The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 982

“Commander Illenia?"

Despite hearing a subordinate call out to her, she rubbed her eyes, unsure if she had just seen something by mistake.

It was definitely an ordinary horse.

Except... it had wings?

And though brief, she had seen two figures—a man and a woman—on its back.

She couldn't help but be astonished at how incredible human eyesight could be.

"Commander Illenia!! It’s the Peacekeepers!!"

"Damn it! This isn't the time for this. Prepare for defense!! And bring the freeloader we locked up in the prison! That blonde girl, too! We need all the help we can get!!”

Twisted gears groaned, sending out waves across dimensions and worlds.

* * *

"Begin."

Loki Devan gave orders to the small group. His usual laid-back smile was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his face was full of anxiety as he muttered under his breath.

At the same time, eight mages took their positions at each corner of the massive tower, forming a circular formation as they began activating a magic circle.

And at its center stood none other than Odin, her face devoid of emotion.

A strange energy began to spread.

The activated magic circle soon sparked to life, slowly rising into the air.

Precisely speaking, parts of the magic circle started lifting off the ground, forming a three-dimensional construct.

"Now that almost all the pieces are in place, let us begin. We are finally unlocking the Key of Truth."

The magic circles resonated more intensely. At the same time, the continent—normally silent even amidst wars fought by millions—began to tremble.

The ritual had already placed its roots in countless worlds to ensure success. Unless at least two of them were destroyed, failure was impossible.

Of course, retrieving the Dragon’s Heart, one of the key components, would still take them more time. But with Davey O’Rowane, the greatest variable in the plan, trapped in this dimension, there was no one left to interfere with the constellations.

Boom!!!

"S-Something bad has happened!!”

At that moment, someone burst into the ritual chamber.

* * *

A massive tower.

Even at a glance, it practically screamed danger and despair.

It was a familiar composition.

When Davey had crushed the fallen dragon monarch, turning all of its subordinates into undead dragons, he had destroyed a tower in Tionis—this one looked exactly the same.

It was the essential keystone of the ritual.

It was located in an ancient ruin within Atrellia Continent that still stood despite the passing years, and the very place where Odin and numerous others had once prepared the Ouroboros Ritual.

"That damn divinity... what a pain."

Muttering to himself, Davey reached out to Perserque and took hold of the Transcendence’s Demise.

At that moment, a swarm of golems, magical constructs, and at least 6th Circle mages had appeared from seemingly nowhere, completely surrounding him.

‘They had this many hiding inside the tower, huh? The world truly is vast and full of lunatics after all.’

Davey scanned his surroundings. The mages had already begun casting their spells, looking as if they’d attack at the slightest sign of movement.

"Intruder! If you value your life, leave at once!"

An elderly mage with a long beard shouted at him, his voice amplified as if he were speaking through an enchanted sound system.

"Can't do that. You know I can’t,” Davey replied calmly.

A peculiar magic circle suddenly formed beneath his feet.

It was a magic circle designed to restrict specific types of mana—the perfect spell to immobilize someone like him.

[Dispel]

Crash!!

A sharp shattering sound echoed. However, the magic circle didn’t break.

"Odin..."

Davey knew how to break magic circles. The mages here weren’t capable, but for Odin, casting such magic was as effortless as breathing—it was at the level of an early 9th Circle spell.

That said, since Odin knew Davey well, she didn’t just restrict his elemental mana; she also placed significant limitations on his holy power and devil mana. Normally, such restrictions would leave even a formidable warrior powerless, as weak as an ordinary person.

But there was a simple reason why his Dispel had failed.

Dummy data.

Odin had layered dummy spells over the magic circle. Each time he cast Dispel, it only erased the dummy layers, triggering a self-destruct sequence.

Dispel magic came in many forms, and breaking through this kind of defense required not just achieving high-level circles but intricate magical knowledge. Because of this, Davey was certain that this was Odin’s work.

The moment one layer was broken, new dummy spells immediately replaced it, constantly reinforcing the seal.

"His magic has been sealed! All units, prepare for bombardment!!"

The magical constructs charged up mana particles, preparing for an artillery strike.

‘Nice.’

Watching them, expressions grim as if passing a death sentence, Davey was now certain.

This was where Odin and that bastard were.

"Kill him!!!"

With that command, particle beams and spells rained down all at once.

The way the elements reacted to maximize their effects made it clear that they had coordinated all of this specifically to deal with Davey.

