The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1211

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1211

Chapter 1211
While Davey was drawing attention elsewhere, Shuneria entered the mana gate leading to the camp. She couldn’t help but marvel at what Reina had accomplished once she got there.
Every single one of her enemies had been elite knights, yet there they lay scattered across the ground largely unconscious. Some of them even wore gear that disrupted the mana structure of humans, qualifying them as strategic weapons. Their ability made it impossible for those affected to use mana properly.
Their gear essentially reduced their enemies to ordinary humans, while they themselves could still use mana. Since mana was the source that turned humans into something beyond their limits, the disparity was massive.
Of course, a person who had undergone metamorphosis would already be fundamentally beyond an ordinary human in terms of stats. Yet even so, there was truth to the old saying that no matter how strong you are, numbers will overwhelm you, which was why it was utterly ridiculous for a handful of intruders to attempt breaking into a heavily fortified facility.
Yet, Reina had completely shattered that very basic assumption.
“What are you doing this time...” Reina suddenly said as she clutched her head from the sharp pain of a headache.
“A-Are you alright?!”
“I’m fine. It’s just a headache.” She grimaced as she held her head, before extending her hand toward the ones still conscious.
Since Davey was enduring the impulses, she saw no reason why she couldn’t do the same thing.
Even though the impulse kept whispering for her to make them all suffer and tear them apart, she chose to send them with as little pain as possible when killing was the only option.
“M-Monster...”
She ignored those who, bleeding and broken, still had the strength to call her that. “Let’s go.”
Reina first moved to the mana gate. Shuneria, filled with concern for her younger siblings, followed without resistance.
It wasn’t long before the familiar sensation of a mana gate enveloped them.
“As I thought... This mana gate is structured the same way as the ones in Tionis,” Reina murmured to herself as her eyes narrowed at the scenery that unfolded before her.
Unlike the ash-gray world they’d just left, the place was foggy and damp.
“Over there.” Shuneria pointed to a massive wall barely visible through the mist. “That’s the concentration camp. It’s never been breached.”
“Why not? I don’t see any guards.”
“It’s because of its thick barrier. There's a grand magic defense shield layered with perfect physical reinforcements. It's protected by defense spells to the point that sneaking in is impossible. It’s hard to get in from the outside, yet even harder to escape from the inside.” With a deep sigh, she pulled out a small mask from inside her clothes. It was the mask of the executioner, which Davey had given her.
“This mask is the symbol of the Executioners. The defense barriers are weaker inside, so infiltration is our best bet. To enter, we’ll need to put on a show.”
Shuneria pulled out a rope and held it out to Reina. “I’m going to tie you up now. From here on, I’m a member of the Executioners transporting a prisoner to the concentration camp.”
Reina’s eyes narrowed doubtfully. “You don’t think we’ll get caught?”
“No one’s dumb enough to demand identification from someone wearing this mask—no one will question the mask or ask me to remove it. The mask itself is a symbol of power, and I don’t have a better plan than this.”
Reina looked at the concentration camp for a moment. “The real problem is that we won’t know how they’ll respond the moment we try to break the barrier from the outside. They might even massacre the tens of thousands of detainees inside.”
Every second mattered to them. If they were to drag the time out, there’d be no fixing the situation.
Shuneria’s plan was undeniably solid.
However, Reina shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.”
“
Huh?
What do you mean? I know you’re strong, but that barrier also reflects damage back at the attacker. If you’re not careful, it’ll cause internal damage.”
“So in the end, it’s just a really strong barrier, right?”
As Shuneria stood there stunned, Reina reached into her pocket and pulled out a massive hammer.
“So you expected this, too.” Reina couldn’t help but worry if Davey was in the process of turning into something beyond human.
“A... A hammer?!”
* * *
Davey kept walking forward, towards those who couldn’t bring themselves to strike first.
The ones on the execution platform looked unfamiliar, so he couldn’t have cared less. Whether the emperor was real or fake didn’t matter to him, either.
The emperor, standing tall and dressed in formal garb, looked him in the eyes. “Misfortune has arrived. A black calamity has shown itself, and a fool who can’t tell heaven and hell apart dares to run wild.”
