The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 930. The Limits of Pressure

A petite figure, dressed in a slim, black mage’s robe with a comically oversized hat drooping well past her head, sat quietly at a pub downing her drink.

Despite her small stature, which made her appear far too young to be drinking, the depth in her uncovered eye carried a weight that far surpassed that of most adults.

Gulp... Gulp...

"Hey, missy. Everyone else is gone. How much longer are you planning to drink?" asked the old bartender.

"Mind your own business."

"Huh... Well, I’ll keep serving since you’ve paid, but I’ve never seen a young woman drink as much as you in all my life.”

"I don’t get drunk."

"Eh?"

The old man paused, looking at her more closely. She tilted her head back, chugging her beer with the calm expression of someone who had lived far too long.

"I can’t even taste it."

"Hmm... You feeling unwell? This here is one of Atrellia’s finest brews, fermented with mana stones."

"Bartender, fill ‘er up.”

"Well, aren’t you bold, drinking like this in the dead of night? What if you run into trouble? You look like you’re a little lady from a good family."

"A good family... hah."

The woman chuckled futilely.

"Old man."

"Huh?"

"Ring me up.”

She reached into her robe, pulled out something, set it on the bar and left.

"What is this...?"

What she left wasn’t ordinary currency. It was a small magic stone, glowing faintly.

"Hey, wait! A magic stone? You can’t pay with something like this!"

At his shout, the woman paused, glancing over her shoulder. The man froze under her strange gaze, mixed with sorrow and menace.

"It’s enough."

"Huh? What’re you talking about? Magic stones are controlled by the government; they can’t be even—what the...?! Hmph?!”

The old man widened his eyes as he looked down at the stone in his hand. The faintly glowing magic stone had transformed into pure, gleaming gold.

The amount was staggering—enough to not only cover the cost of her drinks, but also let him live comfortably for years. Even among the elite, no one would casually toss around so much gold.

Still in disbelief, the old man nervously bit into the gold to test its authenticity, wincing as his teeth left indentations.

It was real.

An inexplicable sensation washed over him as he watched her retreating figure. "Miss! May I ask your name?!"

For reasons he couldn’t explain, he asked the woman, whose presence carried a depth and weight beyond her appearance, for her name.

"My name, eh... Just..."

She paused briefly, her lips moving faintly.

His eyes widened, and he made a shocked face. As soon as he got himself together, he reached out his hand toward her. But unfortunately, she had already disappeared.

Not long after, a colossal beam of light shot up in the distance.

"That’s... where the Grand Tower is, isn’t it?"

* * *

"Davey..."

The girl clad in black, Milia, gritted her teeth audibly.

"Davey O’Rowane!!”

She stomped down with a force unimaginable for someone her size, the ground beneath her cracking and sinking. Using the recoil to generate more force, she launched herself at Davey.

Her first strike was immense, a mix of raw physical strength and precision. She followed up relentlessly with her colossal blade larger than her own body—swinging it at a terrifying speed.

She wasn’t a user of holy power. But under the special circumstances, she had control over enormous power due to some special power.

Clang!! Sling!!!

Davey countered her attack with Red Ribbon. He subtly twisted his blade, causing her to slide and throwing her stance off balance. Seizing the opportunity, Davey pressed forward, gripping Red Ribbon firmly again.

As the two weapons clashed, sparks erupted, lighting up the battlefield.

“Hmph!”

"Hold your breath."

[Devil Ylgr’s Crowd Suppression]

[Fierce Abdominal Strike]

Thwack!!!

Her body instantly folded in a grotesque “C" shape as she went flying, slamming into the ground.

The ritual, to honor the Moon Goddess Cryas, had been a trap all along. Yet, despite knowing that, they had been desperate enough to risk it.

Tap... Tap...

Davey slowly approached Milia and pointed his sword at her. She glared at him, her gaze filled with undying defiance.

"My only regret is failing to destroy you," she hissed.

"Where are you from?"

She didn’t waver, but after a moment, she spoke.

"Boltis."

"Boltis...?"

Davey narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. She was vaguely familiar, though he couldn’t quite place why. Even with his perfect memory, nothing surfaced, making him question if it was merely a coincidence.

"Boltis... So, did I kill your family?"

"You did," she spat venomously. "You killed my brother. I’m here to avenge him, to make you feel the agony of losing family."

"Strange. I don’t recall slaughtering the citizens of Boltis. But more than that, don’t you find this a little ironic?"

She narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Ironic? What do you mean?"

“Didn’t you want to show me the pain of losing family, all because your own suffering was so great?”

“And what of it?”

“Yet, people like you go on to mercilessly slaughter others?”

She let out a cold, bitter laugh at his words.

"I don’t seek salvation," she said darkly. "When I die, I’ll be thrown to the deepest pits of hell and suffer for eternity. I’m well aware of my sins."

