The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

SMASH!!!

"AAARGH!!" With a blood-curdling scream, a woman with lustrous pink hair shot up in her bed, her eyes wide with terror. "Haah… Haah…."

Simultaneously, a group of pink-haired succubi approached her, their movements silent as they carefully wiped the cold sweat from her trembling body. "Your Majesty, why...?"

Gasping for breath and wincing in pain, Lady Marka bit her lip. "Ugh…."

Though the entity's connection was purely spiritual, the searing agony etched across her face undoubtedly bore the marks of a brutal assault. It was a chilling power that transcended the spiritual realm, leaving its mark on her physical form.

'Who on earth...'

As she tried to regain her composure, Marka cast a disturbed glance at the succubi attempting to soothe her and swiped her hand in frustration.

SLASH!!!

Instantly, one of the masked succubi fell, drenched in blood.

"All of you, leave."

Hearing that cold and commanding tone, the other creatures silently rose, offering a bow of respect, and vanished from the room.

CRASH!!!

Afterward, Marka, consumed by rage, struck the wall with a powerful blow before slowly rising to her feet. With elegance and determination, she murmured, her eyes flashing, "That damn human woman. She had yet another trick up her sleeve."

She could go and hunt her down at this very moment but chose to wait.

"Yushir, come in."

Without delay, the door swung open, and a black-haired succubus, also masked, entered and knelt before her.

"Release all those who are held captive below."

"But…"

"And, I grant permission to wield the sword. Prepare for unrestricted freedom." Speaking in a cold and decisive tone, Marka extended her hand into the air. From a nearby wall, a whip adorned with sharp spikes flew into her grasp.

ZZZZIP…

As the heavy whip unfurled, Marka's eyes grew sharp. With a swift motion, she lashed it, creating a massive sonic boom as it forcefully struck the ground. Then, as if it had a will of its own, it snapped back into her grasp.

"I will kill her," she declared with chilling resolve.

* * *

Blowing off the head of the succubi queen had been immensely satisfying. However, Davey quickly realized that this entity was not the primary body. Entrusting the battle to Illyna, he observed that the avatar of the succubi queen had its upper half missing.

"Damn, nothing's going according to plan."

"That entity just now…"

"I'm not here to answer questions."

All of this turmoil was because of that wretched dream creature – the woman who had abruptly materialized and rudely disrupted everything. While Davey prided himself on being a gentleman, especially toward women, he held no biases based on gender.

So, he laid the blame squarely on the queen of dreams, regardless of her true identity. He vowed to exact vengeance and cast her into the deepest pits of hell. It was all her fault. He had come to this scorching subterranean realm, encountered that fanatical lich who seemed to hail from another dimension, and squandered six precious Metamorphosis Stacks attempting a title unlock, all to no avail. It was all her doing.

"An eye for an eye."

With the Metamorphosis Stack, one could attempt with roughly 100 stacks. Having succeeded once, and assuming a rate of 200, calculating the outcome and expectations according to spatial coordinates theory, inserting the sigma limit value, and integrating…

"If I think about how many sweet buns those 6 stacks could buy... Enough to feed how many hungry people in the slums... Damn!"

"Umm… Davey?"

When a sudden voice reached his ears, Davey turned his head to find two girls, one of whom wore an incredulous expression.

“What are you doing?” Illyna asked with a surprised expression, while Liline, though looking tired, shared the same gaze as Illyna but remained silent.

“Let's go.”

Without uttering another word, Davey shifted his gaze to Liline, who looked slightly scared. He realized that even if he tried, it would be unlikely to gain any meaningful cooperation from her. Instead, confronting the situation head-on seemed to be the faster choice.

‘Stay calm...’ he reminded himself. ‘There are many ways and methods. Stay cool.’

As he reached out to the fog that served as a barrier to the demon world, also known as a magical boundary, he could feel the dense, uncomfortable mist. Sighing briefly, he muttered to himself, "So, this is how it is. Destruction is my specialty. I must handle things calmly and collectedly."

‘Stay cool.’

[Come forth, arsonist.]

Once again, green spirit mana flowed from Davey's fingertips, initiating the summoning of a colossal fiery giant. As an immense amount of spirit mana surged, it quickly ignited into flames.

The ground started to melt, revealing the giant's gradual emergence from the molten lava. A monstrous entity, seemingly plucked from the pages of a , materialized, with its fiery red arm extending forward first.

[How dare...]

"Arsonist, lend me Lavatein."

Clearly angered, perhaps feeling betrayed, the being was in no mood for Davey's antics.

***

Ifrit, one of the few Spirit Kings in the spirit realm, possessed a unique sword called Lavatein.

[What do you want, you arsonist?]

Previous contractors often teased him as an arsonist, given his past deeds, and he had no room to retort. But this human before him was different. The audacity to summon, use, and even deceive him!

[Mind your tongue, human. I may have made a pact with you upon seeing the faces of Gnoass and Ellaim, but I have no intention of aiding a damned human who dares to mock a Spirit King. That name...]

"Is it only Yuriana who can summon you? Some kind of monopoly?"

The boy, or rather, the young man's words silenced Ifrit, who then manifested a blade from his fiery fingertip.

[You...]

"I know you're slow; I've seen it enough. Just follow."

Davey's demeanor had changed significantly. When they first met, he seemed desperate. Later, he looked playful. But now, the emotion reflected in the young man's eyes was pure fury and madness, even making the Spirit King flinch.

"I don't care about your memories or connections with Yuriana. But I need to confirm the life or death of everyone involved."

[What are you talking about? As if you met Yuriana yourself.]

"Forget it, do you see this?"

