The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

“Even though they have diverse potentials, they all share the same goal,” Willow clarified. “Their priority is to ensure the safety of the main body, Darian, at all costs. They decided they had to lure the Doomsday potential out to deal with it, given that it refuses to even begin to consider his safety.”

“And that’s where the bubble worlds come into the equation?”

“Yes, the unstable dimensions were their chosen field of conflict. Special, newborn dimensions created by the Goddess. The virtual reality connection device I created acts as a passage that resonates with the human soul. The beings inside Darian succeeded in chasing out Pride and Wrath by utilizing that space."

“Hmm.”

“And, as you saw, I'm the only one who can analyze and understand his inner self’s environment right now.”

Both Perserque and Davey were able to confirm the existence of Pride in the bubble world, for what it was worth. Given nobody else there was able to discern Pride’s presence, clearly there was something exceptional about them.

“So it seems like, at least within the bubble world, both Davey and I can perceive it as well.”

“Yes. Beings with levels higher than a demigod are capable of perceiving the potentials. Therefore, such a level of strength is essential if wanting to provide any assistance or tackle the matter directly.”

In other words, the potentials inside Darian were no longer stubbornly committed to resolving things amongst themselves. Instead, they were asking for help from everyone they could before it was too late.

Davey’s group made for the perfect allies, given their many ties and vested interests.

“Which potentials are problematic?” Davey asked, curious.

“The criteria for determining whether a potential is negative and necessary to remedy is a little vague, but there are a total of eight potentials that could fundamentally twist Darian through their actions and behavior.”

They were the potentials comprising pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, lust, greed, sloth, and finally—doomsday.

“Right now, Pride and Wrath have been chased out somehow and are wreaking havoc both in the virtual reality world and on Earth, but Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Greed, and Sloth are still entrenched within Darian’s inner self. Unfortunately, as long as they remain there out of reach, there will be no easy way to truly take care of the doomsday potential.”

The potential Doomsday had great power, but could also wreck Darian.

The reason the seven sins came into existence with Darian’s inner self was surprisingly simple—the world contained countless variables. The potentials were the intermediate point or endpoint Darian could reach within those variables.

Taking the potential of Wrath as an example, its manifested power was entangled with the problems that Darian would have to endure to gain that power in the future.

Extreme anger management issues would be chief on the list of worries. If Darian were to improperly handle the situation with Wrath, doing something wrong and messing with the power, he would find himself practically overcome with wrathful feelings.

There were always potentials that cared nothing for the well-being of the main body. A potential that countless other good and bad potentials alike unanimously considered unacceptable and directly harmful to Darian’s self.

The eight potentials Willow spoke of were among that list of deplorable potentials.

All living beings gained experience and built up towers of karma as they lived. People usually called that fate or the flow of things. However, Darian’s fate was different in nature.

It was already absurd that his fate had countless potentials, as fates usually only had one. On top of that, the extreme outcomes of those futures were being fed back to Darian in real-time, dragging power from the future into the present like some kind of cheat code.

“Seriously... Am I understanding this correctly? So if there's a potential for Darian to realize the ultimate mastery of the sword...”

“Yes. Given the correct handling/absorbing of that potential, Darian could acquire ultimate mastery of the sword without any practice whatsoever. However, there's a problem. Along with that bestowal and realization of power, there remains the possibility of changes taking place in Darian as a result of the process.”

His talent was at a vast level never seen before.

“If a potential that achieves ultimate mastery of the sword exists within Darian and grants him limitless talent, that’d be very fortunate,” Davey said.

Illyna questioned, “Then it's a good thing, right?”

Perserque chose to elaborate, saying, “Well, it’s not exactly as cut-and-dry as one might assume. The potentials’ qualities mean there's no guarantee that only good things will come with it. For example, if Darian inherits the problems entangled with that potential, he could suddenly experience those troubles from the future but as his present self.”

“That's...” Only then did Illyna realize that his talent wasn't entirely a lucky boon.

“That's why most potentials don't immediately link their power to Darian. They gradually make him stronger while diluting the problems they are laden with in the future.”

If a potential were to have achieved ultimate sword mastery but lost an eye in the process, that potential would instead choose to gradually pass its swordsmanship on to Darian. During that incremental process, it would be able to compensate for or even outright nullify the consequences of losing that eye.

In other words, he could gain the results of that potential without having to bear the price that came with it. That wouldn’t just be for one or two potentials, either, but an enormous number of them.

“Their main focus is ultimately Darian’s safety and well-being. They definitely don't want him to get hurt or twisted. Fufu. Well, there are actually some potentials that have become a benevolent saintess lady or a young boy, too.”

