The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1291.2

The Hassan Kingdom was nestled along the bamboo forests of the Western Continent. Its outer stronghold, Kalium Fortress, was under attack.

Hundreds of soldiers fought desperately, weapons in hand, against a flood of invaders. They had been warned of an invasion on the continent, but they never thought it’d happen to them. Some hadn’t believed it at all. Yet, as fate would have it, reality hit them hard.

Kalium Fortress had barely five hundred stationed soldiers. Compared to other older fortresses, even that much was a considerable amount. Since it was located near the zone of evil, it had been assigned a relatively higher number.

Monster appearances were rare, so their gear was outdated, and their deployment was more symbolic than anything.

Even the soldiers and officers posted there had known that. They hadn’t really complained.

Now, though, the reality before them made them so furious that they wanted to deny it by any means possible.

“Captain!! They’re swarming from the west! But the walls are so outdated that we can’t hold them back!! We need more men!” one of the soldiers screamed.

“Damn it, how am I supposed to split five hundred even further?!”

He had five hundred men at best. Yet, in front of them, there were thousands of grotesque, freakish monsters.

“Shhhhkkk!”

“Guaaahh!!!”

They were drowning in despair.

A soldier stationed on the ramparts was wrapped up by a long tongue from below and yanked down in a flash.

Even the veterans who were used to all sorts of monsters could hardly identify what the hell was attacking them.

The enemies weren’t just twisted. They looked like they shouldn’t even exist. None of them showed the slightest trace of fear as they unleashed relentless attacks on the soldiers.

No matter how many soldiers cut down, more kept coming. It seemed as if exhaustion simply wasn’t a thing for these monsters.

Allied numbers kept falling, while the enemy remained strong. No one knew where the monsters came from, or how they’d slipped through the watchlines.

“Gaaah!!”

“Mamaaa!! My time has come! I don't wanna die!!!” One soldier, drenched in fear and piss, tried to flee—only to be devoured whole by a grotesque creature crawling up the wall. His weapon slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

The massive creature that seemed to be covered in mud reached out indiscriminately and devoured whatever it could grab.

The fortress wall was in chaos, with monsters and soldiers tangled together. It was a living hell.

“Don’t retreat! If this place falls, they’ll march straight to the capital! I repeat, don’t retreat!!”

It was a strategic location, so monsters from the zone of evil actually conquering the fortress was unthinkable. No one there had ever even heard of so many monsters appearing at once. The situation was nightmarish.

Centurion Ghast, defending the eastern wall, stood dazed. His longsword hung from his bloodied hand as he stared at the fortress’s surroundings.

Black smoke billowed, and blood sprayed from all directions. Screams echoed as stone walls crumbled with deafening crashes.

To top it all off, the monsters that appeared were so massive Ghast doubted whether they could even be taken down.

Even if they called for reinforcements, their small kingdom couldn’t offer much. The kingdom had already been weakened by ongoing conflicts with neighboring countries, and didn’t even have the strength to spare troops.

Ghast knew that if the fortress fell, the monsters would head straight to the capital. He was also certain that those idiotic pigs in the capital would never be able to stop them.

It was, truly, the worst-case scenario.

What Ghast didn’t know, however, was that it wasn’t just an isolated incident.

Whatever methods the zenoens had used, they had created monsters on a scale never before seen and launched simultaneous strikes across the continent.

However, the zenoens themselves still hadn’t appeared. Only waves of monsters pressed the offensive.

Some fortresses had already fallen in surprise attacks. Others, like this one, were on the verge. Most of his men were dead, and there was nowhere to retreat.

He couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

‘So this is how the impregnable Kalium Fortress meets its end.’

Feeling hopeless, he raised his sword toward the approaching monsters. His legs were trembling like crazy. No matter how ready one was, death was still terrifying.

“Kraaaggghh!!!”

The massive beast resembled a monkey. No, a deer. Well, its form defied explanation.

Nevertheless, it charged at him, letting out a monstrous cry.

Most of his men were already dead, and he was about to follow them.

‘At least we managed to alert the capital. Maybe those fat idiots will get enough time to run away.’

That was his last thought. He closed his eyes, bracing for the incoming pain.

Slash!! Clang!!

Suddenly, sharp metallic sounds rang in front of him. His eyes snapped open, only to see someone with their back turned to him.

A woman with beautiful golden hair was holding a massive longsword of gleaming silver. Her outfit, white and blue with reinforced metal plating, was clearly designed for freedom of movement. Everything about her gave the strong impression that she was a knight.

Her golden hair swayed behind her as she stood tall and composed.

Ghast stared at her blankly. “You are?”

However, the woman didn’t answer. Instead, she put a device near her ear and said, “I’ve arrived. Just as the reports said, these aren’t ordinary monsters. I’ll begin clearing the area.”

With that, her sword gleamed.

Across the continent, rumors swirled about Heins Territory.

Most of them sounded like fantasy, seeming too far-fetched to believe. Enthusiasts often said the same thing—that Heins Territory possessed a military force beyond imagination.

Of course, to outsiders, it sounded like a joke. Sure, they had a few Swordmaster-level figures, but it was hard to believe any claims of forces beyond those levels.

What they didn’t realize was that even excluding Davey, the forces within Heins Territory defied common sense.

As expected of a war that had started in a sudden ambush, there weren’t many places that had been properly prepared.

The central continent’s Tephris Kingdom was no exception. The enemy’s large-scale attack caused mass casualties in a short time.

The enemy’s command structure remained securely hidden, but even just these unknown monsters were more than enough to crush morale.

“Activiation initiated!! Reinforcements are arriving!!”