"Then why—"

"If it means dragging you into ruin, it’s worth it."

Blood began dripping from her bare hands as she gripped Red Ribbon’s blade. Her eyes burned with relentless hatred, the kind that disregarded any consequences as long as she achieved her goals. Her unwavering determination left no room for concern about anything else around her.

"My older brother was a commoner, a mercenary who caught the attention of the royal palace for his swordsmanship. He was knighted for his skill."

"So?”

“He dedicated his entire life to supporting my siblings and I. He was the type of person who couldn’t just walk past an injured person or a vagrant on the street, not without giving them a loaf of bread.”

“And so?”

She widened her eyes at his cold response. Clenching her bleeding hands, she slowly pushed herself to her feet.

“You destroyed him. You shattered the hope of our family’s life!”

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Boom!

She let out an overwhelming surge of holy power. At the same time, she distanced herself from Davey. As she raised her hand to the sky, shining scales began to materialize, already visibly tilted to one side.

“Everyone, get out of here.”

Watching the scene, Davey calmly addressed those who were staring at him from the sidelines.

“Hurry... let’s go!”

With that, the mercenaries serving as escorts quickly began leading everyone away.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Milia glared fiercely, wrapping the holy power manifested as flames on her massive sword.

But then...

“Hey.”

“...”

Her body froze, as if paralyzed.

“Have you already forgotten who’s standing before you?”

Boom!

Davey kicked her, sending her flying. He maintained an icy look as he glanced at the stunned onlookers.

“What are you all waiting for? Get going.”

After his sharp command, they scrambled to flee. Once everyone had left, Davey turned his gaze back to Milia, who was slowly getting back to her feet.

“Of all the people I’ve killed, I have to admit there were some innocent ones. I’ve taken many lives—vampires, demons, humans, and miscellaneous others.”

His tone was calm, acknowledging what he had done. He lifted Red Ribbon and glared at Milia furiously.

Meanwhile, the scales began to shift, slowly leveling to find balance between the two. Davey began to feel its effect; a massive, unclear debuff weighed heavily on him. In contrast, Milia—despite the two severe blows she’d taken—seemed uninjured. In fact, her vitality only seemed to grow stronger.

With her massive weapon wreathed in divine conflagration, she fixed her glowing white eyes on Davey.

“What did my brother ever do to you? What could my kind-hearted brother have done so wrong that he deserved to die at your hands?!” she desperately screamed.

Then pure white particles of light began to gather around her.

Zzzt!

The luminous particles shot toward Davey at lightning speed.

Boom!

A massive explosion of holy power then erupted, engulfing Davey in smoke.

“That day... was my brother’s birthday. We’d spent days preparing gifts and planning a party to celebrate.”

“...”

"But what returned wasn’t my brother. It was his cold, lifeless corpse. You killed him. You!"

As the smoke gradually cleared, Davey emerged silently, fixing his gaze on her. Without hesitation, she screamed in fury, unleashing a flare of holy power.

The power she was displaying was far beyond her usual capabilities. Each beam of white light she launched was the equivalent of a devastating holy fire ball, easily ranked at the 8th Level or higher.

Bang! Bang!

Yet, she fired them at Davey as if she had no limit.

The power of the scales—it weakened her opponent while simultaneously amplifying her own strength. But it wasn’t as simple as equalizing powers. He suspected there to be more, as he figured her life to be far different from the seasoned warriors who had honed their skills over years of combat.

His suspicions were confirmed when he saw the blinding white force she began to summon next. Not only did the power of the scales debilitate her opponent and empower her, but she also absorbed energy from the souls she tore apart.

With such a setup, it was no wonder she could inflict damage even on Josiah. While she still didn’t have enough firepower to deal a killing blow, the Milia standing before him was undeniably far stronger than she had been before.

“Stealing your opponent’s power to make yourself stronger—what an unfair and downright petty ability,” Davey muttered.

“Answer me! What did my brother ever do to you?! Did you think it was fine to kill him just because you’re a noble? A royal?!” she shouted, her voice trembling with desperation.

Davey closed his eyes briefly. “Of course not.”

Boom!

He swatted the holy fire ball coming his way with his bare hands. He advanced toward her without hesitation.

“What?! How can you deflect it barehanded? I weakened you!”

Under normal circumstances, no one should’ve been able to deflect or neutralize her holy fire ball with their bare hands. Yet Davey managed it, unsettling Milia. Before she could swing her massive sword, Davey was already upon her, his fist clenched tightly.

“You’ve stolen some of my power, haven’t you? Then, I guess you should be durable enough to handle this.”

[Devil Ylgr’s Death Fist]

[Asura's Ultimate Godly Fist]

Crash!!!

