The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Whoosh…

[Who dares to…]

Lava swirled, emitting a potent presence. The purple aura emanating from Davey\'s fingertips blended with the magma and the flames it generated, instigating a transformation. Red sparks began to coalesce, shaping a dazzling whirlwind of flames. Before long, bright blue eyes sparkled within the vortex, a gaze that struck fear into any observer. Nevertheless, something was amiss.

[Even after hundreds of years, this guy still has the same flair.]

[Sigh…]

To the Earth Spirit King and the Water Spirit King, such a spectacle was hardly impressive.

[Contractor, what is that thing?]

The Grandmaster-level King of Mythical Beasts, Megalodria, who was prevailing over the King of Evil Beasts, Volcanic Worm, found no amusement in other creatures.

Burning with rage, the fiery bird recognized the summoned entity as a fellow fire being and openly displayed its anger. The Azure Dragon and the White Tiger, on the other hand, remained completely indifferent. While the Azure Dragon contorted its massive body, hunting down enemies and disdainfully incinerating them, unleashing lightning bolts and turning Deian-controlled monsters into charcoal, the White Tiger sought a warm spot, stretched out, and bared its belly, settling in for a nap. Davey believed he would have to train that troublesome creature later.

Ultimately, the Fire Spirit King, who had received minimal attention from the others, dismissed the fire vortex it had created, realizing that its dramatic entrance had no impact.

[Impudent creature! Dare you break the rules and summon me?]

A giant made of fierce flames revealed itself. It resembled a human, but its lower half was made of massive flames, making it appear as if floating. The huge flame sword in its hand seemed as if it could burn the entire world.

[Lavatein. You\'re really fascinating. All of us are Spirit Kings.]

Davey commented. “Is there only one Fire Spirit King possessing the Lavatein? It\'s too much of a coincidence."

While the number of Elemental Kings present was limited, it still seemed somewhat unusual to witness all the Elemental Kings contracted with Master Elementalist Yuriana make an appearance.

The fully formed creature, radiating immense heat, bellowed.

[Who are you?! Who dares break the rules and summon me?]

In response to its outcry, Davey promptly initiated the summoning process. Summoning the Spirit King had two prerequisites: a vast reserve of elemental mana and an unwavering, intense desire. Furthermore, to summon the Fire Spirit King, one had to summon and assimilate lower fire elementals, ranging from Kasa to the highest-ranking Ignis.

"I have summoned you. Are you intelligent enough to acknowledge me as the Spirit King?" Davey taunted.

[Impudent human!]

In his rage, the creature swung his huge flame sword, Lavatein, at Davey.

Whoosh!

A fierce flame emanated from the sword\'s edge, enveloping Davey entirely. The consequence of provoking the Spirit King\'s wrath without proper assimilation was clear: being reduced to ashes in the Fire Spirit King\'s flames.

However, even amid the intense inferno, Davey simply took a step forward and commanded, "Slaimmy, extinguish this."

[I’m not Slaimmy!]

"Slaimmy blah blah…!"

[Aaargh! Damn human! I\'ll kill you someday!]

Davey taunted the Water Spirit King, and Ellaim\'s scream reverberated, whether from agony or fury. At the same time, frigid water, as cold as ice, surged through the area, dousing all the flames around Davey.

[This power... Ellaim?!]

As the Fire Spirit King, Ifrit, glanced at her, Ellaim, who had its arms crossed, turned away with a short snicker.

[And now there\'s even Gnoass. What on earth...]

Ifrit, perplexed by what he saw, looked to Davey.

[Human, you owe me an explanation. Typically, one does not summon without going through the proper steps.]

"That\'s correct, typically that\'s how it goes," Davey calmly responded, lightly clapping his hands together. Concurrently, a red magic circle started to materialize above the lava river where Ifrit hovered. "Let\'s establish a pact, Ifrit. Even though I employed this unrefined approach, I genuinely require your assistance for a crucial matter. That\'s why I had to resort to this."

[I refuse! Just because you summoned me in some way doesn\'t mean I have to accept it!]

The spirit\'s outburst was somewhat expected. In contrast, the summoning processes went more smoothly than anticipated for Elliam and Gnoass.

With a serious demeanor, Davey addressed the spirit, saying, "So resist all you want. I cannot back down either."

[Do you really think you can restrain a Spirit King with such a weak trap?!]

