The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1272

When it came to anything involving blood, no one could rival Josiah. Especially when it came to distinguishing or sensing its scent, her ability even surpassed Davey’s.

When she smelled the scent of blood on Kouna, she was thus struck with an intense sense of deja vu.

The scent was unmistakable. It was the same kind of human blood that only a vampire could recognize differences in. In other words, it meant that blood had once belonged to Kouna.

However, when she sniffed again, she realized it was definitely different. She brushed it off as a mistake, but the unsettling feeling refused to go away. So, she asked Kouna where she had found that handkerchief.

Unfortunately, the place turned out to be of little use. While there was indeed a faint trace left behind, even for two vampires, the scent was barely noticeable.

She turned to leave, confused and unsure.

“Waaahhh!!”

The sudden baby wail startled her, and she sprang toward the window. There, she saw Aeria and Illyna, covered in blood, desperately trying to calm and heal Abel.

“Abel!” Josiah rushed in.

They weren’t in Davey’s office, instead gathered in Perserque’s bedroom. Barging in without knocking was rude, but it wasn’t the time to care about that.

“What happened?!” she cried out.

“I don’t know. He suddenly started crying, and then there was blood all over his hand. Not even the spirits can manage to heal him.”

“Let me take a look.” Josiah quickly took Abel and examined the wound. Blood was gushing out as if something had sliced him open.

If even water spirits couldn’t heal it, then it was no ordinary injury.

His cries were so loud that even Darian started bawling, adding to the room's chaos. Even so, Josiah remained calm as she placed her hand over Abel’s arm.

Her eyes turned red as the power of a Vampire Lord flowed from her. The greatest weapon of a vampire was their ability to control blood. Even though Abel had been born with tremendous power, he was still a child and couldn’t control it.

When Josiah tried to stop the bleeding by controlling his blood, the power inside Abel surged wildly and shook her mind. “Argh.”

“Stop! Let go! You’ll get hurt!” As the divine power and dark demonic force clashed around her, Aeria cried out in panic, trying to stop Josiah.

Yet Josiah, devoted as if possessed, focused completely on sealing the wound.

The blood, which had been gushing nonstop, began to flow back into Abel like it had its own will. A faint layer formed then over the wound, sealing it shut. Once that was finished, she applied medicine with practiced ease and wrapped the area in bandages.

“Haah. Haah.” Josiah collapsed onto the floor, clutching Abel tightly, gasping for breath. She soon put on a bitter smile.

“Thank you, Josiah,” Aeria said with relief.

Illyna still had trouble comprehending things. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

That answer left her stunned for a moment, but it didn’t take long to understand.

Abel had been sleeping soundly when a deep, sharp wound suddenly appeared on his arm, waking him in a flurry of tears and panic. It was as if he’d been slashed with a blade.

“How could that—” Josiah was similarly confused by the whole affair.

Just as Darian had protective spells placed on him by Davey, Abel also had spells protecting him from harm. It should’ve thus been impossible for him to get injured so severely under normal circumstances.

Which raised one disturbing question—had something happened to Davey, destroying all the spells he maintained?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a heavy, sharp scent of blood filled the air.

Her focus completely shifted to the smell and her expression hardened.

Illyna, Aeria, and even Kouna looked at her in confusion.

“No way...” Her eyes abruptly widened, and she grabbed a nearby knife.

Kouna was puzzled, asking, “What are you doing?”

“Blood... I need some of your blood,” Josiah told her.

Kouna was taken aback by the sudden request. “Blood?”

“Yes, it’s important. Just one drop will do.”

Josiah handed her the knife. Though confused, Kouna took it and pricked her finger, letting a single drop fall. Josiah reached out and lifted that drop into the air, then did the same for Abel’s blood.

She closed her eyes then opened them, murmuring an incantation.

[Vermartruze]

Following her seductive voice, a stream of red energy swirled from her fingertips. The two droplets merged in the air as her power wrapped around them.

Everyone stared in silence.

It wasn't long before her expression darkened.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Aeria asked gently.

Josiah let out a deep sigh. “This scent... There’s no doubt.”

Her face went pale as she desperately screamed, “We have to stop Davey! He can’t kill that man!” she suddenly screamed desperately.

Josiah had initially thought it was just her imagination. However, the moment she smelled the blood flowing from Abel’s arm, a theory instantly came to mind.

