The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 848

Wooo...

A faint resonance echoed. Soon, a massive planet collapsed and imploded due to a colossal wave of energy, creating a ring of light that glowed bright green.

Arbit wondered how much time had passed.

He hadn’t told his lord Davey O’Rowane, but for him, his mental breakdown was not an ideal situation.

“My lord, are you sure you will be okay?” Arbit asked.

“I’m just harnessing my powers,” Davey responded.

Davey had used Time Spirit Altair from the realm of Goddess Freyja to distort and slow the time between the Red Void and Tionis. But the effect was now weakening as he reached his limit.

And so, Arbit decided to intervene once again and use his power. He had already given Davey his dragon heart, so he could only use the strength he accumulated over thousands of years. Thankfully, that was still enough to stabilize the situation..

Initially, Davey had dominated the entire Red Void with his determination. Now, he was left speechless. His approach was starkly different from the first ruler, Hercules. His domination speed was beyond anything Arbit had expected. Yet, he was lacking something.

A crucial something.

Davey had dominated many worlds so far. As if possessed, he moved with a relentless drive, moving from one space to the next with no pause and dominating each in turn.

He had taken over the worlds at an extraordinary rate. But even though he still had countless spaces to dominate, his mental fortitude began to fray.

“The good news is that his physical capabilities are at a phenomenal level,” Artbit sighed.

He only hoped that Davey, the second leader of the Red Void, would achieve complete domination of this space.

For Arbit, this space had been his home for over three thousand years. But as someone who had wanted to die for the longest time, whether Davey brought back its vitality or not as he claimed wasn’t of too much importance to him.

“Perserque... Illyna... Aeria...” Davey mumbled, his voice faint.

His lips were dry, but his eyes burned with passion. Despite the excruciating period of pain, he still had his determination. Even in the overwhelming situation where most demigods would lose their mind, he trudged forward, driven by the desire to accomplish his singular goal.

But the aftermath of the situation could well result in a difference akin to day and night.

If things went wrong, and the people he vowed to protect were gone by the time he returned, there was no guarantee of how he’d possibly cope.

The unwavering determination to conquer everything and reunite with his loved ones was the only thing keeping him going.

But there was no clear path forward.

At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to reunite with his loved ones.

The bigger issue was that being trapped in this Red Void had started to disrupt and distort his power.

“Kouna,” Arbit called out to one of his ministers.

“Yes.”

“The energy of the Void that the lord had been dominating is now gathered together. Look into it.”

“What is this supposed to mean?”

“Infinite possibilities. Which makes it impossible for me to know what will happen next. There might be a change I’m not aware of.”

“Understood.”

* * *

Meanwhile, as the real Davey continued his struggle through the Red Void, the fake Davey in Tionis stood lost in thought.

There was a truth he never wanted to admit. He had Davey’s memories, Davey’s personality, and even Davey’s life experiences. Still, the undeniable truth was that he wasn’t real.

“...”

The fake Davey flexed his hand, watching as his fingers repeatedly curled and relaxed. He then closed his eyes.

Perserque seemed to regret her hasty conclusion. The worst part was that he couldn’t be mad at what she thought and felt—despite being a copy, he knew how much the real Davey cared for her.

“Your Majesty,” came a voice from behind.

No one knew the truth yet. Perserque had said that the real Davey hadn’t returned; that his signal was faint, almost nonexistent.

The fake Davey wondered if the real Davey died, perhaps he’d be able to take his place. The thought weighed heavily on him.

“Sigh...” he thought, shaking his head. “I’m not doing this just for that.”

He felt as though everything he had worked for, everything he had built, was slipping away, taken by someone he had never even seen.

“I don’t like others taking my stuff,” he muttered calmly.

“Your Majesty,” Amy interrupted. “A merchant from another nation has visited regarding some trade matters. I wanted to let you know, as the deal seems quite substantial.”

Normally, Amy would have handled this herself, but with Davey present the responsibility had shifted.

Fake Davey stood up, casting a glance at her. “Amy.”

“Yes?”

“Nevermind. Let’s go.”

He simply carried on as usual, pretending nothing was wrong.

* * *

The days passed peacefully in Heins Territory. Fake Davey did his best to maintain this peace, working tirelessly to solve the problems that the territory was facing.

“Your Majesty!” someone called as Davey walked past the workers toiling in the massive rice fields.

“Seems like everyone’s working hard.”

“Ah, isn’t the weather so hot today? You shouldn’t be out here in this heat; you’ll get sunburned. Please go back inside.”

Davey smiled softly, waving them off. As he walked, a cool breeze began to flow under the scorching sun.

“Oh my goodness!”

“That feels amazing!” the workers exclaimed, savoring the breeze cooling their sweat.

“If you have any inconveniences, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’ll take care of whatever I can,” Davey said as he turned around.

“You’re too kind. There’s no need for someone like you to worry about us peasants.”

“Nonsense. This territory is thriving because of your hard work. Monmider.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Everyone seems to be tired. Go to the central market, buy some refreshing drinks and snacks, and hand them out.”

“But, Your Majesty... There are rules... We can’t just—"

“I’ll cover the cost personally. How much could it possibly be?”

