The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1162

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1162

Chapter 1162
The news of Evangeline suddenly disappearing from her live stream spread rapidly. She had vanished in the blink of an eye!
At first, people dismissed it as a prank or a special effects stunt. It was when she still didn’t show up after thirty minutes, then an hour, that it became obvious it wasn’t a joke. Given that she had always hated to draw strange attention to herself, no one could remain convinced it was a prank for long.
- Eva’s gone.
The first person to inform Illyna, who was currently staying on Earth, was Al Hajat.
He had been watching her stream after setting aside some time in his busy schedule. When he witnessed her vanish, he immediately reached out.
Of course, Al Hajat wasn’t the only one who passed the message along. There was no way Davey wouldn’t find out. On Davey’s side, two of the three constellations, namely Sagittarius and Leo, passed on the news, so he was informed as well.
Even after the mysterious disappearance became clear and the stream ended, her computer still hummed as if to show it was alive. Everything else in the room was dead silent.
Although Super Ribbon and Reina would stop by her room from time to time, they didn’t stay there constantly, and so hadn’t noticed anything.
While Davey stared silently at the chair Evangeline had vanished from, Perserque, looking around with a worried expression, opened the refrigerator.
“This girl...” she growled in a low voice.
“Wait, what the hell is this—she seriously needs to get some scolding when she gets back,” she declared with conviction.
“What are you even doing? She’s gone missing, Per.”
Facing Davey, commenting like he was scolding her, Perserque quietly gestured for him to come over. He retracted the mana he had spread across the chair and approached her.
She tugged on the collar of his shirt, pulling him over so he could peer into the refrigerator. “She’s really going to get it when she gets back. Look at this.”
Davey hadn’t wanted to say much, but what he then saw wasn’t something that could be settled with just a scolding. It wasn’t about the fridge being filled with soda or anything like that—Evangeline had barely eaten at all!
Perserque and Illyna saw her as their child that they wished would at least eat properly, just like any other mother would. Yet instead of eating, she poured all her energy into streaming. It was no wonder they were angry!
Davey felt the same, knowing she had a strong appetite. Still, that trait meant she could have only been getting food some other way than the fridge.
“She’s been living off delivery food.”
She was going to get chewed out; it had become inevitable. Even more than worry, Davey became preoccupied with figuring out how to properly scold her.
He then suddenly felt a strange sense of incongruity lingering in the spot where Evangeline had vanished. While it was a kind of power he’d never seen before, some things couldn’t stay hidden.
Davey reached out and grabbed an invisible butterfly that was fluttering its wings. From what he could tell, it was a living being made from some immense power, likely a supernatural force or psychic ability. Combined, they culminated in the ability of a Special One.
It was both familiar and foreign at the same time.
Crack. Crack.
Illyna cracked her knuckles ominously, and Perserque released an icy aura.
“Good thing Aeria didn’t see this.”
Half of what was in the fridge had been left there by Aeria for Evangeline to eat.
Thanks to her temporary trip to the Lyndis Empire for Kathryn, she hadn’t seen it. Otherwise, she certainly wouldn’t have had a pleasant expression either.
“I finally found some traces of the culprit.” Once Davey squeezed the butterfly in his hand, it dissolved into shimmering light, crumbling apart.
Illyna frowned at the unfamiliar energy. “Who is the one responsible?”
“We’ll have to meet them face-to-face to find out.”
It was a butterfly.
Under normal circumstances, Davey wouldn’t have thought anything of it. However, he clearly remembered what Goddess Freyja had told him—watch the butterflies.
He didn’t believe the figure who controlled this butterfly held any hostile intent toward Evangeline. The power within it had felt warm, after all.
Even so, if the culprit didn’t return Evangeline soon enough, he would be left with no choice but to act more forcefully.
Davey scrolled through the webpage Evangeline had left open.
[Start the stream again, boss!!]
Her personal channel was flooded with protests about her suddenly ending the stream. Seeing it, Davey decided not to interfere. If he showed up on her channel without her, he knew Evangeline would just complain later.
Whilst flipping through the tabs, Davey came across a certain photo.
It showed a massive, continent-sized island that had emerged in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He found something very familiar in the photo, as well.