‘They went through all this trouble... It wouldn’t be fun to just break through so easily, would it?’

Watching the relentless barrage of magic, Davey wordlessly opened his mouth.

Boom!!

Along with a blinding light, the space where Davey had been standing was completely obliterated.

* * *

"D-Did we get him?!" muttered a mage with a face of tense uncertainty.

"You fool! Our opponent is a monster beyond perception! Do not forget our objective! Deploy the second unit!!"

At the old mage’s shout, mana surged through the air once more.

‘It’s time to make a move.’

Davey casually spun something that had gathered in his right hand.

Shhhk!!

A powerful suction force erupted, instantly devouring the thick cloud of dust.

"What?!"

"Impossible!!"

Shocked voices echoed across the battlefield.

Davey lowered his left hand to the ground while keeping his right palm facing the sky—completely relaxed.

From his left hand, a vicious beast that was invisible, colorless, and formless to observers ripped apart the magic circle that had been restricting him.

And he still wasn’t done.

A black sphere, resembling a miniature black hole, hovered above his right palm and had devoured all the incoming magic.

"So this is just a stalling tactic, huh?"

Of course it was. The Ouroboros Ritual wasn’t something that could be completed in a single day.

"T-This must be some kind of trick! We won’t let you do it again—attack now!!"

At the command, the mages readied their spells for another volley.

However, Davey himself hadn’t come unprepared, knowing Odin was there.

The fragment of Goddess Freyja.

The power the constellations were supporting Davey with wasn’t their own power.

It wasn’t even the power of the Zodiac.

Well, technically speaking, the stats he received were from them, but sacred items were an entirely different matter.

Beep!

[Purchasing [Ember]]

A hollow, mechanical voice echoed.

In his hand, a small stone replaced the stardust. It was a yellow-hued rock, flickering with a tiny ember inside.

A relic he had used many times before—a truly overpowered item.

Ember was, in essence, an extra life. It provided a perfect resurrection with no penalties.

Davey hadn’t spent everything to buy Ember simply for another chance at life. Saving Odin was fine and all, but not if it meant the world he lived in would be ruined in the process.

"Guess I’m a little rusty—I can’t seem to control it properly."

Visit freёnovelkiss.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

Blood vessels slightly surfaced in the whites of his eyes as he forcefully awakened his sealed divinity.

Unlike the members of the Saint Sanctuary and Hall of Heroes, Davey was a living human who possessed divinity.

Possessing such vast amounts of divinity came with a heavy burden.

However, he wasn’t going to let the world he had barely kept alive collapse once again and waste all his effort. That was why he had always restrained most of his divine power, leaving only a fraction active.

He chose that moment to unleash it all.

The atmosphere trembled, and all the magic in the area began to shift in accordance to his will.

"W-What?!"

"This... This is impossible!!"

The mages, in the midst of casting their spells, recoiled in shock. Their magic was forcibly dispersed into raw mana particles, dissolving into the air.

The magical constructs instantly shut down once deprived of mana.

Davey had to subdue Odin instead of defeating her. So, if he didn’t go all out, the one who’d end up as a corpse wouldn’t be Odin, but him.

Crack!!

"O-Oh my goodness..."

A mage collapsed to his knees, voice hollow as he muttered in disbelief. The others lifted their gazes toward the sky in terror.

Above them, the heavens had split apart in a circular shape.

Like the glowing event horizon of a black hole, mana gathered and formed a singular rift.

Frozen with fear, the mages couldn’t find anything to say.

Davey raised a hand toward them.

"Here. Take a good look. This is the Saint Sanctuary you so desperately wished for."

[Activate Divinity]

[Gravitational Collapse]

Unlike simply mimicking gravitational magic, the spell was something akin to a miracle that the Primordial Goddess Freyja could manifest. And yet, Odin had replicated it without divinity.

Though their levels were different, Davey himself was a being with divinity. He too believed that he could interfere with something as fundamental as a black hole.

Grrrk! Grrrk!!

Grabbing a fragment of a black hole that normally couldn’t exist was enough to warp the atmosphere around it.

Of course, this kind of miracle-tier magic completely ignored conventional laws—as such, he had to take on the burden himself.

"Aaaagh!!”

With horrifying screams, every human within range—along with the mana constructs that had already shut down—were twisted like strands of spaghetti and sucked into the void.

"There’s a theory that if you fall into a black hole, you travel through time."

"M-Monster!"

The lone survivor, the old mage, trembled as he stared at Davey in horror.