“That handkerchief... I don’t know how or why exactly, but Abel’s and Kouna’s blood were mixed on it.”

“Abel’s blood?” Illyna asked, startled.

Josiah nodded. “At first, I thought it was just Kouna’s. It was similar, but just slightly... off.”

She shared everything she had discovered. The unique scent on the handkerchief, and how she figured out that it was a mixture of Kouna’s rich blood and Abel’s.

“If it had just been a simple mixture or blend, I would’ve noticed right away. Yet when you add my magic to the equation, things get tricky.”

She didn’t know when it had been done, but the Vampire Lord spell on that blood had definitely been cast by her. There was no way she couldn’t recognize her own magic.

“What kind of magic was it?”

“Preservation. I cast a spell that keeps blood from ever disappearing.”

The handkerchief had been soaked in blood. Sure, it was dried when they found it, yet even if it had been left alone, no matter what was done to it, the blood wouldn’t have come off.

The blood had been coated with a special magical layer, so it made sense for her to have made a mistake.

If she were a fully matured Vampire Lord, she would’ve caught it immediately. Alas, she was still a tad bit early in her development.

“So you're saying you were behind the handkerchief?” Kouna asked.

Josiah shook her head. “No. If I had done it, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember. In fact, the blood from you two is slightly different. Even without magic, the scent I picked up back then seemed slightly different compared to the blood I smell now. Simply put, it’s the kind of change you only notice when someone ages. It’s not unrecognizable, but with magic mixed in, it gave off a different scent.”

Her expression grew serious, and she continued, “I don’t know the full story, but whoever Teacher went to kill is definitely connected to you and Abel. To me, as well.”

Kouna began, “You can’t be sure—”

“It’s just a theory. But remember when Teacher bent time once before?”

“Ah. No way...”

“That intruder... What if he was Abel the whole time?”

If that man really was Abel, then Davey had gone off to kill his own son.

“That can’t be right. That’d mean Abel revealed Per’s identity to other nations. Why would he do that?”

“We can’t be certain of anything until we know the whole truth,” Josiah said. “But one thing is for sure.”

If that man really was Abel, then Davey had to be stopped before he went too far. At that very moment, he was about to kill his own son with his own hands.

Even if the masked man wasn’t Abel, there were still too many questions about the handkerchief that needed answers.

“But we have no way to contact him right now... Hey Illyna, maybe–,” Josiah said, turning to her.

“Impossible. I only tear through dimensions. I can’t calculate a precise path like Davey can,” she replied with a pale face.

“He said he was going to kill him. Then that means—” one of them trailed off.

Kouna finished, “He’s about to murder his own child.”

The atmosphere in the room turned oppressively heavy.

“I’ll try going.” Illyna flung open the window and shouted, "Megalodria!!”

From a far distance, a massive black dragon soared into view.

Illyna jumped onto its back and launched into the sky.

Left behind, Aeria collapsed to her knees, her face pale. She clasped her hands together and prayed. “Please... Please!”

It was a miracle too unlikely to hope for, but it was all she could do.

‘Please, Davey... Don’t kill him.’

* * *

Boom!!

In but an instant, an 8th Circle spell, Prometheus, came hurling toward Davey.

The 8th Circle fire magic Prometheus was practically Davey's unique spell. Unless he personally taught a person, almost no one else could use it. Yet the masked man summoned an 8th Circle Prometheus just to flee from him.

Even if it fell short compared to his own version, the man’s skill unsettled Davey. He knew he couldn’t leave him alive.

Until then, he had held back to some extent out of consideration. Yet in that moment, an overwhelming urge surged within him, telling him that he couldn’t leave the guy alive no matter what.

Not even Davey himself knew why he was feeling that way.

Boom!!

He closed in on the man, who continued using magic to wreck the surroundings and put distance between them.

The man reflexively set up a sturdy defensive spell, but Davey already held the defense-breaking weapon Corona Destroyer.

Thud!!

Davey struck in a precise line. The man convulsed as his mana reversed, and he coughed blood. Davey mercilessly struck again and again, shattering the man’s defenses.

Panicked that his barrier had broken, the man drew a dark-red sword and lunged to keep Davey at bay. A chilling metallic sound rang out as the blade dove exactly where Davey intended to move. His swordsmanship was decent, but it fell far short.

