The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1291.1

Whether Parthenon could read all of the remnant memories of Thanatos remained full of uncertainties. After all, the remnants of Thanatos up in the Spirit World were utterly ruined.

When Parthenon reunited with Thanatos in such a wretched state, it felt both pitiful and satisfying.

[What a pathetic sight.]

There lay the agglomeration of the sly and cunning god, who once claimed the goddess had abandoned them and proposed vengeance. The same one who changed Parthenon’s own race so it wouldn't be protected by the promise the Goddess had given them, just to eliminate every possible variable.

Parthenon hated them, but it wasn’t as if it couldn’t understand what Thanatos had felt at the time. That didn’t mean it pitied them, either.

Thanatos had made their choice, just as Parthenon had. It had once died because of that choice. It also ended up joining hands with its once former enemy Davey.

[Are you listening, God of the Abyss? If our fallen kin can set foot into the light, then I’ll join hands with anyone.]

[You used me however you pleased. I don’t regret it, but, just as you used me, I doubt you’ll complain if I use you in turn.]

Parthenon began to resonate with the third moon, where Thanatos’s power was gathered.

* * *

It had been four days since Davey left for the Spirit World. The scheduled duration had already been long from the start, so no one found it particularly surprising that he was still gone.

The demons had declared war. The sudden appearance of beings no one had seen or heard of before along with their declaration had thrown the entire continent into chaos.

Their biggest problem was the lack of information. No one knew what they were; how powerful they were; where they were positioned; how large or dangerous their forces might be; or even when they’d strike.

No one knew anything.

Naturally, the International Federation was in disarray. It wasn’t something they could easily dismiss. The condition of the Haetan Kingdom and the current crisis in the Holy Empire served as proof of just how dangerous those entities truly were.

“This is all because of the traitors!”

Those two priests of the Holy Empire, Roam and Auxiliary Bishop Tophenne. They were literally being beaten down as traitors who had sold their souls to demons.

Locked up in the Holy Empire’s underground prison, Priest Roam was screaming in madness, ranting about the current situation. Tophenne, however, showed no signs of life, as if he were already dead.

Some argued they should torture the two in order to extract information about the demons, yet for some reason, the Holy Empire only responded that punishment would be handed down after going through the proper procedures.

Others insisted they should ask the one person with the strongest presence on the continent, Davey O’Rowane, for help in dealing with the monsters. The fact that Davey O'Rowane had not stepped forward only deepened the confusion.

Naturally, the person receiving the most questions was Baris. Representing the Rowane Kingdom, Baris attended the International Federation meeting and silently listened to the bickering humans with closed eyes and a calm expression.

Some of the people present were from newly emerging powers, while others had long maintained their positions.

“This is ridiculous! If the Holy Empire continues to be this uncooperative, how are we supposed to work together?” one of them complained.

Another agreed, asking, “Is this really the time to argue about pride? Our enemy just declared war on the entire continent! Have you already forgotten the past wars with the liches and the demons?! While we may not know our new enemy’s exact power, if they’re on the same level, the entire continent is in grave danger!”

“Which is why we need to torture those traitors captured by the Holy Empire!!”

“More importantly, where is Saint Davey?! If we had his power, it’d all be fine!!”

Baris watched the escalating arguments and let out a bitter smile. His eyes then slowly opened. “My brother will not be directly participating in this war.”

“Excuse me, WHAT?!” one of them screamed. “Then how are we supposed to stop them??”

Baris made a dumbfounded expression. “Minister of the Venta Kingdom, let me ask you something. Is my brother a vassal of the Venta Kingdom?”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I said. My brother is already acting personally to prevent this war from escalating. I cannot share the details, as they are classified, but I can assure you he’s doing everything he can to stop the war. And yet...”

Though Baris was the youngest person in the room, the atmosphere he gave off made everyone flinch. “You’re all just clinging to him, begging for help. How do you expect the Rowane Kingdom to interpret that?”

“T-That’s not what I meant. You’re misunderstanding me.”

While the Rowane Kingdom might’ve been a small kingdom in the past, thanks to the Heins Territory’s development, it now possessed immense power.

In contrast, the Venta Kingdom was still just a minor kingdom with little to contribute.

“In that case, if Heins Territory doesn’t step in, I suppose we’ll have to handle this war with our existing forces,” Emperor Sullivan of the Pallan Empire murmured grimly. “To think our defense relying on one person would turn into this...”

Even as an emperor, he understood all too well the extent of Davey’s power.

Based on his instincts, the crisis was at least as bad—if not worse—than the past wars against the liches or demons. In fact, the reason he thought that way was because of the information he had received from the Grand Emperor of Contas. He wasn’t sure if the others realized the severity or not.

Meanwhile, the Grand Emperor of Contas didn’t attend in person, instead appearing via a communication crystal, arms crossed. He spoke up in an arrogant tone, “First of all, we don’t even know the enemy’s numbers or scale. We can’t predict their routes of attack, either. However, our Contas Intelligence Division has uncovered something interesting.”

