The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1298

Parthenon demonized its soul, dragging all the souls connected to it into demonization as well.

However, something had clearly gone wrong in the process—its soul kept crumbling away little by little with each passing moment.

Parthenon turned to the silent goddess staring at it.

[Will they find peace?]

[They will. Without fail.]

It was a response especially firm and resolute for a goddess. Thanks to that assurance, Parthenon felt like it was about to shed tears, even though it no longer had any eyes.

It had waited so long for just those few words.

[It doesn’t matter if my soul vanishes along with Tronte. If I can just witness my kin who have waited only for the goddess, finally be embraced...]

Parthenon knew full well that, when all was said and done, it was no different from Tronte.

Davey had torn Tronte’s soul apart before the goddess could even act, yet Parthenon had arrived at the River of Souls without issue.

[You’ll lose everything, but may this open the way for a new beginning.]

The goddess gently lifted its soul into her two palms. Its soul then slowly rose from her hands, while the souls of its kin who had been in the River of Souls gathered around, beginning to wrap themselves around it.

Each soul was incredibly weak, barely holding together.

Most of them, unlike Tronte, were pitiable souls that had vanished longing only for the goddess.

With her eyes closed and hands extended, the goddess began to sing, belting out a wondrous melody. Though she sang, her voice felt like she was conversing directly with it through the mind. Even without eyes, it felt like tears were falling.

Parthenon accepted that as enough. It repented for betraying her will and letting Thanatos toy with it.

[We weren’t the only ones who suffered all this time, were we? I never realized that you were in just as much pain as we were.]

Her emotions poured out towards Parthenon, raw and vivid. It could feel the tears, sorrow, and deep regret that filled her for the zenoenz, whom she had created as beloved children, only for them to suffer so greatly because of her failures.

[Please. May happiness fill your days from now on.]

Guiding the souls into the River of Purification before they passed on to the River of Reincarnation, the goddess continued to sing until every soul went over.

A voice rang out, “It’s kind of funny to talk about good and evil to Goddess Freyja. That whole concept was just made up by lowly creations in the first place.”

The singing goddess slowly turned her head.

There stood Woochi, rubbing the back of his head with a dazed expression on his face. Perhaps he had finally gotten used to getting wrung out by gumiho Bi Yeon, because he looked much better than before.

“The Goddess of Mercy. No matter your reasons, you’ve been incredibly cruel to many.”

She quietly closed her eyes and gently patted Woochi on the head.

As someone who had overseen countless souls, Woochi asked from a slightly different perspective, “What happens to them now?”

In response, the goddess silently observed the flow of souls and then lifted her tablet.

[They’ll rest peacefully.]

“Forever?”

[Until their wounds finally heal.]

Without absolute assurance of the outcome, she wasn’t willing to say more.

“That bastard Davey... Just let him catch a break already.”

Woochi muttered as he walked past her.

“I’m sure the world must look vastly different from your perspective than it does from ours, but he’s been through a lot too.”

The goddess didn’t respond. She simply closed her eyes.

* * *

While countless problems arose during a war, just as many, if not more, always arose afterward.

This time, the casualties were so immense that it was impossible to even begin estimating the number. Each country had mobilized their forces together, fighting as one. No matter how often they’d clashed in the past, they couldn't afford to avoid cooperation when facing a common enemy.

Of course, some nations remained passive or schemed behind the scenes, more focused on post-war interests than the war itself. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Still, what shocked them all the most was the arrival of the demons. Demons, their previous enemies.

Though they suddenly appeared and acted as allies in the war against the zenoen, demons were still regarded with fear, suspicion, and hostility across the continent. It wasn’t just demons who hated humans, either. Humans hated demons just as much.

So, when a demon army abruptly appeared to aid humanity, it was inevitable for confusion to run rampant.

Arita, the acting leader of the demon army, was present at the International Federation post-war summit, accompanied by Emilia, the elven priestess representing the Divine Tree's Land.

While it wasn't too surprising for elves or dwarves to have taken part in the conflict, the involvement of demons had been entirely unexpected.

All sitting in the tense air at the meeting, chilling glances were exchanged.

Attending were the emperors of the Three Empires, as well as the Seven Kingdoms alliance. All had gathered.

The continent was overwhelmed by post-war chaos. The Holy Empire, in particular, had suffered massive attacks and innumerable deaths.

“Let us begin.”

