The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Novel

Chapter 448

The egg shattered completely, transforming into particles of light that vanished with the wind.

Boooooom!!!

A fierce and relentless surge of energy erupted, unleashing a tremendous shockwave and causing the ground to quake violently.

"Ugh..."

Instinctual fear surged within Perserque as she beheld Megalodria's appearance above the boy emerging from the shattered egg, effortlessly vanquishing the six-headed dragon. She understood that she shouldn't fear him, but the sheer potency he radiated made her feel minuscule and insignificant.

Could this truly be the outcome of a normal and typical metamorphosis? It seemed highly implausible. Throughout her long life, Perserque had observed numerous individuals undergo metamorphosis, albeit in a vague and restricted manner due to its human exclusivity. One of the most extraordinary facets of metamorphosis was the degree to which the power within one's body was magnified. While metamorphosis naturally fortified and enhanced the body, experiencing such an astonishing degree of augmentation was exceedingly rare.

In essence, metamorphosis represented a form of physical evolution. The greater one's inherent potential, the more remarkable their transformation, and the more substantial the amplification of their power. In terms of innate capability, Davey's foundation was arguably situated at the pinnacle.

"What on earth... How strong have you become?"

Perserque had previously witnessed Davey's true might when he unleashed it to subdue the First Lich Nyx in the maritime city of Valkass. She had a sense that he hadn't fully unleashed his power on that occasion. If the Davey she knew were to regain his former strength, her concerns would likely dissipate. The heroes of the Hall were exceptional in their own right, but Davey, their student, posed a different kind of threat. He possessed unparalleled versatility, mastering various crafts through the guidance of his mentors.

Perserque harbored both expectations and anxieties about Davey's newfound strength. In truth, Davey had been suppressing something within himself with the guidance of his mentors' powers. If that seal were to be released in this world, and he were to regain his original abilities...

‘No. We have to stop that.’

Those were words Davey would frequently utter while sipping red wine. He remarked on the capricious nature of his existence, suggesting that it wouldn't be entirely surprising for him to vanish just as unexpectedly as he had appeared.

For some inexplicable reason, those words had become etched in Perserque's mind.

***

Davey leaned slightly toward the spot where the egg had been. He felt refreshed as his senses slowly opened up throughout his entire body. It hadn't been long since his consciousness had returned.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing that greeted him was the six-headed dragon that had turned Rinne into charred remains and was preparing to unleash another Breath attack toward Perserque, who was maintaining the barrier.

From what Davey could perceive, this creature was an Evil Beast King with power comparable to that of Shandra Minea's clone. It seemed to have been drawn to Davey's location after sensing the surge of power he had released during his metamorphosis.

While there were still countless remote and hidden areas in the world, which meant there were plenty of unknown evil beasts and Evil Beast Kings, Davey had heard of the six-headed dragon before him. Or more precisely, he should be the four-headed dragon known as Gigadra. Stories about Gigadra appearing and frightening crying children were quite famous. However, now he sported two additional heads on his body.

—Groooooooooooooar!

Gigadra cried out strangely as he attempted to escape from Megalodria. However, Megalodria was at the pinnacle of the food chain. He was a Mythical Beast King who stood above all others. He was someone that Gigadra alone would struggle to contend with. Could someone like Gigadra take down a Grand Master-level foe? No, especially not when he was only utilizing half of his power, as he had not yet formed a contract like Megalodria.

[What a trifling being!]

Bang!!!

Megalodria threw Gigadra on the ground. Using his uniquely huge body, he grabbed one of Gigadra’s heads and slammed it on the ground repeatedly.

Riiiip!!!

However, it seemed like Megalodria was still not satisfied with what he did. Exerting some force, he ripped the head off of Gigadra’s body.

Shwaaaaaaaaa!!!

Red blood splattered across the area. In the end, Gigadra was nothing more than a monster. In the face of Megalodria's majestic power, the embodiment of storms himself, Gigadra was insignificant.

"D-Davey?"

Davey, who had been silently observing the battle between Megalodria and Gigadra, saw Perserque approaching him with a somber expression. Her steps were unsteady, clearly drained from maintaining the barrier.

Having remained on her knees for an extended period, Perserque could only support herself with the Transcendence’s Demise. When she finally reached Davey, she collapsed into his arms as if her legs had lost all strength.

"Is that really you, Davey?"

Davey smiled at Perserque as she gazed at him, almost as if she were seeing someone else. Then, he gave her his usual playful grin while gently pushing her head against his chest.

"Yes, it's me."

"Right... you've changed a bit, but it's still you."

"I've changed?"

Anyone who underwent metamorphosis would experience a significant improvement in their overall health. This was a well-known fact. Davey's body was no exception; it was in peak condition. Metamorphosis often brought about noticeable changes in one's physical appearance, although not to the extent that others could not recognize the person.

Davey was aware that his appearance had changed for some reason. However, as much as he wanted to examine the alterations in his body, there were more pressing matters that required his attention.

Davey walked past Megalodria, who was fiercely battling Gigadra, and turned his gaze to the figure lying on the ground, resembling a charred mass. This figure, covered in soot-like markings, was none other than Rinne. Her condition was a mystery—no one could determine if she was alive or dead. It appeared as if she had shut down, as there was no response from her body.

"Rinne."

There was no response. Davey observed the still and silent Rinne, noticing a severe bite mark on her right arm. The bite looked brutal, even though her eyes remained closed. It seemed as if she had been bitten in such a manner to prevent her from escaping and to bear the full force of the Breath attack.

"Megalodria," Davey called out with a solemn expression as he continued to assess Rinne's condition.

