The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 893. Even if the World Shakes, People Remain Unaware

“Haa... Haa...”

Kouna, a young Awakened girl from Japan with the powers of a celestial maiden, gasped for air as she stared at the massive black fog before her.

The creature showed no mercy, destroying everything in its path.

Her prophecy had come true.

She had predicted Japan going through a catastrophe, but couldn’t help but feel bitter that it was really happening.

Rinne, Davey’s trusted subordinate, lay in silence trapped under a pile of rubble. Kouna could understand why it reached such a point—this black monster was far more dangerous than anything she had ever encountered.

The only reason the Awakened individuals around her were still alive was that the monster hadn’t turned its focus directly onto them. It mindlessly pursued destruction, seemingly unconcerned with its surroundings. Still, many lives had already been taken away in the process.

Kouna had no clue where such a monster had even appeared from.

‘If this keeps up, we’re all going to die.’

As chilling thoughts plagued her mind, she found herself desperately hoping for Davey’s return. Unfortunately, it had already been a long time since they’d last talked.

“Grrrrrr!!!!”

Just then, the previously still black creature began moving again. It flashed its white eyes and resumed its rampage, using what seemed like eerie magic to destroy everything in its path.

“Aaaargh!!”

“No! Mikoto, get out of the way!”

A woman in her late twenties was caught up in the black fog, and when it cleared, her entire body looked as if it had been burnt. She stood motionless, looking up at the sky with her mouth hung open.

It was a horrific sight.

With the Awakened individuals getting slaughtered, she could no longer rely on their strength.

“Damn it! You fucking bastard!”

Some of the angry Awakened individuals attacked again, but the monster waved the dark fog another time, turning them into blackened husks with a demeanor as if they were mere flies.

The casualties kept piling up. Despite their best efforts, it wasn’t enough to stop the monster.

“Damn it! Are our attacks even working on this thing?!”

No matter how fiercely they attacked, the monster seemed completely unaffected. It was far too strong, and their incompatibility with its fighting style and techniques didn’t help. Their efforts were like spitting on a wildfire in the hopes of extinguishing the entire inferno.

They didn’t stand a chance.

Kouna wasn’t even sure if they could prolong this fight. She began to think that they’d all be wiped out before Davey ever arrived.

Fear began creeping within her. Despite having taken down powerful opponents and being stronger than most Awakened individuals, even she wasn’t powerful enough to take down such a monster. In fact, none of the Earth’s Awakened were.

It was an infuriating and bitter feeling to realize that Earth’s fate rested in the hands of an outsider from another dimension.

“Look out, Kouna!”

Lost in thought, she hadn’t the black fog hurtling toward her. Even with her skill in swordsmanship, it was too late for her to dodge.

Just then, another Awakened individual dashed in, shoving her aside and tanking the fog entirely. It quickly encroached him, turning him just like it did the others.

“N-No... Goro!”

“You damn monster!!!”

A young man charged in.

Boom!!

He unleashed his power while shouting fiercely, but he was quickly thrown back by a rock the black fog had thrown. He crashed hard against the ground before the black monster poured its fog toward him to finish the job.

Boom!

Thankfully, he survived thanks to the quick actions of his partner who dragged him out of range just in time.

“Aaaagh!!”

However, luck wasn’t on his partner’s side either. Her leg had been exposed to the fog, turning it black. She screamed in agony as pain overwhelmed her senses.

“N-No... This can’t be it...”

As the dark fog slowly encroached her, her partner poured all his mana into her in a desperate attempt to stop the spread. Even so, the infection showed no signs of slowing down.

“Urgh... Ugh...”

She reached out and clutched his arm with her trembling hand. Tears rolled down her face as she mouthed something. Her entire body then darkened, solidifying in place.

“No... No... Aaaaaaah!!!” the young man screamed in anguish.

“Stop! You’ll kill yourself from mana depletion!”

“Die! Die! Just die already!”

Consumed by madness and grief over his lost partner, he wildly attacked without regard for anything else.

Of course–

Whoosh!

It was nothing short of useless.

In what felt like an instant, dozens of Awakened individuals had fallen. Only a handful, including Kouna, were left standing as the black monster continued its rampage undeterred. Amid the hopeless situation, she stared at the monster with her hands violently shaking.

Its eerie white eyes glowed as it moved forward, and Kouna knew she had to make a choice.

“I’m going to use the power of Haitai.”

“What?! Have you lost your mind?! Using that power will kill you!”

“If we can’t stop this monster here, it won’t matter,” Kouna shouted, her expression hardened with resolve.

