The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

The existence of four mighty Divine Beasts that were brimming with power was indisputable. And now, the leaders of the allied forces of two countries, Jo Soon and Gu Hwan, stared at the three Celestial Maidens, who had gracefully descended to the ground before them.

"It was known only by rumor that righteous beings from the Spirit Realm existed, so to meet you in person is a great honor. I am General Jo Soon from the Country of Hwan."

"And I am Gu Hwan."

"I am So Rin, the seventh descendant of the Supreme Lord of the Spirit Realm. It is an honor to meet such steadfast and spirited generals."

Perserque maintained quite an elegant posture as she introduced herself to the two men. And while she wasn’t well-known, she still altered her appearance slightly so no one would immediately see her true self past her disguise. She did so in fear of the possible big risk that could arise from the truth of her identity.

"A-hem! It is indeed hard to find words when an entity from the Spirit Realm speaks so kindly."

In the Central Plains, the existence of beings from the Spirit Realm was not something to be taken lightly. In Tionis, this was akin to Goddess Freyja sending down her divine apostles directly.

"Though this is not the imperial palace and we cannot offer you the finest hospitality, it's reassuring to see the true Divine Beasts descend with a being from the Spirit Realm."

He gestured with his hand, and a few soldiers instantly went to him.

"They are the Celestial Maidens from the Spirit Realm. Welcome them with all due respect."

"Just a moment, please. I apologize, but we have raised an army to punish those causing chaos in this Lower Realm. If it’s not too much to ask, could you answer a question for us?”

Jo Soon calmly looked at the Divine Beasts that were silently observing the armies.

"Could there… be fake Divine Beasts too?"

"Divine Beasts are noble entities that harmonize the world. There cannot be two of the same."

Well, there could not be two of the same at the moment. The power and desire to give birth to a Divine Beast was not something any ordinary sorcerer possessed. Davey’s case was peculiar and far from normal. Not only did he have substantial prowess, but within him also dwelled the energy of Woochi, who once gave rise to all the Divine Beasts.

Others might reach similar prowess, but inducing the birth of a Divine Beast was not something one could do just because they wanted it. However, how many would be aware of this fact?

"Then… the Divine Beasts that attacked our army..."

"Yes. They are the real Divine Beasts."

Shiik!

Simultaneously, Jo Soon drew his sword and pointed it at the throat of Perserque.

"Those monsters have killed our soldiers."

"I have come to discuss a more important issue than that, General."

This was, in fact, the truth. Jo Soon looked puzzled, so Perserque continued. "Right now, a terrible devil has emerged in the Lower Realm. If left unchecked, it could bring this Lower Realm to its end."

She then elegantly stretched out a hand.

"The Supreme Lord of the Spirit Realm could not overlook this situation, so the Divine Beasts were sent down with us."

While she spoke, the Divine Beasts floating in the air began to rumble in response.

"I do not understand the entire situation, but I have received only one directive from His Majesty," Jo Soon retorted with old-fashioned seriousness. "To capture the heinous criminal responsible for assassinating the Crown Prince of Hwan."

Davey did not expect the generals to carelessly agree to everything thrown at them just because it was said by beings who claimed to be from the Spirit Realm. The reason for borrowing the name of the Spirit Realm was actually very simple—to buy some time.

"Sigh… It is regrettable. The Supreme Lord laments blindness of the humans in the Lower Realm, which prevents them from seeing the real enemy."

"I will listen to everything once this situation is resolved. So..."

The next moment Jo Soon tried to move past Perserque, but her words stopped him in his tracks."Then, I must apologize for my rudeness."

"What?!"

With a posture that was mysterious and elegant at the same time, Perserque raised both of her hands.

Whoom!!!

Jo Soon and Gu Hwan, as well as the three who were pretending to be Celestial Maidens, were enveloped by a bright light.

[8th Circle Displacement Magic]

[Warp]

Whoom!!!

Davey, who was watching the situation from somewhere far, activated the space to warp them to the prepared coordinates. So when the two generals opened their eyes, they were no longer in a place full of soldiers. Instead, they were in an eerie and somehow gloomy forest.

