The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1237.2

Certain armed factions on Earth launched indiscriminate attacks on the citizenry. Those forces were none other than the remnants of the former Nacha Empire's military, acting under orders from the previous emperor to carry out an invasion of Earth. Many among them still possessed considerable equipment, making them dangerous to combat.

Of course, given their lackluster collective strength, they stood little chance in a war against Earth. Their supply lines were unstable, and their manpower was limited.

However, those bastards had formed an alliance with international terrorist organizations. Once they had finally secured a consistent supply chain, their danger level spiked dramatically. While they hadn’t received additional material or human resources, the fact that a massive number of them had joined forces with terrorist groups was far from reassuring.

To make matters worse, the remnants had undergone demonic modifications as well. They possessed monstrous abilities like enhanced physical strength and other unnatural mutations. They were a perfect army of demons that had been subjected to extreme brainwashing. There wasn’t a single benefit to leaving them alone.

Those terrorist organizations had since entered into an agreement with radical factions in Iraq, shifting their sphere of activity from Europe to Central Asia, and the fire of conflict was spreading fast.

Of course, Davey got that information directly from Al Hajat.

“Davey, you’re finally here.”

“You look exhausted.” From the fatigue on his face, Davey could see just how aggressive the terrorist activities had become.

“It’s unavoidable. They’re wreaking havoc across all of Central Asia! Reports are saying that they’re not only attacking Iraq, but even striking within my own people’s borders.”

“If your country hadn’t gotten dragged into this, I would’ve just let the world handle it on its own.”

“Haha...” He laughed bitterly, but didn’t criticize Davey.

Although Davey had a policy of not getting too involved in Earth’s affairs, had he not stepped in, they would’ve been forced to face far more of the Nacha Empire’s forces.

“Their forces are especially dangerous for those who use mana to face. They weren’t particularly strong against firearms before, but... the situation changed. Those bastards started turning into something that’s no longer human.”

It was absurd that they were still running rampant even after their demonic host had died.

“Still, it’s a huge relief that you’re helping.”

“The deal NATO offered wasn’t something I could just ignore.”

“Then...”

“We’ll wipe out some of the ones still in Europe, as well as the main force that crossed into Central Asia. That should take care of about eighty percent of them. As for the remaining twenty, you don’t need to worry—my disciple Josiah will handle them.”

Al Hajat looked a little disappointed at that, but nodded in understanding. “No reason to refuse help when it’s offered! If this operation goes well, I’ll make sure to repay you.”

“That won’t be necessary. If anything, just treat me to some good liquor later.”

Al Hajat nodded in agreement.

Though the remnants of the Nacha Empire had become a greater threat after their demonic transformations, their numbers weren’t infinite. The method they chose to make up for that was as simple as it was horrifying. They implanted their demonic cells into the human members of Earth’s terrorist organizations, turning them into the same kinds of abominations.

For demons, they were disturbingly persistent in their conquest.

“The most aggressive group at the moment is a terrorist organization that’s occupied parts of the outskirts around Baghdad.”

“I see.” Davey continued analyzing the strength of the terrorist group, while Josiah observed and helped narrow down a suitable location where Mit Chyde could gain real combat experience.

It was a pain, but if someone else would be the one to actually handle it all, Davey had no reason to complain.

* * *

In real combat, the most important skill was the ability to gather intel and respond accordingly. Josiah focused on eliminating the terrorist group located in the area Davey had designated. She’d visited Earth often enough to be well-versed in its weapons and systems.

“I’ll block the firearms. However, as for any external forces or mana-jamming equipment, you’ll have to deal with that yourself.”

“Jamming? A 2nd Circle mage can handle that?”

“Not under normal circumstances, yet there’s a workaround to use and be effective regardless of what circle a person has reached.”

While a 2nd Circle mage would usually get jammed before they could even cast, by changing the method and maintaining control, they could still use magic, although the power might drop a bit.

Josiah lectured Mit, “This is real combat training, and you will need to push until it works. If you fail here, assume you’ll never reach the 3rd Circle.”

The usual difficulty to reach the 3rd Circle wasn’t so high. Alas, Mit Chyde only had a few weeks to achieve it. To make that happen, he had to be thrown into extreme situations.

“What if I die?”

“Don’t worry. Teacher once told me that people don’t die that easily,” Josiah answered.

“What if I get hurt?”

“Then I’ll heal you. It’s not on par with holy magic from the Holy Empire, but this Vampire Lord teacher of yours has plenty of tricks.”

Despite his unease, Mit nodded.

“Mit Chyde.” To prepare for any unexpected variables, Davey called out to him and pulled a robe and staff out from his Pocket Plane. Handing them to Mit, he clarified, “This is borrowing, not giving. Once your combat training’s over, return them to Josiah.”

“What are these?”

“What do you think? It’s a staff and a robe. Can’t you tell?” That clearly wasn’t what he meant. Davey could easily read the emotion flickering across his face, but he offered no explanation. “Figure it out for yourself. Consider it part of your training, learning to uncover the hidden functions buried under all the complex camouflage.”