Rinne had fallen, tangible proof that the monster was something beyond her. Kouna knew it’d be nearly impossible to stop the monster, but her attempt would be worth it even if she could only buy just a few moments.

She figured something would happen in the time she earned them.

“Everyone else, get out of here.”

A clear, bright energy began to gather around her. Preparing for a move she knew she could never take back from, Kouna calmed herself and prepared.

Just as she was about to unleash the power of Haitai, the black monster stopped its rampage for the first time, turning its head toward her.

‘Ah... So it hadn’t missed our presence entirely. It simply never saw us as a threat.’

As the sad realization struck her, she reached out. Blue and white energy began to flow from her fingertips like shimmering strands, eventually forming a spear made of pale blue light.

Feeling threatened by the spear infused with her soul, the black monster extended its hand toward her. Accepting that she was going to die, Kouna resolved not to run from its attack.

In the moment just before the black fog was about to engulf her, the ground trembled violently.

“Huh?”

Everyone’s eyes snapped wide open.

The white angel that the monster had taken down... Rinne, the winged girl famous for her association with the Saint of Tionis, was slowly getting back on her feet.

Though everyone had thought she was dead, she stood up as if nothing had happened. The black fog even hesitated at her rise, turning its focus back to her.

Eyes closed, Rinne began to rise off the ground, and an awe-inspiring transformation unfolded. The wings on her back began to glow, morphing into three pairs as she radiated blinding lights. Her halo transformed, forming into a strange shape. It rotated part by part until it steadily moved toward her back, resting to shine like a sun behind her.

She opened her eyes, shining brilliantly white.

Boom!!! Boom, boom!!

Suddenly, columns of pure white light began descending around her from the sky.

One, two, three...

Soon, there were dozens of them. As they dissipated, armored figures that resembled the armor she was wearing emerged from each pillar. Each possessed immense strength, and they all began to surround the black fog.

“Rinne confirms the ultimate evolution of Sephirothization. Rinne evaluates this highly.”

She then extended her hand. A spear of light appeared in her grasp, though it quickly began to change form. The Spear that Can Melt the Balance of the World morphed from a spear into a slender longsword.

Gripping the sword with both hands, Rinne gazed down at the black monster from above.

“Command accepted. Activate stigmata. Manifesting the holy power of Master Davey’s blessing.” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Sling!!

In an instant, multi-dimensional magic circles bloomed around her and enveloped the area. Everyone gasped in astonishment—the humans who had turned black and lifeless began reverting back.

Those unaffected were stunned by yet another scene.

Layers upon layers of buff spells began to stack on them, reinvigorating their bodies. Just as they took in this incredible strength, Rinne aimed her sword at the black creature below her.

Her summoned holy knights in pure white armor descended on the black creature. Even though the fog would instantly consume anything that entered its domain, the knights continued entering it without hesitation.

“No! You can’t just charge in like that!” someone shouted in panic, but they quickly turned quiet after seeing what unfolded.

The knights turned into bolts of lightning, piercing through the black fog and blasting holes in the monster. Like relentless predators, they circled the creature and reamed it nonstop. But the attack itself wasn’t very effective; the monster quickly recovered its original form.

Seeing this, Rinne lowered her sword, and the knights circled the monster once again with her in their center. Everyone watched in awe as Rinne slowly raised her longsword, positioning the guard near her face and pointing the blade straight to the heavens. She closed her eyes momentarily before they flashed open.

“Rinne. Activating Holy Annihilation Mode. Confirmed warning of host’s significant energy depletion,” she murmured quietly.

She twirled the sword before settling into a stance. Then, as if standing on invisible ground, she steadied herself in the air, prepared to strike.

“Confirmed maximum stigmata resonance. Target's power fully analyzed.”

Kouna realized at that moment what the white light knights had been doing: they had absorbed and analyzed the monster’s power. Crouching low, Rinne poised to strike.

Boom!

She shot downward in a flash, straight toward the monster below. The holy power she emitted was far beyond what she had shown before.

“Guuu!!!”

The black monster swung its massive arm to knock her away.

Crackle!!

But an immense power different from mana, similar to what Kouna had seen in the Red Void, ensconced Rinne within a barrier.

Boom!!

The monster soon had a massive hole blown in it, far bigger than any previous gouges.

Rinne landed gracefully with ease. She spun her sword, flicking off the remnants of the black energy.

[Sephiroth Ultimate Form. Rinne issues command. Commence annihilation.]

Zzzz! Boom!!

The holy knights surrounding the monster readied their weapons at her signal, making the tips of their spears glow with brilliant light. They then unleashed over a hundred rays of blinding light upon the black monster.

“My goodness...”

“What... is that?”

The black creature had been a walking apocalypse moments ago, but it was nowhere to be seen once the light faded. With the sound of shattering glass, Rinne reverted to her original form and collapsed backward. Kouna rushed to her side.

“Rinne!”

Rinne lay sprawled on the ground, her eyes rolling to meet Kouna’s.

“Are you alright, Rinne?!”

“Rinne... overload... insufficient data due to excessive stigmata use... resulting in an overload...”

“...”

“To resolve overload... Rinne addresses the important task you need to do.”

Kouna nodded in response. She wasn’t sure what the important task was but she couldn’t help but gulp after looking at her serious and determined face.

“Rinne requests a large intake of sensory data. Sushi. Rinne requires sushi. Rinne evaluates the tangy flavor profile of sushi very highly!”

Kouna’s face froze, utterly perplexed. But Rinne, lying flat on her back, merely opened and closed her mouth, clearly hinting at her to deliver sushi right into her mouth.

* * *

“P-Please... spare me...”

When Davey returned to Korea after dealing with Adamantium’s leader, Khalishinif, he saw two things. An elf sitting on a creaking rocking chair, and a handful of broken and trembling individuals sprawled on the floor.

“What did you do?”

Anabelle, a biological golem and a member of the Avengers Squadron, specialized in magic rather than physical strength. Her expertise lay in dark magic, which occasionally led to scenes like this.

“You always do this after a fight,” Davey commented, and Anabelle slowly looked at him.

“Anabelle evaluates this as complimentary,” she said, parroting the peculiar way Rinne spoke.

As she rocked faster, giving a sinister smile, Davey felt shivers run down his body.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. What about the rest?”

“All handled.”

“Good work.”

The people on the floor showed no signs of recovery, and there was no reason to help them either. Anabelle helped Davey restrain them before he pulled out his phone.

“Let’s see... Which number was for reporting spies?”

“Can they even be considered spies?”

“They’ll sort it out. Or maybe I should call the emergency line for terrorists?”

“That seems more like it.”

“Tomayto, tomahto.”

After making the call, Davey reported their location.

“What about Rinne? Do you need to go check on her?”

“Hmm?”

“The Vant are an ancient race, and if they’ve consumed the mermaid scales...”

“She’s maxed out all the stigmata power I could give her; if she can’t handle it, that’s her problem.”

It was astonishing enough that he could channel stigmata at all as a human, so it shouldn’t be too excessive, but he still resonated with Rinne to be sure.

“Rinne.”

[Chomp. Chomp-munch...]

He heard her chew on something.

“Rinne?”

[Chomp. Chomp-chomp...]

He heard it again. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was still another enemy to deal with, despite Adamantium being taken down. His face hardened at the thought that she was dealing with something too intense for her to even respond.

“Rinne, answer me. Are you alright?”

[Chomp!! Chomp-chomp!!]

The chewing grew louder, and just as Davey prepared to head over—

[Gulp!! Rinne evaluates the sensory data of sushi very highly.]

“...”

“Collect the corpse of that Vant on-site. Whether you eat sushi or takoyaki, suit yourself.”

- Rinne evaluates sensory data collection highly!

“...”

Davey cut the connection.

“She’ll find her way back on her own.”

It seemed Japan had recognized her role in defeating the monster, but secrecy hardly mattered by that point.

“Geez... This was supposed to be a simple excursion to gather materials for the eye surgeries. Now, look at what a mess this has become...”

Davey had initially come to Earth with no intentions of getting involved with organizations like Adamantium. It was supposed to be a quick job, no more than a few days, but it kept eating up more and more of his time.

“Won’t this complicate your position in the public eye?” Perserque asked, Illyna agreeing behind her.

Davey looked around before shaking his head.

“The thing is, people only care about things that affect them personally. How many do you think will still care about the details of this event by tomorrow?”

Even if the news spread on TV, most people would merely give it a moment’s thought before forgetting. There wasn’t really even any eye-catching footage—or fantastical narrative—of what really happened that an average person could latch on to.

The world leaders would simply be concerned with how to leverage the event politically. There was no reason for them to place any emphasis on his objectives and thereby take unnecessary hate and blame.

Of course, the same worked to his advantage.

No matter how significant a crisis might seem, people would eventually continue living their lives as always.

Even Adamantium’s leader, Khalishinif, had failed to realize this. No matter how much the world may tremble, people rarely cared about what didn’t directly involve them.

Although Adamantium, an organization that had deceived the world for nearly a year, was nearly wiped out within days, only Japan—which had nearly faced a catastrophe—was truly shaken. The rest of the world simply moved on.