"You know, that theory..."

‘Isn’t true.’

"Aaaagh!!”

Crack!!

With a violent roar, the ravenous black hole swallowed him whole.

Of course, a real black hole was invisible to the naked eye, since not even light could escape. However, the dense mana particles surrounding Davey’s spell mimicked an event horizon, making it recognizable even to ordinary people.

Now that he had wiped out every mage attempting to stop him, Davey turned his head calmly.

"Per."

"Leave it to me."

Without hesitation, Perserque took hold of the Transcendence’s Demise and soared into the air.

Davey, meanwhile, slowly unsheathed Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon, murmuring to himself.

"I hope I’m not rusty.”

Then, they appeared.

A man with icy hair stood before him. Alongside him stood three powerful beings that radiated overwhelming strength.

Davey had heard of two of them before.

The constellations Pisces and Aquarius.

Pisces was fish-headed, while Aquarius was a woman with fins for ears.

But the last one, Davey had never seen before.

From what Leo had told him, it was supposed to be Scorpio standing there on that side, not this guy.

A towering, demon-like figure with the head of a goat, gripping an enormous halberd.

The constellation Capricorn.

Davey was familiar with its existence, having already studied ancient texts before.

"Did the Zodiac lose its power so badly that it's now desperately clinging to the next Central Star? Not that I care."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Davey O’Rowane. We haven’t had a proper introduction yet. My name is Loki Devan. From now on, you and I will—"

"Hey."

Davey cut him off coldly, his gaze unwavering as he looked up at him.

"Do we really need to keep up this little provocation game? We both know we’ve already crossed the other’s line."

Loki, with his eyepatch on, fell silent.

After a brief moment of thought, he spoke again, this time in a quieter voice.

"Would you be willing to back down?"

Davey’s brows furrowed.

"What?"

"I have heard that you are a savior, Davey O’Rowane. This continent—Atrellia—was saved because of your actions."

‘The hell is this guy talking about?’

His frown deepened.

If Loki were just some reckless fool violating taboos, that would actually make things easier. But the Ouroboros Ritual seemed like it was about to cross the line while also muddying it.

Davey knew that Odin wouldn’t have created a ritual that outright broke taboos unless she had truly turned insane. If she had, she would’ve walked the path of annihilation, not heroism.

"Now, it’s my turn. You wished to retire peacefully, didn’t you?"

"If you have something to say, say it straight. Don’t waste time with wordplay and ruin your own negotiation,” Davey said coldly.

In response, Loki let out a small sigh.

"I have heard about the dimension of Earth. A world with a population of billions."

"Is there a point here?"

"But even Earth’s population has declined. Do you know why?"

‘Yeah, obviously; because of threats.’

But he didn’t say anything. He just looked at Loki.

"Everything stems from non-physical forces like divine power. All of it shakes the foundations of the world. If monsters had never appeared, that dimension would have remained safe."

Davey let out a hollow laugh.

"You’re not seriously saying what I think you are... are you?"

"That’s not all. All discrimination stems from power. The strong enjoy privileges, while the weak are cast into the abyss. This eternal hierarchy drives many people to madness."

The world surely was full of crazy bastards—clearly, he was one of them.

"Yes, unlike you, I cannot become someone great. I cannot reach divinity on my own. But there is one way for someone like me to reach godhood."

The only way.

Ouroboros.

The Artificial God Project.

"I will erase all supernatural forces, including mana, from every dimension. Discrimination based on innate abilities will continue forever, otherwise; some are despised for the gifts they never asked for. I will break that cycle."

Davey turned his head, his gaze shifting toward the beings protecting Loki.

"And you idiots... what exactly do you have in your heads to be supporting this lunacy?"

But none of them answered.

At that moment, Davey realized Loki wasn’t telling the full story.

His eyes locked onto Aquarius, who slowly raised its hand.

A highly compressed sphere of compressed water formed, screaming with pressure. It seemed it was going to attack the moment Davey moved.

"I will save the world."

‘Like hell you will.’

And Odin still hadn’t appeared. But he figured it wasn’t because Loki was taking his sweet time—it was because she couldn’t.

Zzzzt!

Davey gripped Super Ribbon in one hand, angled her downward, and then firmly grasped her with both hands.

Loki widened his eyes in response.

"Dreams are for when you sleep.”

"Stop him!!"

"I even prepared Ember for this—so I’ll make sure I don’t waste it."

Boom!!