With those words from Deorte El Lyndis, Emperor of the Lyndis Empire, all eyes turned to one seat. There sat Arita, who had attended as the representative of the demons.

Even while surrounded by all the human leaders, she held her head high and looked each of them straight in the eye.

“She looks so young,” one of the kings from the Seven Kingdoms muttered cautiously.

“Our race values strength above all,” Arita responded calmly.

“That sounds like you're implying we don’t.”

“Am I wrong? Don’t humans care most about bloodlines?”

Of course, bloodline mattered to demons, too. However, it was also true that many powerful figures came from noble lineages.

Arita herself had outmatched every other competitor and was widely regarded as the most promising future Demon King. Though at the moment, an incomprehensible and invincible figure sat on the throne.

“As expected, demons are nothing but trouble,” one of the kings muttered openly, unable to hide his hostility.

“I didn’t come here expecting to be welcomed by you horne. I’m here under the Demon King’s orders to see a promise fulfilled.”

Her words stirred confusion among the attendees.

“A promise? I’d like to hear more.” It was the Emperor of Contas who raised the question. “Leader of the demons, why didn’t your Demon King attend?”

“The Demon King is busy, you know. That’s why I came as the representative of the demon race.”

“Watch your tone when speaking to an emperor.”

“Don’t force horne customs on me. You’ve all been nitpicking everything me nonstop this whole time. Keep that up, and you might find your skull cracked open,” Arita growled without backing down in the slightest.

“Such... such insolence!!” one of the kings shouted.

“Who’s really being insolent here? The Demon King once said that those who claim to be civilized are often the most rude. You know why? It’s because they’re never afraid of having their heads split open for their actions. They all just hide behind their laws and titles.”

Her warning, brimming with menace, weighed heavily on the room, forcing the man to step back with a nervous cough.

“Enough, leader of the demons. We’re not here to fight, are we?”

“Right. I don’t plan to stay here long, anyway.”

“Then let’s get to the point.”

At Emperor Deorte’s words, Arita closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. “The Demon King has formed an alliance with the Saint of the Continent seated over there. It is time to move past the bloodshed of the past and prevent future war.”

All eyes turned to Davey.

“Saint, is this true?” one of them shouted.

“What kind of unilateral action is this?!”

Davey answered flatly, “Would you rather we keep the war going?”

“T-that’s not what we meant!!”

“Oh? That’s strange, because that’s exactly how it sounded to me. Don’t be mistaken, I still haven’t forgotten how those ruling warmongers and schemers behaved in this and past conflicts,” Davey answered flatly while scanning the room with narrowed eyes.

“When Partas was ambushed by those monsters and nearly had their sacred items stolen, the ones who came to help weren’t you lot, who were hesitating, scheming, and worrying about post-war politics. It was the demons.”

His presence crushed the entire room's atmosphere, leaving them speechless.

He continued, “No one’s saying we have to become best friends with demons, but I think it’s fair to say this pointless conflict has run its course.”

Ending a war meant countless things needed to be worked out.

If the war between humans and demons officially came to an end through an armistice, it could open the door for renewed mutually beneficial exchange between the two races.

Of course, the wounds built up over time would never heal easily.

“Now to the main point, I have a proposal. I, Saint Davey O'Rowane, propose the official end to the war between demons and humans, using this event as the turning point.”

He put forward an armistice. The implications were massive.

“That’s ridiculous! We were invaded by them before, and now we’re supposed to call it even just because they helped us out once?! Don’t be absurd!”

Of course, nations that harbored deep-rooted hatred for demons couldn’t accept his proposal.

“Apologies, but I share the same opinion this time. A single act of support during the war isn’t enough. We lost too much when they invaded us.”

Arita tried to stand up and say something in response, but Davey raised a hand to stop her.

“The Emperor has a point. I would agree that it’s quite laughable to talk about peace when the victims haven’t even been compensated.”

Some in the room nodded slightly.

“Then I’ll take your agreement to mean that as long as proper compensation is given, you’re open to officially ending this meaningless war.”

Some of the kings were startled by the sudden reversal.

Davey held the most sway in the room, and always had.

Though technically just a grand duke of a small territory, his accomplishments in the recent war with the monsters, and even before, gave him overwhelming authority.

More than anything, no one could afford to oppose him openly anymore.

“What is it that the Emperor wants?”

The emperor replied casually, “Then how about this? Bring us the Demon King’s head.”

Arita slammed the table with a bang and stood up. “Watch your mouth, horne! I may not be particularly fond of the Demon King, but he’s still our leader. Demanding his head in front of demons?? Do you not even comprehend that such an act is a declaration of war?”

He responded, “And how was I supposed to know that? It’s not like our races have ever been on friendly terms.”

Facing Emperor Contas’s sarcasm, Arita’s killing aura surged. “I should’ve known. Helping you stupid horne was a damn mistake...”

Still, what was done was done. Even though they were grateful that the demons had come to their aid, the scars left by the war with them ran deep, and that hatred didn’t seem like it was going to vanish any time soon.

Arita called out, “Hey, De— I mean Saint.”

“Got something to say?”

“I know the Demon King made specific orders, but I don’t think I can ever make peace with these horne.”

Her words drew visible discomfort from several kings.

Davey sighed deeply, and a silence settled in.

In that brief moment, both Sullivan, Emperor of Pallan, and Deorte, Davey's father-in-law, sensed what was coming.

“Fools...”

Just as Deorte spoke, someone burst through the doors. “Y-Your Majesty!! It's urgent!! T-The sky—!!”

“How dare you interrupt an international summit like this?!” Deorte shouted back at them.

“Sir! There’s a massive number of meteors in the sky!!”

The kings shot to their feet, and even Arita’s eyes widened in shock.

“Your Majesties of the Three Empires, representative of the Holy Empire, and the sovereigns of the United Seven Kingdoms. I want you all to listen to me carefully.”

Davey, who had quietly been interlacing his fingers, spoke calmly, “This isn’t some reckless suggestion. It’s a constructive one—something that won't hurt to at least hear out.”

They had no response.

“I’m not asking for a decision right now, either. Every person in this room is a central figure of the continent’s leadership. So, just this once...” He smiled gently, but glared at everyone as he continued, “Wouldn’t it be nice to try and think together of a path where we can all leave with a happy smile on our faces?”

Honestly, it wasn’t Davey’s style to be so relatively diplomatic and patient. Nonetheless, fighting alongside an enemy like Parthenon had made him reflect deeply on the differences in perception and thought among others.

“Let’s just try talking things out first. Of course, the meteors floating in the sky are just for decorative purposes to add to the scenery, so no need to worry about them. Then again, one or two might just drop if someone pisses me off.”

Hearing his offhanded comment, everyone broke out in cold sweat.

* * *

The war was ended, and Davey attended the continental summit to deal with post-war affairs.

Meanwhile, Abel quietly looked out over the scenic view of Heins from his father’s private garden.

Many people already knew of his existence. However, very few knew that he had come all the way there just to save Kouna.

“Welcome. Nice view, isn’t it?” Abel muttered while leaning against the railing and looking out over the territory.

Kouna approached him cautiously. “Ummm. Are you Abel?”

“Yes, I am Abel. Abel O'Rowane.”

As he smiled warmly, she looked him directly in the eyes. “I heard you came from the future to stop this war.”

“Well, that's not wrong.” Though that wasn’t the real reason, he would never tell her the truth.

“Those injuries...”

“Oh, these? I got pretty banged up while crossing through time. No need to worry, though. The goddess will send me back in a few days. Once I return to my original timeline, they’ll probably all heal up.”

The time flow here didn’t align with his existence.

“Then... Can I ask you one question?” she cautiously asked.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“In the future you came from... Twenty years from now, did I...” She hesitated, her lips trembling. “End up with the person I love?”

Abel turned his head, briefly starting. He knew exactly who she meant, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

‘Just as I thought. Twenty years ago, she had feelings for him.’

Despite already knowing it, hearing it firsthand still made his chest ache.

“Yes. You met the one you loved, Kouna.”

‘Because I’ll make sure of it. You're the one I love, and you grow to love me.’

Instead of voicing his thoughts, he simply took in her face quietly.

“T-then... does that mean I become your mom?”

He was stunned. “What?”

“W-Would you try calling me Mom just once?” Kouna had clearly misunderstood something. Honestly, Abel was the one who’d led her to that conclusion.

The idea of his wife being taken by his dad... He knew that wasn’t what really happened, but it still made him feel weirdly irritated.

Pop!

Abel suddenly uncorked a wine bottle he’d gotten from who-knows-where. “Let’s have a drink.”

“Huh? Isn’t that his most-treasured bottle?”

“What kind of father gets stingy when his son wants a drink?”

Abel chose rebellion.