The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1290

Before being handed over to Davey and returning to middle earth, the zenoen Parthenon received a farewell from the goddess.

[My goddess, I cannot accept this.]

It found it somewhat puzzling that just being taken into the Goddess’s embrace had been enough to ease the obsessive rage and resentment it had.

Now, in the midst of all that...

[Are you telling me to betray my own people? How could you give such a cruel command?!]

Its protest and frustration were justified.

Yet, the goddess shook her head. Then, she slowly raised her tablet. Unlike the goddess Parthenon had known, her gestures and tone carried a vivid intensity.

[I want to make them apostles of the divine.]

They had gone mad from being abandoned for so long, but there was one thing that could never be overlooked. The reason for their madness was their endless yearning for the goddess.

[Then, if we call them back...]

[Their souls have been too corrupted, along with their bodies. With my current power, I can’t fully turn them into apostles.]

The goddess was omnipotent, but she was also in a state of rest. The noble being standing before Parthenon was merely the avatar of the goddess during this resting phase.

The divinity called the Saint of Tionis was a being she had gone into the past to summon.

[Goddess...]

[I'm sorry. I should’ve purified you much earlier...]

Parthenon felt tears well up at her apology. However, at the same time, it understood. The goddess hadn’t simply abandoned them all this time.

[Goddess... have you been waiting all this time?]

[There is a future I must see, even if I wish I didn’t have to.]

There was no reason to believe her. No justification to let go of its anger. Yet even if her words were nothing but a sweet deception, it couldn’t argue against it. Instead, it accepted it.

[If that is your will. If you can truly save us this time.]

It was because she was none other than the goddess, the one they had desperately sought and cried out for. He wanted to believe in her just once more.

[Nonetheless, working with that divinity bastard is not something I welcome.]

Of course, that was just a personal feeling, separate from everything else.

* * *

The saying that siblings were born to fight didn’t seem so far from the truth.

It turned out the reason the two fought was that Abel had provoked Evangeline. Having experienced it firsthand, Davey could somewhat understand.

After giving them a long scolding, Davey let out a sigh and watched the two of them trudge back to their rooms with gloomy expressions.

While he couldn’t tell them to get along, as long as there was some form of familial affection, that was already enough.

“Tell me the method you thought of,” Davey asked the small, orb-shaped soul in front of him.

The failed world, and the existence of the zenoen.

The goddess had poured deep affection into their creation when shaping the world. Because of that, they had been born with considerable power.

Parthenon, the zenoen, remained silent, offering no response. Davey spoke firmly, “I won’t ask why you suddenly decided to help Goddess Freyja. But if you try anything stupid, it won’t end well.”

Only then did the soul begin to flicker.

[First, I’ll explain the promise between the zenoen and the goddess.]

“Hm?”

[I'll tell you why we can't be killed by those with divinity, and how we can be killed by them.]

Now that Davey thought about it, there were many odd things.

After all, it wasn’t the first time he had seen demon races. Yet never had he ever seen one that he couldn’t kill, like Parthenon.

[After the goddess created our failed world, she made a promise to us. She swore to us zenoen that she would never abandon us.]

“And?”

[We were deceived by Thanatos, and thus turned into the demon race. As a result, we no longer received the goddess’s protection. You actually killed one of my subordinates like that, if I remember correctly.]

Its words brought back the memory of the mad demon that had possessed the emperor of the Nacha Empire.

“That thing... it really did die, huh?”

[That’s exactly what I want to talk about. My subordinate was loyal, but the side effects of becoming a demon drove it insane.]

“For someone who was mad, it did a pretty decent job getting you to safety.”

[That was just a miracle born of loyalty. It didn’t even understand why it had to do it, but it did it anyways. Still, we’re getting off track. In the end, my subordinate was killed. Normally, not even a servant should’ve been killable by your power, but it definitely died.]

Davey’s eyes narrowed at the scolding tone. “What’s the reason?”

[Because it was a demon. Thanatos had her eyes on us zenoen for the immense power we possessed, but we were uncontrollable since those with divinity couldn’t kill us. So, she came up with a solution.]

“Creating the demon race?”

[There are other reasons, but practically speaking, Thanatos’s true goal was to put a leash on us, downgrading us into beings that could be erased by divinity. The simple method used was to make us into something other than zenoen.]

Once corrupted into a different existence, the restriction that kept beings with divinity from killing them disappeared. That was probably why Evangeline had shown such intense hostility to it at first, only to stop abruptly later. It also explained why no one else had been able to track it down.

