the trial is still..."

"Man! The fate of the knights hangs in the balance! Will you take responsibility if this causes problems?"

"No! I'll show the way."

Perhaps due to Davey's changing expression, Klomen let out a short sigh of relief.

"Why so?" Davey asked.

"Do you know what your face looks like?" Klomen questioned.

As Davey looked puzzled, Perserque, sitting on his shoulder, playfully poked his cheek with her small, white hand. “You had a smile like you were about to blow this place up. Right?”

"You're quick to notice," Davey said with a smile, to which Klomen grimaced.

"This is trouble... Inviting a tiger into your home."

Atop a massive mountain, Davey approached a grand and imposing door. It was firmly closed, muffling any sounds, but as his hearing became sharper, he could hear voices.

[Is that your excuse!]

[Central Elder! What more is there to say! Execute them immediately!]

[Boris Telman, I shall be the one to take your head.]

A leisurely voice was heard.

"Please wait here while I go in and ask..." The robed man started carefully, but at that moment, both Illyna and Davey stepped forward and pushed open the massive doors with one hand each, without hesitation.

"I've been wanting to do this."

"What?"

"I object!"

With Davey's shout, the huge doors swung open, and numerous eyes turned toward him. At the same time, a massive killing intent engulfed both Davey and Illyna, causing Illyna to frown.

On the contrary, Davey said, "Drop the killing intent," and casually waved his hand to disperse it as he walked in confidently. Regardless of whether they would listen or not, Davey had already deemed them incompetent allies.

A little aggression might be necessary. As Davey stepped forward, spatial distortions appeared where his feet touched the ground. Various weapons began to rise from these distortions, seemingly alive. They were common metal weapons, but they carried the aura of master-level swordsmen, the Aura Blade.

Seven men and women quickly surrounded Davey, pointing their weapons at his neck, heart, and other vital spots.

"Move another step, and I'll rip your throat out."

"State your identity, rude intruder."

"How dare you bring weapons into the presence of the Central Elders, are you mad?"

"Such fearlessness..."

"Arrogance reaching the heavens."

"Hey, drop the weapon before I smash your head."

"You reckless fool."

Davey stopped in his tracks, turned his gaze away, and then slightly closed his eyes, ignoring the seven men and women. Inside, he saw Boris, Knight Paladin Fildyr, his partner Lucia Shelman, the twin sisters Renda, and others who had gone with him to investigate the knights near the Tartaros Mountains, kneeling in chains, wounded and shocked, looking at him.

"It's the first time I've encountered a human who emits no mana. Who is this person, Grand Master Knight Klomen?"

In this tense situation, Davey remained silent, which led the accusers to direct their arrows of blame not at him, but at Klomen. Klomen, with a look of devastation, covered his face with a hand.

"Hey, you insolent one, speak for yourself. If I sense any trickery, I'll kill you. Remember that."

"Four broken ribs, a sunken cheekbone, loss of the biceps, a ruptured thigh, and a severed tendon near the Achilles heel," Davey stated matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"That's what you've done to incapacitate a person."

Seeing the empty eyes of the children and Boris' expression, it was clear how much suffering they had endured in such a short time. With these words, Davey casually seized the head of the man who had been threatening him. The man's eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting Davey to move, given the tight restraint from all sides.

In a thunderous noise, before anyone could react, Davey had already slammed the man's head into the ground.

"As the successor of the God of Archery and pursuant to the promises of the founders of Last Wisp, I hereby order the dissolution of the incompetent headquarters of the knights as of now."

Last Wisp had maintained itself through its own set of rules. However, the top brass, sitting at the top and indulging in armchair strategies, had become the most unnecessary element. The seven who had surrounded Davey seemed strong, but what had they been doing while a whole knight division was annihilated, and when demonic beings or kings of monsters rampaged in the extreme regions? What had they been doing here?

"If you insist on adhering to those ambiguously modified rules, then I will invoke the fundamentals that have been passed down since the beginning of Last Wisp."

Davey, holding the head of the man whose eyes had rolled back, casually tossed it aside. The weapons that had materialized with his steps now slowly moved as he coldly gazed at them.

"Incompetent allies are more dangerous than brave enemies. You all are incompetent allies."

From Davey's body, where no mana could be felt earlier, an overwhelming aura began to emanate, shaking the entire building with its intensity.