The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-558

"Hey, what on Earth is this monster?" One of the Guardians, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, asked Davey.

Despite Megalodria flying through the sky, there was no way she couldn't hear that question.

Thud!!!

Suddenly, something black swooped in and struck the Guardian, sending his body flying through the air.

[Hmmph! The nerve of you!]

"Uh... Uaaaahhhhhh!!!!" The man’s face was twisted with fear as he screamed while falling. Falling from thousands of feet in the sky, even beings of Master level could not land unscathed. "Uh... Uaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!"

Megalodria, observing the falling man, twisted her body again and swiftly descended to catch him.

"Gah!! I was... I almost died! Almost died, I say!!"

The terror in his shaken voice echoed; Megalodria's intent was conveyed.

[Watch your tongue, human. Should you speak so insolently again, I shall throw you from this height.]

"Huk...." Oppressed by the domineering aura of the Grandmaster class Element King, the Guardian immediately clammed up. Avoiding eye contact though he looked disgruntled, it seemed that even an experienced Guardian could not withhold his intimidation at the pressure exuded by Megalodria.

"Quiet down. It seems we will soon arrive at our destination."

At that moment, Basara, the overall Guardian group leader with a chilly look, stationed himself quietly and broke his silence. "Knight Davey."

"Yes?"

"What is our task?"

"It’s simple."

Davey pointed downwards, and everyone’s expression hardened.

"Waaaaahhhhhh!!!!!"

Bang!!! Bang!!

As Megalodria started to descend, a massive fortress became visible through the clouds.

"My... goodness..."

What caught everyone's eyes were countless demons and skeletons. Humans were also there, unleashing attacks upon them. The horrifying siege looked equal, or perhaps slightly more favorable for the human side.

"Skeletons... Even with such numbers, they’re no match for the defensive weapons?"

"A grand magical barrier has been erected. As long as that barrier stands, even the dark mages won’t be able to exert their power."

"Hey, are you seriously telling me we're all here just to back up a place like this?"

"Do humans look like they have the upper hand?"

After Davey’s comment, Basara fell silent.

"How could that be?"

Not understanding Davey’s words at first, they peered down, but soon seemed to grasp the reason for Davey's remark.

"It... It can’t be!! The grand magical barrier can be shattered by a mere artifact?!"

Alarmed voices echoed and a knowledgeable Guardian woman's scream etched a stern look on the others' faces.

"Hey, is that really such a serious issue?"

"It’s impossible. The grand magical barrier is a result of a spell drawn by hundreds of mages. It makes no sense for it to be destroyed by a mere magic circle!" She clenched her fist tightly. "And...if the grand magical barrier breaks..."

The dark mages, previously unable to use magic, would become capable of doing so. Indeed, right on cue, a scant twenty or so dark mages were seen beginning to make moves, portioning out massive magic circles as if they had been preparing for a considerable time.

"It's a diversion. To direct the attention of the entire continent here. Do you understand now?"

"Are you saying all we need to do is defend this place?" Basara, the overall Guardian group leader, asked Davey without removing his gaze from the sight below.

"If you could, please claim you've hired a mercenary under my name. If you say it’s a mercenary I brought over, there will hardly be any who doubt it."

"Why?"

"You'd be surprised at the kind of folks I've hired only a few times before."

The Guardians seemed not to understand Davey's intent, but they seemed to decide not to fuss about minor details.

"Well, anyway, you're saying if we can block them, that's good enough?"

"Then, let's count on your support."

Thud!!!

With that, Basara was the first to vanish as he leaped down.

Boom!!!

Leaving a tremendous roar behind while plunging into the heart of the battlefield, the other Guardians rapidly joined the fray following behind him.

"Go fight hard since sending all these forces can become a future nuisance."

Davey's chilling smile made Illyna wear a look of nausea.

"I'm going too. I won't be in the way here, will I?"

