The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
Chapter 1069

Chapter 1069

Malton had no idea how things had ended up like this. He was the acting leader of the resistance after Red Scorpion was captured during a mission, so he gritted his teeth against the pain tearing through his body. He was covered in wounds, and blood poured from his mouth, a sign of the internal injuries he could no longer contain.

When he weakly turned his head, he saw his fellow resistance fighters overwhelmed both in terms of numbers and individual strength, desperately fighting as they bled.

Crash!!

“Gaaah!!”

A massive man stomped on his fallen arm and let out a chilling smile. It was Goliath, the Giant.

He was from one of the four execution units serving the chancellor. Like the vampire Silcy, he was another of the four infamous leaders.

Malton had not expected him to be there. Based on their gathered intel, Goliath wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the area due to a territorial conflict. At least, that was how it was supposed to be.

And yet—

Goliath the Giant.

Vengeance the Devil.

Vakram the Fiend.

All of the chancellor’s top forces were there.

Each of them was a walking calamity, and until then, the resistance had successfully managed to carry out their operations while carefully avoiding their attention. Seeing all three gathered in one place was absolutely unheard of.

It had all started when the execution date was suddenly moved up.

Originally, they were supposed to have at least half a day longer to prepare. That was what they had planned for, and their reinforcements had been scheduled accordingly, thinking there wouldn't be any major issues.

Of course, they had also carefully assessed the number and level of guards assigned to the execution ceremony. They were well aware that losing their leader would be a fatal blow to their organization.

Had they never met Davey, they would’ve had to overcome the entire ordeal on their own. They had accepted his help despite not fully understanding what kind of power he possessed, or what his true intentions were. Reaching out to him had never seemed like a good choice, so they launched the assault regardless.

The resistance, having trained and grown stronger to rescue their leader, tore through the kingdom’s soldiers like a farmer reaping wheat before they quickly advanced to the execution platform to retrieve Red Scorpion.

If they succeeded in rescuing him, then taking the head of that bastard chancellor who orchestrated the charade would naturally follow.

Unfortunately, the moment the resistance fully entered the plaza, Malton realized something was terribly wrong.

There were disruption barriers.

A staggering number of layered disruption barriers had been deployed, and a powerful seal locked them in, cutting off any route of escape.

Then, as if on cue, the execution unit launched their ambush.

The execution unit had long served as the chancellor’s enforcers, the source of his unrelenting power. They eliminated anyone who defied him and could even pressure foreign nations. They were a mysterious, overwhelming force.

Even simply defending against their barrage was nearly impossible.

Of course, Malton had anticipated some resistance, preparing a hidden trump card in case they ever had to confront the execution unit. He planned to use a power boost through a special awakening agent.

With that power, though they might not be able to reach the chancellor, he figured they could at least rescue their leader.

At least, that should have been the case. Alas, the chancellor was a devil incarnate.

He had bound their captured resistance comrades and used them as human shields. With the normally passive execution unit leaders all attacking at once as well, the plaza turned into absolute chaos.

They fought with their lives on the line, but the battle turned increasingly dire. After all, the disruption barriers had severely crippled the resistance’s overall strength.

“Keehee. Keeheeheehee.”

Goliath the Giant let out a cruel laugh as he trampled on Malton.

Malton had known the man to be strong, but he possessed power beyond imagination. All he could do was grit his teeth and try to endure the pain.

One by one, his comrades fell, before eventually they were all subdued. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were really going to fall apart like this. Helplessness and despair consumed him.

If they had just waited a little longer.

If they had only acted with a bit more caution.

Then maybe not so many of their comrades would’ve died.

Seeing them bleeding and dying—or worse, deliberately kept alive to be tortured—made his blood boil.

He was furious. He couldn’t even fathom how their leader was feeling.

Red Scorpion hung his head without the slightest movement.

Malton knew he was too furious and full of regret to even lift his head.

Crack!

