The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1293

What should one do after capturing an unknown enemy?

Interrogate them to get information, obviously.

Miraculously, Evangeline managed to track down the zenoen and capture them.

“But how did she even catch them?” Abel muttered with suspicion, unable to believe they had actually succeeded in capturing two zenoen.

“Does that really matter?”

“Of course it does. There’s no guarantee this isn’t just a trap. What if we take them back to the territory and something terrible happens?”

He had a point.

“R-Really?” Evangeline didn't want to admit the plan’s faults.

“Think about it carefully, Sis. If these bastards can unleash monsters on Heins in large numbers, then what happened here could happen back home too. Remember that baker who used to hand out bread to you, or that little kid who used to sell flowers? They could all end up like the soldiers here.”

She had witnessed the massacre firsthand, so his words hit hard. Even with all her power, the memory of that scene was still so shocking that her hands trembled.

“Sis, now is when you need to take a step back. I’ll take care of the rest.”

She stayed silent, head bowed, then her eyes abruptly widened. “No, I know a place? A place where no matter what these bastards do, it won’t affect Tionis. A place no one can enter or leave without my permission.”

She opened her eyes again, more determined. “Rinne, can you make them confess?”

“Rinne evaluates her interrogation skills highly.” Rinne set the crowbar down on the floor, then pulled out several bizarre tools and placed them beside it.

Choosing among them, she ended up grabbing a large cauldron.

“Rinne reports that she learned this strategy from Master Davey. Rinne evaluates the oil cauldron very highly.”

It seemed like Rinne had made good use of what she saw when Davey grilled divine beasts.

* * *

Why were these creatures weaker than the demons they knew; why was Evangeline able to detect them; and what exactly were they trying to do?

Those were questions they could hopefully uncover in time.

They reached a space tucked somewhere between a dimensional rift, a place where no one could enter or leave without Evangeline or Davey’s permission.

The place she chose was none other than her own lair.

The captured zenoen opened their eyes, bound tightly by numerous restraints.

“Urgh. Where are we?”

When they opened their eyes, all they saw was the inside of a dark cave. Though not completely pitch black, it was very dimly lit. That said, there was one thing that was clearly visible—a large black cauldron, filled with some kind of bubbling oily liquid.

A small girl sat on a chair near the cauldron, eyes closed, fast asleep.

“Isn’t that bitch...?” one of the zenoen began.

“I know her!” the other responded. “One of our own already fell to that monster.”

The zenoen recognized the girl sitting in the chair.

“Damn it! We went and got ourselves caught by a monster. How the hell did a creature like that even end up among humans?”

“I’ve already seen her in Parthenon’s memories. Her appearance and atmosphere might’ve changed a bit, but that presence she showed on the battlefield? There’s no mistaking it. She’s a White Wing.”

They recalled a former extermination unit of Neltarid, that had once taken part in the Three God War. She was the origin of her race, as well as the leader of that unit. That was who they faced when looking at Rinne.

Those with faint access to Parthenon’s memory had only a vague sense of her, but they still recognized her clearly.

Why a White Wing, supposedly long gone, sat before them was not the matter at hand. The fact that they were trapped was more pressing.

“She doesn’t seem to be in perfect condition. A White Wing, asleep?”

“Can you break these restraints?” one of them asked, hopeful.

“Not with our strength,” they replied. “We used too much energy on summoning. Let’s wait and see what happens.”

As Rinne sat fast asleep, they whispered and plotted what to do next. Then, a sudden presence froze their bodies in place.

“What the—?!”

Boom!

One of the bound zenoen had its head slammed into the ground.

“You ‘used too much energy summoning’? So, your power isn’t limitless after all.” Abel appeared, wearing a cold smile. “Sis, these bastards are finally awake.”

“Rinne, how long are you gonna sleep? Wake up.”

At their words, Rinne, with her head still bowed, responded in her sleep, “Rinne reports she is not in a sleep state.”

“Oh please. You were snoring! Wake up. Is it ready?”

“Rinne evaluates that it has boiled to the proper temperature.”

It wasn’t just the White Wing they had to worry about. The zenoen instantly sensed something was seriously wrong.

A woman approached the zenoen knocked to the ground.

“Welcome! Catching you wasn’t easy.” A beautiful woman with glowing white wings sprouting from her back greeted them with a cold expression.