"I set the trap because I can restrain you."

This suppression magic circle was one that Davey had learned from Yuriana, the same one he had employed during his encounters with Gnoass and Ellaim. Its effectiveness was straightforward: the more the Spirit King raged, the more the circle would absorb his power and strengthen the restraint.

‘Yes, keep raging.’

Of course, it came with its downsides. Maintaining the circle consumed a significant amount of mana. If Ifrit did not rage and provide energy, Davey would have to bear the cost. The circle would naturally break if it encountered no resistance. Given Ifrit\'s fiery, impulsive nature, Davey expected it to be ensnared like prey in a spider\'s web.

While Davey was restraining Ifrit, he couldn\'t help but wonder about the intentions of the other two Spirit Kings from earlier. Ellaim had given up quickly, and thanks to Yuria Helishana, the guardian of the Moon Forest, contracting Gnoass had not been difficult. They must have known the weakness of the magic circle he was using, having seen it before.

The summoned Ifrit was, after all, Yuriana\'s Fire Spirit King Ifrit, also known as Arsonist or Firestarter. They had a history, so Davey was ready to prevent any assistance the other Spirit Kings might offer. Yet, there was something unusual about their expressions.

[Give it up, Ifrit.]

[You think it doesn\'t matter to you, Gnoass?! You want to keep a contract with a human who disregards the laws of the spirit world?!]

Gnoass and Ellaim feigned ignorance, maintaining their consistent attitude.

[I don\'t know what you\'re talking about. Sure, his desire isn\'t the strongest, but that\'s a matter of personal preference. He\'s an exceptional spirit master capable of bypassing the steps to summon a Spirit King. Besides, he\'s currently dealing with such urgent matters that minor details can be overlooked.]

[Yes, given the circumstances, please lend him your aid. The contractor isn\'t too shabby either. We can be together forever.]

At the mention of the word ‘forever,’ Ifrit\'s expression darkened. It was well-known that the Fire Spirit King Ifrit did not get along well with the Water Spirit King Ellaim.

[You\'ve gone mad...]

[Call me mad one more time, and I\'ll tear off your head.]

[What in the world happened that you\'re so tolerant...]

[There are reasons we can\'t speak of. This is crucial right now. Yuriana would\'ve surely stopped it. Whether it\'s pride or a practical problem, I hope you decide for yourself.]

‘An important matter?’ Davey had never told them about the matter.

At this point, Davey could discern the audacious idea Ellaim and Gnoass harbored: \'We won\'t be the only ones being taken advantage of. Let\'s die together.\'

Once contracted, they must have realized that, unlike contracts with other spirit masters, a contract with Davey would persist until his death. If they couldn\'t escape, they would be bound alongside him!

In practice, Davey occasionally had Gnoass dig into the earth and Ellaim create water pathways, rather mundane tasks for Spirit Kings. As he watched Ifrit grow tired slowly, a sly smirk crept onto the corner of the earth giant Gnoass\' mouth.

‘Look at that. These guys are terribly mischievous.’

"Ifrit. I\'ll say it again. I request a contract."

[Ugh! I refuse!]

"You won\'t help till the end?"

[Is that any of my concern?!]

"Such a clueless fool... Even if you\'re slow, this is too much."

Davey’s statement stopped Ifrit’s resistance.

[What are you saying?!]

"Seems like you don\'t understand. I don\'t require such an unintelligent Spirit King. I\'ll just use the Divine Beast of fire instead."

As Davey motioned toward the fiery bird, the creature, previously displaying uncontrollable temper, quickly shifted its attitude and flew toward him. Rubbing its head against Davey\'s hand, the Vermillion Bird shot a peculiar glance at Ifrit. Davey couldn\'t be certain, but there seemed to be a mocking undertone.

"Even though I summoned you as a Spirit King, I didn\'t anticipate you\'d be genuinely more useless and dumber than a chicken," Davey stated calmly, then dismissed the magic circle. "Depart. We have no use for an imbecile like you."

Upon hearing his words, the Spirit King visibly flinched, and the magic circle binding the spirit lost all its power.

[How dare you call me, the Fire Spirit King, an idiot?]

"Do you want me to call you smart then? Gnoass, it seems not all Spirit Kings are intelligent, right?"

