The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1214

The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1214

Chapter 1214
It was a ruthless, ferocious beast.
Despite being in human form at that moment, Behemoth was the largest and most aggressive of the three Mythical Beast Kings.
By nature, it was so savage that it rarely obeyed its contractor’s commands, acting purely on impulse. Yet thanks to the immortal mermaid, So-Ya, who remained by its side, it managed to keep itself relatively restrained.
Still, restraint didn’t mean its instincts had changed at all.
Behemoth showed no sign of offering mercy to the human who had attacked him. He pounded on Stovel with unrelenting fury.
Boom!! Boom boom!!
As the brutal assault that would’ve reduced a normal person to a bloody pulp continued, Shadran could only watch in stunned silence.
Boom!! Boom!!
Eventually, perhaps bored after Stovel stopped resisting, Behemoth scowled and flung him far away. It reverted its arm back to its original state and turned to So-Ya, whose tail was lazily flapping in the air.
“We’re done! That was boring. Let’s go back!”
“Alreadyyy?” So-Ya, who had been flailing just moments before about the lack of water, casually sat up as if nothing had happened.
Shadran gave up trying to understand them.
“The air sucks here. Hey, human. Take out the medium you used to summon us.”
Snapping to attention, Shadran fumbled through his robe and quickly pulled out the small guardian stone from inside his coat.
“
Ummm.
But how do we get back, Guardian?”
“
Ha?
Obviously, the same way we—”
“But back then, Killer Rabbit was with us. Now we have to do it ourselves... and I don’t know any magic.”
Behemoth put on a crooked smirk. “
Hah.
What a moron.”
“
Oh!
Then, you... You know how to get us back?”
Behemoth confidently patted its chest, proudly declaring, “I have no idea!”
“Then how do we get back...?”
Once again, Shadran was left reeling internally.
‘What are these lunatics? What in the world did you give me, girl?’
* * *
The emperor had hidden his true body somewhere secure. Each time he had revealed himself to the world, it was only through an avatar.
Davey had heard the stories from Shuneria, but seeing it firsthand was absurd beyond words.
“
Urk!
”
A sharp pain wrapped around Davey’s head. It felt like he’d just downed a bottle of drugs and forced himself awake. It truly was disorienting and sickening.
‘What did I just do?’
Confused, his frown only deepened.
If there had been a drastic change, he could have simply kept it in check. Yet he felt like his subconsciousness had instead been subtly reshaped without his awareness.
‘Yeah, that makes the most sense. Judging from the emotions I felt back then...’
It seemed to stem from the horrifying sense of superiority that came from no longer viewing himself as human. It was the very sane behavior Davey loathed the most and had always warned himself against.
Yet, he’d fallen into it himself.
“Red Ribbon... Blue Ribbon...” he called out weakly to the two children, and for a moment, they hesitated.
His unfamiliar and scary demeanor had clearly been seared into their minds.
“Red Ribbon...”
“D... Daddy, you’re scary...”
“Sorry... Daddy went too far, didn’t he?” With a bitter smile, Davey reached out his hand.
The children looked at each other, then burst into tears and rushed into his arms.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“
Waaaah!
”
Their sorrowful cries broke his heart, and even as he held and comforted them, he couldn’t bring himself to smile.
The emperor was dead, and everyone else had been subdued.
He could end it all there.
In fact, he
should
end it all there.
However, at that moment, the strange sensation he felt because of Megalodria left him completely drained.
Zzzzt.
At that moment, the air twisted. Then, something black plopped onto the ground.
Those who recognized it screamed in shock.
“T-The Divine Beast!!”
The Divine Beast Black Slime. It was the being that gave birth to the Rainbow Slimes, and was known as a divine protector in the Nacha Empire.
That creature, which had been fleeing from Davey until then, looked up at him with small golden eyes. It then began bouncing toward him and opened what seemed to be its mouth wide as it could.