Compared to Kalium Fortress, their situation wasn’t as dire. Nonetheless, watching wave after wave of grotesque beasts—some as large as the castle walls—charge forward was enough to make them lose their fighting spirit.

Still, they knew that if they failed to hold the line, the resulting casualties would be devastating. The soldiers and officers thus fought with all they had.

Mages bombarded the monsters relentlessly, and archers fired until their hands tore apart. Even so, they were slowly being pushed back. The outer wall had already collapsed under their body slams.

The enemy had pushed deep into the inner walls, and the soldiers were left making their last stand. What they needed most was reinforcements.

However, no one had the capacity to send reinforcements in the middle of such a widespread invasion. The royal palace had responded, saying they would prepare backup, but they also said not to expect much.

If the fortress failed, the casualties would be unimaginable.

One general, his heart filled with worry, thought bitterly that whatever reinforcements they got wouldn’t amount to much.

The general, weighed down with concern, thought there probably wouldn’t be many reinforcements. Nevertheless, he hurriedly rushed out to welcome the incoming troops.

In a situation where they could use any kind of help, even the smallest reinforcements were a blessing.

“Heins Territory... The reinforcements are from Heins Territory! The royal palace confirmed it!”

That one line lifted the general’s mood sky high.

‘The famous Saint of the Continent himself is coming?! Then we’re saved!!’

Excited, he prepared to welcome the arriving saint. However, when the gate activated, the person who emerged completely defied expectations.

There were only two individuals, a young man with red hair and another with blue hair.

They weren’t the saint he knew. Nor did they look particularly powerful.

“W-Who... Who are you?”

“Ah! Pleasure to meet you. We’re reinforcements from Heins Territory. My name is Rudelite.” The young man who introduced himself as Rudel spoke without the slightest hint of tension.

The general himself was a seasoned Expert-level knight. In his eyes, the two young men didn’t seem particularly impressive.

‘So they’re the reinforcements from Heins Territory? Just two kids I’ve never seen or even heard of before?’

The disappointment hit hard, and the general didn’t bother hiding it in his tone. “As you can see, the situation here is dire. If you're only here for show, then I suggest you retreat immediately—”

“Rudel. I won, so get out there.”

Yet, the two young men seemed completely unbothered. Naturally, the general started to get irritated. “Hey! This isn’t something just the two of you can do—”

The red-haired boy, Rudel, calmly tapped the general’s shoulder and cut him off, “Yeah, yeah. Shut up already, human.”

His voice was low and composed. Coming from someone so young, the words were unbelievably arrogant. Yet, the general couldn’t say anything in response, because at that moment, it felt like every nerve in his body had been severed. He couldn’t move at all.

“Uh. Ugh!”

Struggling to form words, the general watched as Rudel stepped past him and frowned at the chaos unfolding along the outer wall. Then, he lightly stepped onto the ramparts. “Disgusting, even just to look at.”

“Y-You! It’s dangerous out there!!”

However, before he could even finish the warning, the general's jaw dropped. Rudel had leaped from the wall. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

‘Is he insane?!’

Not even a Swordmaster would survive diving into that horde of monsters. That was what the general thought, but he quickly realized how wrong he was.

The boy’s falling body suddenly flashed.

What the general saw next wasn’t a boy, but a massive dragon, covered in blazing red scales.

He’d never seen such a creature before. The sheer pressure it exuded left no doubt that he had to be a dragon.

Then, Rudel soared back into the sky, and intense heat began to gather in his mouth. Mere moments later, a massive pillar of fire scorched the earth, unleashing a hellish inferno upon the battlefield.

“These are Heins Territory’s reinforcements?”

When people thought of Heins Territory, they only thought of Prince Davey.

They had clearly said just reinforcements.

However—

‘Just simple reinforcements, and yet this is what we get? Then what about the reinforcements sent to the other regions? What kind of monsters have they received?’

As all sorts of thoughts raced through his mind, the general turned to the blue-haired young man left behind—the one who had casually chatted with the dragon.

‘Don’t tell me he’s a dragon too?’

Before he could finish the thought, the young man sighed at the sight of the monsters crawling into the inner wall.

“That reckless bastard.” At the same time, his body lit up as well.

That day, the general witnessed a dragon for the second time in his life.

* * *

Those who had heard about the reinforcements sent from Heins Territory to various parts of the continent assumed they would be, at best, Swordmaster-level individuals.

They’d scoffed, thinking it was all just exaggerated hype. Then came the endless waves of pure white rabbits, so many they could rival the monsters in number.

There was also the massive black dragon that stood on thick hind legs, tearing monsters apart with its bare claws.

A crimson terrestrial dragon; a colossal four-legged white-bearded whale so large no one could guess its true size; and even Spirit Kings—existences so overwhelming that they brought seasoned elementalists to ears.

A young girl no one had seen before used unfamiliar magic, ripping through hordes of monsters with shadows. Her power alone was enough to make it clear that the might of Heins Territory wasn’t overhyped. If anything, it had been underestimated.

A territory crawling with monsters like those? If the entire continent rose against them, they’d be lucky not to be wiped out in a day.

The imbalance of power was beyond extreme. Each individual was strong enough to annihilate an entire small kingdom on their own! Their very existence defied belief.

In a southern city-state on the Eastern Continent, a man and woman appeared.

“Hey, Abel. Your body is weak. Are you seriously gonna keep running around like this?” the woman asked.

“Sis, it’s you who should head back. I’m only fighting because I can’t go home until I’ve dealt with these things. Didn’t Father explicitly tell you not to participate?”

“Yeah, well, that’s him being overprotective. How long do you expect me to just sit at home guarding the house? I already posted my stream break notice and everything.”

Evangeline and Abel had also snuck out of the territory to join the fight, without their parents knowing.