SSS-Rank Evolving Monster: From Pest to Cosmic Devourer-Chapter 57: This was going to be a slaughter

Seeing the mosquito fall into contemplative silence, Noctyss continued her explanation in a patient, almost professor-like tone, her voice blending with the faint hum of dense mana lingering in the air.

"At a certain point, when warriors accumulate enough Spiritual Force, their spiritual space undergoes a transformation," she began, her amethyst eyes reflecting the pulsing light from the distant crevice. "It becomes a real world — capable of manifesting into reality, like an entire separate realm carved out of existence itself."

Her words carried a weight that made Ricky’s compound eyes flash with solemn understanding.

"Most of these Forbidden Lands," she continued, "are nothing more than the remnants of those transcendent Beings. Their spiritual spaces, left behind after death — abandoned worlds born from souls who once defied mortality but eventually fell due to... unknown reasons."

The soft wind that drifted between them seemed to grow colder, as if the mention of death and lingering spirits summoned a chilling presence from beyond.

"Though their true spirits have long since departed, their obsessions linger — twisted and clinging to the void in the form of an aura of resentment..."

Her voice grew softer, almost wistful. "Maybe they wanted to kill an enemy they never could, or see the sunset with someone they loved one last time... maybe something else. Some dream left incomplete."

As her words faded into the wind, the silence that followed was heavy and thoughtful. Ricky absorbed every syllable, his understanding of Forbidden Lands and the mysterious nature of spiritual spaces deepening like a well of black water.

A long moment passed before Ricky finally spoke, his voice low and careful.

"Hmm... If this place isn’t a Forbidden Land, then what is it?"

There was a hidden edge to his tone — a careful hope laced with lingering unease. Deep down, he was incredibly relieved. The abrupt appearance of this anomaly had weighed on his mind like a mountain.

Noctyss’ lips curved into a triumphant smile, as if she’d been waiting for that question all along.

"Very good question," she praised, clapping her hands together once with an enthusiasm that was almost infectious, her whole demeanor lighting up like a proud teacher whose favorite student had finally caught up.

Ricky held his breath without realizing it, feeling a prickling anticipation build within him. If it wasn’t something fatal... then it had to be something good, right?

With a dramatic flourish, Noctyss grinned and said,"This is most likely an inheritance ground — left behind by some powerful senior."

Her voice almost trembled with excitement, and her words seemed to hang in the mana-thickened air, resonating through the trembling trees and the rumbling earth.

"Finding an inheritance ground is incredibly rare," she continued, her eyes gleaming.

"Most seniors, before passing away, would lock their prepared inheritance inside well-guarded secret locations... or the heart of great sects and ancient organizations."

"I wonder... just how did something like this end up in a place like this wasteland?"

Her gaze turned distant, glittering with emotions barely kept in check.

Unconsciously, her heartbeat quickened — a drumming thunder inside her chest.

Badum! Badum!

A fierce, desperate hope blossomed within her. Maybe, just maybe, the heavens had finally shown her mercy. After everything... could this be her chance to rise again?

Moreover, judging by the untouched state of the crevice, it seemed no one had yet explored it. That meant the treasures, the knowledge, the legacy hidden inside... were still waiting.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed nervously, the sparkling fervor in her amethyst eyes almost blinding.

For a while, she said nothing more, lost in her own fantasies of revival. Meanwhile, Ricky remained unusually calm, his crystalline wings twitching thoughtfully.

It was clear — even through Noctyss’ unfiltered excitement — that this inheritance ground represented an unprecedented opportunity.

Yet, alongside the chance, danger lurked like a shadow.

Ricky’s mind worked quickly.

An inheritance ground was like a blood-stained blade hung above the forest. Once the news spread, chaos would engulf everything. He thought of the catastrophe already triggered by the rumors of Demon Queen Noctyss’ tomb — and that opportunity paled in comparison to this.

The mere thought made his blood run cold.

His gaze shifted toward the endless stream of mana gushing from the crevice — a beacon screaming its presence to every sensitive creature in the area.

"If only the phenomenon had been quieter..."

Ricky thought grimly. But there was no point in wishful thinking. It was already too late. It was only a matter of time before others noticed the disturbance.

"I have to move fast," he muttered under his breath.

Perhaps — just perhaps — the solution he sought was hidden within the inheritance itself.

Lightning-like thoughts surged through Ricky’s mind, calculating endless scenarios in a matter of moments — some hopeful, some apocalyptic.

Just as he opened his mouth to command Noctyss to move, his proboscis twitched instinctively. A familiar scent brushed against his senses, sharp and dangerous.

Before he could react further, the crevice roared.

A blinding eruption of light burst forth, saturating the world with chaotic energy.

"Watch out!" Noctyss cried, snapping out of her trance.

However, compared to Ricky, her reaction was sluggish — a mortal facing the fury of nature. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Ricky had already moved, propelled by pure instinct, his body vanishing from his previous position and reappearing high above the crevice. His spiritual field unfolded like a monstrous web, covering every direction in a heartbeat.

He knew what was coming.

The air twisted violently — and then they emerged.

Three Aegis ants, their exoskeletons gleaming like ancient relics, crawled out of the hole. Each one radiated waves of suffocating, dreadful power.

Ricky’s compound eyes narrowed dangerously.

"This is bad," he thought grimly.

Even a single ant had nearly forced him to the edge before. Now, there were three — and each one was visibly stronger than the last one he’d fought.

The ants locked their soulless, predatory eyes onto Ricky and Noctyss, and their collective killing intent smothered the air like a thunderstorm descending upon a fragile village.

Noctyss stiffened, her heart hammering as an invisible weight crushed down on her. Her knees buckled; her legs trembled uncontrollably.

The gap between her and these monsters was too great — a chasm that talent, wisdom, or experience could not cross.

In this moment, she wasn’t a peak Stage 1 warrior.

She was the ant.

And they were the titans.

Just as she was about to collapse under the overwhelming pressure, Ricky’s spiritual field tightened around her like a protective cocoon, cutting off the crushing force in an instant.

Without so much as a glance, Ricky issued a mental command that brooked no argument:

"Run."

A single word, filled with unshakable resolve and decisive finality.

There was no hesitation in Noctyss this time. Shielded by Ricky’s power, she turned and sprinted away, vanishing into the trees like a shadow.

The moment she was far enough, Ricky’s body shifted.

He muttered something under his breath, and in the next instant, his form gleamed under the sun as metallic armor spread across his body, merging seamlessly into his carapace.

Blood Infusion ignited within him, surging through his veins like molten lava, and his body swelled, doubling in size as power pulsed from his every limb.

It all happened in a blink.

Then — he moved.

In a blur, Ricky shot downward, landing atop one of the dazed Aegis ants, his razor-sharp forelimbs poised to strike.

"Die," Ricky whispered coldly, his voice devoid of mercy.

This time, he wouldn’t be fighting.

There would be no chance for these monsters to resist.

This was going to be a slaughter.

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