The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

He may have believed himself to be clever, but it was nothing more than sheer obviousness. Descent, the man now emitting a black aura all over his body, presented a slightly altered appearance from the young man Davey had encountered before.

"Knights, heed my words!! Evacuate the spectators and eliminate the intruders!!"

With the dignified command of Emperor Contas, the knights of the Contas Empire began to move in an orderly fashion. The commotion unfolded in an instant, plunging everything into chaos.

"Prince Davey!!! I acknowledge the soundness of your strategy!! However, I cannot endorse a plan that jeopardizes the lives of my people!!"

Davey nodded in response to the outcry. "Nobody perished. Rest assured."

"What... What did you say?"

In answer to his words, Davey produced the original text of the holy scripture and brandished it before him. "The Goddess has forsaken her mercy. It's deliberate; they're resolved to annihilate the others."

The Emperor looked puzzled at Davey's statement.

Davey added, "The criteria for divine punishment apply to the humans from this continent. Black magicians from other dimensions, the leaders of the Illuminati, and the gods' administrators are exempt."

The Emperor demanded an explanation. "What does this have to do with the current situation? If you were aware these villains were going to cause terror, you could have stopped them!"

"That's precisely why I'm telling you, nobody perished."

Davey then gestured to the location of the explosion. There were shattered seats everywhere, but there were no signs of human victims being blown apart. Not a drop of blood was visible. Instead, there were only humans with expressions of panic, lying on the ground. Though caught in the explosion, no wounds were apparent on their bodies.

Subsequently, Davey elevated the original holy scripture in the air with its pages unfolding. As the book slowly ascended and began to descend to the ground, Davey extended his palm toward the book and slowly lifted it upwards.

ZZZZZT!!!

Simultaneously, as the book gracefully descended while Davey elevated his palm, purple sparks converged, initiating a colossal surge of divine power that coursed through the entire coliseum.

[Customized Holy Magic of the Goddess]

[Grand Space Displacement]

Empowered by the Goddess-endowed book, Davey executed warp magic infused with divine power, extending its effects throughout the coliseum. The reach encompassed all spectators still blessed with God's mercy, leaving untouched those belonging to the Illuminati, from whom mercy had been withdrawn. As nearly ten thousand humans vanished instantly, a look of astonishment crossed the Emperor's face.

"Did you intricately transfer humans one by one? You are a monster beyond common sense...."

"It wasn't me."

While Davey possessed the capability, the task of individually warping nearly ten thousand humans was far from simple. As the spectators disappeared en masse, only the black-robed assailants and the Emperor's knights remained. The dark magicians, presumably intending to use the humans as hostages, found themselves swiftly surrounded by the knights. Davey gracefully leaped, retrieving a brooch as he closed in on the leader of the Illuminati, who was distancing himself from Davey.

"Kuh... You... Damned bastard...."

Grinding his teeth in rage and glaring with eyes that could kill with sheer spite, the leader of the Illuminati seemed to wish he could tear Davey apart a hundred times over.

"Still, it must be satisfying to get what you wanted."

"..."

"You know what it is, too."

"You... How on earth do you have that?"

Enclosed by knights from all directions, the leader cried out, "A lunatic cult leader serving a mad god! Receive the judgment on behalf of His Majesty here!"

In a way, the Illuminati resembled a religious group worshiping the Deathlord as a goddess. However, there was a slight issue with labeling it a cult.

"Hey." Davey lightly tapped a knight's shoulder and frowned.

"What... What is it, holy one?"

"Correct this. The Deathlord was a noble figure who lived and died for the many."

"What... What are you talking about!"

"Noble figure," Davey said coldly.

The knight swallowed hard and nodded frantically. "Ah... Understood."

"Right. It's not the Deathlord who's bad, it's those guys."

"Kuh... Kuh!! Terrorists who have unwarrantedly taken the name of the Deathlord!"

Satisfied, Davey observed the knights looking astounded. Yet, amid their brief dispute, Descent, the leader of the Illuminati, seized the opportunity. Setting aside the Deathlord's artifact, he unleashed a dark magic surpassing the sixth circle.

CRACK!! SNAP!!!