Goliath approached the fallen Malton and yanked his hair, forcing him to look toward the chancellor.

“Chancellor!!!”

“Hehehe, what a strong voice you’ve got.”

Though it was labeled a public execution, every person present in that place was under the chancellor’s thumb. There wasn’t a single soul there who could help the Red Scorpion.

“Don’t glare so hard. I’ve been merciful enough not to kill all of you rebels outright, haven’t I?”

‘Merciful? How could he say that?’

Those monsters—those demons—weren’t doing anything that could remotely be called human. They were skinning people’s faces while they were still alive, binding them so they couldn’t move, and even sawing through their limbs just to laugh at their screams.

The resistance was dead. Even if they somehow survived that hell, they’d never walk again; never see again; never live as they once did.

The women deemed attractive had their clothes torn off in front of everyone and were stripped naked to suffer the ultimate humiliation.

It was a living hell, right there in the Arbute Kingdom.

“Hm. Well, not killing the rebels should count as merciful enough, no? Wouldn’t you agree, former Knight Commander Malton?”

Malton clenched his teeth.

“Ah, don’t worry. I’m a merciful man. The Red Scorpion’s execution is unavoidable, sure, but the rest of you, the ones who were misled and turned your blades against me... you’re still citizens of this kingdom, aren’t you?” he shouted while spreading his arms wide as if granting clemency. “Of course, a light punishment is still necessary.”

He let out an arrogant laugh and brushed his mustache with an air of smugness.

“What the hell are you trying to pull?”

“You all gathered under a single belief, didn’t you? Well, I find your noble ideals to be...” The chancellor lowered his head, covering his face with one hand. He then slowly looked up, revealing an eerie expression. “Utterly revolting. Begin.”

At his command, the execution unit members, who had been busy looking at some document, moved in unison.

They dragged out a girl—one of the few who hadn’t been hurt yet.

“No! Alia!!”

Alia was the younger sister of the Red Scorpion.

“Watching your precious ideals crumble, there’s nothing more delightful for me. If I take that girl’s life, I’ll let the rest of you live. How does that sound?”

What he said was disgusting.

Just as the Red Scorpion was the resistance’s leader and symbol, so was his younger sister. She was a vital part of their cause.

If they’d known this would happen, they never would’ve brought her along. She had insisted on helping, but that decision had led to disaster.

“Don’t be ridiculous! We won’t break!” Even when forced to her knees, her eyes were full of defiance.

“Yes, of course.” The chancellor nodded leisurely before giving a subtle nod toward Goliath.

Without hesitation, the giant raised his sword.

Squelsh!!

Yet Alia didn’t die.

Malton, breaking free from Goliath’s loosened grip, threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around her, taking the blade in her place.

“Gaaah!”

“Malton!!” Alia shouted, but he refused to let her go.

The demonic chancellor hadn’t planned to kill Alia. What he really wanted was to watch Malton—crushed by guilt and pain—die slowly as he protected her. He had anticipated that exact situation from the start.

Stab!!Stab! Stab!!

The more he was crushed, the louder the laughter grew around him, and the deeper his wounds became. Even as blood poured from him in volumes that no normal human could survive, he did not let go. He clung to her with sheer willpower, ready to die as long as it meant her living.

“Please. Please stop!!” a man whose arms had been completely crushed screamed desperately.

“Damn it! Please! Someone, anyone, please!” another sobbed, crying out for a miracle that’d never come.

At last, Red Scorpion, who had kept his head down in silence, screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice breaking as he wept tears of blood, “Stop!!! Stop it!! Just kill me instead, you son of a bitch!!”

“What are you saying? You’re going to die anyway. But I can’t just let you die easily, especially not after you dared to defy me,” the chancellor sneered, and Red Scorpion bit down so hard on his lips that they tore open, blood trickling down his chin.

Despair deepened. Grief intensified. In that hellhole, as they teetered on the edge of hopelessness, their resolve began to break.