“I hope you’ll be kind enough to share some useful information that’ll help him,” Reina said with a sly smile.

“Tch. How did we get caught by fools like you? Shameful.”

“What was that?” Evangeline frowned at its provocation.

Despite the crowd, the zenoen remained confident. “Torture us all you want, but you’ll never get the answers you’re looking for. And bringing us here? That was your mistake.”

Their tone implied they were hiding something. Reina chuckled at the act. “And why is that?”

“Why else? You said this was Heins Territory, didn’t you? That place is packed with defensive barriers. It’s not easy to invade from the outside. However, if our kind is already inside? That changes things.”

As it spoke, the zenoen on the ground began to radiate some sort of energy. “Regret your foolishness, idiots.”

Power began to swirl violently inside its body.

“What are you trying to do?”

“What else? We’ll destroy Heins from the inside so we can call in the others. I bet you’re wondering where those mutated creatures came from? News flash, assholes! We’re the ones who summoned them.”

In siege warfare, if a fortress’s walls were too strong, the best alternative was to infiltrate it and wreak havoc from within, much like the story of the Trojan Horse.

However, neither Abel nor Reina seemed remotely shaken by the monster’s taunts.

“Can you even do that?”

“What?” It suddenly feared it had lost the room.

“Go ahead, summon them. We’ll wait.”

In truth, the zenoen were posturing to conceal the fact that they couldn’t summon any more monsters. At least, not until they recovered their strength. The monsters currently roaming across the continent wreaking havoc had been created by sacrificing a considerable number of their own kind.

The more monsters summoned, the greater the burden became. The problem was, they couldn’t summon any even at the cost of their comrades at that moment.

“Why isn’t it working? What's going on??”

They had hoped to summon at least a few to draw attention and turn the tables. When the summoning technique they’d always relied on failed, they couldn’t hide their panic.

Abel turned to the former White Wing. “Reina, you’re sure?”

She nodded.

Having completely lost the plot, one of the zenoen shouted, “W-What are you saying?!”

“It’s simple. We figured you weren’t going to talk, so we tested you. Those monsters you speak of? Seems like you can’t summon them across dimensions, can you? Or maybe you’re just not in a condition to summon them now.”

“What?! You mean, this isn’t Heins?”

Smack!

“Gah!”

“Would you look at that? You’re pretty weak right now.” Abel grinned coldly and stomped on the Zenoen. “Who said you get to ask us questions?”

Abel showed no mercy. “There’s a lot we want to know.”

“Hah! You think we’ll talk? Our kin will come save us in no time.”

“They won’t,” Abel coldly told them.

“What?” Their expressions twisted.

“Sorry, but no matter how great your kind are, they’re not getting in here.”

Never.

Then, Reina put an arm in front of Abel to stop him. “This is my responsibility.”

“Are you sure?”

Her face was filled with resolve. “Even with good intentions, this kind of thing is never a pretty process.”

“Understood.” Abel backed off, and Reina turned back to them.

“How exactly do you create those monsters?”

“You think we’ll tell you?”

Reina didn’t respond to the provocation. She just snapped her fingers, then gently tapped the boiling cauldron with her crowbar.

Clang! Ssssshhhh!

The cauldron trembled, and the bubbling oil inside splashed onto the floor with a violent hiss.

“Oops. Rinne clarifies it was a mistake.”

Yet, it was clear that it wasn’t.

To the weakened zenoen, the scene felt nothing short of terrifying. Their instincts screamed that if that oil touched them, it’d all be over.

Rinne then kicked the cauldron casually, sloshing some of the unknown liquid onto the ground near them.

Sssshhh!!!

The floor began to melt.

That’s when they realized that it wasn’t just some ordinary oil.

“W-what are you trying to do?!” One of them panicked, eyes darting around in terror.

Reina and Abel caught the fear in its eyes and looked at each other. They’d felt it since the moment Evangeline abducted them, but the two were far more cowardly than the enemies they had known.

It was more than plausible, as not every member of a race could be brave.

“Don’t worry, there are lots of ways to make you talk. But just so you don’t get any dumb ideas, let me clarify one thing.” Abel pointed toward Rinne, who kept kicking the cauldron. “This space is inside a dimensional rift. No matter what, your kind will never find their way in here.”

Their faces instantly turned pale.

“Let’s make this easy. For the both of us.”

Even though it was scared, it still wouldn’t drop its pride. “W-we won’t ta—”

Rinne lightly kicked the cauldron, sending a few drops flying and landing on one of the zenoen.

“ARRRGHHHHH!!!” Though their kind had a certain degree of resistance, the creature let out a scream and writhed in agony, clearly proving that they weren’t messing with just ordinary oil.

The other zenoen was instantly enraged, glaring at the White Wing with fury. Yet beneath that glare, its eyes reflected an undeniable fear.

“Rinne reports that was a mistake. However, if you give that look again...” She raised her foot. “Rinne announces there will be another mistake. Rinne rates her accuracy highly.”

Her shameless nature, the same one she’d had back when she was known as the infamous White Wing, clearly hadn’t changed.

* * *

To the untrained eye, the zenoen attacks looked like mindless, indiscriminate rampages. That was exactly why they were so hard to counter. Failing to detect and respond to their attacks in time always resulted in massive casualties.

However, that was a misjudgment on Tionis’s part.

The Zenoens made a distinction between locations they needed to take and places meant to serve as distractions.

At the southern end of the Central Continent, the capital of the Partas Kingdom, known for its pro-Pallan Empire diplomacy, was under unexpected assault.

“Damn it! Bring more arrows!!” a soldier shouted.

“Medics! We need medics! There are too many wounded!!”

“Aaaargh!!”

They had already known that the monsters attacked regardless of time, place, or nation. Yet, unlike other nations, the number of monsters attacking the Partas Kingdom far exceeded anything anyone expected.

Fifty thousand.

The enemy forces numbered fifty thousand.

Given that the continent had recently pulled back from war and cut military spending, a sudden march of fifty thousand monsters toward a capital—not even a fortress—was no small matter.

The problem didn’t end there. Unlike Heins Territory and other more stable nations, which could rotate troops to hold their defenses without exhaustion, the Partas Kingdom had no one to call for reinforcements.

As if to point the human’s attention elsewhere, the monsters were launching fierce attacks across the continent.

However, if one paid close attention, it was clear that most of the massacres were just distractions. Their true target was the capital of the Partas Kingdom, where a disproportionately large number of monsters were concentrated.

Even though several fortresses lay along the path to the capital, the monsters completely ignored those defenses and launched a brutal assault right at the heart of the kingdom.

Caught off guard, the capital’s defense forces floundered at first, but they fought desperately to push back. Taking advantage of the fortified city’s natural defense, they held on. However, no one could say how long they would last for.

The King of Partas personally took up arms and led from the front lines, gritting his teeth.

He couldn’t understand why the monsters chose to attack them specifically with such a massive farce. He was well aware that there was nothing beneficial for them to be found in the kingdom.

He was sharp enough to notice something off about their assault.

Considering the tactics the creatures had shown thus far, there was no reason to throw so many of their forces at the capital.

Of course, if their goal was to annihilate humanity, anything would make sense. Yet, this particular attack was absurdly inefficient.

To the king, that could only mean one thing—they were after something he wasn’t aware of.

As he fought on, the king swallowed hard and stared out at the endless wave of black monsters pouring over the plains.

“Your Majesty, you must evacuate! At this rate, we won’t last another hour!”

“What about the soldiers... the people?! Are you telling me to abandon the citizens of Partas and run?!”

“Partas only exists because of you, Your Majesty! You must ensure your own safety first—!”

“Silence! If I am fated to die, then I will die with my country and my people! I will never bow to demons!”

The King of Partas was a rarity, having earned genuine public support from his people.

He raised his sword and declared that if it came down to fleeing or dying, he’d rather fight to the end. “Listen well, my soldiers! Behind us are our children! Our siblings! Our parents! If we cower with fear in the face of mere monsters and retreat, our families will be the next to fall! Raise your swords! I shall lead the charge!”

Roaring in anger, he raised his sword and decapitated a small monster that had scaled the wall. “All units, raise your blades.”

They only had a paltry two thousand troops defending the city, while the enemy attacking them had over fifty thousand monsters.

Coming from a region that had never experienced monster invasions, everything unfolding before them was overwhelming. They stood no chance against them, and reinforcements were impossible.

He hoped that someone would notice how unnatural the attack was, but it was likely a meaningless hope.

For the time being, the capital defense was holding. At least, it had already lasted thirty minutes.

“Aaaargh!!”

“I don’t wanna die!!”

The battlefield was so gruesome that even seasoned warriors turned away in horror.

Boom!

“The west wall has collapsed, Your Majesty! We can’t hold them any longer!”

Half the soldiers were already dead. With no path for retreat, they had been thrown into a battle to the death.

The King of Partas felt hollow inside. “Why... Why did they ambush us here?”

It seemed to be such a meticulously planned attack.

Suddenly, the king recalled a sacred artifact he had acquired during an adventure in his youth, back when he was still a prince.

“Could it be... they’re after the goddess’s sacred item?”

He then began to think what else those demons might be after. The consideration flashed across his mind for a second.

However, after a bit of thought, he realized it didn’t matter anymore. The walls would soon fall, and the monsters would swarm them like ants, tearing them to pieces.

Even in that despair, he didn’t let go of his sword. Then, even he was left speechless by what happened next.

It was already terrifying enough with the black monsters outside completely surrounding the capital. Yet suddenly, within the capital walls, massive rifts began to open.

“What the...? What is that?!”

‘Chaos outside, and now chaos inside? How is anyone supposed to hold onto hope in a situation like this?’

The king collapsed to his knees in disbelief.

His eyes widened as he saw what emerged from the rifts within the city. It was the race that the humans had gone to war against.

The demonic beasts commanded by the demons had arrived in droves. It wasn’t just one or two of them. There were hordes of them.

The soldiers, faced with enemies both within and without, were paralyzed with horror and despair.

In between the beasts, a figure on a black warhorse emerged, surrounded by demons.

They weren’t especially large, judging by their build, but the aura around them made it clear they were a high-level demon.

The king wasn’t sure if the demons were taking advantage of their situation to launch another invasion, or if the monsters attacking had been their doing all along. He couldn’t help but regret not chasing down the demons after they had retreated in the past.

Then, the figure on the black horse raised their sword high. The demonic beasts moved in unison, turning their attention toward the King of Partas.

Enemies both in front and behind. The king found himself damned, in a hopeless situation.

The demonic beasts began to advance slowly.

Sensing they’d be sandwiched between the two, the people of Partas were about to give in to despair.

Then the demon commander spoke up. “Go.”

Clomp, clomp, clomp!!

All at once, the demonic beasts pounded the ground and charged straight toward the city walls.

As enemies closed in from both sides, terrified soldiers dropped their weapons, squeezed their eyes shut, and crouched down in fear.

Clomp, clomp, clomp!!

Yet, what followed was not the outcome they had braced themselves for.

The demons who had emerged from the rifts didn’t attack the humans. Instead, they rushed past them and collided head-on with the black monsters.

At that moment, the commander’s voice rang out, “Kill them all! Erase those filthy things from this land completely.”

The owner of the young voice, which had led the demon army into a full-on clash with the monsters, now approached the stunned king, soldiers, and aides, who had all slumped to the ground in disbelief.

The commander stared at them with glinting red eyes. “What are you doing? Are humans all idiots or something?”

“Wait... Are you not a demon?”

His question made the commander remove her helmet. Her long hair spilled out, revealing a beautiful face and the small horns distinctive to demons.

They didn't know what to say to her.

“I actually am a demon. Got a problem with that?”

“Why would a demon help us?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re allies. That’s why we’re here. Hey!! What are you doing standing around?! Get out of here already!”

An enormous number of black wyverns and dual-wielding succubi poured out of the torn rift behind her.

“This is a direct order from our princess. Don’t die, and wipe them all out.”

The demons, once the object of humanity’s hatred, now stood again on the land of Tionis, not as enemies, but as allies.

Leading them was Arita, the one demons called their princess.

The purported daughter of Demon King Davey.

Responding to a request from Evangeline, Abel had opened warp rifts all across the continent, allowing Arita to dispatch demon forces wherever needed.

Everywhere the zenoen had tried to concentrate attention and secure territory, demon armies now appeared and began protecting the humans.

The zenoen, stunned and speechless, couldn’t comprehend what was happening. They had no idea that among their own kind, more than a few had loose lips.

As the zenoen’s forces became useless, their options grew increasingly limited.

The war only grew more intense.