[Rise, skeletons, answer the call of the necromancer. Let the master of the dead summon you! Raise Skeleton!]

Suddenly, around him, bones of massive beasts and humans began to rise. With a malevolent gleam in their eyes, skeletons started getting up one by one. Due to the coliseum's history as a place of death and killing, their numbers were astonishing. Overwhelmed knights hesitated as bone creatures imbued with strange power began to rise in droves.

"Ho... Holy one!"

"It's too late!"

As if unwilling to let any trickery occur, Descent quickly unfolded additional devil magic.

[I watch over you all. Heed my call.]

[Bone Density Enhancement]

[Specter Possession]

[Speed Amplification]

[Sword Aura Imbuement]

Descent swiftly cast enhancement spells on each skeleton, using mana without reserve. While normal skeletons were not formidable, the story changed with such enhancements. The strength of a necromancer lay in large-scale battles, instantly boosting the morale of the outnumbered Illuminati members.

"Delay them! Until I complete the spell!"

Of course, he did not actually expect the summoned skeletons to hold off Davey. That was why he chose to stall for time.

"No… No! They're coming! Block them!"

In a rush, the knights drew their swords and plunged into the fray against the skeletons. However, the skeletons did not react at all, merely staring at the knights.

CRASH!!!!

As a knight's sword shattered a skeleton’s skull, reducing it to dust, this unusual situation started to be seen everywhere. Most of the skeletons, despite Descent's commands, simply stood still and took the attacks.

A chilly silence lingered as Descent cried out, puzzled.

"Why... Why don't you move? Move! Move!"

The skeletons remained motionless.

"If that's how it is!"

Crying out, Descent smashed a crystal orb filled with black smoke from his bosom.

-SCREEE!!!

Countless banshees began to spill out.

"Banshees!! Kill the humans! Consume them all..."

The banshees sounded their deafening screeches but then fell silent. It was the same situation as with the skeletons.

"What is it... What the heck?!"

Exhausted by the extensive use of mana, Descent gasped for breath. The enhanced skeletons would not follow his command. Likewise, the enhanced banshees did the same.

"Then how about this!"

Descent, facing Davey and the stunned knights, then pulled out a small statue.

CRACK!!!

As most of the devil mana within him evaporated, cracks formed on the statue’s surface. He then threw the statue into the air.

"I call upon you!! Heed my command and descend!"

[Frost Dragon!!]

With a mighty roar, a black light shot skyward and engulfed the statue. As the statue began to rise, cracks grew wider, and it burst into a deafening explosion, creating a gigantic skeletal dragon tens of meters long.

"Attack, Frost Dragon!! Freeze them all with your icy breath!!"

Having depleted most of his mana on his hidden card, Descent yelled frantically at the Frost Dragon. But…

"Why... why doesn't it..."

The newly summoned Frost Dragon also did not move according to his command. Instead, Descent heard Davey's voice.

[In the name of the Imperfect Deathlord, I command. Return all.]

The fear of death began to suffocate the area. A massive oppressive force wrapped around the coliseum.

"No... It can't be... You've mastered it?"

"Necromancers battle for control, you fool."

Davey had only managed to take ten skeletons out of the thousands controlled by the Deathlord, Rho Aias, but that was simply because she was outrageously strong. The normality of the current situation had him laughing. The skeletons and banshees turned into bone dust or black smoke, dissolving in an instant, leaving everyone silent.

Meanwhile, the dragon, having hovered proudly, began to dim and crumbled into powder.

"Now, the pointless power of the main body has vanished..."

"It can't be... It can't be... How could you overpower my control..." Descent mumbled dumbly, and Emperor Contas watched the situation and clicked his tongue.

"He’s a foe deserving of death, but I did not foresee him being erased so hopelessly. Something is warped in your judgment."

‘Seemingly, the person he deems 'warped' is me,’ Davey thought.

"If you're not afraid of the repercussions, feel free to continue with those remarks,” Davey stated.

"Hmph. What did I say?" The Emperor responded.

"Excellent choice." Davey smiled and began to approach Descent slowly. At that moment…

"Ha.. hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!!"