Tap.

A strange sound suddenly echoed faintly.

Crackle. Crash!!

The disruption barriers, which hadn’t been so much as scratched under any of their spells or attacks, twisted violently and shattered.

Someone had arrived! It was a young man with black hair wearing a black coat.

Sporting a cold smile, he flashed right in front of Goliath, who was moments away from finishing off Malton. He moved so fast that no one had the chance to react, not even Goliath himself. He froze, too stunned to do anything.

Tap!!

The punch the newcomer threw felt weak, completely different from the overwhelming presence he had just displayed.

“Huh? What the hell was that?” Goliath snickered. His face contorted in disbelief and irritation, embarrassed at how shaken he’d been.

Crack!!

With a sound that defied all reason, blood suddenly erupted from Goliath’s massive frame as his body went slamming into the wall like a ragdoll. In that instant, the surrounding space and terrain were fractured with explosive force.

Everyone still clinging to life could only stare in stunned silence at the masked young man standing in the middle of the devastation. They were all stunned by the unimaginable turn of events.

The two remaining powerhouses by the chancellor's side instinctively stood, their eyes locking onto Davey. He figured they were most likely the other two remaining execution unit leaders. Not that it mattered who they were.

The shockwave from his punch had caused a massive quake to ripple through the area. The ground had cracked and twisted as if ready to split apart. The space itself was torn open, trembling like it might suck everything into the void.

With a light wave of his hand, Davey forcefully quelled the aftermath, and the torn space and fractured earth slowly returned to stillness.

“You're him, aren’t you,” the chancellor muttered coldly as he stared at Davey.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he looked around and took in the horrific state of the resistance fighters. They weren’t being killed—just kept alive and tortured. It was brutal, but in a twisted way, it gave him a reason and excuse to save them.

However, the question remained if he should save them in the first place. He looked toward Goddess Freyja for a sign. She silently stared back, offering no words.

‘Good enough for me.’

“Y-You!” Malton, his eyes half-focused, called out to Davey with a faint voice.

He was in the worst condition of them all by far. Every limb of his was injured and soaked in blood. Davey figured it wouldn't be surprising if he went into shock and died at any moment.

“You still being alive is a miracle. Don’t talk, just shut your mouth and stay still. I’ll save you.”

Malton let out a hollow laugh. He knew better than anyone that his wounds weren’t something a normal person could survive, and he wasn’t alone. Most of the resistance fighters had been brutally beaten down by the execution unit, suffering injuries so severe that even if they lived, returning to anything close to a normal life would be near impossible.

“Guys like you goons. The ones who do this to people.” Davey, still masked, turned his gaze toward the chancellor. “You’re the kind that knows exactly how to keep someone alive through all the pain.”

They were the type who had learned through endless trial and error, refining torture like an art form and grinding down human lives one at a time.

Davey coldly sneered, revealing his smile beneath the mask. It lacked even a shred of kindness, instead full of contempt. “You’ve tortured a lot of people, haven’t you?”

“What’s your name?”

“What do you need that for? Does it matter?”

His answer made the chancellor tilt his head. “Quite the arrogant tone you're using. I don’t like that. Bring him to me, and make him kneel before me.”

At his command, numerous execution unit members charged toward Davey at once. Their coordinated movement was sharp and practiced, as if they'd trained for such a moment a thousand times.

Davey clicked his tongue and casually waved his hand.A streak of pure white energy slashed out, cutting down the execution unit members like paper dolls. It was a simple Light Saber spell, but with added magical amplification, its power was more than enough to slice through them.

Without the disruption barriers in place, there was nothing to limit the spell’s output. The beam of light that had cut through the squad then shot straight toward the chancellor. Just before it could reach him, however, the two execution unit leaders stepped in and blocked it.

Clang!!

He turned back to Goddess Freyja, locking eyes with her.

‘Can I do as I please from here on out?’

