The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-693

Whirl!

A violent sandstorm swept across the crumbling world, and a girl in a gothic dress stood alone in the middle of the desolation, her purple eyes shimmering.

"I'm bored."

But no one responded to her remark, and her voice merely echoed in the void and throughout the perishable world.

Should a Princess of the Abyss wield the power to obliterate all life in the world, then she also possessed the capability to destroy the world itself.

The sky crumbled, and the ground trembled. Eclipse heaved a sigh of boredom as she stood in the middle of desolation, where life had ceased to exist.

"This isn’t fun. I’m going to go find Eclipse’s toy."

The entire world of Alf Online was in ruins. Everything, from the fields to the dungeons and even the villages, was destroyed. Eclipse, a little girl, had ravaged the space that was known to be part of the game.

[You lost possession of your gem. If you act like this once again, I won’t stay silent.]

A woman's enraged voice reverberated throughout the emptiness. But Eclipse did not dignify the wrathful remark with a response.

[Answer me, corrupted Ancient Dragon. There must be some reason for your actions.]

Despite the voice’s insistence, Eclipse still said nothing in response. Instead, she continued walking with her parasol in her hand.

[Talk to…]

“Ugh… You’re too loud…” Although it seemed like Eclipse was simply complaining, her voice was extremely cold. “Eclipse is in a really bad mood right now.”

Her pupils turned vertical. Then, rather than complaining this time, she threateningly warned, “Eclipse will spank you if you make Eclipse angry one more time.”

[There’s no easy way to end Freyja. And yet, you are already at a far lower level than when you started, leaving you susceptible to interference.]

“Eclipse doesn’t know things like that,” Eclipse whined, aimlessly kicking the sand beneath her feet. Then, suddenly, her toe hit something—the tail of a gigantic lizard.

“Wow! Eclipse found a new friend!”

With renewed excitement, she began to dig the sand using her small, pale hands, trying her best to take the creature out of where it was buried.

Rumble!!!

A gigantic terrestrial dragon with a thick carapace emerged from the sand. Seemingly teetering on the edge of life, it laid on the sand, gasping.

“Play with Eclipse! Have fun with Eclipse! Let’s play tag!” she exclaimed, expecting the creature to respond to her.

But the terrestrial dragon remained motionless from where it lay.

[Its life is already fading away.]

“Haaah…”

Disappointment marred Eclipse’s face as the dragon moaned its last breath. But her eyes then gleamed menacingly.

“Are you sleeping because you don’t want to play with Eclipse?!”

Bang!!

The dragon's massive body exploded in an instant, and its scales and claws, which were as sturdy as they seemed, scattered all over the place. A fountain of blood spurted out, but Eclipse remained unfazed. She simply opened her parasol to shield her from the mess.

"No fun… I want to go look for my brother Davey,” she murmured before stretching her arms into the air.

[Give up, corruptedAncient Dragon. Even if your strength is formidable, your power remains limited without the Absolute Gem]

But Eclipser simply ignored the warning voice. She then proceeded to take down everything around her with her immense strength and formidable power, which was too much for the balance of the world to bear.

While there were laws that formed the world the way it was, the realm of Alf Online was different from the ordinary world. It was a prison made by Neltarid—a temporary space in between dimensions to keep the Malicious Spirits trapped. Originally intended to specifically confine beings like Eclipse, the laws governing this realm were unusual.

Eclipse neither had the power of the Dead Sea Scrolls nor Sleeisa’s power to manipulate the dimension. And now, without the Absolute Gem, her strength was definitely limited.

But she had so much unwavering stubbornness that it was astonishing to see her twist space itself in an attempt to create fissures and distort the area around her.

"Ahhh! I want to play! Eclipse is going to play!”

She continued to cry, and the more she sobbed and complained, the faster the realm fell apart.

[Wait here. You will be set free once Earth, which is the heart of this place, completely collapses. The beings of my own creation are already on the move, so regardless of what my other side has prepared, the outcome will remain unchanged.]

The stern voice was able to placate Eclipse, who paused amid her tears and said, “Really?”

[Yes.]

"Really, really? Will Eclipse see brother Davey soon?”

[Yes. So, until I obliterate Freyja—the one who seeks vengeance, although she’s nothing but a Primal Will—and my other half that I loathe, save your energy]

Eclipse silently listened to the voice. She then wiped away her tears, got back on her feet, and dusted off her skirt.

"Eclipse... will wait."

Dark energy began to swirl around Eclipse. Then, it spread around the world that was on the verge of collapse, seeping into the ground and eventually morphing into dragons with pitch-black scales.

"Eclipse is going to make friends. Lots of friends," she said with a tone that was heavily laced with innocence. But the black dragons that emerged from her powers were anything but benign. These dragons radiated a fearsome aura, but they all bowed submissively to Eclipse, who was so much smaller than them.

-Creator…

Altogether, dozens of dragons bowed at Eclipse, who seemed to be exhausted. They weren’t bowing just because she was an Ancient Dragon. They were bowing because she was Eclipse..

"Play tag with Eclipse! Hide and seek!"

