The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

237. Davey O’Rowane

The place where Arbit resided was essentially the entrance of the Red Void. He was the gatekeeper guarding the area to prevent anything from escaping.

That was his role.

The space where Neltarid had been killed in the past had also been under his control.

"Be careful, my lord," Arbit warned.

"I’ve become a Saint and a Demon Lord; I’ll be able to make this place mine just the same,” Davey replied confidently.

Without further comment, Arbit quietly stepped back and began reciting an unintelligible incantation. As the strange language echoed through the air, the space around them began to tremble. A massive, unseen force gushed in their direction as if it was trying to make a gateway in the empty space.

Sizzle!!

“What is this place?” Davey asked.

“A possibility," Arbit answered. “I can only assist you for a short while. If you begin to dominate this space, the mutants will attempt to break free."

The method of controlling the Red Void was simple—just existing in the space was enough.

"So, what do I do here?"

"The power within your body is immense on its own. But the overwhelming forces spread across this space will resist you to avoid being dominated.”

"So?"

"Lord, you must survive. Survive until every force here surrenders and bows to you."

The burning earth was just the beginning. The Red Void held nearly limitless potential. Once Arbit disappeared, Davey reached out toward the red, burning flame.

He felt a harsh coldness.

"It’s cold?” Davey muttered, surprised. The flames, instead of burning hot, were ice cold. He couldn't help but laugh at the fact that the fire was cold. It flipped the very concept of heat having to be hot on its head.

‘Wait.’

"It’s cold?” he repeated, feeling the slight chill in his hand as he touched the flame. But it wasn’t just cold; it was a biting chill that penetrated even his invulnerable form.

"Wow," he muttered, frowning as he looked ahead. In the distance, an explosion went off and gravity began to distort. It wasn't being controlled by anyone—it was just the chaotic, uncharted rules and concepts of the Red Void running wild.

"The difficulty is no joke, right from the start," Davey said under his breath.

But there was another issue.

"Hrmph?!"

The power of taboo within his body suddenly activated on its own, spreading uncontrollably. As the power he had sealed now ran rampant, it came together with his Predatory Assimilation that he always maintained around him. ṙἈΝꝋBЁṤ

"Damn it. I need to get this under control."

His head spun, his consciousness beginning to blur as the madness of hunger clawed at his mind. Davey knew he might be able to contain the madness if he could fully absorb the power of taboo. But that was something he hadn’t been able to do, even with all the powers he had consumed so far—there weren’t many powers that could come together with the power of taboo.

He then thought about letting the madness just take him over. After all, in terms of survival, he believed that it’d be better for him to be driven by it.

But Davey quickly shook his head. Although he had taken care of the madness when he beat Thanatos, his goal wasn’t to destroy this space, but to dominate it.

Gritting his teeth, Davey trudged forward through the red, burning flames.

‘The power of taboo is the power of this space. The key to consuming and altering it lies here as well.’

Without hesitation, Davey stretched out his hand into the air. His Predatory Assimilation was ravenous, devouring anything and everything without discretion. He began consuming the concepts, forces, and particles that made up the Red Void, his hunger growing more intense with every moment.

His body trembled as his mind slipped away. He fell to his knees, hands pressed against the ground.

"Activate formation magic,” he muttered, summoning a magic circle to fortify his mind.

He only needed a moment—just enough time to get a grip on his sanity.

The new forces he devoured began to blend with the power of taboo.

Very slowly, they fused.

‘There we go! They’re starting to change!’

But it wasn’t enough.

Though he was absorbing the two mixed powers, the hunger from the power of taboo still clawed at him, pulling him deeper into madness.

‘It’s not enough. I need more.’

Driven by desperation, Davey continued to consume every element in the space, eating away at everything in sight.

‘I have to succeed. If I fail, there's only one last option left.’

In the worst-case scenario, Davey had already decided on a way to discard his Predatory Assimilation. Though the powers he had already absorbed would likely remain with him, any further growth would be impossible.

Cold sweat dripped down his face as he devoured everything he could, casting aside unnecessary elements and focusing on those that fused best with the power of taboo. At this point, everything unstable around him seemed like prey.

"Let’s eat first and figure things out later!”

* * *

The turbulent world stabilized and gradually came under control.

The cold inferno Davey encountered at first was only the beginning. Like piecing together an enormous puzzle, he consumed everything in sight, mixing what was necessary and compatible with the power of taboo. Over time, the power of taboo slowly weakened the maddening hunger caused by his Predatory Assimilation.

At first, maintaining consciousness was a struggle itself, but now it had become more of an annoyance—nothing more, nothing less.

Davey faced the cold hell for four days. After that, he spent a week in an endless desert. Though it was only the beginning, he suddenly thought about how long it had been since he’d slept.

His body, while not heavily reliant on sleep, was still susceptible to fatigue. It was only natural that the more tired he became, the more his physical state deteriorated. His lips dried up; his vision blurred. He wanted to stop, to rest, but he knew he had to endure. He couldn't give up.

Boom!! Thud!!

Davey let out a bitter smile as he staggered toward the massive distortion in space and time. The challenge wasn't merely surviving in this extreme environment—it was about dominating and controlling the space itself.

Strange, flesh-like forms began to coalesce before him, taking on the shape of a human. He wasn’t surprised; he had already met this individual before.

It was a twisted amalgamation of the mutants, coming together in bizarre ways. It looked just like him—an imitation—but it lacked the power of taboo or divinity. It was too sophisticated to be dismissed as a mere fake, and it was also far stronger than the simple beings Davey had encountered on Earth.

"Show me what you got,” Davey muttered.

He focused, staggering forward with Super Ribbon in one hand while manifesting the power of taboo in the other. He knew he didn’t have much time. Warping time using Altair’s power had been useful, but he knew it had created a gap that was still vulnerable and allowed for changes.

Surviving and ruling this place felt like an intricate process of becoming a god. But Davey hadn't come here to become a god; he had come to reclaim this space. Even if he did ascend to godhood temporarily, his goal remained the same.

Shing…

The fake Davey pulled out a red sword, charging forward. In this chaotic void where there were no fixed rules, the fake could mirror Davey perfectly, mimicking even his twin swords. The imitation lunged, wielding a fake Red Ribbon.

Davey wondered what was going to happen when the strongest weapon clashed with its equal. He was about to find out.

“How can a fake hope to surpass the real thing?” Davey scoffed.

Zzzt!!

Boom!!

The fake Red Ribbon grazed his cheek, drawing blood. But in that same instant, the true Red Ribbon sliced cleanly through the fake’s body, slicing it in half.

Shlunk!!

The imitation scattered into pieces. Some of the pieces didn’t dissolve, but instead fled, slipping away into the void.

As Davey saw them slip away, he couldn’t help but think that they might cause some trouble later.

He shrugged, thinking it was probably just a feeling.

* * *

“It’s gone,” Verdandi said.

Isildi, who had hung a ferocious wild boar on a tree branch, frowned as she appeared suddenly and interrupted.

“Stop being cryptic. What’s gone?” Isildi snapped, poking the boar with a stick. “And for the record, this boar is mine. I caught it. Go find your own.”

‘Did she figure out that I’ve taken the boar that the person who claimed to her son caught?’

Cold sweat trickled down her forehead as she thought she was being suspected. But all that pettiness was swept aside by what Verdandi said next.

“All of Davey’s vital signs have disappeared.”

Isildi froze, the wooden stick slipping from her fingers. She gawked at Verdandi, thinking she hadn’t heard her correctly. Then, without a word, she leaped down from the branch and stormed toward her.

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Stop being so cryptic.”

“It’s gone. When I lent him my power, I marked his soul. That mark—it’s gone.”

Isildi could tell by her serious face that she wasn’t lying. After looking at her in disbelief, she grabbed Verdandi by the collar, shaking her.

“Say it again. Is he really gone? If you’re lying, I swear, I’ll kill you.”

Isildi hated—no, abhorred—Verdandi. Even though they had resolved their past conflict, the bitterness still lingered.

“...”

Seeing Verdandi nod with a serious face, Isildi clenched her sword.

Squelsh!!

With a swift motion, Isildi slashed through the air, making the boar’s blood splatter across the forest floor. The wild animal collapsed and twitched on the ground. It finally stopped moving and closed its eyes.

[Ahh!! Lovely friend! You spilled blood in the forest! The Divine Tree will be so upset!]

“Would you all just shut up for once?” Isildi snapped, ignoring the chatter of the nature spirits that had manifested. She then glared at Verdandi and asked, “Is what you said… true?”

“We need to check. At the Heins Territory. But I can’t leave easily—the Divine Tree is keeping a close eye on me.”

“Then you can tell it that you’re going to go check.”

"No, sneaking away will create chaos across the forest—or anywhere under Davey’s influence. I need your power to cut through the barriers quietly without notice.”

Throwing aside everything they had been doing, the two princesses of the Abyss prepared to leave the forest immediately. They broke through the World Tree Al’s barrier and arrived at Heins Territory.

What they saw was beyond absurd.

"Why are you here?" Isildi asked in disbelief.

Standing before them was an individual that shouldn’t have been there.

"Hey, Verdandi, didn’t you say he was dead?"

"Dead? Me? What nonsense," the man grinned casually, taking a bite out of an apple.

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thought

The nature spirits watching Isildi absolutely massacre their boar friend

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