THUD!!!

An invisible force repelled and pushed Davey, and he inevitably had to retreat from the heavy impact.

"Prince Davey!!" Emperor Contas, not expecting Davey to suddenly fly backward, seemed shocked, running toward Davey.

"What on earth?!"

"It's started. Yeah. There's no way they would've dared to invade here without fear."

Looking up, Davey saw Descent swirling a large black orb in the air, causing the Deathlord's mana to go into a frenzy. The lack of any other artifacts taking effect was likely due to the majority of his power being spent creating that one object.

A massive black mist enveloped the area, the air crushed by its weight, instilling terror in everyone.

“Ugh…”

"I... What is this?!"

The knights collapsed, unable to control their bodies from the pressure, which also reached Emperor Contas and Davey. An overwhelming pressure making it impossible to stand. That was the might of the Deathlord.

Mad with power, Descent laughed maniacally at Davey. "Ha... haha... HAHAHAHA!! It's a success! At last, success!!"

Surprised at his cry, Davey yelled back. "What?"

"Hahaha. You'll regret not killing me right away in hell. This brooch, which you used as bait, has successfully blended with the supreme power of the Deathlord.”

His eyes were awash with madness, completely blackened. Certainly, the power flowing from him, albeit slightly tainted, was the devil mana of the Deathlord, Rho Aias.

"The transcendent magics of the Deathlord are now all mine. If you know about the Deathlord, then you’ll understand this as well." He lifted his hand, ready to snap his fingers. "Just by flicking this finger, I can shatter this continent."

At his words, Emperor Contas cried out in alarm to Davey. "Prince! Is what he says true?!"

"It’s true. As crazy as it seems, it looks like he managed to combine the artifact and the brooch's soul with the power of the Deathlord and incorporate it into his body."

"What... What should we do?"

"What can we do? We’re in trouble."

Davey's reply astonished Contas.

"Are you joking with me now?"

"Let me explain, Emperor. The Deathlord is a mighty being who can even destroy planets. Far beyond comparison to any other hero."

Even possessing just a portion of her strength would surely make him a match for the current Davey.

"It’s really nice to understand each other."

He reached out, and an intangible force gripped Davey's neck, dragging him closer to Descent. He pressed down on him, causing pain throughout his body that left him unable to resist.

"Keuh..."

As Davey groaned, joy shone in Descent's eyes. "Ahh... The world is so full of power. How much I've looked forward to tearing you apart myself."

Davey sneered at his exclamation. "You're too happy for just a fraction of power, aren't you?"

"Even if it's just a part, it’s enough to kill you."

"True. Without Megalodria and at my current level, it might be a bit difficult."

Davey's power had not fully recovered. Moreover, while he might not be complete now, in a few minutes he could be complete. If that happened, even if Davey recovered all his Hall of Heroes' power, he could not beat him.

Displeased at the sight of Davey, Descent frowned. "But why are you so relaxed? The tide has turned. All the people on this continent could resist, but now they can't touch me."

"Hey." Davey cut him off and continued as he floated, held by the neck by his hand. "You've worked hard."

Thanks to him, Davey could completely extinguish the brooch.

"My duty for the Deathlord ends here."

Ignoring the astonished man, Davey raised his hand. Above it, the original holy scripture slowly rose.

"Die... DIE!"

In his panic, Descent hastily tried to use devil mana and transcendent dark magic to kill Davey, but his power could not reach him. Or rather, it seemed more accurate to say that something prevented it from reaching him.

Then, the last undisclosed fifth chapter of the revealed original scripture unfolded. Goddess’ endgame of the flow of destiny.

[The Fifth Chapter of the Original Scripture.]

[Ultimate Punishment]

[Divine Descent]

Davey embodied Goddess Freyja within his body. The winner of this battle was predetermined from the start.

Thud!!!

A vastly superior divine power, too overwhelming even for the massive Deathlord's devil mana, encased the entire area. Goddess Freyja had arrived.

‘Was she merely using my hand to send her power?’

It may have seemed so on the surface, but Davey thought differently.

‘She must have decided to resolve... directly through me, whatever stress she had received from somewhere.’