The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
Chapter 1034

Chapter 1034

From that day on, public opinion in Japan boiled over in two heated directions.

One side was filled with people expressing their frustration and anger toward Vice Minister Yoshiki’s son, Kasato Yoshiki. The arguments filled message boards.

- That damned Kasato Yoshiki. Totally saw this coming.

- I always knew the Yoshiki Group was gonna screw up big someday. Feelsgoodman. Fuck that toxic place.

- Kasato had serious personality issues even back then.

Most of them were people who already held resentment toward Kasato Yoshiki or the Yoshiki Group, along with angry citizens outraged by the fact that, because of them, Davey O’Rowane had decided to remove Japan from his protection list.

Then there was the other side—those who were furious over Davey using a life-and-death situation to settle a personal grudge, resenting him directly.

- I read the whole thing, but honestly, isn’t this just some petty personal dispute? Isn’t he taking it way too far? Shit’s unreal. He’s like a straight-up tyrant.

- Yeah, seriously. Holding so many lives hostage over something like that? The Saint of Tionis really let me down, smh

- Is he out of his mind?

To be fair, such arguments were always bound to pop up.

People posted their opinions under the shield of anonymity, but those living within the monster rift zones were still mentally hanging on by a thread every day.

They had come to clearly understand that the rifts were far more dangerous than they’d first imagined. Which was why there were more of the first type of people than the second.

Humans were surprisingly selfish creatures.

Even so, the second group still had more support than Davey had expected.

At a glance, his actions may have seemed cruel and over the top—but there was no denying that their basic premise had been flawed from the start.

- But if you actually listen to what he said, he’s been protecting Earth for free this whole time. He didn’t create the rifts. Come on man, he was the one keeping them at bay. Who are we to tell him what to do?

- Exactly. People took his acts of kindness for granted. Korea apparently got hit with that same spiel once too.

- Also, isn’t the Yoshiki Group known for being anti-Korean? Maybe the fight with the Saint of Tionis happened because of that.

- What are you talking about? The Saint of Tionis isn’t even Korean. He just operates around Korea a lot, so it looks that way.

- Oh, right. Mb. Yeah, I just assumed that because he always shows up in Korea.

- But still. He kept this hidden all this time, didn’t he? If he’d spoken up from the start, maybe we wouldn’t have ended up this helpless.

- And even if he had said it early on, what would’ve changed? He’s been protecting us—for free—all this time. People are really out here complaining about that? Holy hell...

The public was completely split.

Rinne looked a bit dissatisfied with the decision Davey had made.

“Master Davey. Standing by for orders.” She was clearly saying she’d take action the moment he gave the word, but Davey simply patted her head without a word.

He figured she thought this whole incident had weakened his position.

Honestly, from Earth’s perspective, pushing someone like Kasato into a corner over what seemed like a minor argument or personal dispute was certainly a very murky situation.

Sure, if it had stayed unofficial, it could’ve been overlooked and swept under the rug. But by making it public, Davey had left people with no choice but to face the facts exactly as they were.

He decided to take his time judging the situation.

- Could you please just forgive him?

The message he received from Kouna was extremely formal and stiff.

‘Still hasn’t come to her senses, huh?’

Davey knew she had a kind heart, but sometimes he found that kindness to be incredibly frustrating. So he texted her a short, direct response.

- Nah

Just a single word.

- But people’s lives are at stake here.

- Nah

- Haah... Are you really going to keep replying with just one word?

- Ye

- Can’t you at least try to put a little more effort into your replies?

- Yee

- ...

Another clean, simple reply.

“Texting someone?”

As Davey continued teasing Kouna, the man sitting across from him, casually munching on potato chips, smiled knowingly.

A Middle Eastern tycoon known as the Oil Prince, and one of the few friends Davey had on Earth.

It was none other than Al Hajat.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” the man commented.

“Maybe I had a bit of pent-up frustration. But anyway—are those chips any good?”

“I tried a few when I visited Korea, and they were quite tasty. Honey Buttered Chips, I believe they were called. So I bought the company.”

Davey let out a small laugh at his words. He wasn't really in a position to say anything, considering how much he spent on his own hobbies, but Al Hajat had a way of doing some truly outrageous things from time to time.

“How much did you spend?”

“Hmm... not that much, honestly.”

“I’m surprised at how you actually managed to buy it.”

“I just had to set up regular deliveries. It’s more of an investment, really. Though, I’m not a fan of how much air they pack into those bags,” Al Hajat said while letting out a hearty chuckle.

“By the way, I heard the news. They’re saying this rift appeared because you withdrew your protection.”

“If you’re just looking at the result, yeah.”

“I trust you, my friend.”

“Thanks, Alhazard.”

“So, are you going to take care of the rifts yourself now?”

His question brought back the memory of the meeting Davey had with the International Awakened Federation.