“Oh my! Thank you, Your Majesty!”

“I will follow you for the rest of my life!”

It wasn’t unusual for someone like Davey O’Rowane to check in on public sentiment like this.

“And Monmider.”

“Yes?”

“I think I’ll pay a visit to the militia headquarters.”

“Hm?!”

Seeing Monmider panic, Davey gave a sly grin.

“Is there a problem?”

“N-Nothing is wrong, Your Majesty! I’ll get ready right away!”

Monmider shouted and ran off in a frenzy. He muttered to himself, thinking he was being discreet, but Davey could hear him loud and clear.

“Emergency! This is a real emergency!!”

Watching him sprint away, Davey couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Man, that felt good.”

“Davey.”

“Oh, Perserque.”

“...”

Perserque gave him an apologetic look.

“Don’t make that face. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But...”

“Even if you hadn’t told me, I would’ve found out eventually.”

Davey walked up to her with a bitter smile.

“What was the deal with the barracks?” she asked.

“I was just blowing off some steam. They’ve probably lost some discipline by now, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get them squared away again.”

Perserque narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Every little thing you do is exactly the same as him.”

“Of course. Even if I’m a fake, I’m essentially Davey O’Rowane,” he muttered bitterly, then spoke again in a quiet voice.

“Perserque.”

Hearing him call her by name, rather than her usual nickname, stirred a sense of guilt in her. Regardless of what he was, his actions were genuine and sincere. She knew how much he cared for the people of Heins Territory. She knew how deeply he loved her.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry... I’m so sorry, Davey.”

“It’s fine, though I can’t deny it stings a bit. It feels like everything I’ve worked for has been stolen from me.”

Then, with a bitter smile, he added, “You know, Perserque... The strange thing is, even I don’t know why I feel this way.”

As he faintly smiled, one of his red eyes darkened to black.

“Ah...”

“Davey?!”

“It’s fine. Looks like things are starting to go wrong.”

“We need to get you treated—”

“No, it’s alright.”

Pulling her into his arms, Davey whispered softly.

“What am I... really?”

“You are...”

She wanted to say he was clearly Davey, but deep down they both knew the truth that he wasn’t the real Davey. And so, even though she had been habitually calling him Davey, she couldn’t confirm that he was the real Davey.

“I’m sorry... That’s the only response I can give.”

“Hey, Perserque.”

“...”

“There’s something I want to do.”

She could tell how much he had agonized the night before. She just looked at him for a while.

“Tell me what you want. I’ll do it with you.”

“Will you kiss me?”

She flinched at the unexpected request.

“I’m just kidding. I’d like to visit the places I’ve touched and impacted, one last time.”

She gave a silent nod.

After that, Davey prepared to leave the territory. Meanwhile, back at the barracks, the knights—who had eagerly awaited his arrival—soon realized they’d been tricked and let out wails of frustration.

* * *

Aside from a few subtle differences, it was nearly impossible to distinguish the fake Davey from the real one.

Perserque accompanied him as they revisited everything he had done at various places since waking from his coma. They visited places like the Moon Forest, where Yuria Helishana lived, and met old friends like Yuria and Myuu, who was staying there for her academic break. They traveled to the Duchy of Felicity, several empires, and every other place he had once set foot.

Throughout their journey, neither Davey nor Perserque mentioned anything about his being a fake. They were simply enjoying the present moment.

The fake Davey appeared genuinely happy, savoring every small joy along the way. As night fell, he smiled seeing fireworks light up the sky of Heins Territory.

Aside from Perserque and Josiah, no one really took the initiative on Davey being strange. For everyone else, he was simply Davey O’Rowane.

“I guess I didn’t live my life too badly,” he said with a satisfied smile, thinking of how warmly people welcomed him wherever he went.

“Still... It feels unfair.”

He muttered bitterly, leaning back on a bench. Davey quietly sat in the private garden, lost in thought.

“Are you happy?”

“I am. Even these small moments of happiness were something I always wanted. I’ve gone through a lot to get this small satisfaction.”

He let out a playful laugh, as if to say living a normal life was no easy feat. Still, his smile soon faded.

“And thanks to all of this, I’ve made up my mind.”

“Made up your mind?”

“Yeah.”

His expression remained calm, though sadness flickered in his eyes.

“Both the original Davey and I will no longer be toyed with by this twisted joke.”

His demeanor shifted, and at the same time, pure white feathers began to emerge from his body.

They were the feathers of light that Goddess Freyja had given him. They were feathers that should’ve only existed within the real Davey’s body, yet somehow, they were also inside the fake. Or perhaps... the fake had simply copied the feathers as well.

“So that’s what it was. Goddess... did you give the original these feathers for this very moment? Or... was I born because of you?”

At last, the scattered fragments of his memories came together.

The fake Davey chuckled as he resonated with the feather. It was as if everything had been leading up to this moment. Clutching the feather tightly, his eyes glowed with determination.

“Be grateful, original Davey. You’ve got beautiful, kind, and wonderful wives waiting for you.”

Thud!!

In that instant, immense power surged from his entire body.

“I’m sorry, Perserque. I’m truly sorry, but... I have one last favor to ask.”

“Davey?”

“Just this once... will you hold me?”

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