"What place is this…"

"What on earth has happened!"

Perserque walked silently toward the protesting generals and said quietly, "I am already aware of the situation. However, to correct the misunderstanding, I must first explain this to you."

She pointed her pale finger at the surroundings.

"Do you see that?"

How could they not see it? The abyss of corruption had spread across the Central Plains immediately after the death of Oedon.

"I have seen it. Many of the soldiers who tried to explore it were harmed. According to the experts, a similar energy appeared where the Crown Prince was killed."

"That's correct."

"This man… This descendant of a Westerner named Davey, isn't he responsible for all of this? If we deal with him, the problem should be resolved, right?"

"He did not kill the prince. He is actually someone we should not dismiss. Because if we do, we will lose the means to resolve the issues that are destroying this land,” Perserque explained. She then took out a gem and proceeded to imbue mana into it. The gem radiated a faint light, projecting an image..

It was a scene from Perserque's Video Storage Mana Stone, showing Davey in a battle with the formless monster Oedon. .

The two generals were rendered speechless by the intense and fast-paced battle scene.

"This is…"

"It would be best to hear the explanations from the man himself." Perserque turned and walked away without waiting for them to respond.

Davey, who had changed his clothes in advance, slowly walked out to take her place.

"I apologize for the abrupt invitation."

There was arrogance in his tone, and it sounded so natural as if it were ingrained in him. Davey matched this with a relaxed expression, which made him exude a striking and unmistakable charisma.

“It’s… It’s you!”

"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Prince Davey."

His words caused the generals’ eyes to widen. "From…From the Spirit Realm?!"

"Impossible!"

Davey only said he was a prince. However, as if on cue, Anabelle stepped in and advised Davey, "Your Highness. There isn't much time to delay."

He offered her a nod in response.

The general’s expressions subtly changed when they heard Anabelle's remark.

Davey didn’t claim he was a prince from the Spirit Realm,but the respect Anabelle showed Davey was enough to elevate his status from a mere human to a prince of the Spirit Realm in an instant.

It was not easy to tell a lie so blatantly without any guilt. But since Oedon tried to put Davey at a disadvantage by making waves and triggering false rumors, he had to resolve this situation through the same means.

‘Don't pretend to be in control before an expert…of fabrication,’ Davey thought.

"There's no time. The emergence of the swamp of corruption was unexpected, and I don't have the capacity to deal with your quibbles any further."

Davey activated the Video Storage Mana Stone that Perserque had handed to him, and the list of images they had taken while touring the beautiful scenery of the Central Plains appeared.

"Hmm… not this one. Here it is."

Oedon had meticulously made sure that Davey couldn’t record the scene with Wol Gye-Woo, so Davey couldn’t prove his innocence in this way.[1] However, through the Video Storage Mana Stone, it was possible to securely preserve the scene where Davey collided with the Oedon.

Light flowed from the Video Storage Mana Stone, and the scene of Davey fighting Oedon when it had taken the form of a beast with tentacles began to emerge.

There was not much notable flamboyance, but what was important was none other than the shapeless monster, Oedon. No matter how one looked at it, it was not a creature that people found appealing, even if they analyzed things objectively. The human heart was indeed easy to influence.

"I won't ask you to believe me right away. At first, I only intended to quietly find it and dispose of it, but by the time I intervened, it had already killed Hwan’s Crown Prince."

"Don't give us that crap! Do you think we would believe such lies?!"

"Is there an actual reason for you not to believe me or is it just your stubbornness?"

Gu Hwan, the general from Yu, stepped forward. He drew his sword and extended it toward Davey, saying, "Even if what you say is true, the being you brought killed our princess of Yu. Everyone knows that fact!"

Davey’s only response to the general’s accusation was a light wave of his hand.

Woosh!!!

Feathers fluttered in the air, bringing a mystical atmosphere in the wind.

And right there and then, a person who should not have been alive appeared before the silent generals.

"General Gu Hwan."

"Princess!!"