[Outwardly, it may have seemed like Thanatos wanted to mass-produce powerful beings, but in the end, their original goal was achieved. We became immensely powerful beings who could be erased at any time by divine power.]

Parthenon had yearned and raged for so long that it had most likely become difficult for it to make a clear judgment.

“So what you’re saying is, you want to convert all the ones that came out of your body into demons?”

[Correct. That way, they can be erased.]

“But you didn't die.”

[My case is a bit special, don't worry about it. Right now, your task is simple—turn them into demons.]

“And then you’ll deal with them yourself?” It was such an easy yet utterly irresponsible statement. “You sure talk easy, you son of a bitch. You realize this whole mess is your fault, right?”

[Shut it. Do you have a better plan? Of course, someone will have to hold them off before they’re fully corrupted into demons. But you’ve probably thought of that already.]

Its proposal was definitely straightforward, and coldly logical. Davey’s side had no desire to let the damage keep spreading.

However, Davey could already see three issues with the plan.

“You’re trying to convince me with juicy results, but they lack a solid foundation. How the hell do you plan to demonize all the ones that came from your body? And even if that’s possible, how are we supposed to track them down when they’ve already gone into hiding?” And one more thing. “How do I trust you?”

If it actually worked, it could bring about the best outcome with the least collateral damage.

However, trust was a different matter entirely.

[You're right. Your suspicion is valid, and that’s a very real concern.]

It had no eyes, yet Davey felt like it was staring straight at him.

[But I have decided to trust the goddess one more time. Just the fact that her promise still holds after all this time proves it’s worth believing.]

‘Damned goddess fanatic.’

Davey sighed. Still, since it was a fanatic, it might at least be worth trusting for the time being.

Even if the odds of winning the war were on his side, he had the duty to minimize the damage along the way.

[As you know, thanks to the goddess’s promise, we zenoen are nearly immune to the power of divinity. Conversely, we don’t have that kind of protection from those who don’t possess divinity. Especially that blonde woman by your side. She’s probably the greatest threat to our kind.]

“Hm.”

[But even then, the other zenoen are not perfect. In fact, there’s a good chance their strength has weakened since the last time I knew them. It’s manageable, and as long as you buy some time, that’ll be enough.]

Facing its proposal, Davey closed his eyes. “Fine. I’m not exactly fully onboard with it, but I can’t expect things to be perfect. So, what’s the method for demonizing them?”

[You should have a moon that’s made from Thanatos’s remnants, right? I heard it’s in the Spirit World.]

“Yeah.”

[Take me there. I’ll need to read Thanatos’s memories.]

The point was to transform the rampaging Zenoen into something other than Zenoen.

[Those of my kind broke away from me. They were probably affected by Thanatos’s mutation too. They might not realize it, but a mutation created by a being with divinity wouldn’t be so mild. Or perhaps the reason I was able to undergo metamorphosis in the first place was only that so many of my kind were dormant inside me.]

Before it even finished its sentence, Davey nodded. “So if you read Thanatos’s remnants, it’s possible we can succeed?”

[We won’t know until we try, but there’s still time. We’ll need to make sure everything is prepared.]

The collaboration with the enemy to stop the war with the Zenoen began in an instant.

* * *

There were many who could become key forces in the coming battle. Still, they weren’t the most important power to Davey. Instead, it was the ones who could be reached through the underground ant tunnels at the southwestern tip of the continent—the demons.

Davey had come to meet Arita, the young demon who currently led the demons in his place as the Demon King. Ignoring the wary glances from the other demons, he looked straight at her.

“Let’s take this chance to change your fate.”

“You show up out of nowhere and just start saying stuff like that?”

Even if they were wary because he was human, the truth was that things had recently started to improve in the Demon World, making it hard for them to openly pick a fight with him. Besides, he was also their Demon King.

The biggest reason behind the change was the sun having begun to rise in their territory. Such a change was thanks to the power of the World Tree and the disappearance of the ancient magical beasts.

Her reply was blunt and to the point. “Well, fine. I owe the Demon King for making this place livable, after all.”

“A reconciliation between demons and humans. That’s the future I envision,” Davey told her.

“And why exactly should we reconcile?”

“How long are we going to keep fighting while piling up misunderstandings? Do you think demons are worse than elves or dwarves?”

