The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1212

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1212

Chapter 1212
Megalodria.
A Mythical Beast King that had lived through immeasurable time. Its power could only be described as a catastrophe, and just laying eyes on its presence instilled overwhelming fear in even the bravest of warriors.
Megalodria had recently become a major topic of chaos within the Nacha Empire. It was to be expected, of course.
A colossal creature suddenly appeared, radiating pressure so immense that no one could even begin to estimate its strength. On top of that, it boldly walked into dangerous areas blanketed with layers of defensive magic, where it breathed in clouds of radioactive particles as if it were nothing.
It was such a monstrous entity that, should it ever decide to invade in earnest, the capital wouldn’t last a day. Humans feared massive black dragons far more than any fellow human.
When Executioner Yura had succeeded in contacting such a being, even managing to secure its assistance, she didn’t doubt for a second that victory was theirs regardless of their enemies.
All she had to do was guide it to the radioactive zones spread across the continent. In return, it’d lend her its power.
There was, however, a special clause stating that the Empire must not become hostile toward its contractor. She didn’t know who its contractor was, but she had assumed it wouldn’t be an issue.
“
Ah. Aah.
” Yura stared blankly up at the sky, unable to even lift herself off the ground. Something completely beyond reason was happening before her.
“Mega, the kids want chicken.”
[I-I see. I shall go fetch a big one! J-Just a moment!]
“No, come on. That won’t be nearly enough to fill their tummies.” Davey, holding the fallen Executioner’s mithril sword, smiled gently. “We’ll need one that’s as big as
you,
and that way everyone has a fair and satisfying share, don’t you think?”
Yura couldn’t find any words to express her feelings as she watched those two interact like teasing family members.
At first, she’d thought Davey was just another overconfident powerhouse drunk on their own strength. When she heard he had taken down one of the Executioners, she thought it was impressive. Yet, that was all she felt.
She had never imagined him to be a truly calamitous being, akin to a humanoid typhoon.
For most people, simply summoning a creature like Megalodria would completely deplete their energy. Knowing that, she couldn’t even fathom what kind of being was required to subdue and contract with such a monster.
Thinking it over carefully, Yura realized her success in summoning the massive black dragon wasn’t entirely due to her own merits, managing to endure and provide vast amounts of energy.
That monster of a man had unconsciously been supporting the summoning with his own overwhelming power!
[D-Dammit!!]
Even the calamity itself, the black dragon, suddenly turned and fled in panic.
Unable to escape through the rift, Megalodria spread its wings to flee by air.
However, at that moment, a massive surge of air pressure burst from the mithril sword Davey held. Normally, it was just a sturdy blade, but there was something different about it at that moment.
Yura collapsed to her knees, helpless and hopeless.
Unlike the dragon who radiated visible, powerful energy, she couldn’t measure that man’s mana at all.
It wasn’t just because he was from a different realm with different energy, either.
“I’ve seen it before,” a fallen mage, who had all his spells dispelled, muttered under his breath. “Massive mana, too vast to define... Some call it planetary energy, or the essence of a moon.”
It was like the gravity of a planet—so massive and constant that it couldn’t be perceived directly.
Yet there it was, all within one small man. None of it made sense to her.
Crack!!!
Suddenly, the sky in front of the fleeing black dragon split apart. It didn’t just crack—space itself was severed.
As a mage herself, she knew exactly how much energy it would have to take to pull off such a phenomenon. All she could do was gape in pure shock.
Finally, Executioner Yura came to understand who this black dragon’s master and contractor really was.
It wasn’t a battle that should’ve happened in the first place. The emperor’s ambitions had crossed a line that should’ve never been touched, and even though that human had given them a chance, they still chose to step over it.
[Dammit! Are you seriously trying to kill me?!]
“Well, I can’t exactly eat live chicken.”
[Contractor! Get a grip!]
“Tell me why you’re here.”
[That is...]
“I’m pretty sure I told you to go back. Wasn’t there a message you were supposed to deliver?”
‘And yet here it is, loafing around?’
His expression grew colder.
Sensing the severity of the situation, Megalodria desperately tried to explain itself. Unfortunately, Davey’s fury showed no sign of softening.
Feeling that words wouldn’t work, Megalodria made a second attempt to flee.
Slash!!
However, a sudden flash of light tore into its wing, leaving a massive wound.
[
Gaaah?!
]
“I wasn’t finished talking. Where do you think you’re going?”
Yura couldn’t believe someone his size could actually wound a creature that big. Yet, more than that, no one had even noticed the moment he struck!
Everyone held their breath, unable to do anything but watch.
[Contractor... you...]
“Are you done making excuses?”
[Petty—no, Contractor... what are you?]
Something caught its eye.
“What are you talking about?”
[You... You’re not my contractor... Who are you?]
Davey gave a small smirk. “What? I’m the one and only Davey O’Rowane, your contractor. Is there something weird?”
