Novel The Max Level Hero has Returned!

Chapter 196

Grell immediately discovered that he could not keep up with the boy’s silent casting. The boy was simply faster than him. If they were competing based on magic alone, then Grell might have more room to breathe, but…

In fact, they had been fighting for quite a long time now.

Grell Orfan had been learning magic for 300 years. He, as a genius of his time, was very proud of himself. He knew that the knowledge that he had gained as a mage after 300 years of non-stop training and learning would not be inferior to anyone. However, this battle was different. The boy’s magic unveiled a different magic system, one that was far different than the magic that Grell knew.

On top of that, the boy did not restrict himself to using just magic when dealing with Grell. The boy would use his sharp and menacing swordsmanship, which could easily cut through Grell if he so as let his guard down for a moment. After using the swordsmanship, the boy would then use high-ranking magic and dig through the gaps in Grell’s defenses. With one careless mistake, Grell would easily meet a tragic end.

Aside from swordsmanship and magic, there were other aspects that worked to the boy’s advantage as well. With all of those factors working in tandem and being commanded by the boy, Grell was easily driven into a corner by the various forces that defied common sense.

The most horrifying fact was that the boy could use a top-ranking holy magic to neutralize the barrier that had protected the necropolis. Grell knew that the boy had scraped up all of his holy power to summon that skill. Yet, the boy was still fiercely pushing him back as if he did not care about the rebound effect that could occur anytime now.

When someone used up all of their mana to the point of complete exhaustion, they would only be awaiting death. That outcome was due to the fierce rebound effect that would take place afterward.

By the time that realization hit him, Grell started to doubt whether he could even defeat the boy if he managed to call for all of the Undead. Of course, the situation would not really improve even if he did that, since he couldn’t use most of his original power, the source of his dark mana.

In the end, Grell had no choice but to admit that the boy in front of him, the very same boy that he could not define with common sense, was stronger than him in terms of rank and diversity of power.

‘I need to figure out his identity.’

Aside from his own greed, Grell was distracted by the mission that he had been given. Although his master did not exist anymore, Grell still acted as if Dark Lord Deian was still alive. Besides, the desire to uncover the boy’s secrets also overwhelmed Grell.

Dark mages and ordinary mages were not that different when it came to their desire to learn new things. Their obsession with the new and curious could be seen as a mental illness in severe cases.

‘I’m an 8th Circle Mage! Even a 9th Circle Mage would not be able to escape my eyes!’

Grell escaped the boy’s ferocious attacks before reaching out his hand and using his entire body to stop the boy. At the same time, he cast the invisible Soul’s Hand. Since he could not figure out the boy from afar, then he should just get close enough to figure things out.

—Bastard, I will see everything that you have with my own two eyes…

However, Grell’s voice trailed off, and a

very

short silence ensued in the surroundings.

Elder Lich Grell Orfan’s gaze trembled in disbelief once he saw what was hidden within the boy. In the end, all he could see was a simple and sturdy wall. He was greatly shocked by the sight.

“No need to be so shocked. When the mana inside the body reaches transcendence, its mere existence alone will leave behind a devastating aftermath. That’s why it has the habit of covering itself up, you know?”

The 8th Circle was a level that was divided into three stages. The same was true for the 9th Circle.

“These are the words of a mage who has reached the transcendental circle, so you should listen carefully.

Magic starts at the 8th Circle.

So what if you can force the mindless Undead to carry out your orders? A Death Lord? Was that crazy? No, this is crazy.”

Grell Orphan collapsed in a daze. He could no longer hear any of the words that the boy uttered.

Smash!!!

At the same time, the boy grabbed Grell by the head and slammed his face on the floor. The boy said, “Fight as if you’re desperate, but don’t kill any of them.”

Grell Orfan, the giant Lich who called himself the Death Lord, could not remember anything after that. That was the moment when he lost consciousness.

***

“Saint! A patient with a contagious disease appeared!!! Everyone is showing the same symptoms!!!”

“Rinne, doing repetitive labor. Trying to stop the desire to run. Acting is not working. Rinne gives it a very low rating.”

“Huh?”

”N… No. Let’s hurry and carry out treatment.”

