My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

"Hahahaha! You? Beat me?!"

Vex threw his head back and laughed loudly, his massive eight-foot frame shaking with amusement. If Nova wanted, he could have increased his own height to match him, but he saw no need to.

Ignoring the laughter, Nova simply looked up at Lorcan and asked in a clear voice,

"What are the rules?"

Lorcan answered in a calm, formal voice.

"The rules are simple. Both combatants may use any weapon or shield they wish."

"As we all know, Prince Vex is at the Emperor Realm, while your aura indicates that you are at the peak of the King Realm. Therefore, he will suppress his strength and fight you at your level. However... accidents may still occur due to the difference in true power."

Lorcan’s expression then hardened slightly as he looked down at Nova.

"Do you still wish to continue with this challenge? Know this — if you refuse, Princess Nyxara will have no choice but to proceed with the engagement to the son of the Demon Lord of the Sloth Clan."

"That is the order of His Majesty the Demon Lord. In his absence, Her Majesty the Queen has graciously allowed Princess Nyxara this one opportunity to break the engagement through a formal challenge."

Nyxara snorted coldly and glanced toward Lily. In response, Lily smiled back at her, fully aware that she had her attention.

This entire situation was nothing more than a carefully staged performance for the public. Although Nyxara hated her family, she still did not want the Zarok Clan as a whole to lose face in front of the entire Abyss. For that reason alone, she was willing to play along with this farce.

Nova did not need to think for long. He had already made his decision.

"Yes. I agree," he declared clearly. "I will continue this challenge... for my wife, Nyxara."

The moment those words left his mouth, Nyxara’s heart trembled. Yet the worry she felt for him quickly overwhelmed every other emotion.

"Alright then. Both of you, take your positions. Let the duel begin!"

As soon as Lorcan finished speaking, he rose higher into the sky. At the same time, a powerful mana barrier formed around the entire arena.

The shield was strong enough to withstand the full-force attacks of even an Emperor Realm warrior, allowing the lower-level audience to safely watch the battle without fear of being caught in the aftermath.

A final bell rang.

Nova and Vex locked eyes for a brief moment. In the next instant, both of their bodies blurred and vanished from their original positions.

Only the higher-level warriors — those at the peak of the King Realm and above — could follow their movements. To the lower-level demons in the crowd, the two combatants had simply disappeared.

They reappeared in the center of the arena. Nova did not hold back in the slightest. Using his full physical strength, he threw a powerful punch.

Vex matched the level of aura Nova was releasing and punched forward at the same time.

Their fists collided.

BOOOOM!!

A thunderous clap-like impact exploded between them as a massive wave of pressure erupted beneath their feet. At this level of strength, the two of them were evenly matched.

"Hahaha... you’re not half bad!" Vex laughed loudly.

Even though a higher-realm warrior usually held an advantage in experience and aura control when suppressing their power, he had been unable to push Nova back even slightly. That alone showed that the man in front of him should not be underestimated.

Vex’s eyes narrowed. He increased his power a little more.

"Let’s see if you can handle this."

He suddenly launched a sharp kick toward Nova’s side. The increase in strength was clear — Vex had begun to cheat.

However, Nova had already sensed the incoming attack. He coated his arms with Demonic Dominion Aura and raised them to block.

Even so, the force behind the kick was stronger than expected. Nova was sent flying backward across the arena. He managed to stabilize his body mid-air and landed firmly on his feet once more.

Vex sneered. "Oh? So you handled that."

The audience was amazed to see Nova matching Vex evenly. Even those who already knew about Vex’s true strength were left stunned.

Lorcan, who was both watching and hosting the duel, also showed clear shock. Only Nyxara and Velena remained outwardly calm — though the worry in their eyes was impossible to hide.

On the high platform, Lily’s expression had already turned annoyed. She sent a voice transmission to her son.

"What are you doing? Finish him quickly."

Vex immediately replied,

"Don’t worry, Mother. I was only testing his strength. I have to admit... for a peak King Realm warrior, his raw power is not bad. I’ve never met another peak King Realm expert who could block my punch at this level."

Lily’s voice came back cold and sharp.

"Anyway, we can’t drag this duel out any longer. Finish him quickly and make it look like an accident. I’ll handle the rest."

"Yes, Mother."

Without giving Nova any time to recover, Vex raised his power by another step. He still wasn’t fully unleashing his Emperor Realm strength — doing so too openly would make the cheating too obvious.

If a rabbit can be killed with a simple punch, why bother using a sword?

With that thought, Vex’s body blurred once more. Nova’s figure vanished at the same time. This time, Vex’s expression was completely serious.

Within seconds, the two of them exchanged a rapid series of punches and kicks across different parts of the arena. Their movements were so fast that Nova was forced to activate Judgment Flash just to keep up with Vex’s speed.

Yet even then, Nova still wasn’t being pushed back as easily as Vex had expected. Frustration began to build inside him. His patience finally snapped.

With a sharp crack, Vex shattered the unspoken limit of the duel. He fully unleashed the strength of an Emperor Realm expert and summoned a massive greatsword into his hands.

In the next instant, he swung the enormous blade toward Nova. The sudden surge of Emperor Realm aura made the attack far more terrifying than anything before.

Nova barely managed to summon Rouve in time and raised it to defend.

CLANG!!!

The impact was catastrophic.

Nova was sent flying backward with tremendous force. His body slammed hard into the mana barrier surrounding the arena, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.

Nyxara’s body tensed as she prepared to intervene, but Velena quickly held her back.

"Trust him, Princess. He may still have a way to counter Vex."

Nova quickly pushed himself back to his feet. Although his body was aching from the impact, the damage was surprisingly not serious thanks to his godly physique. Still, he hadn’t expected that bastard to cheat so openly in front of the entire audience.

Even so, Nova wasn’t particularly surprised. He already knew that the world not always give him what he expected. If this had been a real life-and-death battle, he would already be dead. He needed to learn from this.

He picked up Rouve, which had already transformed into a greatsword similar to Vex’s. Wiping the blood from the corner of his lips, he spoke in a cold voice.

"If this is how it’s going to be... then I’ll show you something new as well."

In the next moment, Nova fully unleashed his Demonic Dominion Aura. His demonic energy surged to its absolute peak.

He was not releasing the full aura of a Demon Lord, but the dense mixture of all his energies still created an extremely deadly presence.

The air around him began to tremble.

Vex’s eyes widened in shock. Lorcan, Nyxara, Velena, and every other high-level demon present reacted the same way. This was an aura none of them had ever encountered before — dense, pure, and filled with a dreadful pressure.

Nova’s eyes glowed with a deeper violet light. He leapt high into the air and locked his gaze onto Vex, activating Death Gaze.

For a brief moment, Vex’s body trembled. An instinctive fear rose inside him, as if the man in front of him had transformed into a true monster intent on killing him.

Unfortunately for Nova, Vex’s Emperor Realm aura was still superior. The effect of Death Gaze was partially resisted as Vex subconsciously released more of his power.

But by then, Nova was already in front of him. Rouve, coated in chaotic energy, swept forward in a sharp arc.

Slash—!

One of Vex’s arms was cleanly severed.

"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.

**

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