The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1114

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1114

Chapter 1114
Aeria was deep in thought.
“It must’ve just been my imagination...” she muttered, trying to reassure herself. Still, she just couldn’t manage to say it with any conviction.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell Davey about it. After all, perhaps it was just a feeling, and she truly hadn’t noticed anything suspicious from Illyna.
At that moment, Illyna was sitting far off in the garden, quietly sipping tea and chatting with Rinne and Reina.
Aeria suddenly felt herself bump up against someone.
“
Ow!
”
“
Ah!
Sorry, Eva.”
Evangeline started to tear up, a pout on her face. Her hair was a tangled mess as she whined in frustration.
“Sorry. Let me fix it.” With practiced ease and a gentle touch full of affection, Aeria carefully brushed and braided her hair until it was neat again.
“Do you think Daddy will say I’m pretty?”
“Of course! Daddy will say our Eva looks beautiful.”
Her ears perked up with joy at the return of Evangeline’s bright smile. Evangeline let out a soft sound like a purring kitten, clearly enjoying her gentle touch.
Waaahh!!
Darian, who had been sound asleep, suddenly burst into tears, asserting his presence. Startled, Evangeline sprang up to run over to him.
Just as Aeria turned around, a chilling surge of battle aura suddenly pressed down on her.
“
Huh?!
”
She flinched, staggering. The hair on her skin stood on end, and she froze from the horrifying sensation, quickly turning her head in alarm. Alas, the battle aura that had crushed the surroundings a moment before was already gone.
At the same time, Aeria locked eyes with Illyna in the distance, who waved at her with a beautiful smile. Aeria’s pupils trembled nonstop as she took in the sight.
She paused and thought again if what she’d seen earlier had really just been her imagination. It was also suspicious that she just so happened to be holding her sword.
Thinking back, Illyna had been wrapped in battle aura like she was ready to strike someone down at any moment.
Evangeline looked back, holding Darian in her arms with a puzzled expression. “
Umm.
Mommy?”
“E-Eva... Could you stay here just for a moment?” Aeria took off running in a panic.
Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, she knew it would be dangerous to leave things as they were. She didn’t even have the presence of mind to wipe away the cold sweat on her skin.
She hadn’t told Davey because she didn’t want to burden him with unnecessary worries while he was already dealing with complicated matters. Since she wasn’t as familiar with things like battle aura as someone like Perserque or Illyna, she figured it could’ve just been a mistake on her part.
So she’d convinced herself she must’ve been mistaken. That it had been something she had seen in a daze. However, she became certain that hadn’t been the case.
Something Davey had told her was gnawing at her inside.
“
Ah!
” She tripped over something at her feet. Thankfully, she didn’t end up slamming into the ground.
Someone had stepped in to catch her.
“You okay, miss?” It was a laid-back, suave voice.
When the surprised Aeria looked up, she saw an elf with a rather sly face. “
Ah!
”
“Been a while,
eh?
The name’s Apollo.”
“
Ah.
Yes. I-I’m Aeria O’Rowane.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Apollo helped Aeria to her feet and looked at her confused expression with a smirk.
“Don’t worry. I don’t know what you heard about me from that guy, but I know how to separate personal from professional. And also—” He paused briefly, then ruffled her hair. It was a very inappropriate gesture, and Aeria showed an awkward expression. “At the very least, I don’t mess with Davey’s people.”
‘This guy’s the one who did that to Rho Aias...’
Aeria bit her tongue. She wasn’t in any position to question him, anyway.
“
Haha.
You don’t look like you trust me at all.” He chuckled and pulled a small brooch from his inner pocket, handing it to her. “Take it. Someday, it’ll help you.”
Leaning back against the window, he spoke casually, “Daphne went through a lot, you know.”
Aeria didn't know how to respond.
“Honestly, that punk Davey is kind of annoying. Still...” For the first time, his expression didn’t seem fake. It actually looked like a genuine smile. “He helped solve Persephone and Daphne’s problem.”
“
Ah.
”
“I couldn’t do it myself.” He decided to change the topic. “Anyway. You looked like you were in a rush?”