The doctor who approached to give the report saw Davey’s frown and looked suspicious. He thought there was no perfect person in the world. As someone who had fantasies and felt great hope towards the Saint who had appeared with a genuine stigmata, he couldn’t help but shake his head at the boy’s occasional strange behavior. However, he had to admit that the boy’s medical knowledge was undeniably remarkable.

In fact, everyone had been left confused by the great mutations being displayed by familiar diseases. The changes were so drastic. The records that they have accumulated so far were of no use and all they could do was monitor each and every patient’s situation very carefully, then try to treat them one by one. If that was the only consideration, then it would be a huge weight off of their shoulders.

However, there was a problem. The medicine that they administered worked perfectly for one patient but caused dire symptoms on another. Someone even died in pain after coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

The doctors had all been trapped in a terrifying situation when the young prince had appeared in front of them. The boy not only suggested a disease classification method to the doctors of the coalition, but he also gave an unexpected manufacturing method of the medicine that they should administer to the patients.

Of course, some of the doctors had protested that they should not administer untested drugs. However, the protesters had been silenced within just a few hours of the treatment being administered. That was because every single person who had received the drug showed signs of improvement.

Ever since the boy had shown up, the patients who survived kept increasing from the dozens to the thousands. And the most shocking part was that no side effects had appeared at all. The doctors had nothing to worry about.

—I can see why Baron Gorneo, a member of the great coalition, almost burst a vein while singing praises about Prince Davey’s achievements.

The doctor finally realized what his senior Schuzrum, one of the high-ranking doctors, spoke about earlier on.

However, putting aside Prince Davey’s extraordinary skills, his personality was a bit unusual. If left alone, the doctors would catch Davey staring blankly at one place for a long time. Whenever a butterfly appeared within sight, his gaze would chase after the butterfly. That was not all. He would sometimes even speak in a strange manner.

The doctors could see that this was Prince Davey’s shortcoming. Although it was not that bad, it was still enough for them to see how unusual his personality was.

The doctor, who guided Prince Davey to the treatment center, could not help but frown at the terrible stench of blood and the loud groans ringing in the facility. Although the doctor was very proud to be a part of the medical practice, he never felt good about having to witness people suffering in pain.

“Prince Davey?”

“The efficiency is low.”

The doctor looked at Davey in astonishment. He wondered about Davey’s tone of voice and what the comment of low efficiency referred to.

The other doctors, who frowned at the situation without administering treatment, all rushed forward when they saw Prince Davey.

“Prince Davey! Please check on the patients! They are showing a completely different set of symptoms, so we can’t move them carelessly on our own!”

“Please help us!”

The doctors were no longer wary of Davey. In fact, they never left his side whenever he appeared. Now, most of them knew that Davey could do more and only wished that he would make miracles in front of them.

But despite the doctors’ urgent requests, Prince Davey remained silent. He chose to observe the situation around him first. “We have to look at them first.”

Davey was expressionless, but everyone could tell that he was pondering deeply. Moments later, he furrowed his brows after seeing the patient nearest to him. “Declining pulse. Temperature imbalance. Bio-signals are reaching very dangerous levels. Searching for countermeasures…”

Then, Prince Davey, whose eyes had grown wide after looking at the patient, suddenly turned around and ran out. “An opportunity to escape.”

“Prince… Prince Davey?!”

Everyone fell silent when Davey ran out. It looked like he was running away from the patient.

Some doctors simply said that even Davey, who was a Saint, would not know everything.

“What the hell?! Are we really helpless without Prince Davey?! We have to do something!”

After one doctor shouted in exasperation, the others began to move. However, they soon stopped in their tracks when a familiar boy’s voice rang out from the treatment center.

“Everyone, stop! We will change the treatment method! Separate the patients showing the same symptoms based on their temperature and the condition of their pupils! I will distribute the medicine’s manufacturing method right away. Move quickly! Before more get infected!”

“Prince Davey?”

Davey spoke in a way that was completely different from before. Previously, the doctors could not even detect the slightest inflexion in his voice. But now, they could do so very clearly. This sudden change baffled the doctors, but the harsh and loud voice that he used prompted them to move quickly.

“You, over there!”

“Yes? Yes!”

“It’s my first time seeing you here. Which group are you in?”