To be able to say something like that even in such a situation was indicative of one of two things. He either had nothing to lose, or he had perfect countermeasures already in place.
“Good. I’ll suppress you here and throw your body on that execution platform myself.”
Once the emperor rose from his seat, the fearful expressions around him began to shift into ones of hope. To the citizens of the Nacha Empire, the emperor must’ve already taken on a godlike status.
No matter how it happened, their lives had improved under his rule—even if it was built on the blood and tears of others.
So even if he was technically a fake, in the eyes of the people of the Nacha Empire, the current emperor was their true emperor.
They couldn’t exactly offer their ruler’s neck to Davey, so a number of strong individuals stepped forward to block his path.
One of them was a familiar face.
“We meet again.”
At his words, the giant knight's expression hardened. “That black magic cast over the sky... was that your doing?”
“Maybe it’s punishment from a god disappointed in your kind.”
Some of them let out faint chuckles in response.
“It must just be a barrier spell. No ordinary human could cast such a massive spell. In fact, it’s probably nothing more than an illusion.”
A sharp observation, but it was still just speculation, nothing more than a guess based on their limited understanding.
Realistically speaking, apart from guessing he was the one behind the dark spell, they probably couldn’t sense anything from Davey.
“Don’t drop your guard. He’s dangerous.”
However, one person stood apart. He was the man who had escorted the emperor on the day Davey assassinated him in the mines.
“Hey! Just because you failed to protect him doesn’t mean you can lump the rest of us in.” A woman with a relaxed tone stepped forward.
However, Davey suddenly noticed that there weren’t as many members of the Executioners as he would have assumed. From what he could see, there were only four of them.
He’d already met one of them. That meant the other three were new faces.
“Looks like that guy from before wasn’t just a foot soldier from the unit. He was an actual Executioner.” He couldn’t help but scoff. “So your greed outweighed your self-preservation?”
“How arrogant!” The emperor stood from his seat. “How dare you meet my eyes directly? Bow your head, lesser being.”
[Magic Missile]
Smack!
The moment the emperor shouted, something twisted slightly in Davey’s mind. Before he could even think, his body had reacted first.
The moment he involuntarily snapped his fingers, colorful orbs burst into existence around him, then shot toward the emperor.
However, the man didn’t flinch, appearing as if he had something to rely on.
Kaboom!!
Despite the missile’s small scale, the blast produced a massive shockwave and kicked up a cloud of dust.
The spell Magic Missile seemed flashy, but it was nothing special. It was in fact one of the lowest-tier offensive spells.
The one who blocked the attack was the woman in a robe. “
Hah!
Not bad. To think you could control a high-level unattributed spell like that. I guess that kind of power is what made it possible for you to put up an illusion that big in the sky.”
She held a unique artifact in her hands. “But you won’t break through my barrier with just that.”
‘High-level magic? Not bad?’
“The spell itself was nothing. Maybe for you, but I can nullify it completely. Restrain him.”
With her command, the three other Executioners moved to surround him.
At the same time, the soldiers in the plaza raised staves and arrowheads, ready to fire.
-
No matter how strong a human is, they’re still just human.
It was that arrogant assumption that would bring about their downfall. Not that Davey cared—their delusions only made things easier for him.
One was a mage focused on defense, while two were knights. The last one gave off a unique mana wave.
Davey assumed them to be like the Special Ones.
“I’ll handle the defense. The rest of you, subdue him!”
“Understood!”
With that, the two large knights charged.
One wielded a sword. The other, a spear.
Their coordination wasn’t perfect, but both demonstrated considerable skill nonetheless.
As the three quickly took action, the last one still remained put. They kept radiating an unusual mana wave.
Davey could sense that they were Master-class, or perhaps something even higher.
He hadn’t expected such an individual to be present, yet upon further thought, he figured the prospect of the entire dimension having no Swordmaster-level individuals to be more unusual.
The sword-wielding knight was the first to reach him. He charged with his Aura Blade drawn, not showing a shred of carelessness since he’d lost to him once before.
In response, Davey materialized a short energy sword and met his strike head-on.
“
Haaa!!
