The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

The massive space, once filled with ridicule, disdain, and criticism, fell eerily quiet in an instant. The clay soldiers, the stone statues, and lastly, a figure adorned with a crown - whom Davey assumed was their king - all fell silent. Not a single breath could be heard as they began to shrink back. Just a single phrase was all it took.

The sight of a vast assembly of clay soldiers and stone statues, which dared not meet his eyes and knelt before him, was awe-inspiring in its resolute consistency. Was it because they felt loyalty to him that this had happened? No, that was not it. All he did was step outside their norms and give an order.

Typically, the undead would be subjugated on a soul level and would have shown him zealous loyalty, but these undead were subtly different in some way.

"Cough, this can’t… this can’t be!" The clay soldier wearing the crown tried desperately to lift himself, screaming at Davey. "Five thousand years! For five thousand years, I have ruled this place as a sovereign! I will not bow to the power of someone like you, who appeared out of nowhere!"

[Bow your head.]

Unfortunately, his futile defiance was also short-lived. Trembling as if struck by a tremendous shock, he too ultimately crumbled and lowered his head.

Beings that were dead but not dead—that was how Davey perceived them.

"Cough… Cough…"

As Davey approached the resisting figure, the nearby clay soldiers bowed even lower, showing their fear of him. The crowned clay soldier, perhaps feeling a terror akin to having his soul split apart, held onto the ground as if his hands would shatter.

Davey wanted to witness the crowned soldier’s further resistance. Calmly, he waved his hand, relieving the pressure that was specifically targeted at the assumed king of the clay soldiers.

"In the name of the Prugrepf civilization’s sovereignty, I say! No one can dare to rob my kingdom and people without my permission!!"

As soon as the pressure on him disappeared, the crowned soldier rose and charged at Davey. The rough clay sword at his waist was drawn out. Although the sword, lacking a fixed form, should have crumbled away, some force kept it in the shape of a sword, darkly dyed. His sword came within an inch of Davey's neck and swung toward him.

Kwaang!!!!

A shockwave that could vibrate the surroundings burst out. If the clay sword had been sharp, if it had contained some peculiar power, it could have left a deep scar on Davey. Indeed, the sword he swung created a powerful sword energy that could cut even clay soldiers dozens of meters away in half.

However, his sword energy, following the trajectory of the clay soldiers, stopped even before it could reach Aeria, who stood behind Davey. The black current was drawn into Davey’s hands, and he stopped the sword with his bare hands. The fierce energy of the clay sword, which cut through everything in its path, was forcibly halted, evaporated, and the clay sword lost its power, crumbling away like weathering.

"What?! My sword of the kingdom, Kronos, cuts even souls… but how could it?”

"What do I look like in your eyes?" Davey asked calmly as he approached the clay soldier, grasping his neck and pushing him down.

Kwoong!!

At the same time, a tremendous amount of distorted necromantic mana extended and forced the crowned soldier’s physical body to kneel on the ground.

"This, this can’t…"

"I'll ask again." Davey inquired, and the clay man's eyes widened in response.

[What do you see me as?]

At Davey’s words, the figure that had been shaking in resistance gradually started to freeze. Then, after a brief silence, he slowly said, "King of the Dead, an incomplete judge, breaker of the boundary of life and death..."

His words trailed off before he finished speaking. "You are the ruler of the dead...."

In his voice was the reverence that had replaced the hostility from before.

* * *

The statues froze, and the clay soldiers returned to the earth. The crowned clay soldier, who called himself the governor of Prugrepf, was the only one left standing. With his head bowed in respect, he said, "To honor the ruler..."

His words were subservient, but they contained profound distrust. It wasn't a mistrust of Davey himself, but of the word 'king'. Curiosity sparked within Davey, but he had no intention of allowing the roles to reverse.

As he approached Aeria, who was blankly staring at him, she looked up at Davey with tension in her eyes. Her gaze was filled with fear rather than trust.

Davey slowly extended his hand toward her frozen figure.

"Eh..."

Upon his approach, she reflexively shut her eyes in fear. She was of the beastfolk tribe, with senses sharper than those of humans. More specifically, she was a Nine-Tails, a tribe that possessed unique power unlike other beastfolks.

So, it was impossible for her not to notice the phenomena that had occurred a while ago. Even if she did not understand, she would have deeply felt it more than anyone else—the eerie, dark power that had flowed from Davey’s body.

Fearful of its influence on herself, she closed her eyes. When nothing happened, she slowly opened her eyes with an expression of wonder. Then, she looked surprised. That was because, in silence, Davey had been patting her head.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you."

Upon hearing his calm voice, Aeria looked up at Davey, and soon, tears began to flow. She had recognized that she had been sending him fearful looks due to an instinctive fear.

"I... I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Without saying a word, Davey pulled Aeria into his arms and patted her back. She grabbed his clothes tightly and sobbed bitterly.

As expected of the Nine-Tails, unless they broke their tribal limit, they had a close relationship with spirits. Therefore, the power that Davey displayed, which went beyond controlling mana and interfered with the soul itself, would have been terrifying to her.

Once she had calmed down after sobbing for a while, Davey took her hand, opened the barrier, and placed the Silver Chime in her palm. Suddenly, she shivered greatly, and as if she had been waiting, she closed her eyes and fell unconscious.

While Davey was slowly laying Aeria’s unconscious body on the ground, the voice of the Observer could be heard.

[If what she wants is truly to regain her memory, the chime will respond.]