The more Davey pressed him, the more the man desperately dodged and parried. With every move, his already ragged clothes grew more and more tattered. Each exchange became harder to evade, and openings inevitably began to show in his moves.

“Gotcha.” Davey leveled the tip of the Divine Spear Longinus at the man’s abdomen.

Since he was in a foreign territory, he knew that causing a scene would most likely lead to diplomatic issues. However, the intense urge he’d felt moments before effectively overrode that concern.

The man’s eyes, bloodshot with fear, snapped open.

[Paladia-style Galactic Spear]

[Unearthing the Outer Core]

A concentrated, tremendous piercing blow drove toward Davey’s heart.

Crunch!!

Clang!!

The sound of teeth cracking and metal colliding came together. The man flew backward, rolling across the floor and slamming through walls several times.

His tattered robe was shredded apart. He had been barely holding it together, but it seemed the man had realized that there was no way he could protect both himself and the robe against that final blow.

As the robe tore away, Davey took in the man’s face, surprised at what he saw.

The man had a patch over one eye, his hair shining a pure white. Scars scored his body like fissures, though overall, he showed the handsome features of a young man.

Davey was astonished that someone so young could hold and control that much mana.

“Haah. Cough! Cough, cough!!”

While the man had escaped the fatal blow, the shock had left him battered. He coughed up blood and collapsed. Unfortunately for him going into the fight, his condition had been poor even before Davey touched him.

‘Killing a wounded and defenseless man violates everything I stand for...’

Then a devil whispered in his head.

‘He almost endangered your wife Perserque. Tear him apart now.’

The voice tempted him, and Davey shut his eyes.

Then an angel whispered from the other side.

‘What he did can't stand. Tear him to pieces.’

‘Decide carefully, act swiftly.’

Davey steadied himself and aimed the Divine Spear Longinus, shaped like a scimitar, at the writhing, pained man.

“Any last words?” He didn’t need to say more. He knew the man would understand what he meant.

The man managed a grim smile. “I was so close...”

Short last words, but nonetheless effective.

Davey braced and bent his body slightly in a combat posture. The man tensed and drew his sword.

“Release!!” At once, massive force erupted from the man’s blade and hammered his own body.

Perhaps he realized there was no time to dawdle or opportunity to negotiate, and so he poured everything he had into one final assault.

“Huff. Huff.” He panted and glared at Davey as the tip of his sword trembled.

“Strange. My killing aura’s gone.” Davey felt puzzled. Still, the compulsion to kill him swelled back up again. For reasons unknown, his body moved first.

Clank!!

Their blades clashed. The man showed astonishing combat improvisation skills and met his strike. Although he couldn’t parry every move perfectly, he managed to deflect blow after blow, minimizing the damage while he tried to open up some distance between them.

As he kept trying to flee, the fight grew even more intense, causing massive destruction to the surroundings.

Naturally, many people began seeing Davey and were shocked.

“Sto... Stop!”

Clatter!!

The man barely managed to deflect Davey’s relentless attacks. He forced the word out through clenched teeth, but Davey just pressed him even harder.

“Just answer one thing for me. You're the one who spread those rumors about Perserque, aren't you?”

The man had no response.

“Right. What’s the point in even asking? I caught you in the act, on the scene.”

He had already overheard the man leaking information about Perserque to the guild. There was no undoing his decision now.

Davey didn’t bother asking why he had done it. Even though the man had become stronger after his outburst, it still wasn’t enough to be a real threat. While it might’ve been a catastrophic force to a normal human, to Davey it was nothing fatal.

Eventually, the man, struggling to avoid Davey’s attacks, fell for a feint. His sword was sent flying by a brutal counterblow.

Clank!! Slash!!!

With a sickening slice, one of his arms was severed clean. At the same time, something flew out from the torn pocket of his clothes.

It was none other than a blood-stained handkerchief.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. On the corner of the cloth, smeared in dried blood, were the letters K.R. in elaborate embroidery.

Davey instantly recognized it as the same handkerchief Kouna had returned.

Even with his arm cut off, the man locked his eyes on it. Not even thinking of defending against Davey, the man desperately tried to grab the handkerchief.

Slash!!

Of course, that reckless move earned him another massive wound. Longinus slashed his body, and the heavy scent of blood quickly filled the air between them.

“GAAAAH!! Cough!! Grrhhh!!” He rolled across the ground, groaning through the pain. Blood poured from his torn flesh as he struggled just to breathe.

