My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

”Arrgghhh!”

Vex screamed in pain as his mind was still slightly clouded from the earlier mental pressure.

In pure reflex, he fully released the peak strength of a Level 1 Emperor and blasted Nova away with overwhelming force. His arm regenerated instantly.

”You mongrel! You dare injure me?!”

Vex was completely enraged. As an Emperor Realm powerhouse, it was an absolute humiliation that a mere King Realm pest had managed to sever his arm in front of such a large audience.

He reached Nova within seconds. The aura he was now releasing was overwhelming.

Although Nova’s Demonic Dominion Aura mixed with traces of carnage and chaos — was helping him resist the full pressure, the gap between an Emperor and a peak King Realm warrior was simply too massive.

It was not only a difference in stats, but in pure aura and mana pressure. Nova was already having difficulty controlling his own body movements under the crushing force.

Vex appeared above him and drove a heavy kick straight into his stomach.

”Ughh!”

Nova coughed up another mouthful of blood and was blasted into the ground. The impact made the entire arena tremble, and even the audience felt the residual shockwave.

Everyone clearly saw that Vex was now using his true strength against a King Realm opponent. Yet no one dared to speak up.

General Lorcan, the referee, did not intervene. Queen Lily sat with a satisfied smile on her face, showing no intention of stopping the fight.

Nyxara clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her body trembled from a mixture of rage and deep worry for Nova. Still, she forced herself to remain still, remembering his earlier words — wait for the signal.

When the smoke cleared, she saw Nova struggling to push himself up. He looked toward her and gave a small shake of his head, silently telling her that he still had cards left to play.

Although Nova’s entire body had gone numb, the wounds were already healing at a rapid pace thanks to his powerful physique.

That was the only reason he was still alive. However, he knew that if he did not do something soon, he would not be able to continue much longer.

In a duel of this level, a single decisive move could determine the outcome. If the fight dragged on, he would only fall into a greater disadvantage. He needed to catch Vex off guard.

{ Are you really sure about this? If you use it, you won’t be safe anymore. }

I don’t have any other way to beat him, Nova thought grimly. It won’t kill him, but it will severely damage his soul. I’ll only get one chance. His Emperor Realm pressure is already making it extremely difficult for me to even move properly.

Nova finally stood up completely. He looked at Vex, whose eyes had widened in disbelief that he was still able to stand. Demonic regeneration was already known to be extraordinary, but Nova was only at the King Realm. If he had truly died, regeneration would not have been possible.

Vex, Lorcan, and Lily were all visibly shocked. Just what kind of monster was this man?

Nova knew he had to end it quickly. He spoke in a cold, steady voice.

”It’s good that you’re finally using your full power... because you’re going to need it.”

Although still stunned, Vex narrowed his eyes. What was this man planning? Was he really still hiding his true strength? Why wasn’t he dead yet? Any normal demon at Nova’s level would have already been killed long ago.

Nova couldn’t use Voidborne Telekinesis or Reality Override. Due to the massive difference in power, both abilities would be nearly ineffective against Vex unless he applied an enormous amount of mental pressure — something he simply couldn’t afford right now.

Death Gaze had also failed to produce the desired result. That left him with only one final option. He quickly sent a voice transmission to Nyxara.

”If Lorcan tries to stop me... you have to hold him back.”

Nyxara looked at him in confusion. She didn’t understand what he was about to do, but she still chose to trust him.

In the next second, Nova leapt high into the air and unleashed a massive, extremely dense demonic aura.

BOOOOM!!

The pressure that erupted from his body rivaled that of a true Demon Lord. It was the aura of Demon Lord Raze — yet at the same time, it was clearly Nova’s own. Since Raze was already dead, there was no foreign mana signature mixed within it.

The aura spread outward like a tidal wave.

Everyone present shivered as the dreadful pressure washed over them. Vex was forced down onto one knee. Lily and the other wives of the Demon Lord all stood up at once, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Lorcan, Nyxara, and Velena were equally shocked. Although Nova had revealed a portion of this power to Nyxara back on the Fourth Level, he was now pushing it to his absolute limit — and he could only maintain it for a very short time.

The strain was clearly going to leave a serious effect on his body.

In the audience, the mysterious cloaked woman also rose to her feet. Her voice came out in a low, stunned murmur.

”How is this possible...? That aura is even more powerful than mine. Who is that brat?! How did he manage this at such a low level... and why is his demonic aura even purer than that of the Zarok Clan?”

Standing beside Nyxara, Velena’s usually blank face finally showed clear shock.

”Princess... did you know about this?”

Nyxara did not look away from Nova. Her eyes remained fixed on him as she answered quietly.

”Yes... but he is clearly overdoing it. Look at his expression.”

When Velena focused more carefully, she saw that Nova’s face was tense. Sweat was already dripping down his forehead.

He was rapidly approaching his limit. His current strength was simply too low to handle this level of power at full force for long.

Almost all of the overwhelming pressure Nova released was concentrated directly onto Vex’s body, completely immobilizing him.

The audience and the rest of the people present only felt the residual waves of that aura — yet even that was more than enough to leave them in complete shock.

Not wasting another second, Nova vanished from his position right before everyone’s eyes. This time, there was no crackling of black lightning.

He had not used Judgment Flash. Instead, he activated Void Steps and reappeared directly behind Vex, who was still gritting his teeth and struggling to stand.

BAM!

Nova delivered a heavy kick that sent Vex flying with tremendous force. Before the prince could crash into the mana barrier, Nova appeared once again and kicked him from another direction. He continued this process without pause, never giving Vex a single chance to recover or fight back.

The audience was shocked once more. Not only was Nova using Space affinity, but he was controlling it with remarkable efficiency.

Lily’s expression turned extremely ugly. The outcome of the duel was unfolding in a completely different direction from what she had planned. Just what kind of monstrosity had that bitch Nyxara brought back with her?

She quickly sent a voice transmission to Lorcan, who was still reeling from the continuous shocks Nova had delivered. The moment he received the Queen’s order, he attempted to intervene and stop Nova.

However, his body refused to move. A powerful pressure locked him in place from behind. When he turned his head, he saw Nyxara standing there, her cold crimson eyes fixed on him.

”Where do you think you’re going?” she asked quietly.

Lorcan immediately understood. He would not be able to move. He glanced toward Lily, silently conveying that he was powerless.

Lily could only grit her teeth in frustration and wait for her son to somehow fight back — though from the current situation, that seemed increasingly unlikely.

In the arena, Nova continued treating Vex’s body like a ball, kicking him around without mercy. He was deliberately destroying Vex’s physical coordination so that he could set up his final, most powerful move.

Among the audience, the mysterious cloaked woman spoke in a low, interested voice.

”That brat even possesses Space affinity... I will definitely have to take him with me now. Even if it means offending Kharos.”

Nova kicked Vex one final time, sending him high into the air above the arena. In the next instant, he appeared above the falling prince and drove a heavy kick straight into his chest.

Crack—!

”Urghhhh!”

The clear sound of ribs breaking echoed through the air as Vex’s body was launched downward with tremendous force.

Nova immediately took position. Everything was happening at extreme speed. He poured a massive amount of mana into Rouve and activated his final skill and swung it hard.

”Soul Pulse!”

A massive black arc of energy erupted from the greatsword and surged toward Vex’s falling body. Combined with the force of the earlier kick, the Soul Pulse struck him just as he was about to hit the ground.

BOOOOOOM!!

The ground trembled violently with a massive pressure as thick smoke filled the arena. From within the cloud of dust , Vex’s agonized scream echoed across the entire arena.

”ARRGGHHHHH!!”

**

Thanks for reading...