She was the lord of the Ancient Dragons, the one who gave birth to dragon eggs.

This was the essence of Eclipse.

***

Unlike the recent string of dramatic events, including the incident in which Red Ribbon chastised Rinne for eating Blue Ribbon’s food in the picnic basket, it was surprisingly peaceful.

“There’s good news and bad news. And a piece of news that is somewhere between as well. Which would you like to hear first?” Kain asked, looking at Davey and swiftly tucking his large wings.

“I hope we’re not in a situation where those three pieces of news are intertwined.”

“You’re not completely off but also not completely right as well,” Kain answered with a sigh. “Then let me start with the good news. Lord Neltarid has completely trapped Eclipse—the Ancient Dragon and Princess of the Abyss—within the realm of Alf Online, thanks to you stealing the Absolute Gem.

This was indeed good news. For someone as strong as Eclipse, Davey had assumed it would just be a temporary containment. Fortunately, it seemed to be working better than he had anticipated.

“That’s a real relief. What about the piece of news that is somewhere between good and bad? Please tell me it’s unrelated to this.”

“The power of the Absolute Gem is weaker than we expected. We suspect that Lord Neltarid’s destructive side is up to something.”

“Fuck,” Davey muttered, thinking of it as something quite concerning. So, he didn’t quite understand why Kain said the news was somewhere between..

“Isn’t this bad news?” Davey asked.

“Well, it’s not that there isn’t a solution to this. The Absolute Gem is a sacred item tied to the foundation of the gods. So it will gradually regain its strength over time.”

Davey was aware that while the Absolute Gem could improve the situation, it wasn't also a lasting solution. The coin kept on flipping, perpetuating the cycle. But Goddess Freyja had disrupted the cycle, keeping the front face of the coin from being the Abyss, as she tore Thanatos apart and sealed the Abyss.

Stagnant water was bound to rot. Naturally, it would be wrong to keep things the way they were, as this was directly related to survival. But since there wasn’t a permanent solution yet, Davey thought about completely sealing all passages to the Abyss as a temporary measure.

“It’d be nice if the Abyss can be fine where they are without becoming the front face.,” Davey said half-jokingly as he gazed at the Absolute Gem that Kain had taken out. The bright jasper-colored light it emitted was almost enticing.

“You shouldn’t stare too long,” Kain warned as he wrapped the gem in a soft, jet-black silk. Then, with a hint of bitterness in his expression, he said, “The Absolute Gem attracts as much greed as its power.”

“You noticed something unusual, didn’t you?”

“Unfortunately, even I don’t remember it very well,” he admitted. He then placed the Absolute Gem in a wooden box and handed it to Davey.

“So, what’s the bad news?” Davey asked while stowing the wooden case securely into his Pocket Plane.

At his question, Kain’s face grew grim.

“The destructive side of Lord Neltarid summoned all the Malicious Spirits to Earth. They've banded their subordinates together and begun to attack. They have innate authorities that grant them resistance toward firearms, so Awakened Alf Online users are stopping them right now… But I don't think we have much of a chance.

Kain’s words caused Davey to stop in his tracks.

“If all humans on Earth are wiped out, the seal containing Eclipse will then break. This is the bad news,” Kain concluded.

If Eclipse did get unleashed, unprecedented terror and chaos would happen.

“Huh, so that’s the bad news… It surely isn’t good news,” Davey said, trying to maintain his composure as he continued walking past Kain.

But then Kain started using the communication crystal, trying to contact someone.

“Yes, it's me. What's the progress? What? You need more? We've already supported you with enough manpower. You’re saying it’ll be complete when I go over? Oh, haha, what do you mean by devil? Hahaha. I'll give you three days. Sir Edison, why are you trying to give me a hard time? I even sentAeonitia for you.”

Davey turned around with a smile on his face. He then said, “The key takeaway is that we can prevent Eclipse from escaping as long as we take care of all the Malicious Spirits rampaging on Earth.”

With the primary threat of the Abyss effectively contained, Davey had no reason not to make a move as well. He knew he could use this chance to deal with the Abyss without having to fight Eclipse in a full-scale battle. And the key was to buy enough time to allow the Absolute Gem to recover its full strength. Naturally, he would also be checking on Yeon-Hee and Hyun-Ah’s safety in the meantime.

“Wait, hold on! The Malicious Spirits have fought against Ancient Dragons in the past! Honestly, taking care of their number one won’t be too difficult with your strength... Wait, what’s that in your hand?”

“Well, Eclipse is a serious issue, but Ancient Dragons aren’t.”

Davey toyed with the pure white energy at his fingertips, a divine power he had taken from Goddess Freyja—a power that could even revive the dead. Though he was obviously unable to make such miracles happen, possessing the power had already significantly bolstered his abilities. As long as he didn’t meet that little monster, Eclipse, he knew he’d be okay.

“Compile and organize information so that we can burn every piece of hair on their flesh,” Davey instructed.

At this, Kain paused and sighed before saying, “Sir Davey, I’m sorry to say this, but…”

“Hmm?”

“Most of them don’t have hair.”

“Ah…”