The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 949

The blue dragon Karma struggled desperately to rise, but the mysterious dragontongue magic kept him down.

[Krrgh!! How dare a mere human…?!]

“Did you not hear what I said?” Davey asked calmly as he took the divine dragon sword Twilight from Evangeline.

“Your heart.”

[...]

The ominous battle energy surrounding them grew heavier, pressing down on everything.

“How much does it weigh?”

[What nonsense are you barking about?!]

“Nonsense? You still don’t understand the situation, do you? If your hearts weigh as much as I need, I’ll spare the rest of you.”

As he spoke, Davey drew two swords from his waist and combined them into a single longsword.

“Though even if I gathered all your hearts together, it still wouldn’t be enough.”

A strange blue and red glow emanated from the blade, resonating with him. Moments later, Super Ribbon materialized.

“Father.”

“Stay with Evangeline. She must be terrified.”

Super Ribbon nodded silently in acknowledgment.

“Super Ribbon?” Evangeline said with a trembling voice.

“It’s okay. Father is here now,” she reassured her. Her blue-red hair fluttered as she gently embraced Evangeline.

A surge of holy power then poured out from her avatar, forming massive, pure white wings behind her. The wings unfurled, enveloping Evangeline in a flawless protective barrier.

“I’m sorry, but you all…” Davey said in a low voice. “Won’t be leaving here alive.”

Boom!!

At that moment, the black dragon Karrella staggered forward, unleashing a powerful breath attack straight toward Davey. The dark breath devoured and erased everything it touched as it sped toward him.

But right when it was about to hit—

Slash!!!

The attack split apart, scattering into nothingness.

[What?!]

Dragon breaths weren't something that could be severed by mere energy swords. Though, if one’s Aura Blade was absurdly powerful enough, splitting a weak breath attack might be possible—but a true dragon’s breath wasn’t something that could be cut through under normal circumstances.

[Impossible!]

Before Karrella could even finish processing what had happened, her gaze met Davey’s. A chilling fear gripped her as she tried to break free from his dragontongue restrictions.

Swoosh!!

But faster than she could react, a crimson blade flashed through the air, severing one of her wings.

[What?!]

Thud!!

Karrella crashed back to the ground. Her pupils trembled violently as panic set in. The other dragons lay subdued, unable even to manifest their true forms, much less stand.

She knew this wasn’t normal—something must be terribly wrong. She couldn’t understand how a mere human could dare toy with noble dragons in such a way.

[Ah… Aaagh!!]

Karrella, writhing in agony, froze as her eyes locked once more on the human, who had suddenly closed the distance between them. She inhaled deeply, feeling the instinctive fear of death.

It wasn't right.

Humans were insignificant beings—there was no way a full-fledged dragon could be overpowered by one. The dragons that fell to dragon slayers were usually arrogant fools caught off guard.

But the human in front of her defied all norms.

‘He’s too strong… Impossibly strong!!’

His presence was overwhelming, beyond comparison even to the elders they served and the monarch, one of the two Dragon Lords.

Of course, with this many dragons gathered, not even an elder-level being could manage the situation. However, her instincts screamed that the being in front was neither an elder nor on the level of their lords.

[W-Why… does someone like you—]

She knew that it wasn’t the time to worry about whether or not Davey was a mere lower being. If this man wanted to, they would’ve all died on the spot. Resistance was futile.

[W-Wait! Could it be…?!]

Finally, Karrella realized a terrifying possibility—perhaps this place wasn’t just an ordinary human settlement.

And this human…

[Are you… a dragon elder?!]

If he was a dragon elder that the moderate faction had hidden away like a secret weapon, that would explain why she couldn’t recognize him, and why he possessed such mastery over dragontongue.

But her thoughts were cut short as Davey walked leisurely onto her and placed Super Ribbon against her forehead.

“I’m human, you foolish lizard.”

Squelch!!

The black dragon Karrella, the oldest and strongest enemy present, was a full-fledged dragon highly valued even in the eyes of the elders. However, she ultimately met her end without even a chance to resist.

The ease of her death was almost absurd. With her execution, the remaining dragons were thrown into complete panic.

It violated all they knew to be true in the world.

Karrella, of all dragons, had been defeated by a human with utmost ease. Despite not being able to comprehend what had just happened, their instincts screamed for survival. They had to live and escape to report this to the elders and the monarch.

They suddenly understood why Rudelite had chosen such a place as a hiding spot. They assumed that he must’ve considered it the safest place he could be, with an ally.

Of course, they were wrong.

If the moderate faction and this human were ever to join forces… the radical faction—the ones branded as Fallen Dragons by their kin—would face inevitable annihilation.