“
Ah?
Yes.” Aeria glanced around. “I’m not sure if I should be saying this, but...”
She normally wouldn’t have confided in a relative stranger. Since it was Apollo, someone who was thankful to Davey, she thought maybe it’d be alright. In fact, Apollo had voluntarily manifested there and used his strength to protect the place.
There was no reason not to tell him.
“It’s about Illyna.”
“The young blonde lady?” Apollo curiously asked.
“Yes. The thing is...” Aeria shared what she had felt, just in case something were to happen.
“You two seem to be having an interesting conversation.” Perseerque came walking up with a bright smile from afar. “May I join in?”
* * *
“So Miss Illyna is in that kind of state...” Apollo took the situation quite seriously. “Is she acting a lot different from usual?”
“N-Not exactly,” Aeria hesitantly answered.
“True, her behavior really doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. But still...” Perserque also wore a grave expression as she listened. If someone like Illyna had changed, then it wasn’t something to take lightly.
Aeria dismissively said, “It might just be my imagination.”
“If the battle aura you sensed was a coincidence, then it wouldn’t have happened twice.”
“Alright, alright. Let’s all take a breath,” Apollo interjected, cutting them off. “First off, I want to be honest and disclose that I’m not exactly sensitive enough to detect subtle changes like that. If you want confirmation, you’d need someone like Odin or Rho Aias.”
He made a troubled face.
“But didn’t that boy Belga say everything was fine?”
“That’s actually why I started thinking it might have been my imagination.”
Belga was currently the only one who could detect those who had changed. If not even Davey could tell, there was no way Apollo—who was even duller than Davey in such matters—could sense those changes.
“For now, we should definitely keep the possibility in mind. But if Miss Illyna really has changed... Why has she stayed quiet until now?”
“That... I don’t know either. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to say anything before.”
After feeling that surge of battle aura, she couldn’t just sit on it any longer. She had to speak up.
Perserque sighed, looking visibly conflicted. She then glanced out the window where Illyna was sitting with Evangeline, holding Darian in her arms. “We should at least be prepared. Still, if that kid Belga hasn’t noticed anything, it must not be too out of the ordinary.”
Hearing that reassurance, Aeria nodded, forcing down the unease rising within her. The battle aura she had felt was just too thick and vivid to write off as simply a misunderstanding.
She felt like she still had goosebumps on her arm due to the aftershock.
* * *
Davey walked slowly into the dark cave.
He had expected Rho Aias to follow him in, but she had instead insisted on staying outside to prevent any unexpected variables from interfering. It was unfortunate, but he hadn’t gone there planning to rely on her anyway.
“Is this it?”
The interior was tangled like a maze, yet there was no chance of him getting lost—the further he went in, the more he felt something deep inside drawing him forward.
Boom!!!
He finally reached a massive staircase after some time. From the dark depths below, he saw something creeping and slithering upward.
“Are those... guardians?”
He couldn’t feel any mana in their bodies. Instead, they radiated something similar to the vitality and power that Behemoth, when transformed into the primordial predator, had once held.
He still didn’t know exactly what the primordial predator was, but he was certain that these things were part of a trial.
Davey activated the authority of Predatory Assimilation throughout his body. It was a powerful ability, but it could also quickly plunge him into the madness of insatiable hunger when used recklessly.
When it came to non-physical powers, the authority of Predatory Assimilation could indiscriminately consume them. Unlike the power of taboo, its influence was staggeringly overwhelming in an entirely different way. However, he couldn’t use it repeatedly just to spit out anything he didn't end up wanting to keep.
In other words, to truly absorb and continue devouring abilities, he couldn’t just devour and subsequently reject a power. He had to devour and make it his own.
That was what enabled him to devour Illyna’s Continuum-Attacking Blade using the authority of Predatory Assimilation.
[Devour.]
Crunch!!
With a chilling sound, the black waves that had surrounded him vanished in an instant.
The energy didn’t resonate with any other kind of power. The power of the primordial predator he devoured seeped into him completely, as if it had always been a secure and natural part of him.
