My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

The moment the scene fully registered, Nova’s killing intent surged like a tidal wave.

Whoever had done this had not only slaughtered the villagers — they had shown no hesitation even toward the children.

From the wounds he could see even at a distance, it was clear this was not the work of demonic beasts.

This had clearly been done by someone with intent.

There were also clear weapon wounds on many of the bodies — clean cuts mixed with savage tears. Nova immediately expanded his senses and scanned the entire village along with the surrounding woods.

What he found only made his expression darker.

The village was filled with butchered corpses. Almost no one had been left alive. A few villagers were still weakly twitching on the ground, letting out broken, pain-filled cries as they drew their final breaths. Nova could hear every one of them.

Most of the corpses belonged to adults. There were only a few children’s bodies among them.

That detail stood out immediately.

The rest of the children from the village were gone.

This wasn’t a random beast attack. Whoever was behind this had systematically slaughtered the adults and taken the children away. The level of cruelty was deliberate — they hadn’t just killed. They had enjoyed it.

Nova locked onto the powerful aura he had sensed earlier. It was no longer a single presence. There were several of them, and the trail led straight into the forest not far from the village. Judging by the lingering energy, they had only just left after finishing their massacre.

Nova’s eyes turned completely cold.

His killing intent exploded outward like a physical force, causing the air around him to distort and the space itself to faintly tremble. It wasn’t because he suddenly saw himself as some kind of hero who needed to save the world.

He was simply furious.

These people had slaughtered an entire village in such a vicious manner and then taken the children. That alone placed them among the most rotten beings he had ever encountered — worse than even the Bloodmoon Cult members he had faced before.

His body blurred.

In the span of a single breath, he covered the distance and appeared directly above the group that was still moving stealthily through the forest.

The sudden pressure of his aura and killing intent immediately alarmed them.

"What!!"

"Who are you?!"

Nova looked down at the group below.

There were around twenty to thirty figures wearing plain white cloaks, their faces completely hidden behind black masks.

There was no symbol or marking on their clothing. Every one of them radiated the aura of a mid-King Realm expert, and a few had reached the peak of the King Realm.

What truly put Nova on alert was the presence of one Level 1 Emperor Realm powerhouse among them.

Even so, he wasn’t particularly worried. The man had clearly only just stepped into the Emperor Realm. Nova had already defeated Vex, who had been a peak Level 1 Emperor. Handling this one would take some effort, but it was well within his capabilities.

What truly made his fury explode was the scene behind the group.

Five large carts stood there, each fitted with iron cages.

Four of the carts were packed with young children — most appearing between the ages of three and ten. The last cart held something that made Nova’s killing intent surge even higher.

It was filled with small babies, ranging from roughly one to three years old.

Nova’s eyes turned completely cold as he scanned their statuses.

What he found only deepened his shock.

Among the masked figures were humans, demons, beast-folk, and elves. The Emperor Realm expert at the front was a dragon.

A mixed group of different races working together like this was unusual. Even the Bloodmoon Cult, which operated across multiple continents, rarely had its members of different races cooperating so openly.

This group was different.

The men below did not immediately attack. The dense, dreadful killing intent and unfamiliar aura pouring from Nova made them hesitate. Even though they could not fully perceive his strength, the pressure alone was enough to put them on edge.

Nova was currently concealing his true power, which only made him appear more dangerous in their eyes.

Still, the Emperor Realm dragon stepped forward with a haughty expression.

"If you know what’s good for you, scram... or I’ll butcher you where you stand."

He could feel Nova’s killing intent, but the young appearance of the man in front of him made him underestimate the threat. Even with the mature presence Nova carried, the dragon assumed he could not be a true powerhouse.

Nova looked at the dragon, his voice cold enough to send a chill down every spine present.

"Tell me before I erase your existence... who are you fukers, and why are you doing something this horrible?"

The dragon listened for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Erase us? Did I hear that right? Hahaha!"

He quickly controlled his laughter beneath the mask and continued in a more arrogant tone.

"You clearly don’t know who we are. That’s why you’re asking such stupid questions. It’s understandable... our organization has kept a low profile these past few years. This will only be the fifth village we’ve handled in this kingdom."

He straightened slightly, his Emperor Realm aura pressing outward.

"Before you stick your nose into our business, you should know that the Eclipse Order is not some group of weaklings like the Bloodmoon Cult. Even our ordinary members start at the King Realm."

"Anyway... I’ve entertained you long enough. Let’s just kill y—"

The dragon never finished his sentence.

His body suddenly went completely still.

The other members of the group turned toward their leader in confusion, then toward Nova, clearly wondering why their boss had stopped moving.

A moment later, a crushing pressure slammed down on all of them.

"Ugh...!"

"Guh...!"

Painful groans burst out as their knees buckled. The pressure continued to increase until even moving a single finger became impossible.

Nova had used Reality Override on the dragon. The skill immediately locked his mind and began breaking him down mentally.

As an Emperor Realm expert, he would eventually force his way free... but that would take a few minutes.

A few minutes was more than enough.

At the same time, Nova activated Voidborne Telekinesis and completely immobilized the rest of the group.

Without wasting another second, he turned toward the carts. Using the same telekinetic force, he lifted all five cages into the air and moved them a safe distance away from the battlefield.

The children inside were still crying and trembling in fear. Nova’s expression softened slightly. He used Reality Override once more — this time gently — and put every single one of them into a deep, safe sleep.

Then he called out two of his subordinates.

"Yeti. Lich. Guard them."

Both of them were peak King Realm. After a quick scan of the surrounding forest, Nova confirmed there were only a few low-level demonic beasts in the area. Nothing that could threaten them.

Once the children were secured, Nova turned back toward the immobilized members of the Eclipse Order.

His voice was calm, but the killing intent behind it was razor-sharp.

"Whatever the fuck your organization is called... you shouldn’t have run into someone like me."

Nova released the crushing pressure.

Their painful groans lessened, though their bodies still trembled violently from the aftereffects.

What truly surprised him, however, was their reaction.

Even with death standing right in front of them, none of them begged for mercy.

"Y-you... shouldn’t have touched us..."

"You bastard... you’re fucked..."

"Kill us if you want. We don’t fear death."

"We only live for our goal."

Nova let out a cold sigh as he looked down at them."Sigh... another group of brainwashed psychopaths.

"

His expression darkened further.

"Seriously... what the fuck are the Emperors of the all races even doing? This world is more fucked up than I thought."

**

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