“Found it.”
Butterflies appeared above the landmass known as Atlantis. He could tell that the butterfly he had crushed to dust was the same as the ones in the photo.
“You found it? Where is it?”
“Looks like we’ve got new neighbors. Let’s go check it out.”
With So-Ya and Behemoth to help them, both being experts when it came to the ocean, pinpointing the exact location wasn’t even a concern.
* * *
“
Ugh...
”
In a white, beautiful palace, Evangeline frowned as she slowly pushed herself up from the marble floor where she had collapsed. Rubbing her eyes, she rose to her feet.
She had no clue what had just happened, having definitely been in the middle of a live stream. She remembered barging in on Moderation, thinking he might have fallen for Reina, and stirring things up. Yet after that, her memory turned hazy.
She only remembered a sudden burst of light, and something wrapping around her.
“Where am I?”
At that moment, something approached her and spoke, “Welcome.”
Startled, Evangeline glanced around in confusion until she finally found the source of the voice.
“A butterfly?”
Floating before her was a golden butterfly. However, unlike other ordinary butterflies, it gave off an almost cute impression. Normally, even though their wings looked pretty, butterflies were pretty scary-looking insects up close. Even so, the one before her didn’t give off that kind of feeling at all.
“Yes. His Majesty is waiting for you.”
“
Umm
. ‘His Majesty?’ And who are you supposed to be?” Evangeline swiftly drew her deep crimson-black divine dragon sword, Twilight, and aimed it at the creature.
She’d almost let her guard down, distracted by the serene and majestic surroundings. Still, she knew it’d be dangerous to forget what truly mattered.
“What do you mean His Majesty is waiting? Who are you to bring me here without my consent?”
“I didn’t bring you here. His Majesty invited you.”
“And I’m asking you! Why did this king of yours bring me here without any regard for my will? Is this even Earth?!”
Facing her outburst, the butterfly flapped its wings silently. Her stance made it clear that she was ready to cut it if it didn’t answer, so with a quiet sigh, the butterfly finally responded, “When His Majesty calls, you simply go. You don’t have any choice...”
Boom!!
Suddenly, a crushing pressure distorted the space around them. Evangeline frowned as she looked around.
The force was far stronger than she would have expected. In fact, it was so powerful that even she, an ancient dragon still in the process of maturing, felt alarmed.
“I-I apologize,” the butterfly that had been guiding her stammered in fear, responding to something unseen. “Please, follow me. His Majesty has requested you be treated with utmost respect.”
Once its tone changed, Evangeline scowled but eventually nodded.
Whoever the master of the place was, she figured she needed to meet them first regardless.
‘If it were Dad...’
She wondered how her beloved father, Davey O’Rowane, would handle such a situation. She assumed he would shout and complain about who
dared
to summon him, then destroy half the place before the culprit even showed up. However, Evangeline didn’t think that far ahead.
“Fine.” At last, she sheathed Twilight and followed the butterfly.
The golden butterfly fluttered ahead, and dozens of smaller butterflies filled the space around them. Despite their small size, they weren’t simply fluttering randomly. They moved as though they were part of the very foundational structure of the grand and beautiful castle’s operations.
Creeeak.
“This way, please. His Majesty awaits you inside.”
With those words, the butterfly said no more. Suppressing her unease, Evangeline stepped forward slowly with caution. She then saw a breathtaking garden with a very familiar looking tree at its center.
“The World Tree?”
She was puzzled. The tree looked exactly like the World Tree she knew!
Just then, a woman in a flowing blue dress stirred from atop one of the branches. “Welcome, dragon.”
“Who are you?”
“Would you care for some tea first?”
Hearing her offer, Evangeline just pouted. “My dad told me never to take drinks from strangers.”
“
Fufu.
You’re quite cautious for a dragon,” the woman chuckled before waving her hand. A swarm of butterflies made of flight then fluttered in and transformed into a table and chairs for them.
“Please, sit. This tea is brewed from leaves grown on the sapling of the World Tree, and the fragrance is quite pleasant.”
True to her word, a teacup appeared on the table as if it had always been there. Its aroma was no ordinary scent. It was similar to the tea the World Tree Al had given her at the Divine Tree's Land when she once followed Davey there.