Despite not wording his thoughts, she understood his intent perfectly. She scribbled a message in her notebook and held it up.

[Do as you wish.]

‘So no consequences here, as long as I don’t show my face or name.’

With that blessing, Davey began drawing on his holy power. “Lend me some grace, would you, Goddess?”

She scribbled in her notebook with a pouty, disgruntled expression.

[Your installment plan is still ongoing.]

“Oh, come on, double the interest. Just charge me later.”

[Grace thief.]

“You're really something.”

Fwoosh!!

An overwhelming surge of holy power erupted from his body.

“Holy power?!”

“Is he part of a church?!”

Ignoring the panicked cries, he calmly invoked high-level holy magic through Goddess Freyja.

[9th Level Holy Magic]

[Grand Recovery]

Fwoosh!!

A massive column of radiant light gathered before him, then blasted into the sky. Moments later, soft greenish raindrops began to fall like a gentle shower.

It was then that a miracle manifested. The resistance fighters, who had been brutally crushed by the execution unit, slowly began to return to their original forms.

The miracle so incredible, even seeing it only barely meant believing it.

Healing magic could normally only do so much, depending on the severity of the injuries. What they saw in that moment didn’t resemble healing—it was more like time itself had been turned back to restore their lives.

Of course, it wasn’t true time reversal. Nonetheless, to those watching, it couldn’t look like anything else.

The chancellor, watching his magic in disbelief, snapped with irritation, “What are you fools doing?! Stop him! No one told me the church had someone like that!”

Goliath, still embedded in the shattered wall, suddenly stirred and rose, scattering rubble. “Graaah!!! How dare you!!”

It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had died, seeing how his body was bursting in a fountain of blood.

Seeing him rise again, Davey’s eyes narrowed with interest. He noticed signs of special procedures—unnatural enhancements—on his body. With a light step, Davey approached, grabbing a sword from one of the fallen execution unit members.

“You think a mere sword can cut through this body?!”

Swish.

In that instant, Davey was wrapped in the Moonlight Steps of Hermesia, the Assassin King. His form disappeared into a swirl of dark mist, reappearing before anyone could react. With a flick, he casually shook off the sword and tossed it away.

Some of the freshly healed resistance fighters looked confused by his actions, but moments later, their eyes widened in absolute shock.

“No way!”

“Goliath’s body... That monster couldn’t even be cut by an Aura Blade!”

His flesh, enhanced and transformed through modifications, had been carved into dozens of clean pieces.

“Gaaah. Grrr.”

Just like that, Davey had finished off Goliath, making a cold grin beneath his mask as he turned to the chancellor. “Two left now.”

One of the strongest members of the execution unit, someone whose very existence put foreign nations on alert, had been taken out effortlessly. No one was immune to the tension in the air.

The chancellor’s face hardened with dread, and the resistance fighters, even after witnessing it firsthand, stared blankly, struggling to process what they'd just seen.

The remaining execution unit leaders murmured quietly to themselves.

“When they said that Silcy bitch was dead, I thought it was nonsense.”

“So it wasn’t just empty boasting, after all.”

Then, glaring at Davey, the chancellor finally asked, “Why are you helping them?”

“Why? Because I said I would.”

The chancellor’s brows furrowed. “Come to my side. Take my hand, and I’ll give you riches and status beyond—”

“Yeah, okay, you talk a lot, so let me cut you off right there. Helping them is just a side quest. Your crimes aren’t something I can overlook.”

“What?”

With a slight tilt of his head, Davey gestured toward Goddess Freyja.

“T-That woman?”

“Don’t play dumb. Now you know why I’m here to erase you, yeah?”

“What’s your connection to her?”

“She’s my boss. Also, you’ve been talking to me like I work for you or something.”

As his grin deepened, the two remaining execution unit leaders moved instinctively, hurling themselves in front of the chancellor.

Boom!!