"Right. Stay there. I will dispatch Megalodria as soon as possible. Don't push yourself too much, never."

"Got it."

After watching Illyna draw out her sword and jump down, Davey tightly embraced Rinne from behind. He then said, "Megalodria, fly as quickly as you can toward Contas' capital."

[Hmmph! Just don’t fall off!]

"Time's short, so hurry."

At Davey’s urging, Megalodria started to slowly contract its wings. Then, it sprang up, rocketing away with incredible speed, unlike its usual velocity.

Boom!

A sonic boom occurred. Soon after, the scenery surrounding Davey changed rapidly as they flew at this unbelievable rate. It was not long before Davey could spot what appeared to be Contas Empire's capital entering his view. It was his first time laying eyes on this city, but it was not tough to discern that this was the capital of the Contas Empire.

Peaceful as the capital looked from the outside, Davey could instinctively feel it: the entire capital was overflowing with dark devil mana. The mastermind had arrived. In his main form, not merely an avatar. Judging this was the point of no return.

"Get back as quickly as you can. If I'm right, they‘ve hidden their trump card there. It's more than what the Guardians can handle. You must intervene."

The power of the members of the Illuminati was insignificant. Yet, if there was even one artifact imbued with transcendent magic from Deathlord's body, it would surpass the Guardians’ capacity. Thus, without hesitation, Davey sent Megalodria, who could be proudly called the greatest force at his disposal, to that place.

As Megalodria started to pick up speed, the ground suddenly grew closer, and Davey whispered into Rinne's ear, "Find it."

At Davey’s command, Rinne's body began to radiate vast amounts of devil mana, and soon pointed toward a large colosseum.

"Rinne, commend my tracking ability."

[Blink]

Davey utilized the spell to fold space, performing a short-range teleportation, known as Blink, almost instantly with Rinne to the designated coordinate. Although he had not measured the exact coordinates, Blink, being a low-rank magic, had the benefit of being able to move to a place within sight.

Spang!!

In an instant, Davey stood atop the massive wall of the Colosseum, surveying the ongoing duel within.

"Waaaaahhhhhh!!!"

"Fight! Fight!!"

Amid the frenzied cheers of the seemingly crazed audience, a man clad in black robes relentlessly pursued someone who appeared to be a foreigner, possibly a game player.

While scanning the Colosseum, Davey muttered quietly, "There he is."

The root and leader of the Illuminati, the mastermind Descent (The Bringer of Death). Though his real name was unknown, these titles conveyed it all.

Distinguishing his presence wasn't easy, but with Rinne at Davey's side, it became clear. In this Colosseum, there was only one—the mastermind holding an artifact infused with Deathlord's essence. It was certainly him.

Disguising his presence as he entered the Colosseum's interior, Davey approached the Contas Emperor, who was observing a match from the emperor's seat.

"What's happening?"

"Ah!" The emperor cried out. Startled by Davey’s voice, the Contas Emperor turned and noticed him. "Phew... It’s you, Prince Davey? When did you arrive?"

"Just now."

"I see... The tournament is underway. As you mentioned earlier, that fellow does seem to have come. I can feel alarms ringing throughout my body."

It appeared that excluding Davey and Rinne, there was no one capable of sensing the proximity of an artifact made from the body of the Deathlord.

"Who... Who are you? Identify yourself!"

"Enough! It's done. Everyone, withdraw."

Startled by Davey's sudden appearance, the knights of the Contas Empire moved to intercept him, but they obediently backed away following the Emperor’s order.

"As requested by you, the tournament for the foreigners has been initiated. It provides the masses with some amusement, which isn't altogether bad for me. However, should those fiends go unchecked and cause massive casualties..."

"Don't worry. I will even revive the dead if needed."

There was still one piece left. Regarding Davey's statement, the Emperor looked at him with suspicion.