[Tch, obviously. I never imagined Ifrit would be this dimwitted. Take it as an honor, Ifrit. Because of your stupidity, we\'ve been set back on a significant task. Yuriana is probably weeping in the afterlife.]

[Yu, Yuriana? Is this about that ghostly woman?]

With Gnoass’ aggressive comment, Ifrit trembled. Was there something hidden? Davey figured the spirit was racking its brain to figure it out. But the thing was, there was none. Ifrit was simply being deceived.

[I can\'t say it\'s not,] Ellaim murmured bitterly.

[Damn it! I\'ll trust you this once! Contract with me, human!]

While Davey was occupied with the Spirit Kings in front of Deian, Deian wisely refrained from attacking Davey in this situation. It was evident that Deian was likely scheming to escape by any means possible.

"No need. Just go back." Davey waved him off with a dismissive gesture.

[Tsk, I told you. You\'re such a dimwit.]

[Seems so.]

Because of those two Spirit Kings’ deceptive behavior, Ifrit became quite flustered and hastily lunged at Davey.

[I\'ll help! Contract with me! Contract!!]

"No, I said I won\'t. You seem too dumb and useless. I shouldn\'t have wasted my mana summoning you."

[No! Contract with me, and you won\'t regret it! I\'ll even enhance the level of our contract by two!]

Two levels. It was as if half the required bonding with the spirit had already been completed. In simpler terms, it was like beginning with a head start. Upon hearing the spirit\'s offer, Davey feigned consideration, locking eyes with the spirit.

"Really? Well, I don\'t see why not, but..." After a moment of contemplation, Davey gazed at the spirit. "The contract consumes a significant amount of mana, that\'s the issue."

[It\'s a test...]

"So, you don\'t want to contract? You keep getting in the way."

[Ugh! I\'ll bear the burden! I\'ll handle it, human!]

Bingo. The forming pact quickly took shape.

[By the origin of fire, the primordial light, I, the Fire Spirit King Ifrit, ask the Contractor for their name.]

"Davey O’Rowane."

[Davey O’Rowane. To you, I, Ifrit, the Fire Spirit King possessing Lavatein, will inscribe our pact.]

"Good. I\'m counting on you."

As Davey spoke, the spirit\'s fiery magic circle was engraved and slowly dissipated.

[State your wish, Contractor. What\'s this significant task you speak of?]

Davey gave a smug grin in response to Ifrit\'s confident proposition. "Just the contract."

[Huh?]

"The contract\'s complete. You can depart now," Davey said calmly as a blue sword materialized in his hand. Simultaneously, he fixed his gaze on Deian, who was attempting to slip away amidst the commotion.

"The rest of you, take care of the ones here. Ifrit\'s initial summoning depleted too much mana."

At his command, Gnoass and Ellaim returned to their usual selves and effortlessly began to eliminate the monsters. Megalodria, appearing amused by the unfolding situation, effortlessly obliterated the King of Evil Beasts Volcanic Worm. The divine beings did not conceal their fierce natures either.

[What... is this?]

Amidst the situation, Ifrit, who seemed left out, looked at Davey with a desolate expression.

[You said there was a significant task, and that Yuriana would lament in the underworld if I didn\'t contract with you!]

"Exactly. Do you know how bothersome it is to summon the Fire Spirit King again? I exhausted all the natural fire energy in this place to summon you. Finding such a perfect location isn\'t easy."

Leaving the shocked Ifrit behind, Davey gave Deian a chilling smile. He said, "Does it have something to do with the Destruction Demon King? Initially, I wanted to capture and use you, but you\'re no longer necessary."

One hostage was sufficient.

"This can\'t be!"

Realizing that Davey had no intention of sparing him, Deian hastily attempted to muster his devil mana in retaliation. However, Davey was quicker, swiftly drawing a line with his sword.

Chang!

Deian began to crumble, splitting in two. The 8th Circle Necromancer, Deian, had been a formidable being. His power, primarily rooted in curses, was potent enough to shake a continent. However, his opponent proved to be even more formidable.

"Dirro, here\'s the order. Capture that pink-haired lady, Lapis, was it?"

Even though Rinne was absent, and Davey had to issue the order himself, it didn\'t matter. He had remembered the creature that appeared to be a direct subordinate of the Destruction Demon King and concluded that it was more crucial to secure her than Deian.

"What?! Ahhh! This feels terrible! What is this?!"

Simultaneously, a terrified scream echoed.