The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
chapter-808

“Are you aware that there exists two sides of the world that flip back and forth like a coin?”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

There were countless worlds, including the Abyss and the current Tionis. The Abyss originally existed as a space for the creation of a new world, but it failed to emerge as the front side of the coin, becoming absolute void itself.

“Well, I’m not one for complicated explanations, so I’ll keep it simple. Goddess Freyja has been steadily pushing you closer to divinity. Ultimately, she wanted you to become a transcendent being, like Thanatos or Neltarid.”

The levels of a demigod.

The power of taboo.

Divine power.

All of this along with his characteristic, Predatory Assimilation, which he would’ve never awakened normally.

“What, are we supposed to do some role-playing as an outdated Antagonist and Demon King or something? To make sure there’s an Antagonist that goes against the enemy that holds the level of god?

The Antagonist and Demon King were both necessary beings. And right now, Davey had consumed both of them.

The battle against the Abyss differed in paths from the conflict between the Antagonist and Demon King, no matter how large the magnitude may be.

The Demon King didn’t destroy the world.

But Thanatos from the Abyss was a monster that really would devour the world.

“Why do you think the goddess is doing something so unproductive and inefficient?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t have come to see you.”

“If you try to seal Thanatos using the Absolute Gem, sure, the Abyss will close for now, and peace will return. But after that, the future you’re hoping for won’t come true.”

“...”

“Complete collapse. Even the concepts of reincarnation, resurrection, and the destruction of souls will vanish, leaving behind nothing but a perfect void. Something far beyond the Abyss, even before gods were born—an emptiness with no potential, no possibility. Nothing.”

Davey pondered on the thought of a space where nothing existed. He wondered if Thanatos’s existence was that critical. He then realized—if that really was the case, goddess Freyja should’ve stopped him from fighting Thanatos in the first place.

As his thoughts grew more tangled, a frustrating idea crossed his mind.

“This is making me a bit uneasy.”

“As it should. The situation has deteriorated.”

“Isolating that bastard won’t work?”

“There are two conditions Goddess Freyja needs to achieve in order to avoid the worst-case scenario I shared with you.”

Thanatos disrupted the flow just by her existence. Her complete annihilation, not isolation, was needed.

And…

“As you probably already know, the death of every intelligent being, in other words, resetting civilization.”

“Reset? Like wiping a computer??”

“Exactly. This world has existed for hundreds of millions—no, too long for the concept of time to even be applied. What has happened to those alchemical devices Eva was so proud of as time passed? Did they stay intact?”

“The world has reached its limit...”

Davey clenched his fist and then relaxed it, shifting his gaze.

“If you compare every dimension to Eva’s devices, yes. Their lifespan has run out. The only option is to reset the intelligent beings who generate the most vitality and emotions to circulate vitality. And, of course, to eliminate the anomaly Thanatos who exists to flip the front and back of the coin. That should buy some time for us—at least for now.”

“For now…?”

Davey figured that he was saying that even if Thanatos disappeared, resetting things wouldn’t be a permanent solution.

“You mentioned ‘for now,’ but how long are we talking?”

“In about a thousand years, the world will probably have to be reset again. And the intervals will shorten each time.”

‘Shorter cycles…’

“And if we don’t do a reset?”

“What happens to a machine pushed beyond its limits?” they asked in a calm voice.

The main circuit usually burns out, or it malfunctions to the point it can’t operate. So, in order to scrape by for just a thousand years, Davey had to gain the power of a god, fight brutally against Thanatos, and then after completely annihilating her…

“Davey.”

“After that, I’ll have to erase my wife, lover, and my beloved sister.”

“...”

“And even the first real friend I’ve made?”

The word friend wasn’t something Davey used often, even in his memories from past lives. With the life in the hall, the complicated life in the palace, and the isolation in the sickroom, he hadn’t had many people he could truly consider as equals or friends.

“To reset civilization, you’d need to become a transcendent being, akin to a god.”

At the calm response, Davey exhaled sharply.

‘Then why don’t you do it?’

He then glared at the figure before him.

“Is there really no other way?”