The rifts were always supposed to hit Earth eventually.

The members had mixed reactions toward his explanation of that—some countries immediately asked for help, while others began reflecting on how complacent they'd become.

As the threat of monsters and the possibility of losing cities or lives had drastically diminished, humanity had fallen into a dangerous false sense of security.

People had forgotten that monsters could appear anywhere, at any time, and tear their loved ones apart.

It was only natural for them to grow complacent, as the Awakened individuals had grown stronger while the rifts hadn’t become more challenging to conquer for some time.

“Looks like it. Most countries seem to have taken my words seriously instead of trying to dump responsibility off on someone else.”

“That’s a relief. If they didn’t grasp the meaning behind what you said, there’d be no hope for those countries anyway.”

Earth had become used to the false sense of security.

Davey figured it was time to remind them.

“Well then, shall we get started?”

“Gladly. Let’s begin whenever.”

Davey tossed his smartphone into his Pocket Plane. He then turned to Al Hajat, who was holding what looked like a massive shield, and smiled. “Did you make that yourself?”

“Yes.”

“The weight distribution’s a bit off.”

Al Hajat looked at his shield with surprise before following Davey toward the massive rift that loomed like it could swallow an oil rig whole.

“You didn’t have to tag along, you know.”

“What else are friends for? Knowledge is power, Mr. Davey.”

He had caught on to the situation and accepted the reality. Even if the final battle wasn’t now, he at least wanted to see what kind of enemies they were up against.

That was his reasoning.

Al Hajat was making excellent use of his role as his friend—and since Davey understood his true intent, he welcomed him without question.

“Let’s call the experience you’re giving me even, as long as you give me some snacks.”

“I’ll have them prepare about ninety boxes of the Honey Buttered Chips for the trip back.” With a hearty laugh, he followed Davey.

They slowly stepped into the enormous rift that had appeared in the area.

No rift indiscriminately attacked people the moment they entered. That was why even someone like Al Hajat had no initial problem following along.

Upon entry, Davey started stretching while Al Hajat looked around in curiosity.

“Mr. Davey, where’s your pair of swords? Aren’t you always carrying them?”

“Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon? They’re probably off playing somewhere.”

Lately, Davey hadn’t had many chances to use them, but it wasn’t a big deal.

“Hm. Hearing that your two swords are just playing is a little unsettling,” Al Hajat said while laughing.

He then pulled a sword from his back and handed it to Davey. “Mr. Davey, I forged this myself. Give it a try.”

The blade resembled Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon in its form—he could clearly tell that Al Hajat had been inspired by their appearance. Davey took it with a curious expression.

It was heavily enchanted for maximum slicing power. He figured it could put most Awakened gear to shame.

“It’s still a toy compared to those two swords, of course.”

“It’s a fine sword, and I’ll gladly borrow it.”

Of course, he didn’t actually plan on swinging and using it right then.

The rift they had entered was a massive desert.

Each rift around the world seemed to absorb the culture of the country it appeared in like a sponge.

Thud. Thud.

Davey didn’t see any monsters in front of them, but he could clearly feel their presence.

They weren’t right ahead of them—they were beneath.

Boom!!!!

“Oh, shit!”

After dozens of massive sandworms burst out of the ground all at once, Al Hajat tensed up and drew his sword, one charged with stored release-type energy.

But before he could really make his move, the tide of the battle had already shifted to one side.

A spear of ice, the size of a human body, shot through the air and pierced the first sandworm cleanly.

It froze the sandworm solid. It didn’t just penetrate through like a regular spear—it pierced its vital spot before freezing the creature entirely.

It was a surprisingly brutal weapon.

“Mr. Davey!! More incoming!”

Having watched their kin being taken down in an instant, the remaining sandworms shrieked in rage and charged toward Davey in unison.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Multiple spears of ice shot forward, striking the sandworms dead-on and freezing them mid-lunge. The ice sculptures then fell to the ground, shattering into miniscule pieces.

Only then did the rest seem to hesitate, instincts likely screaming ‘danger’ at them.

“Hey y’all. First time getting an ice pack?”

Behind Davey, four more enormous ice spears had already formed.

The temperature around him began to plummet rapidly, and frost crept through the air. A freezing cold blanketed the area, rendering the sweltering desert heat ineffectual.

[7th Circle]

[Glacial Domain]

Each one of them was a 7th Circle spell.

Naturally, desert-dwelling sandworms with weaknesses to the cold had no chance against them.

“Ssss. Kyaaa!!!”

When the temperature shifted drastically, the sandworms howled and threw themselves at Davey in a frenzy. It was as if they were challenging how much energy he could afford to expand before their numbers exhausted him.

“My goodness! So many sandworms. Even with guerrilla tactics, we should be expecting massive losses.”

“This is probably just the beginning,” Davey casually informed him.

