The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-663

Iro was a lich who practiced dark magic. She became a lich known to defy divine providence. So how could someone like her possess a stigmata? Yet when Iro revealed her wrist, there was an unmistakable stigmata—a distinct sign of God.

"Thi... This is what,” the knight stuttered. She had thought entities like Iro could never receive a stigmata, so her shock was indescribable.

"A stigmata... Impossible..."

"Did you have it from the beginning?"

"That... I received it after I became a lich... Is that not okay?"

"It's even more astonishing because it is a stigmata."

It was hard to think of Freyja's favor toward someone like Iro as something normal. It was utterly shocking.

"This insane Goddess really,” Davey mumbled.

His muttering then left the knight on the verge of frothing at the mouth.

A lich with a stigmata, a woman with a flower garden in her mind as a Saintess, and a human who was called the greatest Saint insulting the gods—these were enough to make anyone be filled to the brim with incredulity.

"Sigh... Alright. I kind of get why the stigmata was given."

Davey felt as if he had gotten a glimpse of her destiny. Though he could only see a glimpse of her full fate, there was a saying about how a person could already learn a lot just from staying in one specific place long enough. So her fate was clear enough without having to see it entirely.

"A tool to end the conflict with the demons."

"Eh?"

"It's nothing. You were meant to be the key to leading the truce between demons and humans."

"Ah!" Iro was astounded. But more than that, she was delighted to learn she was a key, deeming it the will of the Goddess despite being used.

Fearless indeed. Davey was a device to end the conflict between demons and humans. But it seemed like Goddess Freyja had covered all her bases. She might have been preparing to face Neltarid or the Abyss, even without Davey’s existence, and she would not hesitate to sacrifice Iro if needed.

[Daphne was meant to disappear at the will of the gods. Ah, my beloved Daphne. Davey, do you know why I exist here as a hero?]

The damn elf, Bow Lord Apollo, got sentimental once.

[I don't defy the gods, but I don’t particularly like them. They readily sacrifice a creation's life for a purpose or destiny, especially if it’s a Saint or a holy person.]

What exactly happened between Apollo and the First Saintess, Daphne, remained unclear.

"I can't believe it... I can't believe it."

"Saintess Lena, may I ask you to move aside?"

"Ah... Yes! If Goddess Freyja has said so, I should step aside! But I'm jealous that the revelation was given to Iro and not me..."

‘Of course that’s because she’s trying to protect you while sacrificing and using Iro.’

Davey ignored Saintess Lena's pouting words, moved past the confused knight, and proceeded to enter the chapel. There, he saw Iro looking around joyfully, and he then knelt before her.

"Let's start."

"Ah. Yes."

At Davey's words, Iro, as if already aware of what to do, stretched out her hand above his head.

Woong...

The power that had pulled him from Earth flowed out of his body again.

"Ah... Ahhh... It's the holy sign of God!"

Davey ignored the ecstatic Iro, and with his eyes closed, he slowly said, "Let's have a conversation; anything will do."

Boom!!!

As if responding to his words, the divine sign, or rather, the holy power, moved, and Davey’s will slowly dispersed. Like slowly falling asleep after overdosing on sleeping pills, his consciousness gradually sank below the surface.

* * *

Davey had previously been in a world where the dark twilight loomed. In this place, beings that were like angels created by the Goddess descended upon him, as if passing down the Lasting Ember. He was taken aback by a huge wave but did not really resist.

From where he was, he could see a small figure with blue hair among the fluttering feathers in the sky. She was looking down at him, and Davey then instinctively felt an oppressive sensation and chills all over his body.

"Ha... Have you fallen so low in the hierarchy that you personally come now?"

It was more difficult for gods and goddesses to interact with their creations the closer they were to becoming fully realized entities. But when she appeared in front of Davey in Rinne's form, it showed how her divine status was more dire than it had been when Davey initially awoke from his coma.

Woong...

She then extended her hand at Davey, just as the wings on her back dramatically unfolded, scattering countless feathers. At the same time, Davey was drawn forth, and she crafted a yellow card made of light and thrust it towards Davey’s abdomen.

"Ugh!"

She just gave him another yellow card.

"Not a red card?" Davey asked.

In response, she raised her hand slowly and showed him three fingers. This meant that three yellow cards equated to one red card.

"If I receive a red card, will you abandon me?"

Confronted by such a question, she looked down on him with a cold face and remained silent. She then slowly extended her hand toward Davey’s head.

Woong!!!

Instead of speaking, she imparted Davey’s mind with videos through a special method. The first video was Pandora's domain. The secret order of the Last Wisp, Alpha Reinforcements, watched over this area that was teeming with demons. And another video was of a land Davey had never seen before. Yet somehow he felt like he knew what it was.

[Take her.]

Her clear voice resonated with Davey, spreading throughout his whole body. And with those words, Davey’s will began to scatter, and eventually, his will was completely expelled from her space.

Whoom!!

Davey recoiled and bent for a moment, as if he had been struck by a powerful shockwave. The unexpected meeting with the Goddess was over, and now Davey was looking around the chapel with a frown.

Just a few moments ago, the place was still in an orderly state. But everything had descended into complete disarray.

"Did you make a mess?"

"It was not me; it was you," Iro retorted brightly.

This caused the frown on Davey’s face to deepen further.

As soon as the power of the Goddess descended upon Davey, it began to clash with another power that was inside him.

His eyes widened at this.

It was the power of Neltarid. Davey started to understand why Goddess Freyja had given him a yellow card and why she had momentarily revealed her immense presence.

