My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

Theodore was just about to say something when the sound of galloping horses echoed from outside the city. The thunderous footsteps rapidly grew louder as they approached Frostholme’s gates.

They soon saw nearly two hundred men riding toward the city. Every one of them wore silver armor fitted with full battle gear, and engraved on their breastplates was the crest of the Aureth Kingdom—a radiant sun shining over the world.

It was the royal crest of the Aureth Kingdom, the eastern kingdom of the Human Empire of Kaelor.

These were the Royal Guards of Aureth.

At the front of the force rode a single man clad in heavy silver armor. Even while mounted on his horse, his massive frame stood out from everyone else. An overwhelming aura radiated from his body, surpassing Theodore’s several times over.

Seeing their arrival, Theodore, William, and Maria descended from the city wall and walked infront of the main gate to welcome them. Although the Royal Guards had arrived far too late, none of them could openly complain.

After all, these were the kingdom’s elite forces, and the man leading them held a far higher military position than any of them. Even Theodore, despite being the Duke of Frostholme, had to show him proper respect.

The armored man brought his horse to a halt before the three commanders, while the rest of the Royal Guards stopped nearly twenty meters behind him.

Theodore stepped forward with a polite smile. ”Welcome, Vice Commander Ragnar. You’re a little late, though.”

Ragnar stepped down from his horse. He stood nearly 200 cm tall, while Theodore himself was only around 190 cm. Walking toward the three commanders, Ragnar slowly swept his gaze across the battlefield, taking in the countless corpses, the destruction, and the sheer magnitude of the battle that had taken place. His eyes finally settled on Theodore, Maria, and William.

”How did you all survive this? And why does the city still look intact?”

”Oh... would it have bothered you that much if we had all perished?” William taunted with obvious annoyance. He knew he was crossing the line and that such words could easily get him killed, but he couldn’t help feeling angry. The way Ragnar had asked the question made it sound as though he had expected everyone to be dead.

”Watch yourself, boy. If I were you, I’d keep my mouth shut,” Ragnar said coldly as he looked directly at William.

Being called ’boy’ made William’s blood boil. But in truth, Ragnar had every right to say it. The higher one’s level became, the longer they lived. Some powerful individuals could live for thousands of years without their appearance changing much, and Ragnar was undoubtedly many times older than William.

Theodore immediately stepped in before the situation escalated.

”Please forgive him, Vice Commander Ragnar. He’s simply saddened by the heavy casualties we suffered.”

”Hmph!... Anyway, explain what happened here,” Ragnar said, completely ignoring William. His gaze shifted toward the enormous crater several kilometers away.

”And what created that massive crater?”

Maria remained silent throughout the exchange. She had no intention of speaking to the man before her. Vice Commander Ragnar was infamous throughout the Aureth Kingdom for his arrogant and unpleasant personality.

He was exactly the kind of person people called a scumbag. The only reason no one dared oppose him was because he possessed overwhelming strength and held a high position among the Royal Guards.

Theodore then explained everything that had happened on the battlefield. He left nothing out while recounting the events to Ragnar. There was no point in hiding anything, and besides, the Slaughter Monarch had never asked him to conceal his existence.

After Theodore finished his explanation, Ragnar remained silent for a few moments, carefully processing everything he had heard.

”So you’re saying this... Slaughter Monarch can turn the demonic beasts he kills into his own army and command them to fight for him?”

”Yes,” Theodore replied without hesitation.

”Hmm...”

Ragnar narrowed his eyes.

”Sounds to me like some kind of necromancer. But that alone doesn’t explain the combat power he displayed. Creating a crater of that magnitude...” He glanced toward the distant crater before continuing, ”...he’s definitely at the Grandmaster Realm or perhaps even above it.”

A thoughtful look appeared on his face.

”And that only makes him an even greater threat... especially after you told me he possessed an extremely dreadful aura, one that closely resembled demonic aura.”

”I would’ve understood it if he were a member of the Blood Moon Cult,” Ragnar said thoughtfully. ”But his actions completely contradict the ideals of those cultistsFuckers.”

”You might be onto something there, Ragnar.”

A new voice suddenly echoed through the area.

The next moment, a man appeared out of thin air, as though he had been invisible the entire time. His sudden appearance startled everyone except Ragnar , as he calmly stood before the four of them.

”What the fuck are you doing here, Enzo?” Ragnar asked, looking at the newcomer with obvious contempt.

”I’m here for the same reason as you,” Enzo replied calmly before greeting the three commanders of Frostholme with a polite nod.

Unlike Ragnar, Enzo carried himself with maturity and humility. He was just as powerful as Ragnar, and many even believed he was stronger.

Enzo was the Second-in-Command of the Twilight Order’s branch in the Aureth Kingdom.

The Twilight Order was an organization that acted as the guardians of peace throughout Astrae. It maintained branches across every continent, empire, and kingdom, with members belonging to every race.

Their purpose was to prevent evil from spreading and stop disasters caused by dangerous organizations across the world. True to its name, the Twilight Order existed to preserve the balance between darkness and light.

”What do you mean by that, you bastard?” Ragnar asked with obvious annoyance. For some reason, he had never liked Enzo. Ragnar’s face was rough and intimidating rather than handsome, with several old scars running across it.

In contrast, Enzo had a clean face and quite handsome features. Naturally, this only fueled Ragnar’s jealousy. Both of them held high-ranking 2nd in command positions in two of the most powerful organizations within the Aureth Kingdom, so people constantly compared them. Unfortunately for Ragnar, those comparisons were rarely in his favor.

The citizens of the kingdom often ridiculed Ragnar behind his back because of it. Enzo was well aware of this and never missed an opportunity to take advantage of it, making Ragnar look inferior almost every time they met.

”Oh... well, a little bird told me that this was all part of the Blood Moon Cult’s plan,” Enzo said calmly.

None of the others looked particularly shocked. After everything Theodore had explained, it was obvious that the Blood Moon Cult was involved.

The real questions were...How did they do it? And more importantly...Why?

”How do you know that? And who told you?” Ragnar asked with a frown.

”Of course, I won’t be revealing my source here,” Enzo replied with a calm smile. ”Nor am I obliged to do so. But I can vouch for it—the information is correct.”

After saying that, Enzo turned toward Theodore.

”Lord Theodore, did you notice anything unusual about this beast tide?”

”Ah, yes,” Theodore answered after a brief thought. ”It felt as though the beasts were being attracted by something inside the city. However, my men searched the area but couldn’t find anything suspicious.”

”That’s because...” Enzo said, folding his arms. ”It was most likely some kind of demonic treasure. Humans below the Grandmaster Realm are unable to sense such objects. It must still be hidden somewhere inside the city.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

”I’ve already ordered a few of my men to search the city.”

Hearing that Enzo was already two steps ahead of him, Ragnar gritted his teeth in annoyance. He immediately turned toward the Royal Guards behind him.

”You five, come here.”

Five men instantly stepped forward who were at grandmaster realm.

”Search every corner of the city. If you find anything suspicious or any object related to demons, report to me immediately.”

Thanks for reading...