“Even if there were, I’d still make the same choice. This is the easiest solution.”

“You bastard...”

“To be honest, I’m scared. I’m terrified of this world disappearing completely. That’s why I’m willing to sacrifice others to survive.”

Bang!!

At those words, Davey kicked off the ground, launching toward Hercules and thrusting the Divine Spear Longinus straight at him.

Clang!

Yet even with the spear blade wrapped in Auror Blade, he wasn’t able to leave a single scratch on his body.

“You better watch that fucking mouth of yours.”

“Oh Davey, you’re still so soft. Too sentimental for your own good. But let me ask you this.”

“...”

“Do you think the heroes you saw in the hall sacrificed their souls to protect you just for fun?”

As Davey glared at him with trembling hands, he made a bitter smile.

“Heroes, in the end, are just intelligent beings. People, heroes, they all make countless choices between their birth and death. I’ve chosen to stake everything on survival.”

Between Birth and Death, there was Chicken… No, Choice.

Davey understood where he was coming from, but he didn’t understand why he was giving up so soon. But then he thought it was natural for him to make such a decision, considering he had experience resetting before.

“Hah, so is that why you gave up on Arbit?”

Boom!

At Davey’s mocking words, he grabbed his neck without hesitation and slammed him into the ground. The forest floor shattered instantly. The overwhelming impact made Davey's soul tremble, but he didn’t take his gaze away from Hercules.

"Shut that mouth of yours, Davey."

"You're a complete coward."

Davey couldn't think straight, knowing that everyone—including Perserque—would eventually have to die.

"Do you have any solutions for this situation? I don't. It's impossible for me."

"And that's what you, the hero of your race, have to say...!"

Bang!

He slammed Davey into the ground again, this time even harder. He then yanked him up by the shoulder. His sheer strength was beyond mere physical power—the gap between the two was still too vast. His reddened eyes locked onto Davey, harshly berating him.

"Tell me, Davey. In this situation, what would you do? If there's only one way to survive, is it wrong to take it?! Am I not allowed to want to live?!”

"Is that why you erased all the other heroes?!"

"Yes! From the beginning, I collected their souls for that very purpose! I honored my promise to them by extending their lives for thousands of years!"

His desperate outcry made Davey fall silent. The hero, once the most enigmatic yet dependable, now seemed pitifully tragic.

"Either we all vanish right now, or we cling to the smallest sliver of hope and buy whatever little time we can."

Clinging to any chance of survival, no matter how small. That was the cold, rational conclusion he’d reached.

"..."

As despair took hold, Davey felt like his body weighed a ton.

"Do you understand now why Goddess Freyja helped Thanatos?"

His question left Davey breathless. He figured the reason was obvious. If Thanatos, who desired destruction, learned the truth and went into hiding, it’d be a disaster.

Freyja, the only executioner, wasn’t able to deal with her. So the goddess had used a few truths to her advantage. She had drawn Thanatos out so she couldn’t hide—so Davey could destroy her.

"At least now I know what kind of person you really are."

Davey felt bitter, and his heart was heavy with sorrow.

"Tionis, Earth, the Continent of Magic Atrellia, Rho Aias’s homeland of Peslisa, Eva’s Yurgian, Dokgo Jun’s Heavenly Central Plains, Ylgr’s Berdel, Shane’s Lux continent... How much time do you think is left for all these dimensions?"

"Not much, I’d guess."

"Three years—at most. If we don’t reset and circulate vitality by then, it’s all over."

That was the burden Davey had for refusing to merge with the Goddess Freyja as her priest. From the very beginning, everything—his birth on this continent, his journey in the hall, and everything he had done after returning…

"Hah… All according to the flow."

"The curse of defying the flow isn’t a catch-all solution, Davey."

"..."

Freyja had pretended to deceive Davey, granted him mercy, and acted powerless under Neltarid’s influence—everything had been part of the plan following the will of the primordial.

Davey glared at Hercules with bloodshot eyes. He couldn’t believe that out of all people, this was who he really was. He wanted to ask if this was all he’s got, but in the end, he realized he wasn’t so different. If anything, he figured the man before him that was willing to sacrifice for the world was more noble than Davey, who acted for personal survival.

