The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-773

Something unbelievable had happened.

“...”

The face of Kirsina, whose entire upper body has been severed, was filled with shock. It was obvious that she didn’t understand what exactly had happened to her.

Illyna, with an indifferent expression on her face, silently looked at Kirsina as she shook her sword. The gigantic sword in Illyna’s hands looked like it would be difficult for someone with a small frame like hers to lift, let alone swing. Even so, she swung it lightly as if what she was holding in her hands was nothing but a thin branch.

The raging blue wind slowly stopped.

Even Illyna was shocked by her own strength. The fact that she could handle such a being in an instant was beyond her expectations. It was true that the power of people from the Tionis Continent was much higher than those from earth, but when it came to dealing with the Malicious Spirits? There was no difference between the two worlds. Why? Because the military and combat ability of Tionis was simply focused on magic instead of firearms.

So, even if Illyna was a master-class individual, it did not make sense for her to cut down a Malicious Spirit—let alone a Malicious Spirit ranking at second in strength among them—in one fell swoop.

Shing–

After sheathing her silver sword, Illyna walked over to check Ji-Ah’s condition.

Ji-Ah’s eyes suddenly grew wide as she screamed, “Behind!!!”

Ji-Ah saw a bright and blinding light burst from the fallen Kirsina’s body before the Malicious Spirit moved and attacked Illyna. Illyna, who was walking unaware of her approach, just continued on her way. If Kirsina was left as she was, Illyna would definitely be beaten.

But Illyna’s attention was not on Ji-Ah, nor was it on Kirsina. She looked up at the sky. “Ancestor?”

Swoosh–!

The world experienced another drastic change once again. It might have looked like the same flash of light from before, but it was completely different. There was no irritation or shock on Kirsina’s face. Instead, it was filled with fear and terror.

“W—What the hell?!”

“When reaching the ultimate level of the sword, it wouldn’t be that hard to kill something like you.”

“Y—You! Who are you?!” Kirsina collapsed while looking at Illyna whose aura had completely changed. Then, she screamed in horror.

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!!!”

Her body began to distort as her screams filled with resentment echoed loudly in the area.

“You can no longer maintain your body. After all, the energy source that is keeping you alive is now gone. Even from the start, you and your brethren are incomplete beings.”

“Ah… Aaaaah… Aaaaaaah!!!” Kirsina screamed while clutching her head in pain. Then, starting from her toes, she began to crumble and disappear.

The second-ranked Malicious Spirit died in vain. Illyna looked at her disappearing figure silently. Then, she murmured slowly and bitterly, “My descendant, you don’t know just how many stupid people in the world have met their ends because of simple carelessness.”

Illyna stumbled on her feet.

“Ugh… I told you not to do possession carelessly since it reduces my lifespan…” She grimaced.

Just when Illyna was about to explain to Ji-Ah, who did not understand what happened to her, her eyes suddenly grew wide. She exclaimed, “Ah! Lady Ji-Ah, I was never here! Understand?!”

“Eh?”

“T—Then… I’ll go now. I’ll invite you to tea next time!”

Leaving those words behind, Illyna kicked the ground and promptly disappeared. Ji-Ah, left in a daze from the events that unfolded in front of her, finally felt the pain brought about by the severe injuries on her body.

“Ugh… Urk!” Ji-Ah curled up from the pain. Just when she was about to vomit, a warm current flowed through her body.

“Don’t move.”

“Be… Benefactor…” Ji-Ah called out hoarsely.

The person with black hair and red eyes, who seemed to have left to help away when far away while Ji-Ah was talking with Illyna, suddenly appeared in front of her.

Davey O’Rowane, who had been solving a number of problems happening all over the world, appeared with a face full of exhaustion. However, there was coldness evident in his face as well.

“How did you… get here…”

“I installed a barrier system around Shin Hyun-Ah’s house. How can I not come when the defense magic that I have installed was smashed all at once?”

“You… You don’t have to do that…”

Both her and her brother’s lives were saved by Davey in the past. Ever since then, she has been suffering from PTSD. Fortunately, thanks to Davey’s help she had almost recovered. She couldn’t possibly ask him for anything more after all of the help that they had received from him.

