The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Novel

Chapter 382

Thanks to the imposing display of power by the two Spirit Kings, Davey was able to successfully bluff Megalodria and force it to cut the space between them and seclude itself. All that remained now was to ensure that Megalodria remained unaware of being deceived.

After all, once Megalodria realized that it had been tricked, it would realize that it could safely dispose of Davey. And if it had nothing to worry about, it would most likely become furious and instantly reconnect the space that it had severed.

"That guy, despite his bad temper, is known to be very rational," Davey sighed.

Well, what could he expect? That guy is still half-crazy, so things worked out.

Then, he called out, "Archbishop Alice."

"Huh…?" Alice replied.

She was dumbfounded, a complex expression on her face as she looked at Davey.

"Send back all of your troops," Davey said firmly.

Alice frowned upon hearing the determination in Davey's words. "What do you mean by telling me to recall all the troops?"

"You have three days of guaranteed safety. As long as he remains like that, the Holy Empire’s Temple Knights and the Inquisitors will not be able to engage in combat."

A fight would only ensue if both parties could come into contact. However, under the current circumstances, it was impossible for them to make contact. That's why Davey said those words.

"Then…"

"I'm telling you that I'll destroy them in three days' time."

Once those three days were up, Davey would then destroy the entire inquisition.

Alice took a deep breath upon hearing Davey's words. "But, this is a civil war…"

"How many people know about Alecsied Island?"

"Only a few…"

"Then it's fine. Even if I go wild here, no one will know."

Davey lived by the words: If no one saw you kill, then it’s an assassination. That meant that if no one saw him go wild here, he would just let others steal his thunder.

"If you want to be recognized for punishing the inquisitors, then feel free to do so. As for me? I'll just blow up these rotten bastards and take away the King of the Mythical Beasts."

Alice pondered for a moment after hearing those words. She realized that there was nothing she, the Holy Empire's paladin, and the Temple Knights could do against a monster that could make their bodies tremble with just one glance.

She was also quick-witted and must have understood that Davey's words implied he couldn't guarantee their safety if he went wild on the island. After all, he was considered a monster of the same magnitude as the gigantic monster before them.

"We'll...leave the island and return to the continent," she said.

"Then go as far inside the continent as you can. I don't know how far the aftermath will reach." Davey grinned.

He hadn't tried such a plan before either. Then, he called back the Spirit Kings that had been facing off against Megalodria. "You can stop pretending now. It's becoming quite difficult to maintain the act."

[Contractor. I have quite a lot of complaints.]

“What complaints? Why do you have a lot?”

Gnoass, who had initially appeared imposing with an enormous body, now shrank his form before speaking...

[Back in the territory, all I did was play around with dirt, goof around, and wait blankly for the contractor’s orders.]

[We thought that we could finally show off the majesty and power of the spirits when we were summoned here on the scene of battle. However, all you asked us to do is bluff.]

It appeared that it wasn't just Gnoass who felt that way, but also Ellaim. The two Spirit Kings were spirits who had previously formed a contract with the continent's great hero. Essentially, they were expressing their discontent because they were being utilized in a manner that differed greatly from their previous experiences.

[I’m a Spirit King, but all I do is be a mere construction worker. Is that even fair?]

[Such a trivial matter can easily be settled by a high-ranking spirit and not a Spirit King.]

Davey smiled at the two Spirit Kings that were openly protesting and complaining to him. ”How long are you going to play the hero, huh? If you’re asked to do this, then you have to do it, no?”

They were both talking too much.

Ting!

Davey handed a large spirit stone to each of the two Spirit Kings as he flicked the key in his hand and opened a rift in space.

"I obtained these spirit stones from the Divine Tree. While you may not be able to summon your usual group, they should be enough to call forth several intermediate-ranking spirits. You have one hour. Just one hour of time," Davey explained.

The Spirit Kings, visibly dissatisfied with Davey, fell silent as they accepted the spirit stones. Then, Davey turned to Rinne, who remained in a combat stance, and said, "Rinne, Decepticon Fleet."

"On standby are Sniper, Juggernaut, and Megatron. Rinne highly values their combat abilities," replied Rinne.

"Have you confirmed if they have recharged?" Davey inquired.