[O’ g-great and powerful one… Have mercy… please…]

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A red dragon, trembling with fear, lowered its head in submission. With all pride having been shattered in the face of a mere human, survival was the only thing that mattered.

They had come here in secret, without the elders knowing. There was no one to save them.

“Mercy, huh? Fine. I’ll forgive you,” Davey said. He abruptly lowered Super Ribbon, its pristine blue and red blade unstained by a single drop of blood.

But keeping the blade in hand as he faced the cowering dragons, he added, “The real question is… will that one forgive you?”

Davey gestured behind him with his thumb.

There stood a massive black dragon pinning Rudel down with a single claw, effortlessly holding him in place.

It seemed like a dragon, but it wasn’t quite consistent with what they knew. Its crimson eyes gleamed with an otherworldly malice, evoking a primal fear. And yet, such a fierce and powerful creature was being controlled by a human.

It was on a different level compared to the dragon elders.

The sheer absurdity of the situation sent chills down their spines. They knew that as long as it had the slightest inclination to kill them, they’d be done for. The dragons continued to tremble in fear.

“Finish off the riffraff, Megalodria. Keep the bodies intact, and don’t cause too much damage.”

[Hmph! As you wish, Contractor!]

[A-Aaahh…! Uwaahhh!!]

The full-fledged dragons cried at the top of their lungs.

* * *

Rudelite’s eyes finally opened late into the night.

"Am I... dead?" he murmured, staring at a ceiling that felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Slowly, he checked his body for his debilitating injuries.

The idea of defeating Karrella while suffering fatal injuries was absurd, though his memories of the battle were hazy at best. He had stubbornly clung to his polymorphed state, refusing to reveal his true form, although that was rendered a little pointless when it was still revealed that he was in the middle of his game.

Even so, he had resisted manifesting fully. As a result, he'd suffered fatal wounds, reaching a point where he could no longer hold out.

In the end, Karrella—part of the fallen dragons faction—had taunted him so provocatively that his reason snapped, forcing him to release his polymorph and show his true form in all its glory.

That was where his memories ended.

Even in his true form, fighting five dragons in such an injured condition was a hopeless endeavor. He could only reasonably conclude that he was now dead.

“Ah! Rudel!”

At that moment, the door burst open, and the young lady he had fought so desperately to protect rushed in.

She ran to his side, eyes filled with tearful worry as she peered down at him.

“Are you okay, Rudel? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“M-My lady?” Rudelite muttered in disbelief.

He had prayed for her survival. It didn’t matter that she was human, or that they hadn’t known each other long—there was something warm and comforting about her presence.

But in the end, it seemed she had died as well.

He couldn’t believe how cruel fate was.

Grinding his teeth, his body trembled as he lowered his head.

“My deepest apologies, my lady. I couldn’t protect you.”

“No, no, it’s okay! Daddy came to help!”’

“…”

“Does it hurt anywhere?”

His eyes shot open.

‘Hurt?’

He wasn’t in any agony, though a few small aches lingered throughout his body. But… he shouldn’t be able to feel pain after death. And more importantly—he didn’t know if it was even possible to meet like this after dying.

Suddenly sitting up, he looked around.

“My lady… where are we?”

“We’re in the guest room,” Evangeline replied with a soft smile. “You were really hurt, so I begged Daddy to help you! But after that, he scolded me for wandering around recklessly,” she added with a sheepish laugh.

Watching her grin, Rudelite lowered his gaze to his hands.

“What… happened?”

He hadn’t died. Then, there was only one explanation…

“You’re alive, lizard.”

A cold voice interrupted his thoughts.

“…”

The door opened, and a figure stepped inside.

“Your Highness?”

“Oh, so you’re still calling me ‘Your Highness’ even after your little game got shattered?”

His question made Rudelite flinch.

“It’s fine,” Davey continued, “It’s not like anyone didn’t already know you were a dragon.”

his eyes widened in disbelief. “W-What do you mean…?”

“I knew from the beginning. Evangeline, Rinne, even the half vampire—they all saw through your disguise. But you seemed to think you were hiding it pretty well, so we just let you play and went along with it all. It was kind of amusing, honestly.”

Rudelite fumbled for words, clearly flustered. “You knew… from the start?”

“Yep. I knew that you were the owner of that lair from the very beginning.”

‘So he knew, yet still went to loot all my personal treasure?’

Rudelite began to contemplate the implications, but he knew that wasn’t the main issue at hand.

“Then… what about that whole thing about killing dragons on sight…?”

“That was just a warning. I didn’t want you to suddenly manifest and wreak havoc just because your little game got inevitably ruined.”

Rudelite let out a hollow laugh. Something still felt off.

“That… That can’t be. A dragon’s game… once discovered…”

“They’re supposed to wipe out everything connected to it, right? Normally, you’d fully manifest and sweep through the entire Heins Territory. Am I wrong?”

“N-No… You’re right.”

If he had known things would turn out like this, he would’ve remained as the dragon Rudelite from the start instead of playing his game. Now, because of a series of poor decisions, he found himself in a situation where he was supposed to kill everyone.

But he was still fine for some reason.

If a dragon couldn’t fulfill their sacred oath and obligation for their game, there were only two outcomes: either the dragon died, or everyone involved died. Failing that, the dragon would go berserk and lose its sanity, becoming a mad dragon. That was the core of a dragon’s pact—their unbreakable promise.

Yet there he was, completely intact. In fact, he felt entirely normal.

“About that… it’s probably not an actual pact.”

Rudelite widened his eyes in shock. “W-What…? That can’t be…”

“Have you ever seen a case where a dragon became a mad dragon just because their game was exposed?”

“Y-Yes. I’ve heard of such cases in the past…”

“Have you seen it happen yourself?”

The answer was no, of course. Very few dragons ever got caught, and those who did were usually reckless fools who got themselves killed in the middle of trying to cover up their mistakes.

“That claim of inevitable death and unavoidable oaths is, frankly, a straight-up lie. It’s probably just a restriction the elder dragons put in place to keep you lot from causing chaos in the mortal world. It’s not really an official binding pact.”

His jaw dropped to the ground, stunned into silence.

“Well, now that you’re exposed, there’s no helping it. Don’t worry—I’ve now taken all the dragon hearts I need, so I won’t be taking yours. And one more thing…”

Davey flashed a sly grin.

“Even if it was just a game, you tried to protect Evangeline. I should reward you for that,” Davey said as he approached Rudelite, placing his hand on his shoulder.

“Consider yourself lucky. You’ve earned the right to my help—just once.”

Rudelite blinked, seemingly unable to grasp the weight of his words.

“W-Wait a moment! Are you saying that even the young lady recognized what I was?”

Davey stayed silent.

“I felt it—she’s different from humans. I can’t really put it into words. When I’m near her, I can’t control myself as well as I normally can.”

“That’s interesting,” Davey said with a faint smile. “If you say so, then it must be true.”

He turned to leave, his demeanor calm and composed. Rudelite watched him go with a face mixed with confusion and unease.

“Who… What are you, exactly? If you can handle five dragons so easily…”

“Do I not look like a human to you?”

“Well… you seem human, but… it doesn’t feel quite right.”

“Do you know what humans’, no, hornes’ greatest strength is?”

Rudelite hesitated, unsure of how to answer.

“Evolution.”

In other words, growth. At this point, even for a dragon, dismissing humans as lower beings seemed unjustifiable. From the moment that a single human had managed to subdue multiple dragons by himself, the rules of the world had shifted.

“U-Um… Rudel, did being near me hurt you?”

“N-No, young lady! It’s not like that at all…”

“Hehe, that’s good then.” Evangeline smiled and hugged him, gently patting his back.

“I’m sorry for what happened. It’s all my fault. I was so stubborn about picking that fruit…”

Rudelite chuckled softly.

‘She reminds me of my sister. It doesn’t matter what she is, or why I feel this way around her. The game’s already shattered, so as a dragon, there’s no reason for me not to just stay by her side.’

“It’s fine. From now on, I won’t just stay by your side as the human mercenary Rudel. I’ll protect you as the dragon Rudelite.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Honestly… I know I’d regret it too much if I just left. I’ll stay by your side until the day you grow old and…”

Before he could finish, Evangeline pouted slightly, cutting him off.

“Hmm… That’s probably not going to happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not human. I may be Daddy’s daughter, but I’m the child of an ancient dragon, so… I’ll live for a long, long time. Way longer than even most dragons.”

Rudelite stared at her blankly with eyes that had shrunk to the size of tiny dots.

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thoughts

…Alright, I'll admit it. I didn't expect that kind of resolution, but mostly because it seemed too ridiculous lol. The over-arching fatal oath is just a play by the elders to keep them in line, and prevent destruction on middle earth? Bro, the oath basically says “You better destroy fuckin’ everything once you're done.” That's not environmentally friendly at all 😭 I get that it’s to keep people from knowing dragons exist, but come on. I don't think there's a SINGLE time in my life where an authority figure gave me a reasonable order/rule, then I DIDN’T immediately push slightly past it just to keep myself sane and rebel against the man. These dragons are silly af