Unlike Maga and Grapes, the siblings Oxygen and Hydrogen did not sign a contract with the man—nor were they a part of his kingdom and territory. Their relationship was nothing but a passing one.

“Hmm? Didn’t you know? You and your brother are both part of the Heins Territory.”

Ji-Ah’s eyes grew wide with evident surprise when she heard Davey’s words.

“How’s your body?”

“Yes? Ah… It doesn’t hurt anymore!” She shouted in surprise as she looked down at her body.

The body that Kirsina had pierced through was completely intact. It was as if she had never experienced that catastrophe.

“Take your brother and stay at Hyun-Ah’s place first. That place has already received my special care and attention.”

Although the barrier was slightly inferior, it was similar to the one installed in the Moon Forest, the elven territory near the Heins Territory where Yuria Helishana had lived in the past.

There was no way for Ji-Ah to know how valuable or important it was, but they would know how much care and effort Davey had put into the barrier. After all, it could withstand a missile dropping directly on it from the sky.

“More importantly, where’s that damn Malicious Spirit who made you look like this?”

“Malicious Spirit…”

“That damn Kirsina! I’ll make sure to completely tear her apart this time.”

“About that…” Ji-Ah smacked her lips, wondering how she should go about answering Davey’s question. “I think… she just died?”

“What?”

She wanted to say that it was like a 1:1 boxing match between an ant and an elephant and that the opponent was instantly KO’ed with just a light jab.

***

The Malicious Spirit chose to attack and target the people around Davey instead of going to him directly. There was only one conclusion that Davey could draw from this.

He needed to gather together the four—Oxygen and Hydrogen siblings, Hyun-Ah and Maga—in the house where Davey’s uncle, who was still unconscious, and Yeon-Hee, who was currently leading the group, were living in. After all, he had already equipped that house with the strongest barrier on Earth.

The barrier might not last for a very long time, but it would definitely be able to hold on for a decent while. Although it was a bit unfortunate for Earth, there weren’t many people that Davey felt the need to protect other than them. Why? Because this was not his world anymore.

“I had heard that you went to Earth… but this is a bit… What in the world is God thinking?”

Inside the World Tree, where everything had a bluish-green tint, Davey relayed a bit of what happened so far, and the memory of the spirits in the place where Malicious Spirit Kirsina presumably died, to World Tree Al.

“From what I heard, that is extremely difficult even with the help of the Spirit King.”

“That’s what I think too. The memories have been erased through sheer willpower. That goes beyond the jurisdiction of the spirits. To be honest, this is a realm of power that neither you nor I can reach or use,” Al said.

Davey closed his eyes. Even if a spirit’s memory had been erased, there was a way to retrieve them—it was just like recovering some data from a backup storage device. One only needed to sign a contract with a huge and overwhelming existence like the Spirit King.

The problem was that this memory was deliberately erased by an extremely powerful force and could never be recovered. And it wasn’t as if a huge amount of mana was consumed too.

“There is no other way for us to view something that has been forcefully suppressed by willpower. And the problem is that your willpower does not allow you to do anything like this. You should know that, right?”

“I know,” Davey said, his eyes opening briefly.

“Even if you can achieve this, then what do you expect to see?”

“...”

He closed his eyes once again at Al’s question. He had already seen this phenomenon twice, no? Once with the drunken Heavenly Destroyer Dokgo Jun, and… with God of Mages Odin who saved him.

Davey did not know what happened to those two after they disappeared but… If those who mortgaged their souls in return for a brief manifestation in the world were not limited to those two, then… there could plausibly be one more.

“I don’t know either.”

The only thing that was consistent here was the fact that Davey remained ignorant about it. The more he limited stories about the Hall, the better. However, he believed that he should at least find the guy from the video.

If that person from the video was one of his masters from the Hall, then he was different. Unlike his other masters who had appeared so far, that guy had manifested in the world for a very long time now. Davey needed to get a hold of him and ask him about the situation in the Hall now. After all, they had already died—it was ridiculous for them to interfere with the world.

“Hoo… So, that’s why you came here.”

The Spirit’s Mana Stone or Spirit Stone was an item that contained the memories of a spirit. Al took a bite of the fruit in her hand and put it down before picking the Spirit stone up and throwing it in the air.