”
Boom!!
A deafening impact shook the area.
“Normally, I’d be impressed by your skills, but you’re too dangerous! I won’t hold back!”
The knight’s conduct gave Davey an unbelievably heavy sense of chivalry.
At the same time, the man used his immense strength to press Davey down while activating the magical artifact in his armor.
Crackle.
Waves designed to disrupt his mana structure rippled through the air.
“You seem confident in that energy sword of yours! Alas, that is what will cost you your precious life. I’ll show you that your flimsy skills won’t hold up against this level of power!”
He seemed utterly convinced that Davey’s energy sword would dissipate shortly.
Unfortunately for him, it didn’t vanish. On the contrary, his own aura blade wore down bit by bit.
“What...?”
“Clench your teeth,” Davey said as he drew his fist back, then dozens of magic circles bloomed around it.
“
Ugh?!
”
Instinctively sensing danger, the knight tried to pull his sword back and retreat, but he couldn’t. It was as if their blades were stuck together, refusing to separate.
[Demon Ylgr’s Crowd Suppression]
[Strong Abdominal Strike]
A massive shockwave exploded outward, sweeping through the area. The spearman who had been diving in to attack from behind was blown back by the force and staggered away.
“W-What... the hell?!”
Their faces twisted in disbelief as they looked at what had just happened.
The knight who’d taken a direct hit had been hurled across the plaza, left hammered into the wall, unconscious.
“How... How is a mage that strong in close combat?!”
Sensing how serious the situation had become, the spearman shouted toward the woman who had been defending the emperor, “Is there any kind of buff magic like that?!”
She shook her head violently. “If something like that existed, why would knights even be necessary?! What in the world is this?!”
“This makes no sense...”
“Hey.”
As the spearman, shaken by what he’d just witnessed, hesitated and stepped back, he suddenly froze.
Davey had already moved behind him, hand pressed firmly against his back.
It took him a moment to realize that Davey, who had been standing right in front of him, was suddenly behind him. “When...?! Just a second ago, you were—”
Fwoosh!!
Explosive power burst from Davey’s palm.
The man froze instinctively, sensing an overwhelming devilish aura along with death itself.
Boom!!
Dozens of fireballs rained down from the sky, the chain of massive explosions lighting up the plaza. To others, it seemed to be a desperate attempt to somehow regain control of the situation. Even so, the spearman in his grip showed no signs of movement.
When the smoke finally cleared, shock began spreading across the crowd.
Most of the civilians had fled the moment the battle broke out, with the only ones left being trained soldiers.
Some collapsed where they stood. Others stared in a daze.
The Executioners were the symbols of the emperor’s power! They were, in essence, the Empire’s strongest combatants.
In Davey’s eyes, they were simply subpar combatants. Yet to the onlookers, they represented absolute military might.
Seeing one of them kneeling before Davey—completely limp, impaled by countless energy swords, his face held by another man—shattered their pride. It also broke their belief that an Executioner could never lose.
Though Davey hadn’t killed him, the man wouldn’t be picking up a spear again anytime soon.
Thud!
Without a word, he threw the second fallen Executioner to the ground.
“So that’s it? I thought you had more fight in you.”
It was a simple question, yet no one misunderstood him.
Finally realizing how bad things had gotten, the mage woman shouted in panic, “Damn it!! Are you done yet?!”
Ice spears formed rapidly around her. However, the other woman, who had yet to act from the beginning, kept muttering something unintelligible under her breath.
“Just die already!!!” The mage finished casting and unleashed a barrage of ice spears at Davey.
[Dispel]
However, for Davey, someone who had shattered the spells of the ultra-high-level archmage, Lich Nyx, such a pitiful level of magic was far too weak.
“The structure of magic always follows a pattern.”
While her version of Ice Spear was different from what he’d seen in Tionis, the fundamental flow was the same. It was just launching spears made of ice, after all.
“
Tch!
Then take this instead!!” Sweat pouring down her face, she coughed up blood as all of her ice spears vanished in an instant. She may have looked like she took internal damage from an attack, but that wasn’t it.
