My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

Their eyes soon landed on a figure standing high above them in the sky. He wore the same outfit they remembered from the mana projection, with a mask covering his face.

There was no doubt about it. This was definitely the Slaughter Monarch.

While enduring Nova’s overwhelming pressure, both Demon Generals made up their minds. If they were going to die today, they would die fighting for their lord.

Even if it meant burning their souls to temporarily increase their power, they would do so without hesitation.

They hadn’t expected the Slaughter Monarch to be this powerful. His pressure alone was enough to prevent them from moving, making them wonder whether he had been hiding his true strength all along and had even faked his death during their previous encounter.

Nova observed their reactions and spoke calmly, though his voice carried a heavy, domineering quality.

”Relax, you two... I’m not here to fight.”Both Demon Generals were surprised and exchanged glances.

Azren finally gathered the courage to ask, ”W-What do you want from us?”

”Hmm... I don’t necessarily want anything from you guys. Not yet, at least,” Nova replied.

Both Demon Generals raised their eyebrows. What exactly did he mean by that?

Before they could think any further, Nova descended and landed in front of them. He reduced his pressure, but his overwhelming aura remained, keeping both Generals on guard.

This was the best solution Nova had come up with. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t kill them both, but doing so would be a hassle. Besides, he could make use of them while they were still alive.

After hearing their conversation, he had come up with this idea. Moreover, after becoming an Emperor, Nova’s demonic aura and pressure had grown even more refined, allowing him to maintain them for much longer without suffering any backlash.

Azren and Voren instinctively stepped back when Nova landed right in front of them.

They weren’t afraid of powerful beings. After all, despite their strength, they were like ants compared to the truly powerful existences in this world.

But the being standing before them was on an entirely different level. Still, hearing that he had no intention of fighting brought them some relief.

”I have information about your lord’s heart,” Nova said calmly. Both Demon Generals’ eyes widened in shock.

”Really?! Where is it?” Azren immediately asked.

”Azren, wait...” Voren interrupted. He was scared out of his mind, yet he still dared to question Nova.

”W-Why should we believe your words?”

A smile appeared on Nova’s face, though his mask concealed it from their view.

”I like your confidence.”

He paused before continuing, ”You should teach your brother some sense. He has plenty of brawn but no brains.”

Nova was referring to Azren, whose expression twitched in anger. However, he couldn’t do anything about it. If anyone else had spoken to him like that, Azren would have turned them into a bloody pulp.

But this was the Slaughter Monarch.

Nova turned back toward Voren.

”To answer your question... if I wanted something from you, let’s say I wanted to kill you, would you be able to stop me with your ant-like strength?”

Voren and Azren gulped.

Slaughter monarch was right. If he wanted to kill them, he could do so without needing to convince them of anything.

”S-Sorry for my rudeness... but why are you helping us? And last time, you disappeared with our lord’s heart.”

”Why am I helping you?” Nova repeated thoughtfully. ”Hmm... that’s a good question. Let’s just say I admire the loyalty you two have toward your master, even though he has been dead for a long time.”

Azren and Voren exchanged glances. Is that really all there is to it? But then again, what choice did they have? They could only accept his words for now.

They also realized something important. The Slaughter Monarch didn’t seem to know that their lord was still alive within his own heart.

So he must no longer have the heart... That confirms it! Perhaps he really was willing to help them find it.

Of course, this was precisely what Nova wanted them to believe. It would make them more cooperative and potentially useful to him in the future.

Otherwise, they would eventually end up dying at Kharos’s hands like dogs if they fell into his clutches.

”Where is our lord’s heart, then?” Voren asked.

”I’ll answer that. But first, there’s something I’m curious about, and I want to ask you two a question,” Nova replied.

”What is it that you’re curious about?” Azren asked.

”Are you bound by any oath that prevents you from betraying your lord?” Nova asked.

He genuinely didn’t understand why they had continued working so hard for Demon Lord Raze after all this time.

They could have simply lived their lives without worrying about resurrecting him.

Even if their lord had commanded them to bring him back, they could have abandoned the mission. After all, the risks were enormous, and their own lives were constantly in danger.

Nova knew that being a Demon didn’t automatically make someone loyal or disloyal. Demons could possess strong principles and unwavering loyalty, just like any other race.

Still, there had to be a reason these two were willing to go so far for their lord.

{Yeah... I’m curious as well.}

Liya chimed in, equally interested in their answer.

”No, we aren’t bound by any oath,” Azren answered. ”Our loyalty to our lord is genuine. Nothing is forcing us to remain loyal to him.”

”Then tell me, why are you so loyal to him? And you have to tell me, even if you don’t want to,” Nova said, leaving them no choice but to answer.

Seeing no other choice, Voren began to speak.

”I won’t go into too much detail, as it would take a lot of time, and I don’t want to waste too much of yours.”

Nova nodded. He had no problem with that. He was simply curious and wanted to satisfy his curiosity, as understanding their loyalty might prove useful to him in the future.

Before Voren continued, Nova created a powerful concealment formation that continuously drained his mana but kept all three of them hidden from outside detection.

Both Voren and Azren were surprised. They had never expected him to create a formation of such a high level so quickly, and they could immediately sense how powerful it was.

Coming back, Voren continued.

”When Demon Lord Raze, our lord, was at his peak, he was the strongest existence in this world beneath the Sovereign Realm.”

Nova had suspected as much, but now his suspicions were confirmed. There had been beings stronger than him in the past, and they still exists.

”He had a total of ten generals, including us, and we were the weakest among them. Those generals weren’t all Demons; some were Dragons as well.”

”Despite us being the weakest, he treated us with respect and honor. He even helped us grow stronger by giving us some of his blood, which made our bloodlines purer.”

Nova was shocked to hear that.

Was that even possible? But wasn’t he a hybrid himself? How could he do something like that?

{It is possible. That is also one of the powers of a Divine Bloodline. Its effects depend on the bloodline of its owner. However, that doesn’t mean someone will become overwhelmingly powerful just by consuming a small amount of it.}

{It can raise the rank of your bloodline, make it purer, and strengthen you.}

Nova was surprised by this revelation. If a Divine Bloodline can do that, what could I accomplish with mine, considering it’s Primordial?

{You already know the answer to that. Although, I recommend not thinking about it just yet, as that power is still locked away from you.}

Nova understood what she meant. He had already come to the same conclusion himself. For now, he focused on Voren’s story and listened carefully.

Nova understood what she meant. He had already come to the same conclusion himself. For now, he focused on Voren’s story and listened carefully.

”As our blood became purer and purer, our demonic powers continued to grow, and we gradually reached the strength we possess today. We had no family of our own. Our lord was everything to us.”

”When all the Racial Emperors joined forces and attacked our lord after colluding with Demon Lord Kharos, we, his generals, fought desperately to defend him.

But they were simply too powerful. Our brothers and sisters fell one by one.”

”When only the two of us remained by our lord’s side, he realized that he wouldn’t last much longer.

Somehow, he managed to send us away into hiding and told us that his heart would eventually reach us.”

Although few people in this world knew the truth, the Racial Emperors and Demon Lords were aware that Demon Lord Raze was still alive. Since they couldn’t kill him completely, they decided to seal his soul inside his own heart.

**

Thanks for reading...