Vwoong…

The Spirit Stone, as if it had lost its weight, slowly floated in the air as it was enveloped by the light coming out of Al’s hands. It was nature’s vitality, a very shocking sight to see. The power coming out of Al’s hands was completely different from the power of Yggdrasil who clashed with Davey before.

“If we can’t find the spirit’s memories, then… I think it’s better to read the memory of the land itself.”

“Is that possible?”

“I’ll give it a try, but don’t expect too much from it. More importantly, I don’t think that’s the main reason why you came to find me, no?”

“Eclipse, who now contains Thanatos, is currently driven back and trapped in the Abyss. This solution won’t last forever. So, I came here to find a way to deal with them for good.”

Davey’s plan had failed. However, he didn't have the time to feel frustrated. He needed to prepare and make another plan. From an objective point of view, Davey concluded that Eclipse was far too strong.

He had to admit that even after being able to synchronize his soul and body through Arbit’s help, he still had no talent or ability that could withstand the combination of her and Thanatos’ powers. If Eclipse only had her original power, then… maybe he could make use of his abilities to negotiate with her somehow. But…

“In the first place, Eclipse and Thanatos were two beings that were not supposed to be combined. It was you who made her into such a monster. ”

“Then are you saying that I should have just let Per be taken into the Abyss?”

“Not even if it means saving the world?” Al scoffed, her irritation clearly displayed in her tone.

“If Per disappears, then perhaps you will see this world fall into ruin. I am warning you. If you try to denounce and sell my wife away one more time, I will burn this damn tree to ashes.”

“Haa… What the hell happened on Earth that a monster like you came back as an even greater monster? Fine, I have to acknowledge it. After all, I don’t have the ability or qualifications to force you.”

Davey preferred a world ruled with common sense—a world where those who do wrong would receive due punishment and those who do good would receive rewards. That was how it should be. That should be correct. But that was not Davey’s main goal in life.

“The reason why I’m fighting against those bastards from the Abyss is because they are interfering with my path toward a simple life of hobbies and pastimes.”

Then, at the end of the process toward that ideal, that bitch Verdandi had betrayed him. However, Davey did not kill her in the end, though it wasn’t because of some paltry compassion.

[Get out of here! I spared you, don’t ever forget that fact.]

Just before Davey pulled Perserque out of the Abyss, the one who saved him from the resistance of Thanatos—who tried to drag him as if they wanted to use him as a replacement—was none other than the monster who liked to call him ‘Brother! Brother!’ and play the crazy game of tag with him. Yes, it was Eclipse.

She was a monster who smiled innocently and purely while tearing apart the people who played tag with her. But when she saved Davey, she was showing a completely different personality.

After that incident, Davey called Arbit and asked him about it. That was when he learned that Eclipse had a very amazing personality. It was very similar to what he and Verdandi knew.

[Hmm… Lady Eclipse… She was very outspoken despite her small stature. She does not hold back on the verbal abuse and her hand speed knows no mercy.]

[Of course, even though she behaved like that, she often took care of the little details that others often missed. Because of that, many people followed her.]

[You’re talking about the First Lord? When he and Lady Eclipse first met, the two grabbed each other by the collar and moved as if they were going to fight right away.]

Perhaps Verdandi was influenced by Eclipse.

“I have something to talk about with this guy. Can you please leave us alone for a moment?” Al said softly.

The animals running around them scattered and left the premises as if they understood her.

“Can you wait outside for a while?”

Davey glanced at Kain, who had followed him, and said, “Why aren’t you going out?”

“I am here as Lord Neltarid’s envoy. Am I not qualified to listen?”

The boy looked very unhappy at the fact that Davey did not kill Verdandi. It was only natural. After all, that member of the Abyss had interfered with the ritual that he could only do once. On top of that, he also was not aware that there was still a place where the ritual could be performed once again.

“Is this the main point?”

“The less things you hear, the better. Unnecessary agitation and excitement can bring about confusion. For now, I have a rough idea of what you want, but there’s something that I have to check first.” Al looked at Davey. “What do you want to do with the ancient dragon?”

“I don’t know. To be honest, Verdandi wasn’t wrong to do what she did. After learning that Eclipse has been protecting the world for 10,000 years, I’m having second thoughts on sealing her in that terrible space forever.”