Ssss.
Suddenly, the dark energy within Davey began to get sucked out. The creature silently devoured the black aura surging around him.
Watching it happen, Davey couldn’t help but feel strange.
That thing had definitely been running away from him for a reason.
“S-Slimy...”
However, for it to suddenly show up and start eating the darkness gathered in him was something he couldn’t understand. Although, to be fair, there were just too many parts of its behavior that he couldn’t make sense of.
He felt the pounding headache fade.
Unlike Nightmare, which usually influenced people through the Dream World, the creature affected living beings in the mortal world.
As the fog that had clouded his mind disappeared, Davey felt a strange clarity, as if he had reached enlightenment. Temporary or not, at least he wouldn’t lose control for the time being.
“You ate it all,
huh?
”
The Black Slime simply looked up at him without a word. It then let out a regurgitating sound and spat out an egg.
It was a radiant rainbow slime egg, of a quality far beyond any Davey had ever seen.
As he stared at it in silence, the slime nudged the egg toward him.
As soon as Davey picked it up, it bounced away and vanished, as if to say that he should hatch it.
‘What a strange and whimsical creature...’
“
Kufufufu.
”
Hearing sudden laughter, Davey turned his head.
The emperor’s severed head was chuckling. “The Divine Beast... So that’s where you’ve been. You’ll never escape me.”
Even as his form crumbled like dust, the emperor laughed with obsession in his voice.
“You can’t even grasp the situation you’re in?”
“Who knows? In the end, the one left standing is the victor.” He looked at Davey with mocking eyes. “I cannot die, you see. Did you really think you could kill me?”
“It’s not that hard. I could just kill every human here and be done with it.”
“
Kuhuhu!
So young, so naive. A king must accept that sacrifices are necessary for his decisions.”
“
Oh?
So you’re saying everyone should die for your sake?”
“Go ahead and try it. Anyone who stands in my way deserves death.”
Even if the man tried to hide as much information as possible, Davey had encountered more than enough similar immortality gimmicks to know what was going on.
While he might not have realized it yet, at the moment that fake body of his vanished, he must’ve taken a serious hit. He clearly seemed ignorant of just how terrifying Blue Ribbon and her abilities could be.
Also, Davey hadn’t stopped at Blue Ribbon’s successful attack either. Even though he was uncertain whether it’d work, he had stacked several curses onto the man.
If any link remained—even the weakest of weak links—it’d take effect.
As the emperor’s head dissipated into thin air, the soldiers, execution squad, and other Executioners at the site all showed signs of despair.
“Y-Your Majesty...!”
Most of them had lost consciousness, but the ones who had summoned Megalodria, the senior mages, remained conscious.
It would’ve been easy for Davey to wipe them all out in one strike.
However, he didn’t do it.
Perhaps because the black slime had just devoured a chunk of that dark energy, he didn’t feel like lifting another hand against them.
Besides, the emperor had clearly chosen to abandon his empire just to oppose Davey. With him gone, the people were already discarded pieces. Hurting those who’d already been cast aside by their own ruler would only leave a sour taste in his mouth.
Of course, after the atrocities they’d committed in the war... Well, it was a matter for them to resolve amongst themselves.
[Contractor.]
Still, he thought he should at least take a hostage. The best would be someone high-ranking enough to be useful, but without the means to interfere.
[Contractor.]
“
Hm...
”
At that moment, Davey spotted a young girl glaring at him from a distance.
Judging by her ornate attire, she was clearly no ordinary noblewoman. With light brown hair and emerald green eyes, she looked at him with eyes full of dissatisfaction.
It seemed like she had royal blood. Her demeanor also screamed the word ‘troublemaker.’ He knew best to avoid people like her if he wanted to avoid getting further annoyed.
[Contractor!!]
‘God damn, dude! Shut up!’
“What?”
[Don’t you feel anything, looking at this mess?]
Megalodria, still crumpled on the ground, glared at Davey with heavy, ragged breaths. Its body was covered in wounds, every single one of them inflicted by its beloved contractor.
“
Ah.
Yeah... It looks painful. Don’t worry, just spit on it and you’ll be fine.” Davey quickly averted his eyes. “Alright, I guess. Like I have anything to look forward to...”
Sighing, Davey raised one hand and began gathering mana.
Whether the emperor had ordered it or not, the Nacha Empire had chosen to turn against him.
“Let’s wrap this up.”
“Wait!!” The girl Davey had seen earlier suddenly shouted, “Stop! There’s no one left here who can fight you!”
“That doesn’t mean the core conflict disappears.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that.
“You were the ones who picked a fight first.”
His cold gaze made her flinch.
Her hands trembled as she spoke, “I am Princess Myurin Prasias Nacha of the Nacha Empire.”
“So?”
So, she was the emperor’s daughter. That explained the luxurious outfit.
“By royal authority... I surrender. His Majesty has abandoned us. Therefore, I have the duty to save what’s left of our people.”
Her bold voice matched her fierce appearance. It suited her well.
“The emperor didn’t seem too interested in surrendering. Do you have the power to disobey his orders?”
She was once again left speechless.
Even if he’d abandoned them, he was still their emperor. The country still followed him. It was a simple reality.
“If His Majesty has turned his back on his people, he no longer has the right to rule. As the first in line to the throne, I now assume the role of acting sovereign of the Nacha Empire.”
She glanced up at Davey with fierce eyes. “If you need a life in return, take mine. I’ll give it willingly.”
Even so, the hostility in her gaze didn’t fade.
They had fought due to national conflict, not personal grudges. Nonetheless, the way she looked at him oozed with personal hatred.
He didn’t know how to respond.
It was practically a surrender. It made for a sharp contrast between the emperor who abandoned his people without a second thought, and the princess who stepped up to protect them.
“But even if you don’t like me, don’t you think you’re showing a bit too much hostility? Maybe try glaring a little less?”
At those words, Princess Myurin shifted her gaze slightly, but her expression remained stern.
“Whatever.” With that, Davey pulled out a card and sealed Megalodria inside it. “This is for slacking off and ignoring me.”
[Damn it! You’re the worst!]
Ignoring its grumbling, Davey turned his back.
With the real emperor now on the run, there was no longer any use for the people left behind.
* * *
Right after Davey vanished, the soldiers got up and combed through the chaos of the plaza.
The terrifying atmosphere he had left behind twisted and broke apart the moment he disappeared. Even the ashen sky, which had looked like the end of the world, faded away as though it had never been.
“Your Highness...” Ennis, the mage executioner who had collapsed from mana exhaustion and was now being carried on a stretcher, carefully called out to the young girl taking charge of the scene.
“Ennis...”
“I am sorry. I failed to serve both Your Highness and His Majesty...”
“No, you did well enough. Thanks to you, many people were saved.” Despite her fierce appearance and sharp tone, the words she spoke were calm. “His Majesty abandoned us.”
Hearing her resolute declaration, Ennis made a bitter face.
“Therefore, according to Imperial Law, I have inherited the throne temporarily. I now bear the duty of protecting the citizens. The emperor is no more.”
“Your Highness... but still, His Majesty is your father...”
“Father has changed. Some fault lies with me as well, for watching it happen without stopping him.”
“Forgive me...” Ennis smiled weakly before being lifted on the stretcher.
Then—
“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Ennis suddenly inquired.
“What do you mean?”
“With... everything that just happened.”
“I’m fine. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared at all, but...” she said hesitantly, “I’m not the kind of fool who panics just because someone’s handsome.”
“Excuse me...? Who?”
“
Huh? Ummm.
That man earlier. I don’t get shaken just because someone has great power and good looks.”
Ennis tilted her head, confused, feeling almost dizzy. Never once in all her years had she heard the princess call a man handsome.