The rift, several hundred meters wide, was only just getting started.

Nearly a hundred sandworms had already surrounded them.

Though if Davey included the ones that hadn’t shown themselves yet, the number wouldn’t be in the mere hundreds—it would climb into the thousands, possibly tens of thousands.

Under normal circumstances, no single person could clear such a rift with any kind of swiftness.

But that didn’t matter to Davey.

“Alright. Here’s another serving for you dirty worms.”

Boom!!

The next round of ice spears launched like artillery shells, freezing one sandworm after another.

The sandworms began using their frozen comrades as shields, pressing forward in waves each time Davey fired his spears of four.

They were clearly trying to exploit their superior numbers.

For brain-dead desert worms, it was a surprisingly smart move.

He figured there was likely a higher-level entity orchestrating them.

‘Then it's time to show them what the cleanup guy can really do.’

[7th Circle]

[Frozen Break]

The magic he had pushed past its limit began roaring like a raging stallion around him.

The mana he’d been stacking like a madman began to unveil its true form. Behind him, the air twisted and froze, and further massive spears of ice began forming one after another.

It wasn't long before there were hundreds of spears behind him.

“Come to papa.”

Whether it was an order from the one commanding them or their own instincts, the sandworms panicked and began fleeing despite their overwhelming numerical advantage.

Of course, Davey didn’t let them get far.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Boom!!

Davey stood with his arms crossed as spears of ice rained down like a bombardment, going after the retreating sandworms.

“Jesus Christ...”

“You go to church, Alhazard?”

“No, I just felt like saying something.” Al Hajat, trailing behind Davey, had a conflicted look on his face.

He was left almost speechless upon seeing the freezing cold air that had completely overtaken the scorching desert.

“Mr. Davey.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think would’ve happened if you hadn’t held the rifts back? What if they had just kept appearing on Earth?”

He was basically asking Davey if the people on Earth would’ve been able to handle the monster rifts without his help.

“Earth would've been overrun in less than six months, just like in the early days when the rifts spiraled out of control, and monsters occupied most of the land under the lead of the Malicious Spirits.” He then slightly paused before continuing, “Earth didn’t originally have mana. But now that it does, weird things are happening. Growing pains, basically.”

As long as there was mana on Earth, monsters would continue to appear—at least until it finally reached a certain threshold.

And Davey was the one getting them safely to that line.

“What about Japan...?”

“They’ll get help—eventually, at least. They’ll be the last ones I help.”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t going to help them at all?” Al Hajat asked with surprise.

“Do you really think I’d bargain with people’s lives? Of course I’ll help. But I’ve got some things I need to take care of first.”

“So... you’re forgiving him?”

“Well, I already punished him.”

Kasato, only in his twenties, had already lost his hair. Davey figured he probably already wished he was dead.

But Davey still had more planned for him.

“We’ll see where it goes.”

“I can’t tell if you’re cruel or compassionate, Mr. Davey.”

“Come on, I’m the Saint of the Goddess of Mercy. Go with compassionate.”

“That’s not exactly convincing.”

The truth was, the whole mess wasn’t really about the Yoshiki Group. That was just the spark.

“There is no future for a humanity that forgets danger and falls into complacency,” he said as he forged more spears of ice.

The countless monsters swarming within the desert rift began to fall apart, shredded by the disaster Davey had summoned.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Japan, Kouna and several Awakened individuals stood in tense silence as they stared at the rift.

“Alright... We're going in.”

They had to handle a rift hundreds of meters wide. With the government unable to count on help from Davey, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and assemble an Awakened unit.

- Yee

Remembering Davey’s previous cold, short, and flippant replies made Kouna grimace slightly. She turned her eyes to the Awakened individuals approaching at a steady pace.

One man stood out in particular—he had long, thick curls and a confident expression.

He walked in coolly and gathered the others around. An S-Class Awakened individual—Toho Yasunaro.

He was the one Japan was backing heavily—and he possessed immense power as a result.

She had heard plenty about him. Smart. Strong. Fearless. To the public, he was a hero of Japan.

Unfortunately, she knew all too well that his personality didn’t quite live up to the image.

“Let’s move,” he commanded.

“Yes, sir!”

“Don’t be scared. Sure, the Saint of Tionis is strong—but we can handle this rift ourselves.”

When she watched him confidently stride into the rift, Kouna couldn’t help but think how there was no way the rift was going to go down that easily.

“Don’t panic! The goal of this first mission is just recon! If we fail, we can always pull out—but as long as I’m here, this rift will definitely be cleared!”

He was arrogant, but he was known as one of the strongest in Japan.

Encouraged by his bold words, the others hesitated for a moment before they slowly began to follow him in.

None of them seemed to understand that once you entered a rift, there was no guarantee you’d make it back.

More importantly, they had no idea how powerful Earth’s long-ignored enemies had become.