"By the way, Prince Davey. What exactly is the item you have given us?" The Contas Emperor gestured to the pedestal containing the prize for the victor. Among the imperial treasures scattered about, there was one brooch that, despite appearing exceedingly ordinary, stood out. He then continued, "What could that be that they would come searching for it knowing that it could lead to their deaths?"

"Their last resort as they've been driven into a corner."

Originally, the plan was to use the Red Dragon’s Eye, sealed in the underground mountain range of Tartaros, to initiate a ritual, creating something similar, but that had failed due to Davey. Scrambling in the wake of divine wrath that even destabilized their organization, Descent (The Bringer of Death), the mastermind, could not simply overlook the prize presented by the Emperor.

"It's the symbol of the Deathlord. The brooch contains some of her residual thoughts. Unlike the fragmented summons by ritual, it holds significantly denser remnants."

The existence of the Deathlord was, in body and soul, infused with immense power.

If someone who had found the vestiges of the Deathlord, eradicated from the world, recognized the value of this item... the body alone could trigger transcendental magic. And what if they also obtained an item with even a meager part of her soul? They would be convinced of the power they could gain.

‘In fact, it’s of no use anyway.’

But only the Deathlord herself and Davey knew this crucial detail, which determined the outcome of this predicament.

"They have nowhere to retreat now... Besides, have you heard?"

"About the intrusion of the necromancers? I did. I’ve heard they were not proficient enough to be problematic for our defenses."

"They've started using the artifact. The grand magical barrier won't hold much longer."

"What?"

As Davey's words roused the Emperor to his feet, he had been proceeding unalarmed due to the weak resistance of the Illuminati hierarchy. However, if the potential of the enemy turned out to be much more dangerous than anticipated, he could not just sit idly by. The Emperor's reaction was what Davey had expected. Davey blocked his path and revealed a gentle smile.

"That's why reinforcements are dispatched. Do you think I arrived so late with no reason?"

"...Did you also know that they would attempt an invasion?"

"I have the eyes that oversee the entire world."

The godly power fills to the brim, and only Davey had seen it. The World Tree, Al. Her power, capable of gazing over the world, was also amplified.

"So, have you found that mastermind you mentioned? Initially, I suspected that black-robed foreigner had succeeded. Still, capturing him in full view of everyone isn’t the best situation."

"That’s just a subordinate. The true mastermind is elsewhere."

"What do you mean?"

"I deliberately approached within the mastermind’s visibility range. Upon seeing me, he might have grown a bit impatient and straightforwardly moved."

The mastermind had indeed noted Davey's presence, abandoning the plan to stealthily secure the brooch and escape. Subsequently, choosing to create a disruption instead, he devised a new plan to break in fiercely and seize the brooch. The sudden chaos would leave everyone scrambling to cover the incident.

Boom!!!!!!

“So…”

"So, if I were the mastermind... I imagine he'd have planted explosives throughout the spectator seats, set to detonate."

Along with Davey's words...

Boom!!! Bang!!!

Black explosions erupted from various points in the audience stands.

"Damn it!" The Emperor stood up in panic.

Davey continued to speak. "Then, opportunists cloaked in black robes will initiate their attack amidst the chaos."

As Davey prophesied, figures in black robes began their assaults around the stands.

"And finally, while everyone's attention is fixed on the attackers."

Davey quickly pulled out the scimitar from the Emperor's waistband and threw it. The direction in which Davey threw the scimitar was none other than the pedestal upon which the prize was placed.

Thwack!!!

"Ugh!"

The blade pierced through the body of a knight allied to the Contas Empire, who had climbed the pedestal. Simultaneously, the hood over his head flew off, revealing the face of an individual who was familiar yet slightly different.

"The inside mole disguised as an ally attempts to steal the brooch amidst the turmoil."

The Emperor deflated at Davey's words since everything played out exactly as described.

"Cliché bastards.”

Heard Davey’s taunt, the man impaled by the scimitar gnashed his teeth and roared at Davey. "Davey O’Rowane!!!"