The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 968

The Storm Dragon King Megalodria was often regarded as the wisest among the Mythical Beast Kings. At that moment, however, it couldn’t help but feel that its title was now outdated.

[Damn it. I got too complacent.]

It had toyed with its prey for too long, ultimately allowing it to slip away. If Shandra Minea or Behemoth found, they’d surely roll on the ground and laugh hysterically.

[Damn it. If Behemoth finds out, I might not be able to lift my head for centuries.]

It’s possible that the insufferable groundburst dragon Shandra Minea, who constantly vied for the title of the wisest Mythical Beast Kings, would mock it and keep claiming to be smarter. The mere thought sent a wave of uncontainable rage through it.

‘How dare it escape from me!? That wretched lizard!’

Of course, the truth was that its own arrogance and carelessness was what had allowed it to happen—it had nobody to blame but itself.

[I am untethered and my rage knows no bounds!]

Its fury soon turned into a storm that shook the entire forest, the sharpened will created dozens of tornadoes that swept the monsters within. The hypersensitive winds engulfed the forest, and Megalodria’s eyes flashed dangerously.

[There you are!]

Megalodria then surged upward, becoming a streak of light that left a deafening sonic boom in its wake. The shockwave overturned the ground around it, snapping even the sturdiest of trees.

While its crimson-black form streaked across the sky, a storm breath gathered in its maw. It resembled the breath attack of elder-level dragons, yet its overwhelming power was incomparable.

[How dare you run from me!]

At its roar, thunderstorms blanketed and struck the surroundings, spreading ominous dark clouds across the sky. His appearance resembled that of a final boss, but Megalodria paid no mind to such trivial thoughts.

[You’ll pay for this with your puny li—]

It abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

Ssss... Boom!!!

A brilliant light exploded before it, instantly dousing its burning rage. What should’ve been that damned golden lizard turned out to be something else entirely! Standing in front of it wasn’t the prey it had been chasing, but instead a massive figure resembling a bipedal lion.

Megalodria was momentarily baffled, though its instincts soon realized that the wounded lion humanoid was a constellation.

It was one of those beings that its contractor Davey had been hunting.

[What do you want?]

Outwardly, the creature resembled a beastfolk, bearing the traits of a lion despite not being a lion itself. The entity before seemed to be what a lion walking on two legs would be like.

Rather than replying, the lion—whose eyes seemed to contain countless stars—silently extended its fist, revealing an object within.

It was a brooch. Specifically, one used to fasten a cloak.

* * *

After wiping out the secondary dispatch team of the fallen ones, Davey had secured the corpses of nearly twenty dragons. After routinely sealing them in stasis for storage, he returned to the Dragon's Nest.

In the central plaza of the Dragon's Nest knelt three dragons bound by magical restraints.

One of them was Kaiser, the green dragon elder and known traitor. Another was the dragon Davey had knocked out immediately before, back when they met in front of the moderate lord’s temple.

And the last one...

“I hate dumbbells... I hate muscles...”

A female gold dragon was gnawing on her shackled claws with a crazed look in her eyes.

‘She’s clearly not well.’

While it was well known that dragons often had eccentric personalities, her case seemed unusually severe.

“What’s her deal?”

Facing Davey’s question, Hovana shrugged.

“No idea. She’s been like that since the moment she arrived here.”

‘She’s been like that from the very beginning?’

Davey wondered what could’ve happened to her. Then, as he turned to search for answers, a realization suddenly dawned on him.

“Ah...”

He immediately understood why she was acting the way she was.

“I absolutely cannot let Killer Rabbit anywhere near her.”

Standing nearby was Taurus, whose presence seemed to encapsulate the entire universe. It gave Davey a thumbs-up with both hands when he glanced over.

Beside it stood an orc that he hadn’t seen before. However, judging by his sheer size and muscle mass, the orc seemed leagues above its ordinary kin.

“You said outsiders aren’t allowed in the nest, but look at this—those two are here just fine.”

“I brought them because they seem to have some connection to you. Besides, they’re the ones who subdued Elder Kais and his sister, Kaina,” Arti, the younger one of the black dragon siblings, explained.

Davey let out a sigh and nodded in acknowledgement. Still, whatever Taurus was doing still didn’t make any sense to him.

Taurus was the only constellation cooperating with Davey—voluntarily, no less. For that reason, he wasn’t going to harm it on purpose, but that also didn’t mean he was entirely comfortable with its presence.

“Anyway, this isn’t the time for idle chatter,” Elder Marin suddenly said, rising from his seat.

“Is something wrong?” Davey asked.

“We were able to get Kaina to reveal that the fallen ones have sent a second wave—there’s still a secondary dispatch team to deal with!”

Davey recalled the two blue dragons he’d captured having mentioned something like that. Kaina had provided the coordinates for the secondary dispatch team to use spatial warping.

‘So that’s who they were talking about.’

“I was wondering who that was. So, you captured her?” Davey asked.