“Eh? But we were just together a while ago?” The doctor said with a crumpled expression. He could tell that Davey really did not recognize him.

Prince Davey simply continued with his reckless and overwhelming attitude. He asked, “Which group are you a part of?”

“M… Medicine production!”

“Alright. Prepare the medicine as it says here. Bring it to my tent once you’re done.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want me to repeat myself and have dozens of patients die? Or are you going to tell me that you understand what I have just said and will get things done as quickly as you can?”

“Huh?! I’ll go now!”

The doctor had been lounging around, so he was very flustered by the sudden order. Shaking his head, he started running. In his mind, he still thought that there was really no perfect being in the world.

***

The giant Lich, Grell Orfan, was the main culprit and Davey’s target of subjugation.

Davey’s fight against Grell did not take as long as he had expected. A fight between two high-ranking beings would not really last for days. Most fights would end in moments, because one being would be stronger than the other.

In fact, Davey’s opponent had underestimated him greatly. This gave Davey an added advantage, so he managed to beat Grell, brainwash him, and instill one command in his head.

“Rinne complains that the job is very difficult. A greater reward is highly valued,” Rinne demanded proudly with both hands on her waist.

Davey decided to let Rinne be demanding, since it was an unusual task. It was also hard to imitate him and work on his behalf.

“Alright. I’ll buy you some refreshing ice cream later.”

“Ice cream! Rinne values this highly!”

“Ah, yes. How’s Baris?”

“Baris and Rinne’s disciples are completely overwhelming the opponents. He wants to go to the frontlines and is blooming perfectly there.”

“And?”

“Light strikes at the human’s vital point. Can cause the opponent to lose consciousness. Can easily make opponents faint. Rinne values this technique highly.”

“Good job.”

Yulis and Illyna could easily manage by themselves, so Davey did not have to worry about them. However, Baris was different. Baris had a strong sense of justice, so he would march forward and slay the enemy from the frontlines upon judging the urgent situation.

“Davey, how was the thing that you have to deal with?” Rinne asked carefully.

“It’s fine. We will receive news about it soon.”

Rinne tilted her head in confusion.

Shocking news from the frontlines began to spread in the headquarters. It was about how the Undead corps, who seemed like they were playing a game of warfare before, were charging forward regardless of their losses. The Undead were showing off their might and battling recklessly. On top of that, the Death Fear energy increased, causing even more mutations of diseases among the soldiers.

In the end, many soldiers had to retreat. They were complaining of illness and could no longer serve on the battlefield.

While the allied forces were reeling from the shock of the Undead corps’ sudden riot, Death Knights and other powerful Undead were joining the fray. They all charged forward. Of course, the mainstay of their corps were spirit-type monsters like specters but… Lich Grell Orfan, the one who referred to himself as the Death Lord, began to take action himself.

The allied forces’ retreat was inevitable. After all, they could not fight properly. They feared being bitten or hurt before dying a painful death. In the end, the allied forces suffered a crushing defeat.

Reports about how White Bird, the troops that Illyna personally commanded, lost three out of the eight mountain fortresses at the same time also reached the headquarters. There were also reports about a disagreement between Princess Illyna de Pallan, the commander of White Bird, and Prince Sullivan. The disagreement had come about from the allied forces having forced their way in and staged a counterattack.

In fact, the Undead corps’ sudden offensive could be said to be just a matter of time. In the meantime, it would be more beneficial to the allied troops to reduce the number of victims as much as possible.

And sooner or later, these people would finally grasp the situation that they were in and realize that time wasn’t on their side. Then, they would run to Davey to ask for help. Just like what was happening now…

“Davey.”

The first to approach Davey was Illyna, whose beauty shone through her bloodstained armor. She was immediately followed by the allied troops’ staff officer, Prince Sullivan.

However, Alice, the Saintess candidate, was nowhere to be seen.

“We need your help, Prince Davey.”

“And so?”

“Didn’t you hear the news?”

“Words don’t have feet but they do cross continents. Isn’t it all thanks to your speech that the headquarters’ morale has reached an all time low?”

“That…”

“And so, is there something that you want to say to me?”

“Please help u…”

“No thanks,” Davey answered firmly and without any hesitation.