“Thank you.” Mit bowed his head in gratitude, and Davey turned around.

He casually skimmed the stack of documents Al Hajat had given him.

“Master Davey, Rinne is ready for deployment.”

“I could’ve handled this by myself.”

Rinne stared up at him with her emotionless, blank expression, while Reina stood beside her, visibly annoyed. Her obsession with “belonging” to Davey had grown stronger.

While he hadn’t noticed it at first, he had finally found out after Nightmare panicked at her increasingly deranged behavior and rushed to report it to him in detail.

After that, Davey began noticing the irregularities and sought help from World Tree Al to precisely diagnose her current state.

Illyna had also shown signs of strong attachment before, so Davey wasn’t unfamiliar with it, but he hadn’t realized just how serious Reina’s condition had become. In order to resolve it, he needed to observe and confirm it firsthand.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

* * *

From Europe to Central Asia, the remnants of the Nacha Empire had joined forces with a global terrorist organization called Patroshist. The group had remained silent during the monster outbreaks, yet ever since Davey O’Rowane appeared and the world began to stabilize, they had resurfaced. They were an extremist organization, aiming to secure their own interests.

“Hey, take it easy. Nothing’s gonna happen anyway.”

Basim, a member of the group, turned toward his comrade, Kaproti. “Allah gave me a vision last night.”

Kaproti snorted at Basim's muttering, clearly unimpressed by his fanaticism. “Had another fever dream, huh? So what was it this time?”

“A dream where this place burns to the ground.”

“You’re ridiculous! This spot’s got tighter security than anywhere else. Even the CIA can’t easily gather intel on it.”

“I know.”

“With national interests at stake, no foreign power can interfere freely. And you think the military here’s gonna make a move? They’re already too busy dealing with monsters to care.”

In truth, the members at the base had been minimizing their terror activities. Thanks to that caution, the site was rarely targeted despite being considered quite important within the organization.

Facing Basim’s curt response, Kaproti clicked his tongue and took a long swig straight from a bottle of liquor. “Whatever. Do what you want...”

“Wait. Someone’s coming.”

“What?” When stationed in such a remote area, unexpected visitors were never a good sign. “How many?”

“Three. Not very big. One looks like a kid.” Peering through binoculars, Basim picked up his radio to report the sighting. He didn’t get far.

A low rumble echoed as dark clouds rapidly rolled in overhead.

“There hasn’t been a single drop of rain for weeks...”

“Move!!” Kaproti yanked Basim aside and dove to the ground.

Boom!!!

A blinding bolt of lightning split the sky, obliterating half the guard post. Rain then suddenly poured like a waterfall, Basim and Kaproti were only able to stare in shock as their faces turned pale.

The wind blew hard, just enough to pull back the hood of one of the black-robed figures approaching them. It was the individual with the childlike frame. Normally, a kid wouldn’t raise any alarms. However, anyone who recognized her face knew better than to make casual judgments.

“No... No way! It’s the Saint of Tionis’s royal guard!!”

“What the hell is she doing here?!”

Rinne, who had formed and then dissolved a massive cannon in her hand, began to float slowly into the air.

“Shit! We need backup—!”

“You might as well finish what you were doing.”

Basim and Kaproti froze on the spot, unable to move. It was because there were hands resting on their shoulders. They instinctively realized the identity of the man behind that voice.

“T-The Saint of Tionis...? Why are you...?” Basim trembled in fear.

“A friend asked for help. I can’t really ignore that.”

“Just for that?!” They could hardly believe it.

“You shouldn’t have gotten involved with those Nacha bastards.”

The two men were dropped to the ground with a dull thud, having lost consciousness instantly.

Davey tapped his earpiece and activated his equipment. “Let’s start the cleanup.”

Following his command, Rinne and Reina, who had been approaching from afar, drew their weapons. They wielded a spear and a crowbar, respectively, and moved out.

At the same time, Mit Chyde was gaining real combat experience under Josiah’s supervision.

Davey, making moves on a continental scale, began a large-scale extermination.

News of the operation quickly spread around the globe. The media announced that the Saint of Tionis had begun clashing with the international terrorist organization Patroshist.

Those who heard the news instinctively knew that the future of the terrorist group that had been stirring up incidents all over the world was looking very, very dark.

At that same moment, people flocked to Evangeline’s livestream, demanding the truth.

[Boss!! Is it true that the Saint of Tionis is fighting Patroshist right now?!]

Her rabid fans never changed.

“Huh? My dad? Isn’t Patroshist... Oh, it’s that group that’s been causing trouble with all those terror attacks lately, right? Hmm. I don’t really know. Dad doesn’t tell me anything about that stuff.” Evangeline pouted with clear annoyance. “But seriously, someone click on the damned ‘Ready Up’ already!! Ughhh!!!”

She, in fact, didn’t care at all.