The sky split open, revealing a massive magic circle spanning dozens of meters. Enormous clusters of ice lances, resembling glacial spikes, emerged from them and rained down toward Davey.
“Let’s see you erase this!!!” she screamed in desperation.
“Sure,” he calmly said with a nod.
“What?”
[Dispel]
The most basic of magic, and yet the most difficult.
Dispel became exponentially more difficult depending on the opponent’s level of spellcraft.
Even for someone like him, who had surpassed the 9th Circle, it remained one of the hardest spells to cast. However, against a mere 6th Circle casting Giant Ice Spear, it wasn’t even worth entertaining any doubts.
‘Old man Sage Hellison Valestia is far more threatening than this.’
The towering ice spears shattered into pieces, instantly disintegrating.
The gray mist swirled up and devoured the remnants.
“T-That mist... and the black sun... they weren’t just illusions?!” The mage woman collapsed, her entire worldview shattered.
No mage could fight properly after their magic had been completely dispelled and disassembled like hers had.
Yet, even then, the emperor simply stared at Davey in silence with his arrogant and expressionless face.
“Disappointing,” the emperor finally muttered, barely audible.
The last Executioner flinched and looked at him in alarm.
He glanced back at the final Executioner with cold eyes before giving a slight nod. The terrified soldiers immediately shot their arrows.
However, if the Executioners couldn’t deal with Davey, there was no way common soldiers could do anything to him.
Since their so-called trump cards—devices meant to disrupt mana structures—were rendered useless, they were now no different from any ordinary kingdom’s army.
“Disappointing,” the emperor muttered again with a click of his tongue.
“I-I swear I will live up to your expectations!” The last remaining Executioner, clearly terrified by his gaze, drew her sword.
Squelch!!
“
Urgh.
” She stabbed her own arm hard and staggered.
Davey could tell it wasn’t simple self-harm. She was about to use her blood as a catalyst for something drastic.
“You’ll regret... Giving me time.” The woman stumbled and dropped to her knees, spreading her arms wide.
At the same moment, the air split apart, revealing a massive presence.
‘A familiar feeling.’
At the cost of her own vitality, she had succeeded in a forced summoning. Her nearly broken voice rang out, “Come forth, Guardian! Show this foolish being your merciless power!!”
Crack!!
A massive being crawled through the massive rift.
It had black scales and feathers; a gigantic body; and an overwhelming presence that dominated the surroundings.
The soldiers cheered, but their eyes brimmed with fear as they took in the sight.
“
Hoh.
That one looks useful! Is this the creature you captured not long ago?” The emperor’s face showed clear satisfaction. “Arrogant fool. The Empire holds far more power than you think. Now, let’s see how long you can keep up this little show.”
Even at the emperor’s words, Davey silently stared at the being.
“Well? Are you afraid?”
Seeing Davey frozen speechless, the emperor understood it as him being paralyzed by fear. It was only right for him to think so. After all, the being radiated overwhelming power simply through its presence alone.
To those who were not aware of how strong Davey was, that monster looked stronger, without a doubt.
Soon, the massive being fully emerged, slowly opening its film-covered eyes.
[Who dares disturb my feast?]
Accompanying its majestic voice, heavy battle energy flooded the air.
“Eliminate... the enemy who threatens... His Majesty...” The woman who summoned the being gasped for breath from extreme exhaustion. She soon collapsed, unable to even finish her words. Yet a victorious smile curved on her lips nonetheless.
The monster turned its head.
[Very well. A promise is a promise...]
It turned with confidence, and its eyes met Davey’s.
“What the hell are you doing here?” The moment Davey spoke, the being radiating that immense power fell utterly silent.
It was none other than the black dragon Megalodria.
Most of the spectators now wore confident faces, imagining Megalodria trampling Davey in the moments to come. Unfortunately for them, what happened next shattered all their expectations.
Crack!!
Megalodria suddenly ripped the air apart with its massive front claws, shoving its head through first in an attempt at escape.
“Red Ribbon, do you want some chicken?”
At Davey’s question, the sword hanging at his waist gleamed.
“
Mmm.
Do you mean Mega?”
Then Blue Ribbon chimed in, “Chicken’s way tastier...”

Chapter 1211