"Report. After circulating the magic stone for mana recharge, each individual has over 90% power remaining."

Upon hearing this, Davey activated the key. "Open Sesame."

Davey wasn't sure why the command to activate the key was like this, but it didn't matter as long as it worked. The crack opened, revealing its magnificent presence.

Perserque, witnessing this phenomenon for the first time, stared wide-eyed at the other side of the rift and murmured curiously, "Oh my god. This crack in space is absurd... No magic theory can explain such a phenomenon."

"If it could be explained so easily, do you think I would still rely on something like this?" Davey replied.

Theories could only explain concepts at the human or transcendental level. Anything beyond the realm of gods would be futile to explain.

Davey considered the key a highly flawed item. While it could transport him to another world, the time he could spend inside would decrease with each use of his powers. Even unconsciously releasing his power would diminish the time available. In other words, the time consumption rate was too rapid. In such a situation, the best approach was to conserve his power for as long as possible and extend his stay.

Fortunately, the time he could spend in that world had doubled after successfully completing the previous mission. It was a significant advantage for him.

Shwaaaaaaaaa!!!

Thud!

“Huh?”

At that moment, the crack that had opened suddenly snapped shut. Simultaneously, a new sentence appeared in Davey's activated status window.

[The survival of the Second Star of Hope that has fallen into crisis. Metamorphosis Stack: 1; Additional 100% capacity added to the Dimensional Key’s maximum capacity.]

[Capacity in current possession: [90:00].]

“Eh?”

‘I haven’t done anything yet though?’

The Second Star of Hope was a young boy named Ivanov Ban, who was likely the descendant of Eva van Hoeinheim, whom Davey had met previously. However, Davey couldn't comprehend why he suddenly received a reward when he hadn't done anything yet.

Perserque, unaware of the full situation, looked at him in confusion. However, Rinne was different. Rinne's eyes widened as she grabbed Davey's collar and exclaimed, "Sir Davey! Sir Davey! Rinne will explain the reason!"

"What is it?" Davey asked.

"The twin golems! Rinne's successors! Rinne believes that this is obviously the work of the golems we attached to the target!"

"Ah... No way?" Davey blurted out unconsciously upon hearing those words.

He had left those two golems behind to gather information and protect Ivanov Ban. In Davey's absence, the golems had guarded the boy and completed the mission on his behalf. What was even more surprising was the fact that they had managed to restore their power by circulating and operating their mana, which had consumed Davey's precious golden time.

Davey could not help but stare blankly at the sudden turn of events. However, he quickly snapped out of it and checked the title window to activate the Starbreaker.

[Starbreaker]

(A title given to the one that can mimic a portion of an exploding celestial body.)

—The 1st Seal has been completely lifted.

—Mana Affinity will increase by +100% upon title equipment.

—Absorbs up to 10% of the title user’s mana in just two hours.

—There is a high chance of lifting another seal upon using the additional Metamorphosis Stack(1)

In the first place, Davey had brought out the dimensional key for this very purpose. Since he lacked the means to subdue Megalodria in one fell swoop, he intended to compensate for his shortcomings through this artifact.

Without hesitation, Davey embraced the challenge. A radiant light materialized before him, accompanied by the appearance of a treasure box. Like in games of chance and gambling, the large treasure box began to vibrate vigorously, while the emitted light grew increasingly intense.

Perserque and Rinne anxiously watched the treasure box, wondering what item would emerge. The same curiosity gripped Davey. If his predictions were correct, the desired effect would manifest. However, there was also the chance that it might not occur.

Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle! Clack!

The treasure box opened not long after. Davey looked at it in silence as he confirmed its contents.

[Unsealing has failed. Additional Metamorphosis Stack (1) has been consumed…]

It failed? He had to try again?

“This f*cking bastard!!!”

‘This damn gambling system!’

The Temple Knights, who were preparing to retreat, and Alice, who was staring at the bright light, looked at Davey blankly when they heard him curse.

‘What? What are you looking at? A Saint is a human too! Am I not allowed to curse?!’

***

The dimensional key required a few hours before it could be reactivated. Despite the twin golems' valiant efforts in safeguarding Ivanov, which cost Davey ninety minutes of his time, he had failed to unseal a portion of the title.

Ultimately, Davey had no choice but to wait for the next opportunity. Thankfully, the gates remained connected to the Yurgian Continent, Ivanov's home world, so as long as the twin golems continued protecting him, his stacks would be restored.

Ring!

After six hours, the cooldown of the dimensional key finally expired. Davey promptly seized the key and activated it once more.

Clack!

Just like before, his entire ninety minutes disappeared while the rewards appeared.

[The survival of the Second Star of Hope that has fallen into crisis. Metamorphosis Stack: 1; Additional 100% capacity added to the Dimensional Key’s maximum capacity.]

[Capacity in current possession: [90:00].]

Unfortunately, the time did not increase, but Davey managed to successfully acquire another Metamorphosis Stack.

At this moment, most of the Temple Knights had already boarded the ship to flee from the island, leaving only a handful of Holy Empire officials behind at the scene.

Under their watchful gazes, Davey stood before Megalodria and joined his hands together in prayer, "Goddess Freyja, I pray..."

[Unsealing has failed. Additional Metamorphosis Stack (1) has been consumed…]

“You damn goddess!!!”

‘Who among your believers prays sincerely and interacts with you like I do, huh?! There's truly no point in believing in God…’

The second attempt was also a failure.

[Your desperate Little Lamb is praying for luck.]

[Unsealing has failed. Additional Metamorphosis Stack (1) has been consumed…]

“Damn you!”

The third attempt was also a failure.

[Hey! Just make it work for a bit! Are you kidding me, huh?!]

[Unsealing has failed. Additional Metamorphosis Stack (1) has been consumed…]

The fourth attempt? Another failure.

Bang!!! Bang!!! Bang! Bang!!!

Davey stomped the ground in anger, making the ground shake tremendously and attracting the attention of everyone in the area.

“F*cking goddess.”

Were his words considered blasphemy? Well, Davey did not care.

“God is dead.”

"Are those words... something that should come out of a Saint's mouth?"

"I don't care! She's a damn bastard if she doesn't help me, whatever!"

By now, an entire day had passed, and most of the Holy Empire's troops had escaped on a ship. Only a few individuals from the Holy Empire remained to face the enemy, including Davey and Alice, which surprised Davey.

"What's wrong with Rinne?"

"Rinne has determined that mishandled potatoes are toxic and should not be consumed," Rinne explained, while Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon playfully teased Rinne by pinching her cheeks.

As for Perserque, she initially watched Davey with curiosity but soon lost interest, choosing instead to stroke the Transcendence Demise.

Alice, however, looked at Davey in confusion after witnessing his peculiar actions without showing signs of recovering his strength and power, even after a whole day had passed.

"Um... Prince Davey? What on earth are you doing?"

"Just wait there. I only need this to succeed."

On one side, Rumble and Fire Chicken playfully fought each other, while on the other side, Decepticon's Golem Megatron, previously defeated by Rinne, sat silently with a menacing electric saw in its hands, resembling a motionless stone guardian.

"What is that fierce golem over there?" Alice sighed, her words trailing off.

It seemed she had given up on understanding Davey and his actions.

Davey was aware that Alice must have been feeling bewildered. After all, her preconceived notions of how a Saint should behave were being shattered before her eyes.

Before long, Davey sensed the dimensional key reactivating as its cooldown timer ended. Without hesitation, he opened the gates, causing his remaining ninety minutes to vanish as another Metamorphosis Stack appeared on his status window. It felt like an automated process—nothing more, nothing less.

With trembling hands, Davey clasped them together and devoutly recited a prayer, a prayer he had never performed before in his life. This was the first chapter of the Prayer of Origin, unknown to any member of the Holy Empire.

[Goddess Freyja, the God of Origin. This foolish young lamb is calling for you. May you please grant me your light as I walk through this trial…]

[Through your mercy and benevolence, please bestow the light of hope to your suffering believers…]

[I vow in my name to serve you for a lifetime…]

[Amen…]

Ring!!!

[The unsealing has succeeded! The second ability of the title ‘Starbreaker’ will now be released!]

“…”

‘You damn bastard of a goddess.’