“Something interesting?” one of them asked.

“Yes. Recently, we’ve detected a large-scale migration of bizarre living beings, unlike anything we’ve ever seen on the western continent. I’ve already sent for a messenger with documents detailing the matter.”

He raised a hand, and following his signal, someone entered from outside. A man dressed in Contas Imperial attire respectfully saluted the emperor and placed an artifact on the table in the meeting hall.

“This is?”

The emperor answered, “This is information confirmed by a warrior unit that was sent to investigate the monsters reported by local herbalists.”

Soon, high-quality footage began projecting from the artifact. When they saw the video, everyone went silent, faces stiffening.

What they saw in the display didn’t exactly qualify as monsters. The beings shown in the footage were far too bizarre and uniform to be classified as simple monsters. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“No one knows where such living beings came from. However, based on their movement patterns, we believe their attack will be aimed at three locations, namely the Great Empire of Ming in the west; our own Contas Empire; and the small southwestern kingdoms currently in disarray.”

He arrogantly crossed his legs. “By now, you should understand that the most endangered region is the group of small kingdoms in the southwest. Therefore, I request the central and eastern regions dispatch forces to support the southwestern kingdoms in preparation for the war.”

After finding out they weren’t the primary targets, those from the central and eastern nations let out sighs of relief.

“Very well. We’ll send ten thousand troops from our side,” one of them committed.

“Our nation is currently suffering from severe population decline, so we cannot send troops, but we’ll provide some military supplies,” another assured them.

Simply avoiding becoming the main battlefield was enough for most of the kingdoms of the central and eastern continents. Until the situation became clearer, none of them was willing to commit fully.

It wasn’t just selfishness, of course. They each had done their own calculations for the optimal choice to protect their citizens.

As they subtly watched one another and discussed how much aid to provide, a king with a curled mustache cleared his throat and asked Baris, “By the way, will the Rowane Kingdom be sending any soldiers? I hear your country has grown quite wealthy thanks to Heins Territory. Hmmm.”

Watching him stroke his mustache in an annoying way, Baris finally understood what Davey meant when he often spoke of his distrust of people.

He sternly answered, “The Rowane Kingdom will not be dispatching any troops.”

Murmurs spread through the room.

One of them offered, “Well, I suppose there could be reasons that make it difficult to send soldiers.”

Still, some didn’t like the fact that the Rowane Kingdom, on the rise as of late, was responding so passively.

No one said it outright, though.

“Then will you at least be providing war supplies? Of course, no one here would deny how much Saint Davey O'Rowane has done for the continent. So I support the Rowane Kingdom’s deci—”

“No. We will not provide supplies, either.”

Gasps rippled across the hall at his statement.

“What? You must be joking, King Baris.”

“This is no joke. We will not be sending troops or supplies.” Baris’s firm tone left no room for argument, and some fell silent.

“May I ask for an explanation, King of Rowane?” The first to openly show anger was the Grand Emperor of Contas. “I understand and appreciate what Davey O'Rowane has done for the continent so far, but he was the one who insisted we unite in this crisis. Yet, not only is he absent, now Rowane refuses to even offer help?”

He sounded angry, but some noticed the glint of interest in his eyes. In fact, the corners of his lips were slightly curled.

“Yes, well, I suppose my explanation was vague. The Rowane Kingdom cannot spare soldiers at the moment. However, we plan to dispatch some forces, in accordance with a suggestion left by my brother.”

Not soldiers. Not supplies. That left only one possibility.

“No way...”

Baris announced, “We plan to dispatch a portion of Heins Territory’s forces.”

Many nations across the continent prided themselves on their power. Yet even so, they wouldn’t dare lay a finger on Heins Territory.

Just a few years ago, it was a land with only a handful of residents. Since then, it had become the strongest military force on the continent.

It was a powerhouse that held the most overwhelming force of them all.

“Then, who exactly from Heins Territory is being sent?” one of them asked.

“There hasn’t been an official report from Heins Territory yet. However, even with just a portion of their forces, they’ll be more effective than a conventional army.”

No one would dare dispute the might of Heins Territory. No one said a word.

The Grand Emperor of Contas spoke up, sounding intrigued, “So then, when can we expect their deployment? If it’s Heins Territory’s forces, I’d like them to support not just the southwestern kingdoms, but also our own empire.”

“By asking ‘when,’ that’s not quite accurate,” Baris responded.

“Hm?”

“They’ve already departed. The enemy has begun to move, after all.”

Just as he said that, the doors to the conference room burst open, and someone came running in.

The reports that followed left the room in shock.

“Urgent report!! A massive force, presumed to be the monsters, has begun advancing and attacking the border fortress of the Hassan Kingdom!! Additionally, forces are moving along the borders of the Contas Empire and the Ming Empire! Also northern Pallan in the central region!”

The expected invasion routes they’d predicted meant nothing. The enemy had appeared out of nowhere and begun attacking from all directions.

War had erupted all across the continent, all at once, shattering any plan to focus their forces in the western region.