Davey leapt forward and pinned him to the floor, slamming the spear down and aiming its tip at the man’s throat.

‘Just pierce his neck.’

The urge constantly screamed in the back of his head.

Just as Davey was about to do so, soft footsteps broke through the frenzy.

“A-Abel?” He heard a shocked woman’s voice.

In that instant, the maddening compulsion in his mind dispersed like smoke.

“Gah. Cough.”

Still straddling the broken man, Davey turned his head at the new voices.

There stood Aina and Perserque.

Perserque’s eyes were wide open, and she stared like she was possessed, her lips trembling. “Abel... Is that you?”

‘What the hell is she talking about? Why would this guy be Abel?’

Davey looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

Abel was still a baby that could barely open his eyes. There was no way she could be serious.

Yet Perserque stumbled forward, slowly walking toward the man pinned beneath Davey. She stared at his face.

True, Davey acknowledged, the two looked similar in a way. However, he didn’t have the same dark hair Abel had.

Still, Perserque dropped to her knees and called out again, “Abel...”

The moment Davey was about to tell her to stop and back away from the dangerous stranger, the man began sobbing.

Surprised, Davey’s gaze snapped back down.

The man on the ground, beaten and battered while covering one eye with his only remaining hand, was biting down hard to keep himself from crying.

Davey found himself speechless for a moment, finally asking, “Are you really Abel?”

The man didn’t answer. Yet Davey could finally tell, without a doubt, that the one he had underneath him was he and Perserque’s only son, born after countless struggles.

He was Abel O'Rowane.

Soon, an immense energy began to swirl around Abel.

“G-Graaahhh!!”

A violent force wracked his body, as if trying to erase an anomaly. It was the world's law itself, a part of Goddess Freyja. The force of absolute rules that knew no flexibility.

It sought to twist and crush his existence. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“Davey!!” Perserque screamed.

“Stand back.” Without time to think, Davey unleashed the power of the Primordial Predator. It was the force capable of slightly interfering with the world’s laws.

He reached into the crushing force that enveloped the so-called Abel and began to tear it apart without hesitation. His own body began to shift, morphing into its neutral, formless state under the strain, but it didn’t matter.

If it really was Abel, then there was no way he could just let such a thing happen to him.

The backlash was intense, and the laws tried to push him away. Nonetheless, Davey dug deeper, drawing out more power, and tore through the destruction trying to erase the man.

“Dammit!!”

Crack!!

After letting out a final roar, he finally ripped it away completely. Breathing hard, vision blurring, Davey closed his eyes as if about to pass out.

Then, he stared blankly at the man lying before him for a moment before looking to the side and asking, “Perserque? What are you saying? Abel? Really?”

“I don’t know... I don’t know...” Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him. “But the moment I saw him, I felt that he was Abel...”

Davey couldn’t help but wonder if maternal instinct was really that strong—strong enough to make her recognize her grown son at a glance.

He let out a hollow laugh.

Bzzt. Bzzt.

Just then, the communication artifact finally reconnected, and Josiah’s voice came blaring through, out of sync and full of urgency.

- Teacher!! You can’t kill him! No matter what!! I don’t know what he really is, but he’s definitely connected to Abel and Kouna, and even my own power too!

Davey slowly turned to gaze at the man. He saw the severed arm lying on the ground nearby.

He had cut it off.

Perserque’s voice; Josiah’s cry; the boy the world’s laws were trying to erase.

If it was the aftermath of some kind of time leap, then Davey had just sliced his own beloved son’s body, tried to kill him, and eventually took his arm away.

He staggered backward, pressing one hand to his forehead.

Aina moved beside him and gently supported his shoulders. “Maybe we should start by reattaching the arm.”

Her quiet voice pulled him back. Davey flinched, then slowly nodded.

The overwhelming compulsion to kill had long since vanished.

He stumbled upright and reached for the severed arm, drawing it toward him.

Then, he nudged aside Perserque, who was still clinging to Abel, and held the limb beside the wound. “I-It should be fine if we just reattach it with some spit or something.”

The way Perserque then stared him down hurt him immensely.

He wanted to say that it was even stranger to recognize a complete stranger so quickly!

Yet the guilt, the feeling of having wrecked his own son’s body with his own hands, engulfed him whole.