Even though Davey understood him, he couldn’t accept what he was saying. His stubbornness surged.

"I’ll handle Thanatos and the reset. If it’s not possible, I’ll make it possible."

"..."

"And you know what? I actually feel bad for Eclipse, still putting her faith in you even though you’re losing your mind."

"Eclipse... sigh. I forgot—that fool’s still alive?”

With that, Davey raised Longinus toward Hercules, who responded.

"If you’re going to fight again, then come on."

"No. Honestly, just the sight of you pretending to know everything makes me sick."

"One day, you’ll understand me."

"I hope that day never comes,” Davey spat out.

He then lowered the spear. He promised to never raise it against him again. His eyes stung as if tears were about to fall.

* * *

Davey left the space with the soul of the Duke, who had been recalled for divine punishment.

Though he never gave up until the end, there wasn’t anything else he could do. The worst-case scenario was not just the death of gods, but the annihilation of the very rules that held the world together. The best possible ending was Thanatos going into eternal rest and a reset to buy a thousand more years.

In addition to everything already weighing down on his shoulders, Davey had received an even greater burden. It had been a while since Hercules, the soul of the ancient hero, had touched the realm of the gods.

As Goddess Freyja watched from the sky, her blue eyes calmly took in Davey’s figure. For a long while, she kept an unreadable expression, staring at him in silence, before part of her body began to scatter.

A scene began to appear in front of her—a dark underground chamber filled with monstrous creatures. They were embodiments of forbiddance created by the mad Duke Lili. Slowly, those creatures began to be encroached by something resembling black mist. The God of the Abyss, Thanatos had started devouring the twisted creations and vengeful spirits that Lili had brought forth for her final rampage.

And now, she started to tear open the rift with Tionis.

The solid dimensional barrier had already weakened to the point where there was no power left to fight her off. Freyja crouched, still maintaining her silence. She saw a massive dragon form emerge from the rift. Her entire body began to dissipate and turn to dust.

The final key had begun to turn.

Davey would make a choice, and everything would change based on his choice.

"Are you really okay with this?"

Hercules’s voice echoed.

Goddess Freyja said nothing.

"Well, I’ve lived long enough. I guess it doesn’t matter if I die."

[Lies. Empty words.]

"Davey has trusted me far too much since the heroes of the hall manifested. And that was a problem. I’m already dead, and because of that, I needed to destroy his faith in me."

From the beginning, Hercules had no attachment to his soul despite what he had told Davey. However, the reason he provoked Davey and ignited his passion was simple.

“What concerns me isn't my own safety or reputation. Let him hate me if he wants. As long as my sister can live happily in this life, that’s all that matters.”

His sister.

Hercules had already experienced something similar to what Davey was going through. He understood better than anyone just how painful it was. But he never showed it.

While laughing, he went closer to Goddess Freyja and gulped down water from a leather flask. The Divine Sanctum in twilight was eerily quiet, like the final moments of an old man preparing for death. In the silence, Goddess Freyja closed her eyes.

“I’m warning you—don’t break Davey. If you do, you’ll face an enemy far worse than Thanatos.”

Hercules paused at her threat-like warning. Something astonishing was happening right in front of him.

“Hey… Goddess.”

It was a single, transparent droplet.

It was something that shouldn’t exist. Something that couldn’t exist.

It was the elixir that was called The Teardrop of God. But in fact, they weren’t really tears of a god—transcendental beings weren’t supposed to experience emotions like joy or sorrow. Yet right there in front of him, she had begun to show her feelings. She was crying, gazing at the place where Davey had disappeared.

‘No way...’

Without hesitation, Hercules pulled out a small vial from his robe, capturing the droplet before it could hit the ground. She slowly looked over to him.

“Uh... Well, you never know if this’ll come in handy someday. Look, I’ve always loved Eclipse, you know? Don’t get the wrong idea, goddess. You’re not really my type.”

He babbled, though neither Freyja nor he cared about such trivial matters.

