The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 978

Beep!

[Constellation Sagittarius complains that the collapse of its flesh is quite unpleasant.]

[Unlike other constellations, it proudly explains that it is the only one who maintains its will even when trapped in a physical body.]

Beep!

[Constellation Sagittarius sponsors you with 50,000 Stardust.]

Constellations were capable of granting the title of a servant and bestowing their power to beings of lower levels.

However, when it came to Davey, they could never designate him as their servant.

There was only one way they could transfer their power to him—through the sponsorship system.

Regardless of who the recipient was, it ensured they could send their strength and authority directly to them.

The stardust that Sagittarius had just sponsored was accumulated in Davey's system. Then, a semi-transparent status window that listed everything he had appeared in front of him.

Even without using his authority, he knew subduing Odin without hurting her too much wouldn’t be easy.

But with additional resources like this, it wouldn’t hurt to farm as much as possible.

- Strength Increase +1 - 1,000 Stardust

- Agility Increase +1 - 1,000 Stardust

- Stamina Increase +1 - 1,000 Stardust

- Mana Increase +1 - 10,000 Stardust

The total amount of stardust he had received was 150,000. That translated to about 150 points for increasing strength, agility, and stamina... and 15 points for increasing mana.

‘Wait, so what does it do? How much of a difference does this actually make?’

[Sagittarius suggests testing it out.]

Without hesitation, Davey invested 1 point into mana.

[Sagittarius complains that mana increases are inefficient.]

"It looks like the most precise measuring system available, so I'll use it to see the changes. Is the ratio the same?"

He didn’t hear anything in response, which gave him his answer.

The stardust he had spent coalesced into a force before seeping into him.

Compared to the total amount of mana he possessed, the addition was minuscule, but it was still significant enough to take note of.

"Huh... This is kind of interesting."

Mana that wasn’t originally his had managed to blend in seamlessly, settling into his body as if it had always been his.

The stat points provided by constellations’ sponsorships felt less like an intrinsic power boost and more like an external layer of reinforcement.

"No side effects, but at the same time, it's the kind of power that gives the feeling that it wouldn’t be surprising if it disappeared at any moment."

Whether the servant or sponsor, they were fundamentally bound together by the constellations.

"Stats aside, what about more sponsorships? Any left?"

[Sagittarius says its wallet is empty, so it’ll need to wait until payday.]

[Apparently, their salary comes from the Zodiac.]

"You guys get paid to fight?"

[Sagittarius explains that the Nebula War is not a direct battle between nebulae, but rather conflicts between their servants and sponsors.]

Davey waved away the endlessly scrolling text that popped up in front of him.

"Well, I'll make good use of this."

He scanned the list of upgrades for purchase, noting a few that piqued his interest.

The fact that the very constellations he had once fought to the death were now his allies, even if only temporarily, was almost laughable.

Still, in a way, he figured the arrangement was far more convenient.

* * *

The Palace of Atrellia.

Seated upon the throne was a man with ice-colored hair.

Loki slowly rubbed one of his eyes before reaching out with his remaining hand to pick up an eyepatch.

As he carefully tied it in place, he spoke out.

“Everything is ready. Now, all that’s left is to begin, my Demon God.”

Odin gave no response.

“Do you disapprove of my choice?”

“...”

“Wasn’t this what you and all our comrades once wanted?”

“...”

“Oh well, I didn't expect a response anyway.”

Loki rose from his seat.

“All will be settled once the plan is complete.”

Boom!!

At that moment, the silence of the dark chamber was shattered as a group of people burst through the doors.

“Loki! What the hell are you doing?!”

Their robes alone made it clear that they were mages. He greeted them with a gentle smile.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

Swoosh!!

In one swift motion, Loki unsheathed his sword and drove it straight into a man’s chest without hesitation.

“Guh... Kugh...!”

The man gasped, coughing up blood as he looked up at Loki.

“Y-You... We were allies! We stood together under your will, all to overthrow those corrupt elders and restore the monarchy...”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Blood trickled from his lips as he clenched his teeth.

“And this is the result?! What the hell do you want, Loki?! What could possibly drive you to awaken an ancient guardian and enact this madness?!”

Loki merely smiled. Dropping his sword, he extended his hand.

A strange energy began to gather—formed from elemental mana, yet far more terrifying than elemental mana itself.

“You... No way. You’ve already laid the groundwork?!”

“You have my gratitude for following me this far. And...”

He then picked up his sword again and twirled it. The way it moved made it seem weightless.