“You have developed quite a lot of affection, huh? Is that the reason why you spared her?”

It seemed like her words were referring to him and Verdandi.

“I didn’t expect that you would let a traitor go like that.”

“No matter the outcome, I still plan to kill her in the end. That is, unless Eclipse can pay off her debts.”

The chances of Eclipse coming back to her senses were slim to none. But when Odin’s power forced her into the Abyss, it was obvious that her consciousness returned—albeit for a very short time. Of course, Davey did not mention the heroes of the Hall to Al.

“That’s the most important point. The problem with Verdandi is that she wants to put Eclipse to sleep and lock Thanatos in the Abyss forever.”

“That would be for the best.”

If they could not get Eclipse to come back to her senses, then Davey would rather end her terrible life with his own hands.

“What are you worried about?! If you let her live and leave her be, then she’ll just become another variable!” Kain shouted, refuting Davey’s words as he strongly appealed to him. “Kill her! We have to block everything that can become a variable! I’ll find a place where we can perform that damned ritual! I’ll do my best to restore the power of the Absolute Gem as quickly as possible too!”

“Calm down, you punk.”

“Do you think I can calm down?! Have you forgotten how many people have suffered because of her betrayal?! You don’t even have to go far, just look in the mirror—you almost died back then! And Perserque…”

“Don’t you dare use Perserque for your purposes. You better stop before I kill you.”

Kain immediately shut his mouth when he heard the coldness in Davey’s tone. They were all aware that he was not saying those words because he was worried about Perserque—Kain was solely focused on eradicating the Abyss.

“...”

Al giggled when she saw Kain’s face filled with dissatisfaction.

“To be honest, I am of the same mind as the member of the Valkyrie race.”

“You too, huh?”

“I am not your subordinate, I’m your ally.”

Even though Al said so, she was still fully concentrated on the Spirit Stone. It was not long before delight flashed on her face.

“Here, it’s done.”

Some of the memories could now be seen through the noise in the Spirit Stone that Davey gave her.

“...she… just like that… in vain…”

In the video, Davey caught a glimpse of someone with bright blonde hair, and the “her” that the voice was talking about? It was Kirsina—she was crumbling away as if she had been crushed by his attack.

“Can you confirm that she’s dead?”

“I can’t confirm it completely, but… that phenomenon only appears when an Atlantean is dying. Since Katshi, the one who she followed and worshiped like a god, had died, her powers definitely had been weakened… Even so, this is a bit…”

She truly died in vain.

“By any chance, is this person related to those who saved you?”

They were referring to Odin and Dokgo Jun. But Davey remained silent.

“Were you able to achieve what you wanted?”

“This was just something on the side, to begin with.”

Davey, wondering who killed Kirsina, threw the Spirit Stone into his pocket plane. As far as he knew, the only heroes with bright blonde hair were Odin and that damn libertine elf. However, neither of them used a sword.

As far as Davey was concerned, the only person with bright blonde hair who wielded a sword was…

‘Illyna?’

That was impossible. First off, it was impossible for her to go to Earth. And with Illyna’s current skills, she would die even if she only met the dumb muscle freak of a Malicious Spirit at the bottom of the rankings, let alone a high-ranking one.

“In the end, there’s nothing that we can do about it. The battle between the gods is not something that beings like us can interfere with. Let’s consider ourselves lucky that we were able to buy time at all. We have to get busy and prepare to be able to use the next Absolute Gem.”

“We have to recharge the Absolute Gem. But frankly speaking, it’s a very difficult task. At this rate, we would need decades before we could do so,” Kain said.

Al chuckled leisurely. Then, she turned to Davey and said, “You have a solution right here, don’t you? Did you know that this guy holds quite a lot of influence in the Demon World?”

“Demon World?”

“There’s a lot of unrefined power in that place. Furthermore, the ancient demons are sealed in that land. Have you forgotten that you sealed Fenrir in that place in the past?”

Fenrir was a monstrous predator that preyed on the World Tree. Davey had thrown it back into the place where it came from, but that monster certainly possessed tremendous strength. After all, it was hailed as the Wolf That Never Dies.

