The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

It was a ragtag group, bearing farming tools and showing less strength than peasants protesting in the countryside. It was comical to consider that they were expected to defeat the demons who could easily defeat sword masters. From Davey's perspective, these devils, who had ended up killing his loved ones, could be considered a hostile force in this place, despite their seeming weakness.

Sure, an Eighth Circle wizard was a disaster-grade entity on the continent, but there was a clear hierarchy above them, and the gap between each level was immense. The heroes of the Heroes Hall were all powerful individuals who had spent a long time in the hall and had grown exceptionally strong. To compare their strength to their past selves would be laughable.

The moment one of these entities, unable to interfere with the world, was able to exert their power, the standards of this world would become meaningless. The Abyss was complex; just as the entities in the Abyss could not fully comprehend Davey, Davey himself could not fully comprehend them either.

However, even though the creatures of this world seemed insignificant and weak to Davey, they were significant and powerful to the inhabitants. Just as a max level user could easily kill a field boss at a beginner hunting ground, a newbie who had just started the game might find the same boss a matter of life and death.

He could solve everything if he intervened, but the Observer had shouted that any excessive intervention on Davey’s part was absolutely impossible. The problem was not this world; it was that he would not be able to return if he intervened too much.

As a consciousness contemplating this world, this world should be the priority. But the Observer only wanted to kindle a spark of hope with the minimal assistance and hoped that Davey would leave before his existence had too much of an impact.

[Stop!]

As Davey, lost in thought, unknowingly took a step toward the woman, he suddenly halted.

[Halt! It would be problematic if you reveal your existence to that girl! Not only you but also that anthropomorphic girl beside you!]

The Observer seemed to be suggesting that they should not let anyone know about their existence.

"You sure have a lot of requests," Davey said.

The Observer became silent.

“So, the point was that he should not let anyone find out he was Davey O’Rowane, wasn't it?”

As Davey asked for confirmation, the Observer remained silent. Then, the Observer said, [A long time ago, a child who received the gaze of God disappeared from this place. You know who that child was and where they disappeared to, right?]

The Observer seemed to faintly sense the existence of Reina, who was connected to Davey.

[What happened to that child?]

"Due to excessive intervention, her existence was revealed, and she disappeared when her lifespan ran out."

[Do you want the same thing to happen to you?]

Davey did not answer that question. His current situation was the same as it had been with Reina, only the roles had switched. In Reina's case, it was in the past. For Davey, it was the present. He could not do the same foolish thing when he had already seen a precedent.

With that, Davey glanced at Aeria, who was in his arms.

‘The point was that it should be fine if they don’t know, right?’

"Why, why are you doing this?"

At Aeria’s surprised voice, he immediately cast an illusion spell on her entire body, and then on his own. Now, even if he took off the robe he was wearing, she would be the only one who could recognize his face.

"Never say my full name," Davey said.

"Your name?"

"Yes."

"...Alright. If you say so, Your Highness, I will follow."

Davey advised Aeria in a whisper before moving forward again. He then stepped into the area where everyone was on high alert. He did not care about anything else, but he had to find out who the father of the child in the woman’s womb was.

[What will you do once you know?]

'I'll break his bones.'

Of course, Davey had no intention of revealing who he was, nor did he intend to touch anything from this world casually.

His first thought was of Deus Ex Machina, and of Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon, who were locked in Surtr's legacy. There were also various types like the only arrow that could kill Nyx, but he had to rule out a few options. Cases like Blue Ribbon, Red Ribbon, or Rinne, for instance.

Davey was adamant about leaving this place, and so was Aeria. Therefore, if he were to wake up Blue Ribbon, Red Ribbon, and Rinne, they would be abandoned by him. Their value was not simply a matter of leaving this place, but he could not do that after seeing the state of Reina.

The rules that make up the world had deceived him once, but he declared they would never fool him again. To seek divine aid in a different way, but to do the same thing twice without divine help? It was a ludicrous notion.

And it was not just that. In the case of Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon, he already had two children in his hands. From the incomplete state, the ego of Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon had been asleep in his eyes, so in the current relics of Surtr, their ego would be sleeping. If the same entity became two, the outcome was obvious. It would result in one's extinction.