“You have my gratitude.”

“Damn you! You—”

“You wielded the power of the strong for so long.”

“You lunatic! You’re worse than the ancient dark wizards!”

Slash!!

Screams echoed through the room as Loki mercilessly cut down the remaining intruders. As he gazed at the sword disappearing with fading sparks, those around him looked on in stunned horror.

But Loki remained indifferent.

“What are you doing, just standing there? Clean this mess up.”

His voice was cold as he turned away.

At the same time, three presences emerged from the shadows.

“Constellation Pisces. How did the task go?”

“Don’t order me around like that. You’re not the one I serve.”

At those words, Odin took a step forward, her face expressionless.

“Answer.”

The fish-headed figure wearing a tailcoat clicked its tongue before speaking.

“There was a guardian. The mermaid noticed immediately, and she destroyed all my eggs.”

“So... you failed.”

“No. I confirmed that the guardian only has its domain in the ocean. It doesn’t seem particularly interested in the human world.”

“That’s good enough. I’ve heard that Tranquility or Neltarid or whatever won’t be able to interfere with my plans, but it’s always best to eliminate variables. Besides, having him cross over here too soon would be troublesome.”

As Loki spoke, a man with dark brown skin stepped forward from the darkness.

"If that woman’s barrier is still in place, he won’t be able to cross, no? So then why go through all this trouble? If it were up to me, I’d just go stab him once and be done with it."

Scorpio grumbled, its voice laced with irritation.

Loki chuckled.

"You, kill him? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while."

"What did you just say?"

As the constellation’s fury surged through the room, Loki stopped smiling.

"Two of your kind have already fallen, yet you still cling to such foolish delusions. This is exactly why you, constellation Scorpio, have never once been a Central Star."

"You bastard. You dare mock a god?!"

"Not a god. A demigod, at best."

Boom!!

In the blink of an eye, Scorpio’s body was sent flying.

"Guh...!"

The one responsible for the attack was none other than Odin.

Scorpio trembled violently as it collapsed to the ground, struck down by an invisible bullet.

"Damn it... That hurts."

Loki quietly brushed his fingers against Odin’s cheek before speaking again.

"It’s true that the barrier is solid, but the longer it’s maintained, the greater the burden. Besides, you constellations have the ability to open unique dimensional gates, don’t you?"

"Whether it’s Leo or Sagittarius, those fools pushed themselves too hard when escaping by crossing dimensions. They won’t have enough power to do it again."

"That’s not something we can be certain of. We need to be prepared."

But then—

A crystal nearby fractured.

Loki narrowed his eyes.

"They moved faster than expected... We’re running out of time."

His gaze shifted to Scorpio.

"And you still want to insist they won’t make it through?"

"Tch. Groveling under a human... Spineless bastards."

Scorpio cursed at the constellations Leo and Sagittarius.

"But something’s off."

A woman with ears like fish fins and deep blue skin murmured.

"Constellation Aquarius. What do you mean?"

"Leo and Sagittarius hold deep grudges against this mage of yours. It makes sense that they’d rush to aid the human opposition."

But the problem lay elsewhere.

"With the strength they currently have, breaking through a dimensional wall should be impossible."

"Then someone else must’ve helped them. And it must have been someone with a significant amount of power stored up."

Pisces spoke before glancing at Aquarius, who nodded in agreement.

"Be careful, human. No matter what your goal is, the ones accompanying that human man are all incredibly dangerous."

"I’m well aware. I had hoped to use your power, Pisces, to keep him bound to Earth—but it seems that plan has failed."

"It was a foolish move to expect anything from a worthless fish."

Aquarius spat coldly before turning on its heel and walking away.

Pisces clicked its tongue in annoyance.

"I’ll go deal with him myself. That bastard... He’s already here, isn’t he?"

"Yes. He should be. If we send the Demon God now, we can put an end to him."

However, that would cause problems with the ritual.

"Atrellia is vast, and filled with people. Finding us here won’t be easy. Buy me some time until then."

"Fine. But don’t you dare forget your promise."

"I’m not bold enough to deceive a constellation.”

* * *

A rift, just large enough for two people to pass through, opened at the center of the underground workshop beneath the territory.

Davey knew there was no benefit in letting others witness such a scene so he had only gathered three individuals: Leo, Sagittarius, and Taurus, though still couldn't be sure of their intentions.

Taurus and the Great Orc Chief had scoured the city in search of Killer Rabbit, but for some reason, it had vanished without a trace after that day.

[I’ve done all I can. My power ends here. I can’t manifest beyond this point.]

Beep.

[Constellation Leo wishes to sponsor you. Will you accept? Y/N]

It was the same offer Sagittarius had made before exhausting its strength and disappearing.

Davey pressed the [Y] button without hesitation.

Beep!

[Constellation Sagittarius has sponsored you with 50,000 Stardust.]

[Constellation Leo has sponsored you with 50,000 stardust.]

[Sagittarius snickers that the bastard is screwed now.]

[Leo cheers you on.]

"Enough chatter. If you're going to sponsor me, do it properly. I need more in order to buy what I want."

[Sagittarius grumbles that nothing in this world comes for free.]

Davey ignored their noisy grumbling and turned his attention elsewhere.

"Davey, if Odin has truly turned against us, and you end up in a position where you must fight her..."

"It’s a serious matter, for sure. But it’s fine—I’ve already got something in mind."

There hadn't been any truly life-threatening situation for Davey ever since Thanatos and the Red Void, so this was exciting.

"I’ll be crossing over with Perserque and..."

"Me! Let me come with you, human!"

Gold dragon Hovana raised her hand enthusiastically, eyes shining with excitement.

"I still haven’t properly repaid you for what you did for Runia!"

Even since the incident with Runia, the hatchling that had lost both of her eyes, Hovana had been surprisingly affectionate toward Davey.

The girl’s condition still needed monitoring, but if she reached a stable state where she could move freely, Davey had already considered giving her an eye transplant.

Of course, with her dragon heart damaged, she wouldn’t be able to exert her full draconic power, but that was a separate issue.

"You’re not even related to Runia by blood, though."

"She’s from the gold dragon clan, so it’s only natural for me to care. Besides, aside from her and I, there’s only one other gold dragon left in existence."

And so, the final lineup was decided.

Davey, Perserque, and an unexpected addition—gold dragon Hovana.

"Taurus,” Davey called.

Having come all this way hoping to meet Killer Rabbit, but having found nothing, its mood had soured.

The stars of the night sky flickered faintly across its massive form.

"Let’s make a deal."

- Buooo...

“If you stay here and keep watch for a while, I’ll give you this.”

Taurus shot to its feet.

What he handed over was a small dumbbell, except that it was incredibly dense, carrying an absurd amount of weight.

“You in or not?”

It snatched the dumbbell without hesitation, and Davey turned away.

Crackle!

Once the gate was open, there was no turning back until the task was complete. That said, Davey had no intention of staying in Atrellia for long.

The space distorted as a massive wormhole spiraled open. The force yanked him forward, sending his body tumbling into the vortex.

Without hesitation, he snatched Perserque and tucked her safely into his pocket.

“Woooah!!!”

Hovana screamed as she lost her balance, getting sent elsewhere.

“Davey!”

“It’s fine. We’re headed to the same place, so she won’t be too far from us when we land.”

This kind of rift wasn’t something humans were meant to pass through. Instead, it was meant solely for the movement of constellations. Whatever was happening was natural, considering something other than a constellation had been thrown into it.

The space around him twisted violently before the scenery instantly shifted.

It was like flying at supersonic speed, only to suddenly slam on the brakes.

Whiiir!!

Davey began stabilizing his body mid-air, preparing to use anti-gravity magic to slow his fall—

[Dispel]

A voiceless incantation.

Invisible mana forcefully shattered his magic.

“Hmph?!”

After his spell was canceled in an instant, he gathered his divinity.

‘A Dispel? On a 9th Circle mage, and after mere seconds to cast it?’

Davey made a grin out of self-ridicule as he looked toward the one responsible.

He saw a woman floating in the air; she was draped in a black robe with an oversized witch hat casting a shadow over her face. One of her eyes was covered by an eyepatch. In her hand, she held what appeared to be an ordinary wooden staff, but it radiated an overwhelming storm of power.

Boom!!

The moment Davey landed, he locked eyes with the floating figure and immediately drew Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon, pointing the two toward her.

Ziiing!!

Behind the woman, a massive circular gate opened, and thousands of blue flames began to converge.

Each and every one of them was an 8th Circle Prometheus spell.

Seeing her conjure thousands of high-tier spells in mere seconds was proof of how much of a monster she was.

“You look like a mess.”

‘Odin.’

Crackle!!

Davey combined and swung Super Ribbon toward the thousands of 8th Circle Prometheus flames surging toward him.