She was one of the most admired figures in the Empire! She was the flower of the Nacha Empire, her beauty unrivaled even among the countless nations the Empire had conquered.
However, she herself had never shown the slightest interest in men. Even when she encountered the most celebrated handsome nobles of the Empire, she dismissed them as cheesy and shallow. She had never cared for any of them.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong?”
“N-No, it’s nothing. More importantly... How are the casualties?”
“Strange. According to this, it looks like there are too few.”
In truth, Davey had only killed the emperor and a handful of guards who had directly attacked him.
Even among the Executioners who had suffered critical injuries, all but one had survived.
Considering the scope of his power, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had annihilated every single one of them.
“Do you think he ever intended to kill them all?”
“Who can say...”
* * *
Once Davey arrived at the meeting spot, he found Reina sitting by a river with a sullen expression.
“What did you do this time to go out of control again?” she asked.
“I don’t know. That’s what’s so frustrating.”
“
Haah.
You’ve done well holding it back.”
“You managed well, too,” he said while watching from behind as she kicked at the water with her feet.
Reina turned her head toward him. “It wasn’t as bad as the first time, though. It’s hard to explain...”
After that, Davey listened to what had happened at the camp.
Reina had lost control, and she had used the chaos to send Shuneria ahead while she rampaged through the facility.
If she couldn’t control herself easily, then it made sense to just take on a position where control didn’t matter.
“So you’re telling me she just walked in and got her siblings out? That young girl?”
Shuneria hadn’t looked like someone with any combat power.
Hearing the doubt in his voice, Reina sighed. “There was danger, but she had help. That’s the only reason it worked out.”
That reminded Davey of the guardian stone from Killer Rabbit he had handed her. He assumed she must have activated that.
“Actually, there’s someone here who insisted on meeting you.” Reina jerked her chin toward the back.
Davey turned his head and saw a man waving at him with a smirk.
“We’ve met before.”
“Seems so. I already let you go once and told you to run for your life. Why are you here?”
“I came with a proposal for you.”
Davey was curious what he meant. “A proposal?”
“Yeah. I’ve already heard about what happened in the capital. You stirred up quite a storm, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“You probably couldn't kill His Majesty, though. Am I wrong?”
“You’re not. He abandoned you all and escaped.”
Davey sneered, and the man gave a cold smile, as if he’d expected that answer. “I don’t care.”
“What?”
“My proposal is simple—I want you to kill the emperor.”
“
Huh?
”
“I know where he is, and I can get you there. I’ll need to make some preparations, but I can handle that part on my own.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“You already trusted me enough to spare me once, didn’t you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I just let you go because I wasn’t in the mood. You should’ve run off and stayed gone, thanking your lucky stars.”
His scornful tone made Shardran's expression tighten, but he forced a wry smile.
“So. Will you take my offer?”
Instead of answering, Davey shot back a question. “Weren’t executioners supposed to be full of unwavering loyalty to the emperor? Don’t tell me you turned your back on him just because he abandoned you. No, that’s not it. You betrayed him long ago, didn’t you?”
“Betray him?
Ha!
” He then looked at Davey with eager eyes. “I’ve never betrayed His Majesty. My loyalty hasn’t wavered one bit.”
“Then what’s this about?”
“That’s why he must be killed. Because my loyalty to His Majesty is absolute, I have to kill the thing that calls itself emperor now.”
His face hardened with grim resolve.
Splash!!
Water suddenly burst upward from the stream, soaking Davey.
Scowling at the sudden drenching, he turned his head, only to see a very unexpected face pop out of the water.
“Long time no see!”
“So-Ya...?”
The mermaid grinned brightly, clapping two pretty pebbles together in her hands.
Davey turned to Reina, stunned. “What the hell did you do at that concentration camp?”
Reina only let out another sigh. “That’s what I wanted to ask you.”

Chapter 1214