The devastating blow struck her solar plexus, sending her flying. The shockwave didn’t end there—the very fabric of space behind her rippled and tore as the aftereffects wreaked havoc.

The Devil Ylgr’s combat techniques often had comically ridiculous names despite their overwhelming effectiveness. The disparity between their naming conventions and power made Davey question them from time to time.

Still, there were some techniques that didn’t have comical names. Those moves carried an accordingly clear purpose: to dominate an opponent without playing any games.

Unlike the earlier crowd suppression blow he had dealt to her solar plexus initially, this strike carried an entirely different level of ferocity. It tore through the terrain and warped the space itself. The completed Asura's Ultimate Godly Fist sent her spiraling, making her spew out black blood and tumble across the battlefield before crashing onto the ground.

“Hah... hahaha...”

Milia let out a bitter laugh, unable to conceal her feelings of despair.

“The Boltis Royal Family. Hyun Empire. Blue Empire!!”

“...”

“And so many others... The people you killed so casually—all of them came together, praying for your destruction. But even that has now failed, all because of my foolish decisions.”

“You said I killed your brother, right?”

“That’s right.”

She staggered as she rose to her feet. The strength she obtained from the power of the scales had protected her from dying. At the same time, an overwhelming force began to gather around her again.

Then, a holy magic surpassing the 8th Level began to coalesce around her, radiating ominously.

“Even if it costs me my life, as long as I can deal even a fraction of damage to you...”

Her eyes gleamed white as the condensed power started to spin violently. She unleashed all of it toward Davey.

Constellation Libra didn’t intervene directly in matters. It merely lent its strength, fulfilling the desires of those who sought its power.

Milia chanted while glaring at Davey.

[8th Level Punishment]

[Goddess’s Blaze]

The immense, scorching flames surrounded Davey, swirling violently to engulf him entirely. They burned so fiercely that it seemed no ordinary defensive magic could possibly repel them. Looking at the flames, Davey exhaled lightly, his expression calm. He then simply waved his hand.

[Dispel]

Crash!!!

“What?!” Milia screamed in shock, staring at him. “Dispel?! How did you dispel holy magic?!”

“Opposition, incompatibility... At the end of the day, it all stems from the same source. Didn’t you know?”

“...”

“Of course you didn’t. You gained sudden power in a rush; there’s no way you understood its depth,” Davey replied coolly, gripping Red Ribbon firmly on the hilt with both hands.

“This... this can’t be happening... This can’t be happening!!!”

The scales tilted even further. Milia forcefully began to manipulate them using the energy she extracted from the souls she tore apart. Then, her strength increased and his power weakened even more.

But Davey could sense that it wasn’t the end of her abilities. The constellation Libra was ruthless on its own, but in the end, the girl before him was the one who had orchestrated everything.

Glancing at the renewed white flames swirling around, Davey took a step forward and dashed toward her. His pace wasn’t fast, but deliberate and steady.

As he approached directly, Milia once again launched her flames at him. “Let’s see if you can block it this time!”

[Dispel]

Crash!!!

The flames vanished into nothingness once more.

The sound of shattering glass echoed as the divine conflagration suddenly evaporated, making Milia widen her eyes in surprise and fury once again.

“Aaaahhhh!!!”

Clang!

Davey closed the distance in an instant and struck Red Ribbon toward her. She raised her massive weapon to block the strike, letting out a desperate scream.

"You're so strong! You could’ve fought without killing anyone! Yet why?!"

Her anguished cry turned into a wail of sorrow.

War and conflict—there was no way to avoid casualties entirely, and the grief those losses brought was immeasurable.

Clang!

“The more power you draw out, the more it becomes mine in the end. Just die here! That’s how you’ll apologize to my brother for what you’ve done!” she shrieked.

Davey nodded slightly, his expression calm. “Fine. Take it all—if you can.”

The scales tilted sharply, forcibly draining even more of his strength. At the same time, her power grew—it was now a combination of her own strength, the power she stole through the scales, and the energy she drew from the souls she’d shattered.

“Die... die!! Just die already!” she howled, her growing strength pressing down on Davey.

The ground beneath them cracked and twisted, unable to withstand the overwhelming force. Her strength had reached a level where she could distort space itself with a mere swing of her hand. Such immense strength was far beyond what any ordinary human could wield—he knew that she’d eventually overpower him if it continued.

Yet, he kept strengthening himself to let her continue to draw his power.

Soon enough, the consequences began to show.

Crack... Creak!

“The... the scales?!” she shrieked in a voice filled with shock.

Davey let out a bitter chuckle. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that overeating isn’t good for you?”

“This can’t be! The scales can even contain the power of gods!”

“But in the end, it’s not yours, is it?”

Chiiing!

Despite Milia taking so much of his strength, Davey used his remaining powers to extend his fingers toward her.