The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 345

The dokkaebi judge slowly opened his mouth again. "The One that Will Receive Judgment, Davey O'Rowane. You will be given a chance to speak before your judgment is finalized."

"What is your reason for giving me the chance?" Davey asked.

"I believe you know it better," the judge replied.

Davey nodded quietly, his gaze shifting around the surroundings.

"Kill... me..."

"Anguish..."

These beings, screaming in pain and anguish after being pierced through by the blades of hell, were probably the ones who had received judgment before Davey. He had no way of knowing if they were beings that had originally existed or were just created in this dream world. However, there was one thing he was certain of.

"When it comes to someone's judgment, how do you judge them?" Davey inquired.

"Judgment is made by weighing the karma of the One that will Receive Judgment. It is my responsibility as the judge overseeing the Karma of the [Dead]," the judge explained.

"What are your criteria?" Davey questioned further.

"The taking of another's life," the judge responded.

Davey grinned. "Then that means someone's karma will inevitably grow if they accidentally step on an ant, right?"

"Just because you and the ant are of different sizes does not mean you have any reason to step on them," the judge stated.

Those words made it clear to Davey that this was a completely unreasonable world where logic did not exist. Since that was the case, he had no qualms about what he would do next.

Silently, Davey created a fireball in his hands.

"The One that Will Receive Judgment! Davey O'Rowane! What do you think you're doing here?!" The jury exclaimed as they watched him play with the fireball.

Though the power he had accumulated in his body might have been lost upon entering this place, the power in his soul remained. For Davey, who had been slowly regaining his powers due to the stark disconnect between his body and soul, his soul being unleashed like this provided him with the freedom to do as he pleased.

"This is my final question, Judge in charge of the murderer's karma," Davey declared.

“...”

"What right do you have to pass judgment upon me?"

Crack.

The sound of something breaking and shattering faintly rang in Davey's ears. In the first place, they had no qualifications to pass judgment.

"Kill or be killed. How do you judge people in situations like that?" Davey questioned.

"The laws stipulate that those who bring harm to others will be judged in the same manner once they die and come to this place," the judge responded.

"And what qualifications do you have to pass judgment and make such decisions?" Davey challenged.

"What?" the judge reacted.

"I took care of and dealt with the person who harmed me. Do I have any reason to entrust such matters to you? You are not even one of those shameless and brazen gods. You are merely pretending to be one. You do not have the right to judge others," Davey asserted.

Upon hearing Davey's words, the two pairs of twins from the jury jumped up. Then, a huge spark emerged between them as their skin turned a bright purple. Slowly, their bodies began to merge until they fully combined together.

‘If you combine two magistrates, then... Hmm. That’s not it.’

The four members of the jury quickly merged, emitting a powerful energy from their combined bodies. Then, the dokkaebi judge slowly rose from his seat and grasped the gigantic saw knife by his side.

All the tortured beings, suffering in pain, vanished as if they were nothing but illusions when a massive spark appeared and consumed the place. The once hellish location transformed into an empty space. Witnessing this, Davey immediately released his hold on Illyna, simultaneously dispelling the blinding light magic he had cast on her.

"The One who Will Receive Judgment. By choosing this path, you have forsaken the path of reincarnation," the judge declared.

"That's where you're wrong, you judgmental bastard," Davey retorted.

Flames erupted, engulfing the dokkaebi judge's body as he wielded the gigantic saw knife. With his power unleashed, the empty space turned crimson, with lava appearing and flowing throughout as the previously cool and refreshing air burned away into nothingness. These flames were no ordinary fire; they were flames that consumed the soul.

"Firstly, I am in my spiritual state, not dead. I am merely a wanderer sent to this place by the will of someone of higher rank, a rank you can't even fathom. And secondly, it doesn't matter whether you acquit me or convict me. I am someone who never had a path to reincarnation in the first place," Davey declared.

Illyna looked at Davey in shock and awe upon hearing his words. However, he didn't give her any time to process as he embraced her, holding her hands tightly and placing Caldeiras in her grasp, activating it and pointing its blade toward the judge.

"What are you doing?!" Illyna exclaimed, her face turning red. But her resistance quickly subsided as she heard Davey's next words.

Boooooooom! Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

Simultaneously, the region engulfed in flames and the desolate desert, both territories without an owner, began to crumble and collapse.

"Could this be considered as the complete annihilation of the world?"

"Indeed. This world has lost its purpose and its intended targets.”