Gu Hwan hurriedly knelt before Princess Jadeflower with his head touching the ground, as soon as he realized that it was her.

"Punish my disloyalty for failing to protect you, please!"

Su-Yoon silently reached out her hand and helped him stand up. "Do not say such things. This situation is no trivial matter."

"Princess Jadeflower?" Jo Soon frowned. "Does this mean that… Have you betrayed us?!"

Su-Yoon shook her head to deny the accusation. "It was sheer luck that I survived. Had there been even a slight connection with them, I would not have survived. I wouldn’t be here if it had not been for this person saving me."

Su-Yoon turned mournful as she pretended to cry, causing Jo Soon’s expression to stiffen.

Meanwhile, Gu Hwan struck his head a couple more times against the ground, shouting, "Your Highness! Is what you’re saying true?!”

"There isn't enough time. General Jo, I hope you do not misunderstand my words, since this matter is not simple. It is about the survival of this entire world."

The princess of the Yu Kingdom had truly survived.

"Ha… If you could save the princess… Why did you leave the Crown Prince to die?"

"I'm not perfect either." Davey slyly continued to feign bitterness.

Of course, not everything was an act. When Oedon's power within Wol Gye-Woo went out of control and ultimately killed him, Davey genuinely lacked the time to intervene and prevent it. And whether they believed it or not, the outcome would not change. Oedon and the Abyssal creatures that came with him would corrupt this world, and Davey intended to kill all those creatures here without leaving any behind. It was selfish, but Davey thought it was better to cause chaos here than in Tionis.

The generals fell silent. Gu Hwan was processing the return of his supposedly dead sovereign, while Jo Soon had an unreadable and complex expression.

Was it necessary to play this game of summoning beings from the Spirit Realm and even go as far as knocking them out unconscious? No. There was actually no need for such efforts. Kidnapping the two generals of the allied forces and telling them the truth would have sufficed. It would have resolved everything.

However, Davey had still deliberately caused such an incident. And he had done it…for the eyes of the soldiers. The Embroidered Uniform Guards and the military forces of two countries had come together to arrest Davey. That meant a massive force of nearly a hundred thousand humans. So if they witnessed a being from the Spirit Realm, the rumors would inevitably grow and spread like wildfire.

"Is it true... that strange beings appeared and killed the crown prince?"

"Yes. Their infiltration into this world has already begun, and to solve this corruption, I shall summon the King of Divine Beasts to this land."

“Why are you telling us all of this?”

“Is there a need to shed more blood?”

Jo Soon was left speechless. Then, after a lengthy silence, he looked Davey in the eyes and finally replied, "I hope you are being honest with me."

"What need is there to lie? The corrupted swamp is evidence enough. You must have already investigated, right?"

Soldiers who came to investigate ended up dying horrifying deaths, with their bodies turning black. This left no room for doubt about the lethality of this swamp of corruption.

"I must report to His Majesty…"

"I will lend Fire Chicken to the messenger. He needs to be thoroughly informed about the current situation."

Davey didn’t say anything more when Jo Soon eyed him suspiciously.

Goddess Freyja wagered on the survival of the Central Plains, and it was a simple transaction. But there was something off this time, and alarm bells were ringing in Davey’s head..

Oedon's actions were too bold, and too precise.

Oedon was Davey’s adversary. It had learned about Davey, familiarizing itself with him. So it must have prepared accordingly.

Was this corrupted swamp all there was to it? Was there something else? No matter how Davey tossed and turned the question in his head, he couldn’t figure out an answer.

Sleesia, the one who manipulated dimensional power and dispatched other Abyssal princesses to different dimensions, was already dead. So the only Princess of the Abyss on this land was indeed just Isildi. No others could cross over, and that was the reality.

Amid these foreboding thoughts, a thundering noise ripped through space. A a nauseating smell of blood wafted in the air, and the desperate sound of a horn echoed urgently.

1. The raws actually say that Oedon erased Wol Gye-Woo’s memories so that the scene couldn’t be preserved, but this doesn’t make any sense here since the video stone has nothing to do with the prince’s memories. ☜