“Pffft!!!” Aeria, who was drinking tea with a serious expression and holding her breath, spat out the tea entirely.

Ignoring Illyna who had just been entirely soaked with matcha and chai, Perserque remarked, “Anyways, if you proceed slowly with those too...”

“I don't know much about that. To begin with, Darian turning into a female or a child isn't a threat to his life or the potentials. Aging, however, is another matter entirely...”

But that wasn't the problem they were facing at that moment. Those were only extremely low-level and low-probability potentials for Darian, and they could be dealt with at any time.

However, the eight aberrant potentials were different. They were potentials that didn’t care about the main body's safety at all.

Unlike the others, they had no hesitation in their chaos and mayhem. They could, and would, immediately force their power into Darian, bringing the penalties along with them.

For example, Wrath wouldn't just transfer its power, also giving the extreme, incurable anger management issues as well.

The seven deadly sins would allow Darian to wield immense power at any time, but they'd also instantly drive him insane.

“If I'm hearing you correctly, you're saying we need to deal with the potentials that the others within Darian manage to chase out from the inside.”

“That’s what it’s ultimately looking like, yes. We’ll lure the potentials into a bubble world, sever their connection to Darian, and eliminate them on the spot. In effect, we’ll be bringing about the outcome that Darian’s potentials were supposed to reach by clashing with one another.”

They felt the desperate need to help, as they didn't know what would happen if Darian tried to do it alone. Their resolve was firm and committed.

“But how're we going to draw them out?”

“First, we'll put the connection device on Darian,” Willow began.

“And then?”

“Um...” Willow fell silent.

Illyna asked, “Do we have our own way to drive those seven sins out?”

Willow nodded. “Did you forget who the owner of the virtual world is?”

The one managing the place was none other than Willow, the Goddess of Harmony.

She turned to the side, smugly announcing, “Your daughter is pretty good, Dad.”

Davey let out a hollow laugh at her bright smile.

The seven sins possessed immense power, but they were still unstable and unreliable.

“No matter how powerful they are, or how twisted, they're not real living beings. However, it's also true that they're dangerous.”

“So?”

“We trick them. We make the banished ones fight and tear each other apart.”

“Make them fight?”

“Regardless of how Darian is physically and mentally, they’ll try to apply their own potential to him. So, if they come upon a viable path for them to return and merge with Darian, they'll prioritize that over everything else.”

It was just like a computer program, designed to rigidly follow a set of rules. Even when knowing it was a trap, they absolutely would not give up on the opportunity.

“The seven sins aren't beings that help each other, so we don't have to worry too much about inciting strife among them. Hatred is rampant across their ranks, so if a path opens that allows only one of them to return, they'll immediately tear each other apart with zero hesitation.”

Willow walked over and placed the connection device on Darian’s soft little head.

Despite his pitiful age, he truly held a powerful force within.

Once everything was said and done, the total amount of power he possessed would decrease significantly. Still, a future where he goes insane or becomes twisted was better left unrealized.

“We don't need to fight them. Let’s get ready to make them rumble, gang.” Davey nodded with satisfaction at her ploy to open a fighting ring among the seven sins.

Naturally, chasing the sins out from the inside wasn't easy, but Willow was the owner of the virtual space as well as the Goddess of Harmony.

The first sacrifice chosen among the seven sins was Greed.

The potentials that had gained wills from the power of the former Neltarid allied with each other and immediately chased out the dangerous Greed.

Since Greed could seep back into Darian if left unchecked, they needed to sever the connection to the virtual space.

Yet, Willow twisted the virtual space to allow only one among Pride, Wrath, and Greed to re-enter from the outside.

If any of them managed to successfully return, it would have to be by getting rid of two other potentials.

Davey couldn’t help but marvel at how cunning Willow was.

* * *

Wrath, which had been banished earlier, sensed the presence of Greed entering its domain, as well as the passage connected to Darian.

Though it was the one who destroyed and smashed everything due to its extreme rage, it focused all its attention on returning to Darian, as if by instinct.

However, it became clear that only one potential could pass through the passage leading back to Darian’s inner self. That same faint passage would also disappear after one use.

“Ouch. Damn it...”

Unfortunately, that left it with new competitors.

As soon as Wrath made up its mind, it grabbed Greed by the neck.

“Agh?!”

It snapped Greed’s neck and threw itself at the passage. Everything was worth it, as long as it could return to Darian.

However, its journey back didn’t last long. Along with the sound of a coin dropping, its form was slammed into the floor before it could return.

None of the terrible potentials realized they were inadvertently playing along with Willow's plan.

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