Davey pointed at the purple mist. It was an artificial fog created by strange magic. To Ifrit's trained eyes, it was a massive magical barrier meant to isolate this place from the outside.

"As time goes by, its strength weakens, and with a mere prick, a gap forms. We don't need this anymore."

[So, what do you want me to do about it?]

Ifrit, still seething with anger at the human, intensified his fiery aura. Davey responded with a chilling smile, a smile so strange that it exuded anger powerful enough to make the spirit shudder.

"Will you burn it for me? Or should I take Lavatein and do it myself?"

‘The choice is yours, but I can't guarantee what will happen if you choose otherwise.’

'Merely a human, but as a contractor, not something even a Spirit King could easily dismiss. This peculiarly structured spirit summoner, would it be right to leave such an unpredictable variable? Should he just use Lavatein to erase him right now?' Thoughts swirled in Ifrit's mind.

But Davey's next actions made it clear to Ifrit that something was seriously wrong with this boy.

"How many seconds should I give?" Davey's smiling face, filled with even more rage, revealed an unsettling madness. The sheer intensity of his anger was so overpowering that it even shook the Spirit King's mental fortitude.

[What on earth…?]

‘What could possibly be the identity of this person who is exuding such a peculiar aura? Why are Gnoass and Ellaim making a pact with this person?’

Amidst Ifrit's whirlwind of thoughts, Davey noticed a small nature spirit trembling before him. The fact that it revealed itself without fleeing in the presence of the Spirit King was commendably brave. There must be a reason.

Releasing the pressure he exerted on the spirit without a word, Davey soon heard the faint resonance of the small spirit, a gnome born from Gnoass' hand. Ifrit remained silent in response to Gnoass' message through the gnome.

[The pact has been sealed. However, I cannot trust your capability. I can't fully believe what Gnoass has told me either. So, prove it.]

This was a technique that only Yuriana could create and use. Before Ifrit could finish speaking, Davey reached out and thrust his hand into the body of the blazing being.

"Let it be."

"Davey?!"

Startled, Illyna screamed as she saw his burning figure, but Davey channeled all of the blazing light, the power of Ifrit. This was a testament and symbol of a spirit mage's harmony with a spirit, achieved only at the pinnacle of synchronization.

[Initiating Absorption.]

Simultaneously with Ifrit's declaration, a massive flame began to seep into Davey's body. Faced with the overwhelming fiery storm, Illyna reflexively grabbed Liline and distanced herself, then a vast whirlwind of fire began to subside. Silently looking at his hand, Davey saw a faint flame wrapped around it, almost as if the flame had taken on a human form.

[An unexpected absorption, from one side no less. How can this even be possible…]

"It is possible, hence why you were summoned, arsonist."

Harmony with spirits typically developed over a long period of communication between the spirit and its mage. Yet, a spirit mage forcibly pulling off a fusion without the spirit's awareness? Ifrit, though reluctant, had to believe it now. Davey knew Yuriana and had forged a connection with Ifrit through her.

[Hand over the control, contractor.]

The title changed.

[I shall become your power.]

"Don't make me laugh. Now, I'm going to find someone to vent my anger on."

Seeing the power accumulating in Davey's hand, Ifrit was astounded.

[How can a human wield Lavatein?!]

"You think I've never used this before?" With a calm voice, Davey raised the flaming sword, Lavatein, his eyes glowing red.

Ifrit's flames could burn everything, even dissipating barriers like the one in front of them. Although it was challenging to burn through the barrier with the Spirit King's power, Lavatein was different. It was a sword transcending even the Black Spirit King's abilities.

With a roar, the fierce flames cut through the mist. Moments later, the surrounding purple mist burned away as if it had never existed.

* * *

A vast canyon surrounded a massive cave, within which hundreds of hooded succubi had settled. They clutched slender rapiers while attempting to pacify the growling beasts in the canyon.

"Master Yushir, do you think he will come here?"

"There's no turning back on orders. We follow the Demon King's command. Release the Gluttonies immediately when he appears."

"Can we win…?"

As a succubus anxiously mumbled, another by Yushir forcefully grabbed her throat, making her kneel. "Watch your mouth, impudent one."

"Cough, choke…"

"Master Yushir is among the top sword wielders in the demon world. Even if our opponent is human, with the beasts sent by Marka and Master Yushir, no one stands a chance."

These words were filled with unwavering faith. Indeed, Yushir, for some reason, followed Marka, but her power was renowned even in the demon world. Beyond being a swordmaster, her skills were terrifying. The vast mist not only prevented the demons from reaching the continent but also served as a defense line against underground beasts. Since the barrier had been maintained for a long time, no one could break it. Hence, Davey would likely wander there before eventually arriving here.

Then, it happened.

Whoosh…

From the depths, a red ember seemed to flicker.

“Did that just…?”

As a few of the succubi who witnessed this phenomenon began to wear puzzled expressions,

Whoosh!!

They could see it. A massive flame was devouring the fog as if trying to swallow it whole. And while everyone stood there, dumbfounded, beyond the fully engulfing and dissipating flame, a young man began to reveal himself.

“Never forget this is all because of you all.” A calm voice emanated from the young man soon after.

At the same time, Yushir's eyes sparkled as she sneakily lifted her mask. “Everyone…”

“No questions accepted from any of you.”

Yushir recognized him instantly. The two humans standing before her. While the Queen of the Succubi, Marka, whom she served, had always warned her to be cautious of the human woman, the reality was quite the opposite. The innate nature of succubi was to be overwhelmingly drawn toward the strong. It was a trait that succubi had inherited since birth. Yushir had never once felt this overwhelming sensation upon seeing a strong male. But then…

“Retreat!” With her urgent cry, a blazing sword of hellfire scorched a part of the gorge.