Rinne would rather be asleep, as it would help Davey leave this place. Despite her usually emotionless appearance, the creature had a tendency to be very possessive of its owner.

These people, gripping their weapons with determined expressions, were truly pathetic. Some of them were desperate, and some were trying to fight with their weapons. But no one blocked Davey’s entry outrightly.

"Who, who are you?!"

"Intruder! It's a demon!"

"Damn it, we're all dead!"

‘The gap in strength is so overwhelming that the spark of hope has completely extinguished.’ Davey could understand what the Observer had said.

Davey and Aeria were the only two there against them and were not physically imposing. They were not even carrying weapons. However, the people were extremely afraid of him, not even trying to discern whether he was human or a demon. If they encountered him, they decided it would result in death or a horrifying future. That decision was probably because the will to resist in their hearts had been completely broken.

The problem was that the Observer did not ask Davey to save these people, but to plant a spark of hope in them.

'Revitalize this situation in two days?'

[Your existence will be a light, and that light will ignite a small spark of resistance in the hearts of humans who are opposing the demons.]

Everything gathered in Davey's mind as he pondered the situation. If the spark of revolution ignited, it might be possible to bring about change. As he let out a sigh of disbelief, the Observer's voice echoed bitterly.

The Observer did not tell Davey to save humanity; he hoped for the balance of numerous races intertwined with humans and demons to be maintained at a certain level. But right now, the demons were too dominant, and so it was bound to be somewhat dubious.

'Isn't it overwhelmingly the other way in my world? Although it may seem arrogant, isn’t the current Tionis where demons have to decline and retreat?'

[The only one who destroys the balance is you, being the antagonist and the Dark Lord. Since both apply, is there a balance? There's no golden balance as you said! Hahaha! It's a complete mess!]

If Davey had been only the antagonist, maybe the Observer of that world would have awakened to balance it out. However, by taking over the Dark Lord's position, he had created the possibility of being on both sides. It was a funny situation.

Davey slowly approached them, his gaze fixed on the heavily pregnant woman most familiar to him.

Despite trembling, the woman didn't avoid his gaze and continued to clutch her belly with fearful eyes.

"Eni!"

Eventually, a young man ran over, sheltering the pregnant woman, Aeonitia O’Rowane, and positioned himself protectively in front of her. Among them, he seemed to possess some talent and showed a spark in his eyes. Despite his cowardly appearance, he gave off the aura of a noble or someone with a fairly high rank.

In silence, they remained wary of Davey.

Without uttering a word, Davey observed them. Slowly, he licked his lips, knowing that not much was needed to reassure people—just lies they needed and wanted to hear. His tongue was just right for it.

"Alright, calm down, and let's start by putting down the weapons."

He opened his mouth to speak with as much respect as possible to soothe their fears, but distrust didn't easily disappear.

"Liar! Are you a demon?! Or a traitor attached to a demon?! We're not listening to you!"

Davey had expected there might be traitors, but apparently, the division and mistrust among the humans had deepened.

"I'm neither a demon nor a traitor. I'm just a person who has come to help you," Davey calmly said after exercising further patience.

"Don't make us laugh!!! Filthy apostate! Do you think we'll be fooled again?! What are you doing?! Protect the women and children!"

Once more, Davey mustered his patience, trying his best to handle the situation carefully.

Shhh... Shhh.

Just then, he could sense a group moving at high speed into the woods.

Crash!!!

At the same time, a loud noise came, and the trees that had shielded the village fell down.

"Kyaaaaah!!"

"No, it's over now!"

Amid the desperate screams, everyone fell into despair. Surrounding them in the forest, a considerable number of demonic creatures had appeared, accompanied by a legion of monsters under their control. Figures in black armor approached slowly, wearing sinister smiles.

"You rats of humans were hiding here, huh?"

The humans, filled with fear, trembled at the demons' taunting words.

"It's perfect! We were tired from our mission!" The thin demonic figure atop a large wolf at the front of the group shouted, "It's a raid! Kill the men, ravage the women! The booze and meat are all yours!"

Astoundingly, a magical sword—a Master's symbol called the Aura Blade—was drawn from the demon's sheath. The demons, noticeably stronger on average than their counterparts from the continent, didn't face any significant resistance.

The majority of the forces that could defend this village were already in front of Davey, leaving no one to stop the intruders.

"Sir... Davey..." Aeria, seemingly terrified, tugged at Davey's clothing.

Despite her trembling, she slowly gathered the power of spirits into her hands, attempting to help, albeit weakly. Davey gently held her hand to calm her and then said quietly to the Observer, "You said nobody knew."

[...]

Clearly, this damned Observer did not have a mouth.

"Kyah!!" The demons, who apparently had no intention of killing immediately, approached the villagers with their spears pointed.

Some of them pointed their spears at Davey and shouted, "Human! Go inside if you don't want to get hurt!"

"Didn't they just say they were going to kill them all?"

Davey looked at the demon who was threatening him with a nonchalant expression and prodding him in the back. At least he knew one thing, that these demons had not come specifically for him. So, it was a coincidence, but the timing was indeed annoying.

"Kyah!!"

Turning his head toward a terrified scream, Davey saw a young girl, no more than fourteen, being dragged away by a burly demon.

"Hehe. This girl is mine! I'll kill anyone who touches her!"

Other demons continued to round up the villagers, seemingly indifferent to his proclamation.

"Kiheeheehee! Look at this! Such a gem was left here!"

A high-ranking demon, of at least a Duke's rank, spotted Aeria and started to approach. The other demons seemed unremarkable, but this one was definitely skilled. Likely, he was one of the hunters the demon army had dispatched to various parts of the continent.

Aeria, shivering and clinging to Davey, was clearly terrified. She wanted to ask for his help but could not speak for fear of causing him trouble.

As they came closer, Davey clicked his tongue and shot back at the Observer, "You don't have a mouth, do you? You said no one knew."

[...]

Ignoring the Observer's continued silence, Davey took off the hood of his robe from his head. Ignoring the shocked faces of the villagers who realized he was not a demon but a human, he grabbed the hand of the demon reaching for Aeria.

Patience was a virtue, it was said. He had already given it three tries; he was not likely to avoid killing now.

"I'm really pissed off."

Woosh!

And as always, in a familiar way, Davey crushed the arm of the demon reaching for Aeria. Not just crushed, but shattered it completely. It was not easy for him to control his strength.

* * *

The silence lasted only a moment.

"Ugh?!" A ghastly scream echoed as everyone's gaze turned toward Davey.

The number of villagers was not high, but the number of demons only grew larger. There was no rule that demons had to always oppose humans. Demons were demons, and humans were humans. They were different races, not inherent enemies. However, the situation now was different.

"Hey."

When the demon shrieked, Davey casually lifted his free hand that had not been gripping the demon's arm.

Whack!!!

And then, adjusting his strength appropriately, he swung at the demon's cheek.

“Argh!!” Along with a pitiful scream, a white tooth flew out of the demon's mouth.

As everyone was staring blankly, Davey slightly furrowed his brows.

Whack!!!

This time, it was a bit harder. Two more teeth were sent flying.

“Hey, you devil.”

Whack!!!

Another tooth flew out.

“Ah, ah…” With his cheeks and mouth grotesquely swollen, the demon was mumbling something incoherently.

Davey let go of the demon, who collapsed helplessly before him and curled up into a ball. Amid such an absurd situation, Davey glanced around.

A Master class, a demon who was a rank below an archduke, implied that the demon was quite strong. That such a formidable demon would curl up like a frightened child after taking a few slaps from a human hiding in this rural area was simply unbelievable.

The faces of the other demons were drained of color.

Regardless, Davey lifted his foot with the intention of checking whether that thing was a spark of hope or simply a pitiful wisp, as the Observer had suggested. And then, he stepped on the demon at regular intervals, saying, “What do you think this place is, barging in here. Huh?”

Thud!! Thud!!

Ah, anger was taking over his body.

[Crazy, you are a madman…]

“Where do you think this is, barging in here?”

Thud! Thud!!

“Ah! Stop, stop it!”

Before assessing the situation, the demon, feeling a threat to his life, stretched out his arms, grabbing Davey's leg and desperately begging. However, Davey did not stop.

Regardless of being a Swordmaster or anything else, the demon was desperately clinging on, trying to escape from this brutal beating. At the sight of such a cruel beating, the demons, who were acting as raiders until a while ago, shivered noticeably. Some of their faces started to turn blue.

“Enough? You want me to stop?”

“P-Please…”

“You can't even manage your troops properly. What makes you think you can barge in here?”

Thud Thud!!

“Why would you…?”

“You are talking back. You haven't had enough yet.”

Thump!!!

Davey struck the demon’s abdomen, and somehow another tooth flew out of his mouth.

Gasping for breath, the demon, realizing something was wrong, started to beg unconditionally. It seemed like becoming a Swordmaster had made the demon a bit arrogant, as if he owned the universe.

“I, I'm sorry…”

“Why is the sorry guy making such a pitiful face?”

Thud!! Thud!

“Grrr…”

“Does groaning end a demon's life?”

“No, no…”

“If you feel wronged, prove yourself stronger.”

“Cough! I, I'm sorry… I'm sorry! Please…spare my life!”

“Why would someone begging for their life defy me?”

Thud Thud!!!

“Aahhh!”

The demon was desperately yelling something, but the continued beating pushed him into a state where it was hard to even speak.

Bang!!

Finally, after knocking out the frothing demon with a kick, Davey wore a satisfied expression.

A Swordmaster was considered a strategic weapon, so formidable that even the demons would agree. But reality was ruthlessly harsh.

“…”

In the silent tranquility, Davey slowly turned his head. The trembling demons looked at him as if they had seen a ghost. He asked, “Take it easy. Men are to be plundered, and women are to be killed?”

[It's the other way around! Flaunting one's might has truly turned into reckless bravado!]

The voice of the Observer did not reach Davey's ears. Davey slowly approached a relatively short demon youth.

Trembling from instinctive fear, the youth looked around. And then, he attempted to escape, throwing away the sword he was holding.

Whoosh…

"Arghhhhh!!!"

But before the youth could even move, Davey, who had been keeping his distance, swiftly approached him. They were close enough to see each other's faces.

"Is it your turn next?"

Davey began to slowly crumple the sword the youth had dropped with his bare hands. As the sharp sword turned into a lump of scrap metal in his hand, tears streamed down the demon youth's face due to fear. A moan of indescribable terror escaped from his mouth.

In the end, demons were just another race. The only difference between demon soldiers and human soldiers was their race. To completely crush their will to fight and instead fuel the morale of Davey’s allies with a sense of pride was simple—just show the humans that there was nothing to be surprised about the demons.

Turning his head toward the trembling demons, Davey slowly tilted his body by 90 degrees. At the same time, everyone who met his gaze flinched.

That was when it happened. His body, engulfed in madness and impulse, began to resonate and release a particular power on its own. It was none other than the power of the Dark Lord, which remained in him after he had killed Belial and inherited all the abilities.

The Dark Lord's magic had a dark and intense impact that demons could quickly notice. It was an unintended rebellion of magic.

The magic within Davey was suppressed by senior mana, divine power, and command mana. As a result, the magic caused a wave similar to a novice knight not being able to withstand the bullying from his seniors and resorting to wish-fulfillment to dispatch them.

Having never dealt with magic due to innate issues, Davey was not yet able to easily control it. Because of this, the magic that briefly escaped was already enough to accomplish its purpose.

Davey used the cool-natured mana to suppress the magic momentarily, but the damage was already done. The demons, beasts obeying Davey due to his power, and the corrupted monsters all kneeled and bowed their heads to his power in an instant.

"Da... Dark Lord..."

"It's the power of the Dark Lord!"

"No... It can't be! You're the Dark Lord!!"

"Dark Lord! How can you be here?!!"

Behind Davey, Aeria, surprised by the sudden turn of events, adorably opened her eyes wide and looked at him.

At the end of that very brief silence, Davey proudly puffed out his chest and leaned back. "Yes, I am your Dark Lord."

‘Let's take advantage when we can.’