Taurus nodded in confirmation. Then, it excitedly pulled out a dumbbell from who knows where and approached Kaina. She immediately began screaming and thrashing wildly.

“Stay away! Don’t come any closer!!”

“What the hell did you do to her? What could reduce a dragon with such strong mental fortitude to this pitiful state?”

“All we did was try to teach her the greatness of muscles,” the orc chimed in.

“And you are...?”

“Greetings. I am Tsu, the Great Orc Chief!”

‘Tsu?’

Davey then recognized him as the orc who served as a vassal of the Lyndis Empire, holding the title of Marquis while leading the orc tribes.

He had met him once before, at the Lyndis Empire banquet where he had first encountered Aeria.

“I’m Davey O’Rowane.”

“I know the name! Not only that, but I’ve heard you’re the closest friend of this magnificent brother of mine!”

Grand Orc Chief Tsu gestured to Taurus as he spoke. It silently nodded, confirming the statement.

“Closest... friend?”

“That’s what Taurus said! Though you may not have an abundance of muscles, the firmness of your strength is beyond words! You’ve undoubtedly honed your body through immense effort—truly admirable!”

Davey furrowed his brow.

“Do you seriously understand what this guy is saying?”

“Does a conversation between muscles need paltry words?!”

“...”

‘These freaking idiots...’

While Davey made a face signaling how pathetic the two seemed, Evangeline, having been standing nearby, seemed so disturbed that she instinctively hid behind him. Meanwhile, Rinne’s eyes lit up with fascination.

“Incomprehensible mechanism. Rinne evaluates this unique form of communication highly.”

It seemed some switch in her mind had been flipped.

Kaina, who had been scouting for a location to summon the secondary dispatch team of the fallen ones, had intruded into the orc tribe’s territory, intending to eliminate them in passing. However, she was instead subdued by the constellation Taurus and Great Orc Chief Tsu.

Afterward, Tsu’s son told him about Killer Rabbit, whom Tsu now regarded as his newest muscle brother. As he and Taurus were dragging Kaina along the way, they had coincidentally encountered Kais as well.

Kais had been attempting to hunt down some orcs returning from a hunt nearby. Seeing him, Taurus and Tsu had... Well, suffice to say they took care of Kais.

“This whole thing feels like one big coincidence,” Davey muttered.

He couldn’t help but question just how strong this orc was. Tsu appeared to be a master-level or above, which was already remarkable for an orc, but even so, that level was far below the likes of the Grand Duchess Kathryn and leagues beneath the elder-level dragons.

This could only mean that Taurus was the one who had subdued Kais.

“You’re getting stronger by the day, aren’t you? It’s not just my imagination, right?” Davey asked, squinting at Taurus.

In response, Taurus began gesturing enthusiastically, and Tsu translated its movements with an exaggerated tone.

“He says that ever since our arm-wrestling match ended inconclusively, he hasn’t missed a single pump session! Oh, how could there be such an incredible existence! You are truly the epitome of a great warrior!”

“Alright, alright. I get it. Now, back to the secondary dispatch team. You said they’re coming soon?”

At his words, the dragons around him nodded, their expressions turning grim.

“If we have your help, we might be able to stand against them. Although, I’m not too keen on receiving help from outsiders...” the black dragon elder Opal finally admitted.

Despite being an isolationist in terms of policy, he wasn’t foolish enough to ignore the dire situation they found themselves in. He recognized that the survival of the moderate faction depended on this alliance.

“Hehe... That’s right, they’re on their way. When the secondary dispatch arrives, it’ll be the end for you. Among them are not only members of our kin, but also powerful dragons summoned from other realms! No matter how strong you think you are, can you really withstand that many of your own kind?”

Elder Kais, still bound, shouted with confidence upon seeing the expressions of the other dragons.

It was a bold display, but Davey casually waved his hand before immediately deflating his confidence.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. It’s already been taken care of.”

“What?”

Everyone’s faces were plastered with confusion.

After all, the reason Davey had originally left the Dragon’s Nest was to rescue Myuu, not to obliterate the secondary dispatch team. Yet there he was, claiming to have wiped them out.

“T-That’s impossible! Even if the monsters surrounding you are formidable, most of them were here while you were gone! There’s no way you alone, a human, could’ve subdued the secondary dispatch so quickly...!”

‘Ah, so this one doesn’t know that I took care of all the dragons that attacked here yet.’

Davey figured he must’ve assumed that Rinne or the Mythical Beast King had done the work.

But that was just wishful thinking on that man’s part. Davey didn’t feel the need to correct him.

“It just happened to work out that way.”

“How could you possibly have known where they would appear?!” Kais spat, incredulous.

He seemed genuinely shocked, considering that the rendezvous point for the secondary dispatch had been kept a complete secret to prevent any enemy preparation or ambushes. The fact that Davey had found and annihilated them was a difficult fact for him to process.