“Well, that wolf has been sealed again. So, what does it have to do with our situation?”

“That guy has been accumulating power for a very long time. What would happen if you kill him and let the gem absorb his stored powers?”

Davey nodded. “It’s quite a basic and primitive solution, but it piques my interest. So, tell me—how should we deal with that guy?”

“Well, that’s up to you now. Am I right?”

Al was met with silence after asking for their approval and opinion. To be honest, Davey actually found the suggestion to be very interesting.

Just like she said, there was no way for him to deal with Eclipse right now—Davey was sure that Verdandi would try to sabotage their plans again. Still, if they really couldn’t find a way, he would have no choice but to kill Verdandi and proceed with the ceremony despite his promise with Eclipse.

“It will take a while to find a way to take it out, but maybe it really is perfect to use as a battery.”

Eclipse was an incredibly overpowered being. But with Davey’s specs right now, he was confident that he was not inferior to any ancient demonic beast.

“I suggest that you take a step back regarding the matters on Earth and just watch them for a while. If you continue working like that without a break, then you might just die from exhaustion. Ah, by the way!” Al clapped her hands just as she was about to end the conversation. “Please take that sword-crazed bastard away!”

Al knocked angrily on the empty air beside her.

Clang, clang, clang!!!

The space was torn apart as a blue-haired girl wearing shabby clothes fell out.

“Ack! What the hell?!”

She was none other than Isildi, the Princess of the Abyss who survived even after all of the other beings from the Abyss were taken away and absorbed.

“Davey? What are you doing here?”

Davey silently reached out and helped her stand.

“We’re going to the Demon World, and you’re coming with us.”

“What? What?!”

“Ah. If I tell you to come, then you come. Stop with the nonsense.”

Isildi was also from the Abyss. But even though Kain was displeased by that, he was unwilling to kill her given she had switched allegiances and went to the humans’ side.

Meanwhile, Davey was left unable to sort his thoughts among all of the complex and intricate matters that were presented to him.

***

At the same time, on Earth.

Creaaaaak!!! Thud!!!

Rinne had been wandering around, investigating and looking for traces of Kirsina when a cheeky metal carriage, or a car to be exact, ran over her. Rinne silently let herself fall and roll on the ground. She was left in a lethargic daze.

The impact wasn’t really too large, but there was this certain sense of languidness that was dominating her entire body. Perhaps it was one of her body parts that was malfunctioning and causing this.

She was usually unbothered by attacks of this degree, but after undergoing Sephirothization and fighting against the berserk Perserque, she felt like many parts of her body were loose and creaking.

Davey had obviously repaired her parts. Even so, the damage that she received was quite large since there were parts that he could not repair and could only let repair itself naturally.

As she lay there in a daze perusing her complicated thoughts brought on by Davey, a voice rang in her ears.

“Hey… What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“I—I don’t know! Is she dead?!”

“Damn it! You drank too much! Hey! We should run!”

“Fuck! This is why you should drink in moderation!”

“Are you crazy?! You’re telling me to do a hit and run?!”

“It’s too late! You bitch! Anyway, we’re just minors! It’s fine. Don’t you know that there are laws regarding minors?! Just follow my lead!”

Creak!!! Thud!!!

The group of drunks drove away from Rinne and hit another innocent man during the process.

“Ugh…”

Rinne frowned as she slowly stood up from the ground.

“Rinne evaluates that there are many doubts and uncertainties about my situation. Demands Master Davey give advice.”

Rinne squinted, her eyes filled with coldness as she looked at the disappearing vehicle. Through using her blue eyes, one would be able to clearly see the letters and numbers attached to the back of the vehicle.

After standing up, she slowly approached the innocent human that they had also run over.

“Rinne assumes that he’s in a comatose state. Rinne judges that there is a need for urgent treatment.”

They didn’t know yet—one would have to wonder how they would react if they heard the news of the hit and run caused by Rinne’s unique eccentricity.

***

In the Demon World.

[Fufufufu. Damn human! Don’t you dare think that you will be able to lock me here forever!]

Unaware of the fate ahead of him, a gigantic and hideous monster sealed on the ground was burning with fury as it tried to escape from its seal.

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editor Orb's P.S.

Rinne and some random innocent dude: