The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1141

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1141

Chapter 1141
Crack!! Boom!!
A stunningly beautiful dragon emerged, ripping through space itself.
She had golden draconic eyes, two straight black horns, and pitch-black scales. Her long tail radiated a terrifying aura, powerful enough to destroy her surroundings with a single swing. Her four limbs weren't just solid—they also looked sharp enough to pierce through steel.
A dark crimson current began slowly swirling around her body, starting from her feet.
The monster she faced had flesh resembling a giant blob of slime, with short stubs for legs as well as arms long and thin enough that it could wrap them completely around its body. Its long hands and fingers matched its grotesque proportions.
Its face looked like a white mask, with eyes like a bottomless, dark abyss, and a twisted, square-shaped mouth.
It had grown significantly larger than when it first appeared. It reached over twenty meters tall, nearly matching the size of Evangeline in her ancient dragon true form.
The dark priest was a monster that devoured the souls of people by directly applying some sort of power to their souls.
Several had already fallen victim to it, but Evangeline didn’t care. Her eyes burned with the sole desire of ripping the monster in front of her apart, completely consumed by fury.
She was an overwhelmingly oppressive predator at that moment. A being already powerful from birth, an absolute force of nature.
That was who Evangeline O’Rowane was: the only child born between Eclipse and Hercules, and the last remaining ancient dragon.
“
Grrr...
”
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On the desolate, sunset-colored battlefield, the dark priest made the first move.
Despite not having legs, it moved at an unbelievable speed, charging straight toward Evangeline. She then flared her wings, throwing the creature off-balance.
Boom!!!
What followed was nothing short of a savage beatdown. In fact, the word beatdown didn’t even do it justice. What Evangeline wrought was pure brutality.
Bang!! Bang!!
Evangeline crushed it with her feet, her massive claws ripping it apart. Then, as if consumed by her primal instincts, she sank her massive jaws into its flesh and tore into it.
“It can’t escape...”
Watching from afar, Kouna was horrified. While Evangeline’s power far exceeded what she had imagined, what she found even more shocking was that the creature, who was normally able to dissipate or let attacks pass through, couldn’t do anything against her.
It was as if her power was forcibly anchoring the creature in place. That wasn’t all, either—her attacks drastically slowed its regeneration.
Normally, when injured, black tendrils would shoot out from its wounds and quickly stitch its body back together. Yet after her assault, the frequency and speed of those tendrils’ mending had been drastically reduced.
“
Guuaaa.
”
The creature thrashed its stumps around in resistance before its form began to melt. It then spread its jelly-like body outward and wrapped around Evangeline, like a carnivorous plant trapping an insect.
Watching the two clash, Kouna clenched her hands so tightly her knuckles went white.
She had to help! Regardless of who won or lost, she knew Evangeline would be gravely wounded if the confrontation kept up. Standing with unsteady steps, she reached for the sword lying on the ground.
Evangeline's violet eyes flared ominously as she tried to break free from the creature. At the same time, a thick, formless power began gathering in her mouth. It was a power Kouna found immediately recognizable.
It was a dragon’s exclusive ability, an innate and overwhelming spell. It was so powerful that most dragons struggled to manifest it.
It was none other than Dragon Breath.
Ewangeline had clearly reached a state of pure rage, perhaps from being injured, or possibly due to the backlash from her first polymorph release, revealing her violent ancient instincts.
Kouna knew that if Evangeline launched her breath attack, she’d be caught in the aftermath as well.
It didn’t matter how many monsters were around—if Evangeline unleashed her attack, the unconscious allies nearby would also be engulfed by it.
Whoosh!!
Someone yanked Kouna out of the way. “Get back.”
“Chris.” Kouna looked up, pain still wracking her body.
Despite his trademark cheerful face, Chris was clearly tense. “I knew the princess was the Saint of Tioinis’s daughter... but I didn’t expect her to be a dragon.”
Kouna was speechless.
He added, “Sorry, but I’m going to need your help.”
Her eyes widened.
[Celestial Realm Barrier]
The power of the Celestial Maiden exploded from her body, forming a protective barrier around them.
Boom!!
At the same time, Evangeline launched a multicolored beam straight into the dark priest’s face, creating a tremendous explosion.
Despite being a child who hadn’t even undergone her final coming-of-age ceremony, her power was utterly terrifying.
The blinding light briefly flooded the entire battlefield, leaving the earth scorched and mountains having disappeared as if they’d evaporated. The remaining land boiled like lava, and the air was so saturated with mana that the average user would be overwhelmed, their blood turning inside out.
Only S-class Awakened individuals who were enhanced like Chris, or those under the protection of divine beasts like Kouna was, could withstand it.
“No... No!” Kouna screamed. “There are still people—!”
“What?”
“There are still people who haven’t escaped yet!”
Glaring down at the dark priest crushed beneath her feet, Evangeline began gathering another breath attack. Under normal circumstances, the monster would’ve raised a limb to resist. Alas, half its body had already been blown off.
Zzzt!!
“Hey, Miss Kouna, I don’t know what you're talking about with ‘others’ around. By the time we got here, you were already the only one around.”
Kouna froze at his words.
Boom!!
Evangeline unleashed another breath, carving a massive crater into the earth.
* * *
The unconscious humans had been placed on the ground in a single line. Davey, dressed in black with his expression completely devoid of any trace of a smile, stood nearby as he watched Evangeline fight.
“Davey...” Perserque, still in her small form and perched on his shoulder, looked at his trembling body with concern.
Whooosh!! Bang!!!
Bursting with frustration, Davey grit his teeth and threw a punch into the empty air. The space before him was shattered like a pane of glass under the pressure of his blow.
It wasn't just brute strength at work, either. His punch held enough power to tear through the very dimensional fabric itself.
“Damn it...” His expression twisted further. His eyes were locked on Evangeline, who was clashing with the dark priest.
“She released her Polymorph...” Perserque muttered under her breath.
Unlike Eclipse, who had typically only partially manifested as a dragon since her full manifestation carried overwhelming influence, Evangeline had manifested fully. Though her presence was weaker than Eclipse’s due to the vast difference in age and power between them, she was still befitting the reputation of ancient dragons. The power she unleashed had already reached a level that not even Lord-level dragons would dare challenge.
That is, if one excluded purely magical abilities.
Her manifestation was something that had been inevitable. Having already known that, it wasn’t what Davey was angry about.
No one had died from the incident, since he had secretly evacuated everyone beforehand. While there were those whose souls had been consumed and left in an apparently comatose state, they were pretty much still okay. They were fixable, as long as they took the dark priest down in time.
The real issue was Evangeline.
“Davey.”
“It’s fine. Honestly, it sucks that there’s no way to help Eva grow without going this far.”
If anyone could be called overprotective, it was Davey. Being such a person, to make such a decision had left deep pain in his heart.
“All my planning still wasn't enough.”
“Davey,” Perserque softly called out.
“I’m sorry.”
Watching Evangeline pay zero attention to the psychic energy she was supposed to be prioritizing left Perserque feeling bitter. No one had expected her instincts to spiral out of control before she could even begin comprehending her powers.
“Don’t worry, Davey. Just do what needs to be done.”
He didn't know what to say.
“You said you’d step in if Eva was in real danger. That’s why you’re on edge and ready to jump in at any moment, right?”
Even though there might be no need, his nervousness showed how deeply he cared for Evangeline.
“You should try trusting her a little more.”
“Yeah...” he muttered as he let out a faint wave of energy. “Just... she better not get hurt.”
If she did, he wasn't sure what he’d do to Neltarid, who had proposed the plan in the first place.
Watching Davey whisper softly to himself, Perserque couldn't help but think he really was far too overprotective. Still finding him endearing, she kissed him on his cheek, which was something she rarely ever did.
Feeling the small touch on his skin, Davey turned his head and looked in surprise at Perserque sitting on his shoulder.
“I just can’t help myself when you look like that, Davey.”
“
Ha.
” He gave a bitter smile.
* * *
Evangeline continued her display and demonstration of power as an ancient dragon.
She glared at the dark priest that had been rendered nothing more than a blob of flesh, incapable of resurrection.
Her enormous form trembled as she panted and stared down at it, then staggered slightly.
Just as she moved to attack again, fractures began to form along her body. Light instantly erupted from within those cracks before her form began shrinking down, continuing until she had returned to her human appearance.
Her horns remained, but she was unmistakably the adorable Evangeline.
“Haah, haah. Sss. Haah!”
She staggered, gasping raggedly in terrible pain.
Kouna rushed in with Chris and caught her before she fell to the ground. “Eva!”
“
Ah.
Kou...” Evangeline gave a tired, bitter smile, her face etched with exhaustion. “Thank goodness, we weren’t too late.”
The pressing question was whether Evangeline remembered that she had forcefully broken her Polymorph and unleashed her Dragon Breath in a berserk state, potentially sweeping up innocent survivors in the process.
Of course, Kouna had the social skills to know it wasn’t the appropriate time to ask such a question. If Evangeline hadn’t appeared, not only would the others have died, but she would’ve died as well. There was no way to blame Evangeline.
The monster was invincible to attacks and had kept disappearing and reappearing at random. Dealing with it wasn’t just a matter of strength, instead a matter of compatibility as well.
“
Haah.
I’m tired, Kouna. What happened to the others who got caught up in it?” she asked in a weak voice.
Kouna hesitated to answer. Chris gently pushed her aside and answered instead, “Everyone was evacuated. Some were too late, but most made it.”
‘Yeah... That’s the right thing to say.’
Evangeline didn’t realize that she’d failed to save some of them.
“And the monster...?”
Turning to look, she saw that her breath attack had incinerated everything in the surroundings. The monsters were reduced to ashes, and the creature she had fought was slowly dying.
‘For something that ended so pitifully, why was so much devastation necessary?’
Kouna forced a faint smile, hiding her bitter thoughts. “Thank you, Evangeline. I owe you my life.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“But seriously, you’re so strong! The force it released was enough to threaten S-class individuals. No, my instincts were screaming that this thing wasn’t just some standard threat. Its power might’ve been lower than expected, but...” Chris, who had otherwise played a minor role in the fight, muttered quietly, “The danger I felt from it was something else entirely...”
“What do you mean?”
“There was once a Malicious Spirit that showed up on our side, in America. You remember that, right?”
“Yes,” Kouna replied.
“I saw it once, and I still remember the pressure, year, and instinctive terror that made every bone of my body rattle. For something similar in strength to that to go down this easily... it just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Maybe Eva was just stronger than you thought. After all, you saw it for yourself.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Other than wiping out the weaker monsters and getting you to safety, Kouna, there wasn’t much else I could even do.”
The battle had been simple and straightforward, but that didn’t mean the enemy was weak.
“Still... it’s odd.”
“Did I... hurt you, Kouna?” Evangeline asked nervously, clearly unsure of what happened while she had gone out of control.
“Don’t worry about it, we all have our roles to play. That thing wasn’t weak enough that you could worry about others while fighting it.”
“Which means...” She had almost killed Kouna. That much was clear.
Without saying a word, Kouna pulled Evangeline into a hug. Evangeline suddenly summoned flames in one hand and drew the divine dragon sword Twilight.
She unhesitatingly thrust the sword toward Kouna.
Squelch!!!
The chilling sound made both Kouna and Chris’s eyes widen dramatically.
Her crimson blade pierced not Kouna, but the space just past her, sliding through the gap beneath her arm.
“Evangeline?!”
“What in the world?!”
Startled by her sudden action, the two instinctively pulled back.
“Step back!!” Evangeline shouted as the space in front of her twisted unnaturally. “It’s not dead yet!”
Shoving Kouna behind her, Evangeline turned, grabbed the blade in the air, and twisted it with force.
Slash!!
At the same moment, black blood began to drip from thin air, and as if refracted by light, something shimmered and twisted in the space above. That ripple quickly extended and made contact with the grotesque remains of the monster on the ground. It was then that the two slowly began to merge.
“
Oh...
Jesus Christ...”
It wasn’t dead, after all. That wasn’t the only problem, either.
For regular dragons, their true form was their dragon form, so polymorphing into a human was more of a limitation than a strength. Yet for beings like Evangeline and Eclipse, they spent more time in human form than in their dragon forms. That was because manifesting an ancient dragon’s true form caused massive fluctuations in energy.
Chris Marten was the first to make a move. He flew in like a superhero straight out of a movie and drove a clean punch into the monster’s head.
Crack!!
However, his fist did no damage. Instead, the ricochet from the monster threw him back.
He screamed in pain as he was hurled backward, rolling several times across the ground. “Damn it, it’s not taking any damage at all!”
As if to confirm the worst possible compatibility, the creature showed no signs of harm.
Only then did the truth hit them. The source of the earlier unease, and the instinctual warning they'd all felt, was coming from that monster.
The monster no longer hid its form, exposed as if to prove that the one Evangeline had shredded moments ago was merely the tip of the iceberg regarding what it was capable of. Its oppressive aura was on par with the Malicious Spirits of the past.
Each one of those Malicious Spirits had been walking global disasters, and in the old Alf Online, not even full-scale raids had been enough to take one down.
Chris Marten couldn’t believe that some thing coming from a gate possessed power on par with a Malicious Spirit. He began to worry and question if Evangeline, despite being the daughter of the Saint of Tionis, could really handle something like that.
“Dammit, Princess! Can’t you transform again?!”
Her form after transformation was the only thing that had dealt a direct blow to the creature so far..
Hearing his desperate question, Evangeline looked down at the sword she had driven into the monster earlier. “My attack worked. It’s strong, but I think my power is naturally suited to hurting it.”
It wasn’t just about stabbing. She was used to wrapping her sword with her own unique energy to fight. That form of energy bestowal was extremely effective against the creature.
The problem wasn’t landing a hit—it was that she didn’t have enough power left to deal a critical final blow.
She had already burned through a tremendous amount of energy during her earlier manifestation, leaving her far weaker than when she first arrived.
Even so, Evangeline didn’t hesitate. “I can buy us time to escape. When I give the signal, pull back.”
She bared her sharp fangs and stepped forward.
“No! Let’s run! We can’t keep going like this!” Kouna shouted.
After Chris Marten had failed to strike it, he’d known for certain that it was a threat only the Saint of Tionis could take down. He recognized that her power alone wasn’t enough to defeat it.
“We can’t! If we try to run now, it’ll chase us and shake up the entire rift! There are still people here, and that thing...” She trembled as she stared at the grinning monstrosity. “If we flee from the rift, it’ll just follow us out.”
She knew that if it managed to get loose on Earth, it’d be a catastrophe. Alas, there was nothing she could do with her power having been depleted.
Sling!!
Even so, she flipped her grip on Twilight and charged in again.
Clang! Clank!!
However, she could no longer overwhelm it like before. In fact, she was struggling just to block its attacks. The momentum had clearly shifted.
“
Kyah!!
”
Evangeline was knocked away, but Chris caught her in his arms midair. “Come on, Princess. Don’t push yourself.”
“Chris...”
“I’m joining in now. I can’t hurt it, but I can buy us time.”
Hearing his declaration, her expression stiffened. “Why... Why are you going this far?”
He was an American Awakened, and a member of the Sacred Group. He had no reason to risk his life in a foreign land.
In response to her question, Chris gave a crooked smile. “Come on, I’m a hero. I’m even the top hero of my homeland, America. What kind of hero runs away in the middle of a fight?!”
His words left Evangeline dumbfounded.
“And shouldn’t I be the one asking
you
that, Evangeline?”
Seeing him grin, she clenched her teeth in frustration. Her strength was draining every second; she had no idea how long she could hold out.
Then, something clicked in her mind.
Defeating that creature in a direct confrontation might have been impossible at that moment, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any other way.
“Chris!! Didn’t you say there’s a line connected to the outside from here?!”
“
Uhhh.
Yeah, but—watch out!!” Chris shouted.
Evangeline reacted instinctively, swinging Twilight like a whip.
With a heavy clang, the dark priest was thrown back. Its form looked the same, but the power within it was clearly growing.
She needed more power. No, she needed to become stronger.
“There is one... There might be one way.”
She wasn’t fully certain yet. When her horns first began to grow, she had heard something about herself. It was about who she was, and the nature of her power.
Dodging and countering the monster’s sweeping attacks, Evangeline widened the distance between them, then pulled out the smartphone she’d kept tucked away and tossed it to Chris.
“I’m going to stream this.”
She only had one streaming account. Eva’s Drawing Session.
However, she wasn’t the Eva on steam at that moment. She was Evangeline O’Rowane, and if she streamed right then, it meant only one thing.
“W-Wait, Eva! If you go live here, that means you—”
It’d be a stream with her camera on, and so all the viewers would be able to see everything. Everything she’d worked so hard to keep secret, all the things she’d hidden and feared, would all come out in the open.
However—
“It’s okay. Dad said he’s busy at Tionis. Mom too. Everyone's busy, and you yourself admitted that you can’t beat that thing—but I can. After all, my power is a lethal threat to it.”
If that thing got out, it’d quickly hide itself again to absorb even more energy before emerging once more. If that happened, it’d cause damage far beyond what the Malicious Spirits had done.
So even if her identity was exposed, Evangeline wasn’t going to let that thing leave.
No matter what it took.

.
!
Chapter 1141