“I found them by chance.”

And it truly was a coincidence. Who could’ve predicted that two of those dragons would be foolish enough to target Myuu?

All in all, Davey had completely neutralized their efforts twice.

“This can’t be... Our hope and ambition, planning for centuries, all undone by a single human!”

The moderate faction dragons also looked as stunned as the fallen ones.

“Your Highness... Is this true?”

“It’s a bit of a coincidence, but yeah, that’s how it turned out.”

“Hah... How anticlimactic,” Rudel sighed heavily, slumping in exasperation.

“Hahaha... Was it supposed to be this easy to win the war? Honestly, things worked out so smoothly that it’s a bit unsettling,” Hovana chuckled nervously.

“Human! You truly are our savior!” she exclaimed gratefully.

Davey then turned his gaze toward Elder Opal, who was fidgeting awkwardly.

“W-WWhy are you staring at me like that?”

“You don’t have something you want to say to me?”

“Well, I...”

“Come on. You’re grateful, aren’t you? In the end, you benefited from this, did you not?”

“...”

“Then surely, there’s something you’d like to say. The magic words.”

His teasing tone made Elder Opal flush in red with embarrassment.

“T-Thank you, human. I will not forget this debt.”

‘Ah, how satisfying.’

His face turned even redder as Davey smirked, but fortunately he didn’t press further.

With the biggest threat—the secondary dispatch team—now dealt with, the atmosphere among the dragons in the nest shifted dramatically.

The previously worried moderate faction dragons smiled in relief, while Elder Kaiser and Elder Kais darkened with despair.

Meanwhile, Kaina was still muttering about her hatred for dumbbells and muscles while gnawing at her claws. Davey couldn’t help but feel some form of sympathetic relief that she hadn’t run into Killer Rabbit and Taurus again. The thought of those two muscle-obsessed lunatics confronting anyone sent a shiver down his spine.

Leaving behind the dragons, who seemed ready to celebrate, Davey stepped out of the nest. He reached out his hand to make his way to the Saint Sanctuary.

But then, the presence of something unusual caught his attention, making him stop and turn.

“When did the constellations awaken? The stars are silent.”

Except for Taurus, the other constellations had been dormant. Davey had been monitoring them periodically, making him certain.

Yet standing before him now was Megalodria, accompanied by a figure radiating the same power of stars as Taurus—a constellation.

[The one who silenced the stars. I request an alliance.]

A humanoid lion approached Davey.

“Alliance? What kind of nonsense is this?”

In response to his skepticism, the being silently grabbed onto something.

[We were originally created to take part in the Nebula War under the will of the Central Star Zodiac. However, due to a certain entity, everything has gone awry.]

“Your war isn’t my concern. But, just curious, who interfered?”

The humanoid lion with stars embroidered on its body nodded, slowly unfurling its massive hand that was larger than Davey’s head to reveal an object.

[More than three constellations have been subjugated. The beings you’re fighting here are merely one of the problems she has created.]

“....”

The troublesome dragons were a byproduct of this entity’s interference? And now the constellations themselves were abandoning their original purpose, seeking an alliance with him?

He couldn’t figure out who this “entity” was. But the answer became clear the moment he saw the item in its hand.

[This belonged to that “entity” in another world.]

The item was a brooch. But Davey knew that it wasn’t just any brooch—there was only one like it in existence. He knew exactly who it belonged to.

“So you’re telling me...”

Davey furrowed his brow.

“That this shady dragon civil war happening right now... is because of Odin?”

‘You expect me to believe that?’

By the time Davey came to his senses, he had already crushed Leo with pressure, his eyes glaring down mercilessly.

“Don’t you dare play tricks on me. If you’re lying, I promise that you’ll get what’s coming to you.”

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.

The intangible yet form-bearing constellation Leo was overwhelmed by the authority of Predatory Assimilation flowing from his entire being, unable to resist.

Yet, even in that state, he clearly conveyed his intent.

[You are not mistaken. She called herself the Demon God Odin. Even the Central Star Zodiac could not withstand her power, and the balance of the stars was distorted because of her too—all of this chaos was caused by her! I was the only constellation who managed to escape her grasp, which is why I have come to you for an alliance!]

The situation was so dire that they had to seek help from a being with divinity; a being powerful enough to kill constellations.

Davey clenched his fists tightly.

‘So, Odin was at the root of all this? And for some reason, she began to spiral out of control and subjugated the constellations one by one? The constellations, realizing the severity of the situation, abandoned their own war and turned to me for help?’

If this was true, then it explained everything—the presence of dragons originally from the Yosh Continent, and the inexplicable developments in the dragon civil war.

If she, the one who governed dimensions, had truly fallen to corruption...

“Are you sure it’s really Odin?”

[Without a doubt. She distorted and destroyed everything with a face devoid of emotion. And she did it all under the command of a single man.]

‘What the hell were the other heroes doing while Odin was committing these atrocities?!’