[No. You’re my contractor, but... you’re not the same Davey O’Rowane I know.]
Its voice turned tense.
“What in the world...?”
[At the very least, my contractor never looked at other living things like they were insects!]
A chill ran through the air at that cry.
[Who the hell are you?! Such arrogance, as if you’re looking down on everything in this world. That’s not who I made a contract with!”
“Weird. I’m still me.”
[Right now, you’re...!!]
Megalodria let out a tremendous surge of pressure. It seemed it was preparing for a final battle.
[You’re no different from that God of the Abyss, Thanatos, the one you killed and sent into the sky!]
Whoosh!!
A massive storm erupted as Megalodria took to the sky, gathering power to prepare for an actual fight.
[I won’t follow you. Not unless you return to who you once were!]
“So you want me to kill you?” Davey completely wiped off his smile.
Even Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon felt the shift, shrinking back in fear.
“Daddy...”
“Daddy’s scary...”
As the two girls trembled and stepped back, the tension in the area grew heavier.
Davey glanced around the area.
When Yura made eye contact with him, she felt as if all her blood froze in an instant. She had the feeling she wasn’t just facing a powerful man. In fact, it felt like she was against something higher. He was something unreachable looking down from far above.
Her knees lost all strength, and she trembled uncontrollably.
She couldn’t win. That thing wasn’t human! He was a monster, something completely different from when she first saw him.
[Human!]
Megalodria suddenly shouted out, and Yura’s eyes widened in surprise.
[Take the others and get out! Now!]
A frigid smile crept across Davey’s face. “Who said you could do that?”
Fwoosh!
Boom! Boom!!
More of the same spells launched through the air.
A mage might’ve been able to block them, but Yura had already had all her spells forcefully dispelled and was too shaken to react.
‘At this rate, I won’t be able to protect His Majesty...’
Slash!!
“Huh?” Her eyes widened as she suddenly swayed.
Davey had vanished without a trace. The next moment, he had already beheaded the imperial guards standing beside the emperor.
“I warned you, didn’t I? Don’t cross the line, you pathetic human.”
“You... You’re no longer something that can be called human.”
“Still full of confidence, even when you’re about to die? Or is it just that you have spare lives banked and you think you’re safe?”
“Monster. Go ahead, run wild. Kill us all if you can,” the emperor replied with a twisted sneer.
That was who the emperor was. The man Executioner Yura served had never once wavered, no matter the situation.
He was cruel and tyrannical, yes, but also extraordinarily competent.
He was the reason the insignificant Nacha Empire had so greatly prospered.
According to her seniors, he had once been a warm and compassionate man. Yet to Yura, there was no mistake in her belief that he was just another terrifying monster.
The emperor, a mere human with no great power, faced a being that felt as if the God of Destruction had descended.
“Not killing me right away this time?”
“Didn’t think the message method got through properly last time.”
Squelch!!
The tip of Davey’s blade pierced the emperor’s shoulder.
“
Guh?!
”
“What? Didn’t expect it?”
“
Ghh!
”
It was clear from his reaction that he wasn’t at all accustomed to pain. The disconnect from his previously confident demeanor was jarring.
“You think I haven’t seen your kind before? Immortals worse than you?”
Crrrck.
The sword twisted inside his shoulder, and his face contorted even further.
“Not connected to your main body? My ass. Unless you’re an independent entity, you’re bound to be linked somehow. Which means, I just have to work around that,” Davey said while smiling coldly.
“You’ll never get what you want, you monster.”
After hearing that final statement, Davey decapitated the emperor.
Of course, it was only a body double. The soldiers, however, were unaware of that, and so were thrown into utter panic.
“Y-Your Majesty!!!”
Their emperor had been killed in an instant! There was no way to cover that up anymore.
When the soldiers reeled in shock, Davey, who had paused to think for a moment, scowled.
“Pissing me off,” he muttered flatly as strange energy waves began to gather around him.
At that moment, Megalodria, who had been observing the situation, unleashed a massive breath attack aimed straight at Davey.
Bang!!
The destructive beam, distorting space if it aimed to erase the entire world, shot toward his back. Even so, he casually batted it away with a hand. His hand radiated with divinity that defied imagination.
“What the hell are you doing, Mega?”
[Snap out of it, Contractor! Normally, you’d never kill unrelated people.]
“So what?”
[You’re clearly not normal right now. As a Mythical Beast King, I can’t ignore this anomaly.]
Davey gave a faint smile, then called for Red Ribbon. The intent was obvious.
However, Red Ribbon, trembling, shook her head and backed away with teary eyes. “Daddy’s scary...”
Even Red Ribbon could tell that something was wrong with him.
“You’re not coming?” There was a chill in his voice.
She trembled violently, and Blue Ribbon hugged her tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. “D-Daddy... don’t...”
Their voices slurred from the tears, crying in heartbreak.