"Just like that, the world that existed within the realm of the gods' dreams... Ah, you truly surpass understanding.”

It was understandable. Davey had, after all, obliterated a world to make his own stand.

"Ordinarily, the deceased lack the power to exact vengeance upon judges in this manner. Most of a living being's power resides within their physical form."

While it was possible to store power within the soul, the amount paled in comparison to what resided within the body.

When Illyna and Davey crossed the gates of judgment, they were considered deceased. Consequently, their physical powers were restricted, and they could only utilize the strength of their souls.

However, Davey's situation differed. His soul had been fortified within the Hall after departing from his body. Moreover, Davey was not known for his physical prowess but rather his mental strength. With his body restrained and limited, the disparity between his soul and body vanished, allowing the power within his soul to awaken fully. Even though he was prohibited from killing, it was not overly challenging for him to eliminate such adversaries. He simply needed to employ Illyna's body as a vessel for his own power. It was a convoluted and twisted logic, but circumstances forced him to employ such peculiar reasoning.

As Davey clutched Illyna tightly, they ascended higher into the air, looking down upon the sea of molten lava and flowing rocks beneath them.

It was evident that Goddess Freyja's will had interjected itself into the realm of death presided over by the dokkaebi and the four jury members, intending to eliminate all living beings within. The concept of eradicating that which was deemed no longer useful was prevalent in this scenario.

"Speaking of Goddess Freyja..."

"Yes?"

"I find her to be unexpectedly ruthless. Don't you agree?"

"I can't say for certain, but once you discover the truth, you may no longer view Goddess Freyja as the benevolent deity you once believed her to be. It would be best to retain your current perception."

To Goddess Freyja, humans were merely one of the races inhabiting the world she cherished. Despite being revered as a benevolent deity, her actions couldn't be unequivocally deemed as benevolence. Her ultimate objective was to safeguard the world and maintain the delicate equilibrium between life and death. If someone from the Holy Empire, who regarded Goddess Freyja as the patron deity of humans, were to hear such a statement, they would immediately cry blasphemy and potentially ignite a war.

"What is the name of the Sword Manipulation Technique you demonstrated earlier?" Illyna inquired.

"It's called Splitting the Stars," Davey replied.

It was a technique that resembled a sword descending from the heavens, effortlessly cleaving through anything in its path. Considered one of the most challenging techniques within the Longsword discipline, its effectiveness varied greatly depending on the practitioner's skill.

"I honestly have no idea," Illyna admitted calmly. While she had been confident in her ability to learn anything Davey taught her, the overwhelming complexity of the sword technique left her feeling despondent. She recognized that her experience was still insufficient to attempt mastering such a technique.

"But I don't believe it's impossible," Illyna said, mustering a smile. However, her smile quickly faded as she solemnly expressed her hope, "I pray that those who have accumulated good karma but received unjust judgment find their way to a favorable destination."

Illyna bitterly observed the departing souls, knowing that despite being used as mere test subjects by Davey, they would inevitably be reborn and granted new lives. This amalgamation of souls contained both the virtuous and the wicked, yet the biased judge of this world had disregarded this fact.

Soon after, a fissure materialized in the sky. Davey swiftly accelerated and hurled himself into the rift, venturing toward the new world.

"I've heard there are seven trials. That means we have six more gates to pass before leaving this place."

"Will you be alright? You mentioned that you can only depart if you're acquitted."

"If it doesn't work, I'll just overturn everything like I did earlier."

Of course, unless Goddess Freyja decided to intervene once again.

"What if Goddess Freyja decides to intervene?"

"That's highly unlikely. However, if by some chance she does, we'll devise a strategy that best suits the situation," Davey explained.

Illyna was taken aback by Davey's words. "Is it dangerous?"

"Well, half of our success will depend on luck."

There was always the possibility that things wouldn't go entirely in Davey's favor. If that were to occur, he would have no option but to resort to the methods he had diligently concealed. During his time learning survival skills from Hercules, it had become customary for them to engage in conversations.

[A powerful enemy threatens your home! What will you do?]

[The answer to that is very simple. Stopping the enemy’s attack is nothing but a mere stopgap measure. The best course of action is...]

[Hunt your enemy before it could even pose a threat to your home and survival.]

Following that teaching, Davey found himself compelled to learn the overpowering yet reckless body reinforcement method. This method was none other than the same technique used by a monstrous being capable of casually shrugging off world-catastrophic-level magic attacks with their bare body.