“Who are you?” Though seated comfortably, she didn’t drop her guard.
“Forgive me, I should’ve introduced myself sooner. I do have a name, but I’ve given it up a long time ago. Just call me... the Butterfly Empress,” the woman said with a soft smile.
She didn’t seem like a bad person. Even the World Tree in the area gave off a peaceful, embracing atmosphere.
Nothing felt threatening, yet a faint sense of incongruity lingered nonetheless.
“So, why did you bring me here?”
“Because you’re the only being in this world who’s not human.”
Evangeline froze.
If she meant a non-human being, then Evangeline wasn’t even the only one. There was Reina, Super Ribbon, and even Kain and Frelia of the Church of Neltarid. Still, the woman insisted on picking her in particular.
“And?”
The woman smiled gently as she spoke. “I’d like to make you an offer.”
Then, with an instant, that gentle smile turned icy cold, morphing into a chilling sneer. The emotion behind the smile was pure, unfiltered hatred.
“I plan to drive out humanity and secure their land for myself.”
Evangeline was speechless.
“My ultimate goal is the complete eradication of humans. I won’t touch anyone else, though. Dwarves, elves, nymphs, orcs... I see them all as allies.”
She didn't know what to say.
“But not humans. Will you accept my offer?”
Hearing her plan to wipe out all of humanity and asking for cooperation without any reason, Evangeline immediately concluded that she was insane.
“Sorry, but I already stand with those humans.”
“Humans know no loyalty. They’re inherently evil,” the woman insisted.
“Excuse me?!”
Her father was human. There was no way she could have positive feelings toward someone who insulted humans like that.
“Children tear insects apart and rip plants to shreds without knowing a thing. No other species does that, but with humans, that kind of behavior happens nine times out of ten.”
“That’s nonsense! Dragons, or any other race for that matter, can be just as cruel,” Evangeline snapped, clearly angry.
The woman turned her gaze aside, her smirk deepening. “You’re right, it’s all nonsense. The real reason I want to kill humans...”
Her eyes glimmered with the weight of bitter vengeance. “Is because they scare me. I just hate them that much.”
Evangeline stood up without hesitation. “I don’t know the details of why you hate humans, but if you’re lying as some kind of joke, you'd better stop it right now. My dad won’t let this slide.”
The Butterfly Empress asked a question.
“Is your father a powerful dragon?”
“Dragon?” She let out a dry chuckle and pointed the tip of her divine dragon sword at her. “He’s human.”
“
Pfft.
” With a charming smile, the Butterfly Empress lightly tapped the table.
“
Ahaha!
That was the best laugh I’ve had in ages. A powerful dragon like you, being the child of a human...?”
Her smile vanished in an instant. “You. One day, you’ll be betrayed. Thrown into despair. Then, you’ll come to hate everything.”
Evangeline didn't know how to respond.
“That’s what humans are.”
“My dad’s on his way here.”
“No, you're wrong. While I don’t know what kind of man your father is, even if he finds this island, he won’t be able to enter. I’ve already seen the limits of human pow—”
Boom!!
A thunderous explosion rang out in the distance. Startled, the Butterfly Empress’s eyes widened. “What was that?!”
Waving her hand in alarm, a swarm of butterflies gathered and formed images in the air before her.
There were three images. The first one was of a horned woman wielding nothing but a staff, casting and unleashing massive spells from its tip. The second was of a blonde woman in tight shorts and a snug T-shirt, slicing through everything in her path with a sword in her hand. The last depicted a black-haired young man, looking completely relaxed and crushing a giant stone golem with his bare hands.
“Dad!!”
The Butterfly Empress stared in disbelief, her expression stunned—she couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
The moment the young man smashed the golem and moved to tear apart the grand garden, she suddenly spread her wings with a terrifying look on her face.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something, the young man interrupted her first.
“Evangeline! Get out of here right now. You're in big trouble,” Davey shouted, making Evangeline flinch. “You’ve lied all this time and kept living off delivery food, haven’t you?”
She stumbled back in surprise, coming to a stop next to the Butterfly Empress.
“Wait... is that really your father, girl?”
“
Ummmm.
Want to form an alliance?”

.
!
Chapter 1162