The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Yun Hee-Ryeong, who had attacked Davey, seemed unaware of what she had done. However, it seemed that her memory as the Princess of the Abyss was beginning to return. Kain had mentioned that her death could trigger her awakening. That was the reason Davey had not killed her. If she were to awaken on her own like this, there might be no need to keep her alive. However, he couldn’t dwell long on such thoughts..

"Miss Yun."

His polite call made her look up at him in surprise. She tried to speak as she stared directly at him, but she could only utter a single word. "You..."

"What would you do if your existence endangered this land to the extreme?"

"What... are you talking about?"

"It's exactly as I've said. Do you remember that ugly tentacle monster I just killed?"

Davey showed her a piece of jewelry that had been attached to Perserque’s attire. He slightly imbued mana into it, and the gem on the jewelry started to shine.

It was a Video Storage Mana Stone. In Tionis, it could be bought with money, but in this world, it was an item so rare that most people never saw one in their entire life. And the stone that Davey was showing to her contained a video of Oedon attacking him.

"What is this...?"

"It's a record of what happened earlier."

The fight with Oedon was not properly recorded due to the flashes. However, a very brief video frame captured Yun Hee-Ryeong attacking Davey after the strange voice that followed Oedon's death.

"What... what is this... you're saying I attacked you?!"

The person attacking Davey in the last frame was unmistakably her. Her complexion paled as she watched the video, as if watching it drained her life.

"There's no way this can be true, is there?" She laughed incredulously. "Ha..."

Her tone was heavy with bewilderment, showing how she could not comprehend the changes happening to herself.

"Tell me... you know, don't you?"

"..."

"What is happening to me?"

"I'll put it simply. It's not something happening to you."

Ka-Boom!!!

A mighty explosion resounded not far away, where the three Divine Beasts were threatening the army of the Country of Hwan with their overwhelming pressure. In Tionis, the power of the three Divine Beasts was slightly stronger than a Sword Master, which in this place would only be slightly above the Transcendent realm. But in the martial artists’ homeland, their powers were amplified two or three times over.

"It's not happening to me, you say?"

"That's right. You're just returning to your true form."

She looked at him with a dumbfounded expression and pointed to the corrupted swamp. "You’re saying I'm like those monstrous creatures?! I’m human! I am Yun Hee-Ryeong, and I am the first disciple of the Heavenrend Sect!!!"

"Yes, you're Yun Hee-Ryeong."

"Then...!"

"Before you were Yun Hee-Ryeong, you weren't born a human."

She faltered at his statement.

"I took you with me because I didn’t know how much destruction you would cause to this land once you regain your memory," Davey continued.

It was highly dangerous to say such things to her, but Davey had grown to respect the spirit of her human form.

"Just a while ago, you briefly remembered a part of it and attacked me, following your instincts."

"Who are you… exactly?" Hee-Ryeong asked.

"Someone who is at least waging a war against those things."

She smiled weakly as she fell down to her knees in resignation. "I'm... a monster..."

‘What was she thinking?’

It might seem like a cruel act, but eventually, she would come to realize herself. The likelihood that Yun Hee-Ryeong's consciousness would remain after awakening as Isildi was slim.

"Just tell me one more thing," she said with a determined look on her face. "If this goes on, will I wake up as a monster like that one?"

"Probably. The Princesses of the Abyss each sought to completely destroy the world they arrived in."

The more the Princesses of the Abyss destroyed the world, the stronger the influence of Thanatos, the God of the Abyss, became.

Goddess Freyja allowed Davey to manifest the Power of Taboo; in return, the Abyss could interfere. Before obtaining the Absolute Gem, the declining influence of Goddess Freyja was something Davey inevitably had to accept.

"... Is there any chance I can maintain my consciousness after awakening?"

"Honestly, I'd say there's none."

Yun Hee-Ryeong nodded. "Ja-Seong and Hee-Ah will die by my hands..."

"Yes. The first one to come to you after hearing about your awakening would probably be that guy."

Ja-Seong was just the type of person who would do that. He was a kind young man who was terribly considerate of his family. Even if his strength did not allow it, he would fight for and stand by his family until the end.

"Ah... what in the world..." Yun Hee-Ryeong remained silent for a long while, seemingly unable to gather her thoughts.

"Davey, is it really okay to tell her all this? What if she awakens?" asked Perserque.

"It's the least I can do to show mercy."

If there was any sign of awakening, Davey intended to use all his power to kill her before she fully awakened. However, Yun Hee-Ryeong had not yet awakened as Isildi. Or rather, her previously unstable mind began settling down.

"What can you do?"

"What?"

"Can you... kill me?" Her eyes were welling with tears when she lifted her head. "Your words seem absurd. Yet, I cannot wholly dismiss them. After all, I have no memories of my childhood... And what happened just now, I truly have no memory of it either.”

‘No memories of childhood?’ Davey was puzzled, focusing not on the lack of memory but on something else.

"All I remember are my master from the Heavenrend Sect and a few inexplicable memories. My master took me in when I lost my memories, and taught me how to read and the martial arts of the Heavenrend Sect."

[A child full of worries, huh. Child, would you follow me?]

It was an offer that Cheon Geum made after plenty of consideration, and Yun Hee-Ryeong did not refuse it.

"The Heavenrend Sect and my master are my current goals and my everything. Ja-Seong and Hee-Ah are also my precious family. They are like my only kin. But if I transform into such a monster, threatening them and tarnishing my master’s reputation..." She looked up at Davey as though she had steeled her resolve. "Help me."

Davey saw the determination in her face.

"You have a solution, don't you? That's why you’re telling me all this."

"Does it seem like that?"

"I will do whatever it takes. So help me not to become a monster."

Davey said nothing in response to the vague plea.

"I was actually thinking that killing you before you awaken would be the cleanest and most straightforward solution."

"Do I have to die?"

"Because we don’t know when you’ll awaken."

"If I awaken, are you going to kill me?"

"If it was easy, there would be no reason for me to tell you all this."

She chuckled lightly. "Even though I may not be who I think I am, to become as strong as yourself... It's tempting."

After voicing her vain thoughts,her expression became empty as she continued to speak, "I don’t want to die..."

Then in a despondent voice, she muttered, "Not yet... I don’t want to die just yet."

Yun Hee-Ryeong had no memories as the Princess of the Abyss. Right now, she could be considered just an ordinary human. Yet, her nature did not permit her to live like one. The moment of change for her had begun when she clashed with Oedon. The thing had targeted her as well as Perserque for some reason. Davey speculated it must have interfered with her mind in a way he did not detect.

"Sniff... I don’t want to die..."

Eventually, Davey felt a pang of pity for the sobbing girl. Which was probably why Perserque approached him and firmly held his hand.

"Is there... no way out?"

"No."

If Davey could control the power of the Abyss, maybe there could be a way out. Regrettably, he could only analyze the power of the Abyss because he had no talent in harnessing it.

"All I can do is make sure you don’t suffer."

"..."

After a long bout of crying, when the storm clouds created by Megalodria finally stopped pouring rain, she spoke slowly in the midst of the storm’s aftermath, "Please."

"Alright." Davey slowly raised his sword.

[Do not kill her!!!]

An abrupt shout made him stop swinging his sword.

[Her death indeed is the trigger for her awakening! I have found a way to prevent her from awakening!]

The voice that spoke was the offspring of Neltarid. Kain had called.

"Speak."

[You control peculiar entities called Divine Beasts, right?]

"Yes."

[Neltarid is on Earth. And Earth was once like this place called Heavenly Central Plains, right?]

"Get to the point, damn it."

Kain grumbled bitterly.

[Please summon the last of the four Divine Beasts. Then, borrow their power to invoke the Core Divine Beast.]

The Core Divine Beast was the king who controlled the four Divine Beasts, Yellow Dragon. It was the Divine Beast superior to the four and a force to rival the King of Mythical Beasts. Because of the circumstances and Davey's own power, it was impossible to summon it, so he'd only pondered the concept.

"How?"

[Summon it using her power. Have you forgotten what her nickname is?]

Water Dragon Swordswoman. Indeed, she was exceptionally strong in the element of water.

‘If that’s the case...’

"You sneaky bastard. Are you telling me to cheat?"

[Isn't that what you do best?]

"You're dead on."

Calmly, Davey immediately drew a few empty enchant scrolls from his Pocket Plane. He also grabbed a quill, which he used to inscribe runes. Once he was through, he threw the scroll into the air.

"What... what are you doing?!"

"I'm going to extract your power. You need at least a minimum amount of power to awaken as a Princess of the Abyss. So, for a start, I’ll completely drain your power to delay the awakening."

The task of sealing her would come later. Davey crafted several talismans and set them afloat, then he fiercely clapped his hands together.

"Come forth, Ellaim."

Woosh!

Water droplets began to converge in mid-air as if they were waiting for him to call upon them. A considerable amount of spirit energy started to flow out, and gigantic streams of water came together,which then formed the image of a colossal woman in the air.

[Didn't I tell you not to call me Ellaim!]

Three Spirits were bound to Davey.

Ellaim, the King of Water Spirits.

Gnoass, the King of Earth Spirits.

Lastly, the King of Fire Spirits Ifrit, who possessed Lavatein.

But Ellaim was enough for the thing Davey planned to do.

"For how long can you make this place chaotic?"

She looked at him with displeasure as she replied sourly,

[Would you like me to cause a flood?]

"Keep the heavy rain going."

She grimaced. Then as if on cue, a verdant light began pouring down from the sky. With the conditions set in place, the most influential god, Neltarid, started to bestow blessings upon Davey.

Crackle!

Of course, the stigmata of Goddess Freyja resisted, but it eventually calmed down.

Whoosh!

As the tremendous rain fell, Davey started to feel some of the talisman’s power. The Divine Beast of Water,the Black Tortoise, required a significant amount of natural water energy to be summoned. It was known as the most complicated Divine Beast to summon among the four.

However, with the blessing of Neltarid, Ellaim's power, and the energy of Yun Hee-Ryeong, it was worth the attempt.

[To the one born at the dawn of time and who fed on water, I address thee.]

Unusual voices began to echo from Davey. It was a ritual to summon a Divine Beast. Yun Hee-Ryeong, feeling her qi draining from her body, turned pale and looked at Davey.

"You won't be able to use martial arts anymore. Is that okay?"

"If it means not becoming a monster..."

"What if I lied?"

"You're not a liar."

She sounded so certain that it made Davey chuckle. Sometimes, it was better to give up power than to die. Davey then turned reverent and solemn as he prepared to summon the last of the four Divine Beasts.

[Turtle, o turtle. Raise your head.]

[Or else]

[I'll cook and eat you.]

His voice, containing both light and heavy tones, drew together the dense water energy around them. Usually, this was where it would fail.

Woong!

The blessing of Neltarid, the god from Earth who knew the Divine Beasts so well, shielded him and protected the surroundings while the being that gained power from numerous wishes of humans, the Black Tortoise, started to reveal itself.

“If you are the eldest, hurry out now!!”

A massive water sphere began to form in mid-air and something inside flashed—it looked like a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

"Wow... This is actually working."

Now, there was no reason to be concerned about either the Country of Hwan or that of Yu.

A presence exuding a glorious glow and fierce energy began spreading from the water. A mysterious being whose mere presence made it appear even more divine than other Divine Beasts appeared with its majestic body of a turtle and its tail similar to a snake’s. It seemed like the natural result after using such a massive amount of power to summon it in this dimension rather than elsewhere.

Then, Davey extended his index finger—cautiously, since a good interaction with the entity was essential—and as he reached out,the yellow light shone on him.

Swoosh!

The head of an enormous turtle emerged from within the water sphere.

Crunch!

And it bit Davey’s entire body all of a sudden.

‘Ah...’

The Black Tortoise had a habit of biting anything that came near it, which was a trait shared by all of the Divine Beasts. And like Davey’s master, Woochi, who had taught Davey the Divine Beast summoning magic, the Black Tortoise had terrible manners.