‘Strange.’
As that thought crossed his mind, Davey glanced around at the now-cleared surroundings. He clenched and unclenched his hand a few times, then slowly stood up.
“Still feels a bit off.”
He had devoured the power like he was stuffing it into an endless stomach, which was fine. Shockingly, though, he couldn’t utilize it independently at all. It felt like the power had been absorbed, always a part of him.
Up until then, every power he had devoured either drove him to madness or transformed into something he could control.
Like Rho Aias’s top-tier magic that he hadn’t been able to use before, or the hidden technique Continuum-Attacking Blade from Sword God Ares. Even the powers held by the Princesses of the Abyss.
Either it became usable, or it drove him to the edge of insanity. It was always one of the two. Yet this time, it felt like he had simply obtained experience points like a game character.
Nothing else remained to use.
Ssss!!!
Just then, an even greater surge of black waves began rushing up from the base of the stairs.
“Whatever this is, I’ll figure out whether it’s connected to my authority of Predatory Assimilation or not soon.”
Davey stretched out both arms, channeling the authority of Predatory Assimilation into his hands. Walking calmly down the stairs, he laced his fingers together and pressed his palms together.
[Devour.]
With a roar of sheer will, a massive, colorless, shapeless, and scentless maw appeared and began devouring the black waves all at once.
“As long as I keep eating, I’ll figure it out eventually.”
* * *
He continued devouring the waves as they came, descending deeper and deeper.
Eventually, at the end of the seemingly endless staircase, he saw a massive door. On the floor in front of it, he saw something that resembled written inscriptions. Well, ‘inscriptions’ might’ve been a stretch.
He slowly approached and placed his hand on the rune-like symbols etched into the ground. He was certain that there was something there.
Silently brushing his hand over the symbols, an idea suddenly struck him.
Davey reached out with the authority of Predatory Assimilation and made contact with the symbols on the ground.
Boom!!
A powerful shockwave shot through his body, launching him several meters backward.
He had been fairly braced for any impacts, so he should’ve had enough stability. Yet he was blown back easily.
He was baffled, but he cleared his mind since being thrown back wasn’t the main concern. Something suddenly interrupted his train of thought.
[Only those who possess the Origin Power may enter the Origin Throne. Intruders shall pay the price for their intrusion. Those with the qualifications of a king must prove it.]
The moment the phrases surged into his mind, Davey lifted his head and looked beyond the massive door.
‘
A king, huh?’
He wondered if the concept of royalty existed even within the power of the primordial predator. Whatever the case was, he was certain of one thing.
“This wasn’t written by humans.”
Perhaps it wasn’t even meant for a mere mortal.
Whatever it meant, Davey stood before the door in thought.
‘Prove your worth? What kind of worth? Should I use the authority of Predatory Assimilation?’
Contrary to his thoughts, he instinctively pulled out the stone tablet and brought it to the door. The tightly sealed gate began to resonate with a strange energy.
Rumble!!
It seemed the stone tablet Goddess Freyja had given him served as proof of qualification. He figured he’d find the truth he was searching for, and a way to resolve the current crisis, inside.
The door slowly opened. A massive, empty chamber revealed itself beyond the door.
He had just stepped in when a crushing pressure suddenly slammed down on him.
Boom!!!
[
Bearer of corrupted kingly power, you are not qualified to ascend the Origin Throne. Leave this place.]
It wasn’t a voice, but a will that echoed through the chamber.
The message was clear: since his power was corrupted, he had no right to be there.
At the same time, the stone door behind him began to close. Soon, the entire space began to shake violently as the walls distorted and twisted.
Then, with a series of loud and synchronized clicks, black knights clad in armor began to appear.
“So they’re here to eliminate the intruder,
huh?
”
Each one looked genuinely dangerous.
“I didn’t come all the way here just to match your standards.”
Whatever had been twisted or corrupted, the power became his.
“I don’t need your approval, and I have no reason to back down.”
Clank!! Clank!!