Her expression immediately changed when her pride was lightly prodded. “Alright, the Demon King must have his reasons. Still, we’re not so carefree that we’ll fall for that kind of cheap provocation.”

Davey couldn’t help but laugh. “You probably already know that I’ve built a village in the southwest where humans and demons coexist.”

“I do. It’s meant to one day become the foundation to change how people view demons.”

“Exactly. But this war is a way to speed that up. Besides...” Davey paused briefly, then made her face the reality of the situation. “The zenoen don’t care if you’re human or demon. Just trust your Demon King.”

She said nothing at first, and her expression didn’t look pleased. After all, the fate of the demons rested on her decision. “I’ll think about it.”

“When you’ve made your decision, contact me through this artifact, and I’ll send your forces to the battlefields of your choice. Whether they’re demonic beasts or demons, it doesn’t matter. Cooperate with the humans, because our enemy right now isn’t each other—it’s the zenoen.”

She didn’t respond.

Even with her not saying anything, Davey knew that the idea of helping humans wasn’t something she could welcome easily.

* * *

There were only a handful of humans who could enter the Spirit World.

[It’s a human!]

[Another human’s here!]

The spirits who noticed Davey's presence chattered away, just like they always did.

Ever pure and cheerful, the spirits had once come close to collapse for certain reasons. Yet, ever since Davey had stabilized the Spirit World by lifting the moon Thanatos up and sealing it away, they now viewed him in a friendly light.

[Hm? Contractor, what brings you here?]

The one who appeared the moment she sensed his presence was none other than Ellaim, the Water Spirit King. She instantly formed her shape and appeared before Davey.

“It’s been a while, Slaimmy.”

[Don’t call me by that stupid nickname! Anyway, what are you doing here? You haven’t even summoned me in forever.]

“If you haven’t been summoned, that just means things have been peaceful. Anyways, I need to get to Thanatos. Can you open the path?”

Hearing his request, she made a surprised face.

[The third moon? Do you have business there?]

“Yeah. Something awful’s going on in middle earth.” Davey gave her a quick summary of the current situation and the zenoen. “You’ll be summoned, too. You’ll have to hold off those bastards rampaging in middle earth.”

[Alright, I’ll trust your word.]

Parthenon looked genuinely surprised that even the spirits placed such strong trust in Davey.

[What the hell have you been doing all this time?]

“Wouldn’t you like to know. That’s that, then. Demons are taken care of, the Spirit World’s handled, and the International Federation’s settled too.”

As for the International Federation, it seemed Baris had taken direct action, forming a military alliance with several nations, including the Three Empires. Considering the current situation had made the common enemy clear, it was the obvious outcome.

Ellaim soon used her vast spirit power to open the barrier that was surrounding the massive third moon, Thanatos.

With Parthenon’s soul in hand, Davey soared into the sky and reached Thanatos.

“Start reading.”

[A being who was once a god turning into a moon... Is this all fate? Just part of a great cosmic plan?] 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Quit rambling.”

[Fine. I’ll start.]

As Parthenon began to read the memories left behind in Thanatos’s remnants, Davey felt a powerful surge of vitality ripple from the massive moon.

* * *

“Damn it!! Goddamn it!”

“Parthenon, that traitor!!”

At the same time, the extremist zenoen who had broken away from Parthenon and cried out for vengeance against the goddess instinctively sensed what it was doing and panicked.

Of course they did. They knew all too well just how dangerous that being with divinity was. Now it was threatening to break the one promise that offered them protection from beings with divinity.

They’d been hoping to mass-produce forces for the war, but if that divinity restriction disappeared, then the war itself would lose all meaning.

As long as Parthenon existed, their location could be exposed at any time. Even in terms of strength, they had no way to win against that monstrous being with divinity.

They had no means of resisting demonization, either.

“There’s no time. We need to achieve our goal before it’s too late.”

“The monsters aren’t fully brainwashed yet! We haven’t reached the number we need,” one of them protested.

“Can we really afford to care about that right now? Move! First, we strike all of Tionis!”

They’d been asleep for far too long, and had no clue how much the world had changed. They were scrambling as they plotted their plan.

Timing was everything in wars.

If the zenoen could wipe out the humans before demonization took effect, victory would be theirs. Conversely, if the human side could hold out long enough, everything would collapse for them.

It had become a game of chicken.

However, with their preparations incomplete, the zenoen were at a severe disadvantage.

They also now clearly understood that besides the being with divinity, the human side had several other terrifyingly powerful individuals.