[Let’s talk later. I’m still a bit…]

"Enough. Move aside," Davey ordered, dismissing Megalodria as he rose to his feet.

Sensing that something was amiss, Megalodria promptly lifted his front foot that had been restraining Gigadra. As soon as it was removed, Davey retrieved two sheathed swords from his pocket plane.

Vwoooong... vwooooong!!!

The two swords began to resonate with Davey's power and underwent a transformation. They merged into a single sword longer than either Red Ribbon or Blue Ribbon, known as Super Ribbon—a blade formed from the fusion of the two sibling swords.

Davey had believed that he wouldn't be able to wield Super Ribbon unless he forcibly awakened it with another power. However, his successful metamorphosis had evidently brought him to the baseline required for its awakening.

‘Just half.’

After confirming the condition of his physical body, Davey slowly pulled out Super Ribbon from her sheath.

—Graaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

The six-headed dragon Gigadra shrieked in agony as pain coursed through his body. Breaths of various attributes manifested in front of each of his mouths the moment he spotted Davey.

"You're quite noisy," Davey remarked.

Clack.

[Heavenly Destroyer]

[Demonic (Spirit) Sword 79th Form]

[Ghostly Possession]

[Beheading Slaughtering Technique]

At the same time, the black inner qi created by the Heavenly Destroyer flowed out of Davey's body, taking on the shape of an evil spirit behind him. When Davey pulled his sword, the evil spirit mimicked his movements, drawing its ghostly sword as well.

Shwaaaa!!!

A brilliant flash of light materialized even before the sword was fully drawn, ripping apart the space in front of Davey. A massive sword energy materialized, cleaving hundreds of meters of space ahead, obliterating everything in its path and striking Gigadra head-on.

Gigadra didn't comprehend what had just happened. In the blink of an eye, two of his heads were severed, disappearing in an instant. All he could do was bellow in agony as the pain surged through his body.

Desperately shrieking and roaring, Gigadra contorted his massive body. He had likely never experienced such excruciating pain before. After all, there had been no one powerful enough to challenge a being like him, hailed as the Evil Beast King.

Of course, the attack hadn't killed Gigadra. Changes manifested instantly at the stumps of his severed necks, his heads regenerating promptly as though they had been anticipating this moment. Now, Gigadra had eight heads.

At this point, one could confidently compare Gigadra to the mythical creature Hydra. However, the sight of two heads regrowing from the stumps left behind by the severed ones was rather comical.

[Father…]

Davey gently stroked Super Ribbon’s blade when he heard her downcast voice.

“You did a good job.”

Hearing Davey's murmur, Super Ribbon dispersed her powers, returning to her original form as the two swords. Simultaneously, the evil spirit's figure, which had lingered behind Davey, slowly dissipated into nothingness, like a phantom fading away.

"Davey! His head!"

"It's alright," Davey replied briefly as he turned around. His actions clearly demonstrated his indifference toward Gigadra.

Then, he cradled the charcoal-like Rinne in his arms and channeled his holy power.

[Almighty God of this world, Goddess Freyja, may you bestow upon your lamb who walks in this pitch-black darkness your kindness and mercy.]

Vwooong…

[…]

Davey pondered briefly, his tongue clicking in annoyance.

‘Ah, I don’t care.’

[Enough. Just give me your grace.]

A tremendous amount of holy power poured out of Davey's body, enveloping Rinne. Although Rinne was a golem, she was of a different type—a biological golem. Thus, Davey decided to use holy magic to treat her.

Rinne's charred skin slowly began to regain its original pale color. Even her unmoving body started to gradually warm up. Davey remained silent as he channeled all of his holy mana into Rinne. He only relaxed his hold after witnessing her torn and ravaged arm recover, returning to its original appearance.

Davey then lifted Rinne. Despite her petite appearance, Rinne was quite heavy, weighing around 200 kg. However, for some reason, Davey felt that she was much lighter than that. Holding Rinne closer to him, he approached Perserque, who had been sitting dazed, and sighed when he saw how much damage the forest had suffered due to Gigadra.

"Too much can be as bad as too little, don't you think?"

Davey had inadvertently summoned this formidable creature through his metamorphosis, and he couldn't help but reflect on the situation. Had Gigadra emerged because he had drawn so much power during his transformation? Davey was certain that there might be more unexpected changes occurring across the continent. He had not anticipated creating such a massive ripple with his complete metamorphosis.

"Davey! That evil beast is still alive!" Perserque shouted urgently, making Davey turn his head.

Why was she so alarmed? It was because Gigadra, who had seemed immobilized earlier, had started moving once more. The monster roared and screamed as if to release his pent-up anger.

Seeing Gigadra's eight heads, Davey couldn't help but wonder about the limits of his abilities. However, he simply waved his hand dismissively, even as he observed the monster gathering power, ready to unleash his blazing heat, extreme cold, lightning, and more.

"It's over."

"What...?"

"There's no need to worry. He's just a brute who can't handle a proper response." Davey's confidence radiated as he spoke.

Spurt…

At Davey's words, a strange sound emanated from Gigadra, who was preparing to counterattack. In an instant, dozens, perhaps even hundreds or thousands of solid and clear lines appeared all over Gigadra's golden body. Then, in the blink of an eye, his body shattered into pieces, collapsing completely before he could utilize the power he had gathered.

"How could we be threatened by a brute who couldn't even realize he's been dead for a very long time?" Davey smiled, his back turned to the dragon without a second glance.

It was reminiscent of the heroic scenes from the movies Davey had seen in his previous lives—the epitome of masculinity and coolness, where the hero never looked back at his defeated foes.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!!!

The heavy sound of the countless pieces of Gigadra’s flesh falling to the ground rang loudly in the forest.