Although he would usually have retorted to the Observer's words, Davey ignored him and approached the governor.

[They are full of distrust. Distrust for the one who broke his promise.]

Davey slowly asked the governor, "Tell me. What is the cause of your distrust?"

The governor did not answer Davey's question but simply crouched further.

"Speak."

His resistance crumbled completely at the second inquiry as the crowned soldier revealed, "The king... The king who abandoned the kingdom... Consumed by greed, he committed a taboo he should not have..."

Davey quietly closed his eyes.

"His arrogance reached the heavens and provoked the wrath of the gods."

He had incurred the wrath of the gods, and as a result, he was cursed. What kind of taboo must he have broken to make the gods, who usually do not interfere, turn an entire kingdom into cursed undead?

"The king... He abandoned us. The king deceived us, he lied. The curse that he should have received was borne by the people of the kingdom, and for five thousand years, we have been waiting for the king who left the kingdom."

There was an evident resentment toward the word 'king' in his voice.

"Five thousand years... The king abandoned us! What remains for the people of the kingdom, who have accumulated hatred for a long time under the curse of the gods, is only hatred and revenge!"

In front of the crowned soldier’s fury, which seemed as if it would spill tears if he were a living creature, Davey quietly closed his eyes.

The forgotten civilization of five thousand years ago. In this place, guided by the Observer, there was nothing but cursed kingdom people and their resentment toward the absent king.

"O Absolute Ruler of The Dead, save us."

Davey remained silent.

The source of their power was a combination of the hatred accumulated over five thousand years, the curse of the gods, and the broken promise of the king. They were neither ordinary undead nor alive; they had become the undead due to the god's curse.

It was natural that they would be this deceptive. The unfocused hatred was being poured out on Davey and Aeria, the intruders of the ruins, so there was no choice but to have such power. Great power, an undead and an absolute being that no one else could handle—a being trapped in these ruins for a time nearing five thousand years.

While Davey was deep in thought, he slowly raised his hand. At the same time, the black magic circle that appeared at his fingertips slowly rose up into the sky, transforming into a giant magic circle.

"I command in the name of the Imperfection Death Lord."

Once again, upon hearing the melancholic voices, the soldiers simultaneously unsheathed their weapons and ceremoniously raised their swords to the sky.

Since it was a curse cast upon the dead by the divine, only a god could lift such a curse. However, there was one thing that could be done.

As everyone stood silent, watching him, Davey slowly continued his words, "I will take upon all the curses inflicted upon you. Even if the curse disappears, the power that remains in your souls won't be insignificant. Serve me. Follow me. Help me wield the sword."

Their influence could only reach this parallel world, but that was sufficient. Along with his words, a dark aura began to pour out from the bodies of all the soldiers and stone statues. It was not just one or two, but the curses of thousands, if not millions or more souls, began to flood into Davey through the magic circle.

The content of that curse was simple. It was the acceptance of a curse to remain trapped here eternally as the living. At Davey’s choice, not only the Observer, but even the citizens of the Prugrepf Kingdom, who had hoped for salvation, stared at him in surprise.

"Lord, the Absolute! Why?!"

A curse from the divine could not be undone by anyone other than the divine. Ingesting the curses of the entire kingdom meant Davey could not leave this place.

However, the fact that Goddess Freyja was not intervening in this situation meant her desires aligned with his actions. Even though her influence had weakened, she could not ignore him, who was causing a disturbance, crossing the parallel line.

"Ah... Ah!"

The mournful voice of the governor kneeling and crying out could be heard, along with the cries of the suffering kingdom's people. Instinctively, a curse strong enough to shake Davey’s vision engulfed his entire body amidst the jet-black aura.

Davey, who had received the curse through the magic circle, slowly lowered his hand. His entire body had turned pitch black from the aftermath of the curse, and it flamed up as if it had turned into fire.

The people of the Prugrepf Kingdom, freed from the power that had bound them, trembled. They were unable to leave his side, after he had swallowed all of their curses.

"Is this satisfactory?"

The King of the Prugrepf civilization, who had promised to save his people but broke his promise and fled, did not answer his call.

[Foolish one... There was no need for you to take on that.]

"You're not hiding anymore."

[Didn't you already know who I was? From the moment you first entered these ruins?]

"I had a hunch," Davey said quietly with a troubled voice.

[It's not too late. Give it all to me. There's no reason for you to get wrapped up in this.]

"What are you saying?"

The Observer fell silent.

Yes, the divine curse was indeed dangerous. It couldn’t be undone by anyone but the divine. However, this curse was nothing more than a minor curse issued by the divine. And Davey possessed two powers that could exert influence regarding gods and curses.

The taboo of interference that intervened and separated from the power of the gods, and the [Flow Rejection] that had been given by Rho Aias with the effect of curse immunity.

As he silently reached out his hand and began to awaken one power within him, everything started to change.

The reason the divine curse was powerful was that the divine's power constantly gave its great willpower to the curse. Therefore, if that link could be severed by any means, the darn curse would be nothing more than a residual without a host. And no matter how much the remnants of such a curse were accumulated, it did not matter to him.

He had another power waiting, which was the curse of Flow Rejection that had been given to him by Rho Aias.

Crack...

The mass of curse seeping into his body created a large fissure. Not any other being, even his teacher Rho Aias, could mimic this. Only Davey, who had inherited all the powers of the heroes, could handle such a complex operation of power. Before long, it shattered into pieces.