A massive, invisible fist of compressed air slammed into them head-on, blasting them back in an instant.

“You bastard...” The chancellor glared at Davey in rage. But that fury quickly gave way to something else.

His eyes widened when he felt the pressure radiating from Davey. It was a suffocating force pressing down on the area. The execution unit leaders also made twisted faces.

“Hey,” Davey continued speaking to the chancellor. “If you get hit with divine punishment, don’t expect me to take responsibility.”

All of them made faces of confusion, trying to figure out what that woman was to that powerful human being in front of them.

Even so, Davey didn’t offer any more explanation. Instead, he simply raised his index finger and pointed up toward the sky.

They could’ve been attacked without going along with his play—in fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising. But human curiosity often worked faster than reason. Reflexively, they all followed his gesture and looked upward.

Their eyes widened in horror as they froze.

“At the very least, you guys should be grateful for this last bit of time. If I could summon that damn musclehead rabbit here... well, you’d be in for something much worse.”

High above, an impossibly large magic circle was activated, spreading across the entire sky.

“No way!!”

Cries of shock rang out as a massive magic circle—one so enormous it should’ve been impossible to create without a medium, a catalyst, or a single god—silently formed without a sound.

Even at a glance, it stretched hundreds of meters across. Its sheer size and eerie precision were enough to make any living being, even those without magical knowledge, instinctively tremble in fear.

When thunderclouds began to swirl within the circle, Goddess Freyja held up her notebook again, pressing it toward Davey.

[Grace thief.]

“Oh, come on, I just borrowed a bit.”

It was the perfect opportunity to try out the new wide-area holy spell Daphne had recently completed. Of course, that meant he was borrowing Goddess Freyja’s blessing without asking for permission.

[9th Level Ultimate Holy Magic]

[Saint Judgment]

High-level holy magic rarely leaned toward offense, but if it didn’t exist, one simply just had to be made. Not that Davey had created it, of course. No, Daphne had.

Following his fingertip, the giant magic circle in the sky began to twist, syncing with his movements. A torrent of scorching, high-pressure lightning bolts imbued with holy power crashed onto the earth.

The chancellor recoiled in terror, shielding himself instinctively while the two execution unit leaders unleashed strange powers to block the incoming storm and protect him.

Alas, the lesser members of the execution Squad—and all the other weaklings—were incinerated in an instant. They scattered like dust in the wind.

It was a catastrophe. A divine punishment itself.

[So outdated.]

Goddess Freyja’s sudden and random comment made Davey narrow his eyes.

“Well, excuse me. Should I have called it Armageddon? Or how about a Deep Impact? And wait—you can say stuff like outdated? That’s allowed now?”

In response, she simply nodded without a shred of shame, her expression blank. She was strangely emotional, unlike the Goddess he knew.

Then, suddenly, her gaze shifted slightly. She blinked hard and reached out her slender, pale hand, pressing her fingers against his chest.

His outfit shimmered, wrapped in light as his clothes transformed once more.

He was in a pure white, regal robe—like something a high-ranking priest might wear. It was ornate, ceremonial, and far too flashy to be practical. Definitely something meant for public image, not everyday use.

Goddess Freyja nodded silently at her handiwork.

“You like it?”

Instead of answering, she just stared at him. She then created a snowy white hat and gently placed it atop his head.

“You keep throwing miracles around just for dress-up.”

This time, she shook her head.

In sharp contrast with the holy lightning scorching the battlefield, the two were too relaxed, like they were in a world of their own.

“Anyway. Does that sack of bones seriously think they hid well?”

[Leave them be.]

He smiled coldly as he stared toward a certain presence lurking somewhere nearby. The presence was familiar. Far too familiar.

Fate surely was cruel. He couldn’t believe the chancellor’s last hidden trump card would be him.

He chuckled, “I know, I know. I’m not supposed to kill him. Here, at least. Right?”

Davey was going to leave them alone.

At least, for the moment.