“Anyway, it’s just... remarkable. To see a god shed tears.”

Ancient texts spoke of a time when a god’s tear fell to the earth out of pity for humanity, and from that spot, a great tree grew—the World Tree. Of course, that tree no longer existed.

Hercules knew very well that the old stories were just myths. And so, what was happening in front of him stunned him.

For the first time, emotion flickered in her voice.

[Compassion.]

“Do you pity him? Or... do you simply hope he won’t die?”

[...]

Hercules realized why she was still here. The truth was even crueler than what Davey had imagined. Freyja lowered her head slightly, speaking softly.

“A being who shouldn’t know emotions... that’s what Transcendence’s Will is.”

[Curiosity.]

Hercules remained silent. Curiosity was the first emotion she had gained after letting her levels of god fall. Davey wasn’t a subject of divine love from the start. He was someone she could dispose of at her convenience. That was all he had been to her.

[Anger.]

She kept talking. The primordial god felt anger toward the reckless, selfish actions of the subject who refused to follow the rules.

[Pity.]

Watching Davey struggle so desperately for survival, she had felt pity. Slowly, she began to sacrifice parts of her levels for him. This compassion had led her to sympathize with the emotions of life, accelerating her downfall.

[Benevolence.]

“Benevolence, huh? That’s a word that was never really fitting for you. You were always the cruel, unyielding laws personified.

The benevolence Davey made her awake in herself, had made Duke Neto La Lili the way he turned out. Despite his psychopathic tendencies, he had dearly loved his wife.

The side effects of her benevolence didn’t stop there. Feeling pity for Davey, she had unknowingly begun to favor him, discarding more and more of her levels to save and protect him.

And then came the greatest issue…

[Affection.]

Finally, the feeling that had made it impossible for her to abandon Davey. He was no longer just a tool or a pawn, but someone she couldn’t bear to lose.

The affection toward a single subject.

The emotions she obtained by discarding her levels for Davey had transformed her at an unimaginable speed.

Meanwhile, Thanatos had begun to transfer most of her power into Tionis. On top of that, following Freyja’s plan, she had drawn everything from the Abyss to destroy Davey.

[The first apostle has arrived.]

Her voice was small but clear.

“A deal is a deal. If my only way to atone is through a choice I couldn’t follow through on...”

[What would you call something that even a transcendent will that existed from the beginning cannot obtain…?]

Freyja wasn’t giving an order—it was just a simple question. But as he listened to her bring this up, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Most beings who worship gods refer to that with a silly word—miracle.”

He laughed heartily.

“Are you hoping for that miracle?”

The Freyja in front of Hercules was nothing like the one he had met ten thousand years ago.

“Well, I guess he has to deal with Thanatos first.”

Hercules turned his gaze away.

“Take care of Davey.”

As he spoke, someone slowly stepped out from the space behind Freyja and Hercules. A woman, draped in a flowing white and purple gown, emerged—a beautiful figure with a soft smile and closed eyes. Without turning to look at her, Hercules continued.

“I have never forgotten what you did for all those heroes who died with regrets. Now it’s our turn.”

The woman sighed bitterly.

“Rest in peace... Hercules.”

“I’m sorry, Rho Aias.”

“You gave us all the chance to resolve our regrets. Protecting Davey was a choice we all made ourselves.”

As they spoke, a massive creature began to crawl out from the depths of the southeastern part of the Tionis continent, emerging from the mirror portal that showed every world Freyja had created.

“It’s happening faster than expected.”

As Hercules spoke, his body began to crumble.

“Hercules?”

“It’s time to clean up the mess.”

“You’re heading into the Abyss?”

“I have to wipe it out. Everything.”

The truth he didn’t tell Davey—it was his final task.

“I could—”

“At the least, don’t let your soul break anymore.”

“Hercules…”

“Take care, little lady.”

The only one who could call the centuries-old hero a little lady cracked his knuckles as he walked toward the ownerless black void.

“Alright then. Let’s see if we can make this happen.”

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb's Thoughts:

All the heroes trying to keep the world from absolutely imploding: