The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Willow wouldn't open her heart easily. While she did attend breakfast, she wouldn't say a word throughout the meal. She left the moment she was done eating, avoiding the two afterwards.

Davey knew it wouldn’t be easy, but experiencing it still felt bitter. Nonetheless, he couldn't stop there.

He had decided to slowly and carefully do all of the things she wanted, all to embrace her deeply wounded heart.

When he offered the bread he had personally baked to her, she gave him a cold look. “You prepared this for me?”

She was annoyed at the fact that he had interrupted her moment of enjoying the flowers in the garden.

He had even dressed up in a nice outfit to try and cheer her up, but it seemed to have backfired.

“Yepp! I made it myself. Want a piece?”

Facing his gentle question, she silently stared at the bread, her eyes flickering. After a long moment of contemplation, she seemed to realize something and was startled. She consciously tightened the hand that had been reaching for the bread.

She then slapped the tray he was holding, and the savory-smelling bread rolled onto the floor.

Her face clouded over, as if shocked by her own action. Her eyes trembled and darted around.

However, it didn't last long. Her resentment toward him was still greater than her self-reproach for going too far, so she forced out some harsh words and let out a cold laugh, “Oh well, I had no intention of eating it anyway.”

Davey was shocked. “Willow.”

“Don't bother with your cheap tricks! It's honestly sickening that you're doing this now, after all this time. Just go back already. I don't want to see you anymore. By the way, don't refer to yourself as my dad. Both my parents are dead to me.” She turned around and left.

Davey stood in silence and watched her go. After soaking it in, he slowly bent down and carefully picked up the bread that had fallen to the floor.

He didn't have much experience making bread, but he had practiced hard for days in the hopes that she might like it. He and Perserque had gone through a considerable number of failed loaves in the process.

He had resolved to give her unconditional love. It couldn't be denied that there was still some progress. Davey couldn’t help but smile faintly, knowing that she didn’t truly hate him but was instead lost in her own resentment and self-reproach.

“Still, this hurts a lot... That bread was something she really wanted to try,” Perserque said in a gloomy tone.

“Her hand was trembling a lot.”

If there was a chance, he was willing to do anything.

“'I couldn't help it,” he muttered to himself. “Something like ‘I had no choice but to neglect you’? Nothing is more irresponsible than saying that.”

He had no regrets about what he was doing.

If anything, he was grateful to Willow. Grateful that even with such a painful past, she had managed to maintain such an upright nature.

He remembered the look on her face and how her hands trembled just before she spat out those harsh words.

* * *

“Urghhh!! Why are they so persistent?!” Willow trembled all over, utterly flabbergasted. “Seriously, do they have no backbone? Why aren't they getting mad when I treat them like this?”

She couldn't help but be confused at how things had come to such a bizarre point.

They were in the inner world she had created. It was a world the previous version of herself, whose memories were hazy, had made. It was a place that her current self found irritable, but still somewhat tolerable.

Living there alone wasn’t a problem. Once given a reprieve, despite the fact that she should’ve disappeared a while back, she’d planned to simply enjoy her leisure until she faded away.

She understood their intentions to resurrect her, yet for her, who was consumed only by resentment, their attempts looked like nothing more than disgusting hypocrisy.

‘Now? It's too late.’

She had promised herself thousands of times that she wouldn't give them any affection, and that fact hadn't changed. Yet, every time she pushed them away with harsh actions, she didn’t feel completely at ease.

“I'm such an idiot, letting my heart waver just because they talk to me and show concern...”

She knew it wasn't good. Things couldn’t continue this way. She even felt dirty, like she was being lightly played with and manipulated by their behavior.

In Willow’s eyes, Davey was a hypocrite who would use anything necessary to achieve his goals. She believed that was likely the reason he was being nice to her now, as he wanted her power or was simply looking out for his own well-being.

As she contemplated that fact, she stood up. Then, she headed toward the quiet training grounds behind the lord’s castle.

The two people, who didn't interfere much with what she did, showed no sign of leaving any time soon.

Initially, she tried to drive them away, and that hadn't changed, but she didn't have the power to do so right now.

Wanting to clear her frustrating thoughts, she summoned a black and white sword in her hand as she approached the training grounds.

It was her own unique form, not Super Ribbon’s. She was a sword, an ego residing within Super Ribbon, but she had actually evolved differently from Super Ribbon since her creation.

Though she had largely deviated from her original intent, she held power comparable to Super Ribbon’s own.

It was a form that had evolved by absorbing immense power in a short time, not through the fusion of the egos of Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon who had cultivated power over a long period.

Tap. Tap.

The atmosphere of the quiet, empty training grounds was nothing new. The inner world hadn't existed for long, and before the two arrived, she had been all alone.

Loneliness from having no one to talk to had been her singular bedfellow since birth.

Stepping onto the grounds with light, soft footsteps, she slowly took a stance.

Unlike the idiot Super Ribbon, she had been watching Davey and mastering his every fighting technique. Therefore, there was no hesitation in her movements.

Whoosh!! Whoosh!!

She swung her sword to calm her mind to some extent, leveraging her own origins. Her heart became as calm as a lake, and she entered a state of tranquility.

Once she closed her eyes, the distracting thoughts in her mind completely vanished. The tip of her sword slowly, powerfully, yet gently traced patterns in the air.

There were no extravagant movements to speak of. In fact, it was so intuitive that one might think that it wasn’t much, but the waves spreading out every time the sword cut through the air were anything but light.

On the surface, the blade energy was plain and exerted no particular strength. However, it was a bizarre swordsmanship that would make anyone hostile to her feel tremendous pressure.

Crack! Screech!!

A strange noise echoed every time she swung her sword. A sound like something being ripped apart rang out, and the space the sword passed through slowly tore open, unable to restore itself.

It was the suppression of restoration and rampage.

The space she slashed had its restoration power suppressed, and it gradually tore open, overloaded.

To call it mere suppression and rampage was an understatement. The chilling upper limits of her power were unbelievably high. It had a massive effect, especially on stronger opponents. This was because it interfered with fundamental structures, not merely cutting and destroying.

Even though its duration was short, when it came to dealing with living beings, it wasn’t necessarily a big problem.

The effect didn't last long, so the gradually widening spaces returned to their original form after a certain time, yet every time she swung her sword again, the space tore and split once more.

After swinging for quite a while, most of her distracting thoughts were gone, though one remained.

‘I’m confused, I’m suffering, and this situation is too messed up. I’m pissed.’

Her annoyance didn't fade easily. Instead, it took over the unconscious mind where her other thoughts had vanished, making her angry.

Eventually, her swings began to grow rougher. It demonstrated small mistakes she wouldn't normally make, but the two unwelcome guests had made it impossible for her to concentrate.

Unable to easily shake off that irritation, her swings finally slipped out of her control and burst forth wildly.

At that moment, she sensed something. Something was staring at her.

She reflexively swung her sword toward the spot where she sensed the presence. Then, in the split second before she fully opened her eyes, she saw a familiar figure standing with a surprised expression.

“W-wai...”

It was Perserque, holding a basket of snacks. How she knew Willow was craving a sandwich right then was something she didn’t have an answer to.

Of course, that wasn't what mattered. In the brief moment that didn’t even last a second, a chilling sensation sank in that felt like years passed, and countless thoughts filled her mind.

If Perserque took the attack head-on, it wouldn't just end with a simple injury.

No matter how much she resented her, Willow had no intention of killing Perserque.

Just as she was about to move—

Slash!! Thud!!

Davey appeared from somewhere, blocked the blade energy she had fired, and deflected it with his bare hand.

Slash!! 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Given that her power was the most dangerous type of power to Davey, it left a considerable impact.

“Davey!”

As his red blood splattered, he stood still with a darkened expression.

A part of his power was arbitrarily suppressed, while another part rampaged. His condition began to destabilize like an uncooled machine in an overheated furnace, and he was forced to desperately suppress his power, ignoring his own injury.

He knew that if it rampaged further, all three of them would be swept away in the aftermath.

There stood Perserque, defenseless and exposed to the attack; Davey, who had thrown himself in without regard for his own condition to protect her; and Willow, who was in a panic watching them.

The struggle didn't last long. Gritting his teeth and letting out a painful groan, he forcibly controlled and suppressed her power, regaining his composure.

It left a large wound on his arm.

If he had just let it go, it would have been fine. Or rather, if he had wanted to, he could’ve redirected the power created by the aftershock of the rampage back toward Willow.

Yet he didn't. In fact, to protect Perserque, he should’ve pushed Willow away.

Willow, whose eyes were trembling and who couldn't find the right words, hastily shouted. She screamed without even registering what she was saying, “Ha... Ha! Serves you right. That's what you get for being here.”

She was startled by her own words, but Davey simply took a shallow breath, ignoring her hateful remark.

‘He'll get angry now, won't he? That’ll be easier for me. Then I can have a real reason to resent him.’

If he began to hate her, she wouldn't have to carry this nonsensical, dirty emotion until the moment she disappeared.

Davey slowly stood up and approached her. She wondered if he was going to curse at her, or maybe lash out on her.

The fact that either Perserque or Davey could have nearly died because of her mistake hadn’t changed. Perserque was the person he loved most, and he was, of course, intensely attached to his own life. If he became angry, she could fight back and drive them out.

“Huh?”

However, his reaction was different from what she expected. Still bleeding profusely from one of his arms, he reached out his uninjured arm and pulled Willow into an embrace.

“It's okay. It was an accident. I'm fine, and Perserque’s fine, too. Don't blame yourself.” His tone was like someone comforting a frightened child.

The dozens of words she had prepared in her mind all vanished.

‘Is he an idiot?’

What had just happened was clearly her stupid mistake. Filled with distracting thoughts, she had recklessly wielded her power and almost killed Perserque, who was watching from a distance.

Luckily, Davey had blocked it. Yet, because he had intervened so hastily, there was a chance he'd be left with a serious injury or long-term aftereffects.

The power she possessed was truly the worst possible match for someone like Davey, who possessed many different kinds of power.

Even after such an event, he wasn't angry. Even though Perserque had nearly died, and even though he himself had not only nearly died but would probably suffer from aftereffects, he wasn't angry.

Instead—

“It's okay. It's okay, so don't tremble.”

He was worried she might fall into a panic.

Seeing this, Willow pushed him away in confusion and shouted, “What are you doing?! Are you okay?! Are you kidding me?! You almost died! Get mad! Are you a fucking idiot or what? What is this?! Are you trying to guilt-trip me?! Is this more of your disgusting hypocrisy?! Tell me!”

Spewing her rage, she screamed, unable to distinguish between what should and shouldn't be said.

Yet, even hearing those words, Davey slowly approached.

“Don't come closer... Stay away!!” Terrified, she backed away. She felt as though if she stayed, she would be betraying her very essence.

“It's okay, Willow. All that matters is that you're not hurt.”

‘Hypocrisy? Can that smile truly be hypocritical? Maybe it’s just his nonchalance thinking nothing really matters?’

She knew that couldn't be the case.

Even if he could fix the aftereffects, it wouldn't be immediately. For instance, his injured arm was trembling slightly instead of recovering.

A sword that could wound a divine entity was quite a formidable weapon. It was clear he wasn't indifferent to the ramifications, but the question of why he wasn't angry remained.

“Why... Why are you doing this? Why now, after all this time?!”

Facing her frantic cry, he wrapped one arm around her to stop her from running away. “I'm sorry.”

The single sentence he uttered made her feel even more wretched. She knew he wasn't the one who should be apologizing right now. Even worse, the thing he was apologizing for wasn't the current accident.

“I'm sorry I came back so late... I'm sorry I left you alone.”

Hearing his quiet, gentle words, she finally burst into tears, pushed him away, and ran off.

After she left, he gritted his teeth, dropped to one knee with a ragged breath, and suppressed his power.

“Davey!” Perserque ran over to him in shock. “Are you alright?”

“This isn't the time to worry about me!” he shot back. “I'm fine. It's just a small thing.”

“There might be lasting aftereffects...” she insisted.

“That's fine, it’s no problem. You and Willow didn't get hurt, and that's all that matters.”

“Davey...”

“Go to Willow. She must be very startled right now. Even if she acts cold, her nature is kind. Just because some of her memories are gone, that doesn't mean she’s changed.”

Seeing his smile, Perserque wept over her own powerlessness.

Meanwhile, Willow, who had run away, watched the two of them from afar. She soon turned away with complicated feelings.

After the accident at the training grounds, Willow spoke for the first time during breakfast. “Snowball fights... I heard they're really fun.”

Hearing her mumble, Davey and Perserque's eyes widened.

“Willow?”

“Don't get the wrong idea! It's just... I'm just curious! I also wanted to try it at least once before I disappear!”

“Willow,” Davey called out with seriousness.

She flinched and drew back, wondering if demanding something so suddenly had been too shameless. She had never properly experienced having a conversation with family. She struggled to suppress her anxiety as she waited for his response.

Yet, the words that came from his mouth were—

“Should I make some snow right now? How about it? After breakfast, let's have a snowball fight and build a snowman together, all of us: you, mom, and dad.”

She received the happy smiles of those two people.

She had seen that smile from him many times over the years spent in darkness.

Unbeknownst to her, that particular smile was the one that finally cracked the wall of resentment that occupied most of her heart.