[You are mine. The promise will definitely be kept. Do not look anywhere else.]

It was not a simple misunderstanding, and this triggered a strong chill to run down Davey’s spine.

“Wow... So full of the holy power of Goddess Freyja... Truly amazing! Really amazing!” Saintess Lena entered as she continuously expressed her admiration.

Meanwhile, the female knight, who was escorting her, fell to her knees as if she would start crying at any moment, and let out an exclamation of awe.

“So, the clashing power?”

“Oh, the merciful holy power bestowed upon you would not be pushed back. Naturally, it expelled the peculiar power that was inside you.”

‘Ah, so that's how it is.’ Davey quietly nodded.

“Iro.”

“Yes?”

Davey turned his full attention to Iro, who was looking at him brightly. However, he remained expressionless as he said to her, “Go to the Demon World for a bit. Deliver a message to Astaroth.”

Although Astaroth was hostile to Davey, he would not kill Iro, who bore the mark of Goddess Freyja.

“Uh, do I have to go?”

“Your Goddess wishes for it.”

“Ah... If merciful Goddess Freyja desires it, then so be it!”

Simple minds were truly easy to handle.While one was simple, the other was a flower garden. The future appeared to be dark.

* * *

Goddess Freyja told Davey to take her. However, it was a bit of a surprise that the target was not Iro. Instead, Rinne was the entity that Goddess Freyja had instructed Davey to take. It then seemed apparent that Rinne was keeping something from him.

Neltarid's power was active during the era of an ancient civilization that had perished 10,000 years ago. The technological prowess of that time was significant enough to create Rinne, and during that time period, even the Abyss and the followers of Neltarid had already existed.

But what happened back then? Why did those damned power struggles of the three gods interfere with Davey's peaceful life? He would find out for himself and personally punish those responsible for the interference.

Thinking back, there were many questions about the ancient ruins. Why was Rinne there? Why was the underground lab in the Heins Territory, where Rinne was found, intact, unlike other ruins? Why did the being thought to be Hercules aim and attack Rinne right away?

Asking Rinne about that time would yield nothing valuable since her memory was mostly lost.

But if even a trace of it existed, there might be a way out of this cursed situation. Of course, the Alpha Reinforcements Knights Order, which Davey had not visited in a while, had changed more than he thought.

“Basara?”

The man with a cold expression turned to Davey. “You have arrived.”

The attitude he showed Davey was completely different from their first meeting. The man saluted and bowed his head, while Davey simply looked at him in silence.

“What is this situation?” Davey quietly asked.

The man then replied, “According to the Last Wisp General Assembly election, the decision was made. You are currently appointed as the next Honorary Commander.”

This was the first time Davey had heard about this.

When Davey’s only response was silence, the man went on to say, “Furthermore, it has been decided that the guardians protecting the headquarters of the Last Wisp will go down to each region to support and help them.”

“So, you are here because this is your jurisdiction?”

“…”

Davey sighed and walked past him.

“What trouble should I get involved in now? Well, since I have the position, let me ask. Any problems?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“How are the knights?”

“Everyone is taking sufficient rest and resupplying for the best condition.”

“That's enough, then.”

Other than that, Davey was curious about what became of the three elders. And so, he proceeded to ask, “And the three elders?”

“They were executed for trying to escape and revealing the existential crisis of the Last Wisp to the world.”

“Foolish ones,” Davey commented with a click of his tongue.

“I will submit a report.”

“No, leave it. I'm here to do a quick investigation.”

At Davey's words, the man looked at him perplexedly. “To investigate—”

“No, it’s okay too. I’ll be heading straight to the Pandora region.”

“Then I shall arrange for a member who is familiar with the area.”

“No, I said it's okay!!!"

‘Has this man always been like this?’

* * *

As he and Rinne arrived at the northernmost point of the Pandora region, Davey gazed at the forest's swirling, chilly air. In silence, his mind then drifted, remembering certain things.

Shandra Minea existed, and dark mages moved. Those dark mages were part of the Illuminati, and although the leader of the Illuminati was dead, their roots were not all gone. Someday, they would have to be dealt with. At the moment, there was a more important thing to address—the matter about the underground ruins.

Ssshhh...

"I can't breathe."

A woman with pink hair appeared behind him.

“Guide me through.”

“Why should I?”

“If you don't like to listen, you'd have to die.”

Hearing this remark, Milpiue, a half-vampire who was a traitor of the radical faction, scowled at Davey and said, “Let me do some research on you. You are interesting.”

“If you want to die, feel free.”

She became silent after that.

Rinne knew long before Davey showed up what underground relic was involved in awakening her. Back then, they entered through traps, but this time they planned to enter through the correct route.

Many records might exist there. There might also be traces of Rinne and Neltarid, as well as Freyja. Perhaps even Thanatos.

Clatter...

They entered the dungeon that was filled with stumps, but Milpieu skillfully avoided them until they eventually reached a dead end. She then pressed a hand against the wall, and the simple action triggered the ground to change as if a mechanical device had been activated. A massive passage then appeared before them.

All traps had already been disarmed, and there were hardly any monsters as they went on their way.

After being guided by Milpieu for a while, Davey quietly looked at Rinne, who was following him with a blank expression.

“Rinne.”

In response to his call, she turned to him with a face that remained passive.

“Can I trust you?”

“Rinne. Davey’s possession. An excellent golem that will definitely protect Davey. Rinne evaluates this highly.”

Davey didn’t say anything and only smiled faintly. Her response was enough.