As the knights closed in to surround him, Davey said, “Still, I need the power in this place. I guess I’ll just become the king, then.”
‘Bow to me.’
As Davey sent off his will, the knights instantly unleashed power that closely resembled that of the primordial predator. They charged straight at him.
Davey walked toward them casually, unleashing his power to its fullest. No matter how much he devoured, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Though they looked like living beings, the knights were forms created from non-physical laws.
Free of any hesitation, he stretched out his hand toward the charging enemies.
[Devour]
Crunch!!
As his will manifested, the knights instantly twisted and began to dissolve. They dispersed down to the level of elemental particles.
Of course, as quickly as they disappeared, new ones emerged and closed in again. But Davey wasn’t fazed.
He wasn’t certain, but from everything the will had conveyed so far, he was starting to understand one thing.
The power he held likely originated from the primordial predator. In other words, it was either similar to or of the same class as the power of the Origin Throne. Perhaps, the so-called kingly power had become mixed into his own, mutating into what had become the authority of Predatory Assimilation.
If his theory was right, then Davey did in fact possess the qualifications to become the king of the primordial predator. If he wanted to fully perfect that incomplete and corrupted power, he had to claim what was hidden within that place.
The power of the primordial predator could devour and transform anything derived from the world’s laws. He had confirmed as much when he devoured Belga and consumed the leftover rifts.
However, it would seem the Origin Throne had judged the kingly power mutated by the authority of the Predatory Assimilation—the kingly power of the primordial predator—as an impurity. It had acknowledged that he had the qualifications of a king, but saw his power as tainted.
‘Who the hell gave you the right to decide that?’
He put on a cynical grin as he walked through the knights disintegrating around him. “The qualifications of a king aren’t for you to decide.”
‘That right belongs to me, the one who can fully absorb all the kingly power I want from now on.’
The authority of Predatory Assimilation had always been unruly and unpredictable. Yet for some reason, in that place it seemed to cooperate with him completely.
“So you all better bow your heads of your own accord.”
The authority of Predatory Assimilation surged outward like an uncontrollable storm, indiscriminately devouring everything in its path.
Davey wasn’t hit with madness this time. Instead, he was able to absorb every bit of power cleanly, making it his.
As the process continued, his authority of Predatory Assimilation
slowly began to change and evolve.
At the same time, fragments of knowledge began flooding into him.
* * *
“This is strange...” Illyna furrowed her brows and shut the novel she had been quietly reading.
She stared out the window. Her eyes suddenly widened slightly, seemingly startled.
Slowly, she stood up and gripped the brooch-form Caldeiras tightly in her hand.
[Mmm... Illyna, what’s—]
She ignored the drowsy voice of Caldeiras and walked out of her room with a hardened expression.
“Ma’am?” Just then, a beastfolk maid spotted her and approached with a puzzled look. “Is there something you’re looking for? Just say the word, and I’ll bring it—”
“
Sleep for a little while
.”
Thud!
The maid collapsed where she stood. Face grim, Illyna began walking with clear purpose.
The manor had been particularly busy with preparations, so there weren’t many people around to notice. Her destination was Aeria’s room, where she was likely tutoring Evangeline.
Once she reached the room, Illyna slowly reached for the doorknob. Just as she was about to push the door open, a sudden voice came from behind her.
“Stop.”
Illyna reflexively drew her sword and thrust it backward in a warning blow.
Clang!
A heavy spear blocked her. “
Tch.
This lady’s gotten a lot stronger than before,
huh?
”
One was a solidly built man with a beard, and the other a smirking elf.
“Miss, what business do you have here?”
Illyna responded with a question of her own, “Where’s Aeria?”
Hearing that, Apollo’s expression hardened. “So Aeria was right after all,
huh?
”
“Where is she?!” Illyna shouted, her voice rising in desperation.
Apollo drew his bow. “Sorry, Miss, but there’s no reason to tell you that. Not right now.”
Her expression darkened. Her lips moved silently as she whispered something to herself. Then, she decisively swung her sword once more.
She screamed in fury, “Tell me. NOW!!!”

.
!
Chapter 1114