Just for a moment, Davey finally faltered.
“
Ghh...
”
Megalodria seized the chance. It flew in and wrapped its tail around Davey.
Boom!!
It then soared high into the sky, carrying him away from everyone else.
[I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but maybe a cold place will help cool your head—]
Crack!!
Thinking it’d be best to take him away before Davey did something he’d later regret, Megalodria took off. Alas, it was cut off mid-thought by a sudden shock that stopped it cold in midair.
Skrk! Slash!!!!
Blades of energy swords rained down from nowhere, slicing deep into its massive form.
[Get a hold of yourself... Contractor!]
However, Davey didn’t respond to the plea. “This doesn’t make sense. What’s the problem? I’m fine, Mega.”
[Nonsense! Think about how you're looking at humans right now!]
Megalodria shouted through the pain.
Davey frowned. “They’re the enemy. I’ve never shown mercy to my enemies.”
[Don’t be absurd! Let alone seeing them as enemies, you’re not even seeing them as humans! You don’t realize it, but this is even worse than the time you lost control to the power of Predatory Assimilation!]
Back then, anyone could tell he’d gone mad. Yet this newest shift had been subtle, too natural to track. That type of change was even more terrifying.
“Is that a problem? As long as I get the problem taken—”
[No, it’s not! You think your wife, the former Demon King Perserque, would be happy to see you like this?!]
That one line was the trigger. Davey froze in place.
As Megalodria plummeted from the sky, gravely wounded, it weakly spoke to him.
[Would she be just another worthless creature in your eyes, too?]
Davey looked into the distance blankly. Then, slowly, his expression twisted. He clutched his head.
“Fuck...” He couldn’t help but curse. “Goddammit! What the hell... did I just do?”
* * *
Wearing an Executioner’s mask, Shuneria quietly infiltrated the facility. However, she wore a tense face as she watched Reina lash out, attacking more violently than expected.
The aura she was radiating at that moment was eerily similar to how it was when they first met. It was the aura of a twisted, darkened fallen angel.
This time, however, Reina managed to maintain some measure of control, likely thanks to her previous experience. Thanks to that change, Shuneria had been able to stay outside the reach of her attacks.
Still, she was certain that there was nothing good about the situation.
Fortunately, the mask kept suspicions at bay, though it could only last for so long.
As such, it was no surprise when someone finally stepped in.
A group of knights stood before her.
“Halt, Ma’am.”
“R-Right. I’m an Executioner. What’s the issue?”
“With such chaos unfolding here, why aren’t you restraining that woman?”
“His Majesty gave me a more important mission. Step aside.” Her heart pounded wildly, but Shuneria tried her best to keep her cool.
She knew if she could just get past the current obstacle, her siblings’ cell was only a few levels down.
Suppressing her unease, she kept up the act.
“Then, recite today’s countersign.”
“What?”
“Rebel.”
This was something no Executioner could fail to remember. However, as Shuneria was only pretending, she had no way of answering.
“That’s what I thought. You’re not an Executioner!”
Up to that point, most hadn’t suspected her in all the confusion. Alas, it seemed her cover had finally reached its limit.
As the knights drew their blades, Shuneria took in a deep breath.
She had no real combat strength. The only thing she had was a self-defense staff with a basic blast function.
‘I might be able to handle one... but two? Impossible.’
She began frantically thinking of an escape plan.
“She’s an Executioner,” a voice rang out from behind her.
“Y-You are?!”
“
Tch.
My subordinate still doesn’t even know how to address me properly.”
The knights’ eyes widened as they looked at the man grinning playfully.
“S-Sir!”
“His Majesty entrusted her with an important mission. Clear the way.”
“B-But right now—”
“Are you... talking back to me?” His eyes glinted coldly, and the knights flinched. “You’ve got ten seconds. Get lost.”
“B-But—”
“Five seconds.”
Watching him shave five seconds off instantly, the knights panicked and bolted.
“O-Our apologies!”
The knights fled in a rush, and Shuneria could only stare blankly after them.
‘Why him...?’
“You...”
“Don’t you have to get going? Your siblings’ cell is three levels further down.”
He was an Executioner. The title alone carried terrifying weight.
However, that wasn’t what shocked Shuneria the most.
The man who had just helped her, the very one who had recognized her, was the true owner of the mask. It was the same man Davey had taken out with a single blow.
She had no clue what he was doing there.
Seeing her stand there frozen, the man gave her a pleasant smile. “I thought
he
told you about me? He
knows I’m awake.”
“What...?”
“At first, I really was planning to capture you. But then I thought you guys might just pull it off. So, I followed you.”
He gave her a shove forward. “What are you waiting for? Go on, I’ll help. I may be the lowest-ranked among the Executioners, but I’m still an Executioner.”
Sporting a gentle smile, he waved his hand, and the guardian stationed there collapsed instantly.

.
!
Chapter 1212