SSS-Rank Evolving Monster: From Pest to Cosmic Devourer
Chapter 104: With a single slap

Chapter 104: With a single slap

Anyway, it wasn’t a big deal—as long as it didn’t interfere with the inheritance, Ricky could accept her request under one condition.

"Would it affect the Inheritance space?"

That was his only concern. If her absence weakened the place or risked collapsing the legacy of Saint Selene, then she might as well forget about leaving—forever.

The Guardian Spirit blinked, caught slightly off guard. She hadn’t expected such a pragmatic question from him. A moment passed in silence before she responded, her voice calm, yet tinged with faint anticipation.

"No... as the spirit of this place, I can’t truly leave."

She gently shook her head, her silvery hair swaying like moonlight on rippling water.

Ricky frowned. If she couldn’t leave, then what was the point of asking?

But as if reading his thoughts—as she often did—she elaborated before he could question her further.

"I will project a Spiritual Force Avatar. Only a fraction of my essence will accompany you, while my original form remains bound to this space."

Ah. That made sense.

Ricky fell quiet for a moment, running the logic through his head. After a few seconds of thought, he nodded.

"Alright. Do it quickly. We don’t have much time to waste."

His voice was firm, decisive. Every second counted now that the Zygote’s spread was accelerating.

The Guardian Spirit’s eyes lit up with genuine joy. She nodded, a small, almost childlike smile breaking across her elegant face. It was the first time Ricky had seen her so eager—so alive.

She raised her hand, her amethyst eyes glowing with a mysterious radiance.

A gentle ripple passed through the air like a stone skipping across a still pond.

Then the world twisted.

---

Meanwhile, Prince Darius Eldros stood a few paces away, watching this surreal exchange with a dumbfounded expression.

He hadn’t said a word since licking the floor—but his mind had been screaming the entire time.

Even now, the weight of what had just happened hadn’t fully settled.

A prince... a dignified Stage 3 cultivator...

Reduced to a lapdog of a mosquito.

His thoughts spiraled into chaos.

What throne? What kingdom?

If even half of this got out, he’d be lucky if he wasn’t hunted down just to preserve royal face.

His body was still moving on its own, following Ricky like an obedient shadow.

And just as he tried to snap himself out of this waking nightmare—

The world tilted.

Darius’ vision spun violently. His knees buckled, but he didn’t fall.

When the dizziness subsided, the scenery had changed.

He was no longer inside the inheritance grounds.

The thick spiritual pressure of the pocket realm had vanished—replaced by the fresh, untamed breath of the outside world.

His lips parted as he muttered with disbelief.

"Emerald Green Forest..."

Scorched and splintered trees stretched in every direction. Blackened bark still clung to life, even as new buds timidly pushed out from the cracks. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and lingering ash—remnants of the devastation left behind by the Radiant Knight Order’s assault.

The once-vibrant forest was slowly recovering, a wounded beast healing in silence.

Around him, a soft wind stirred the leaves, and distant roars of beasts echoed faintly through the forest canopy.

The battlefield had changed.

But one thing was clear.

The pest that once crept in the shadows had become something else entirely.

And Darius—who once looked down from the height of nobility—was now just another subordinate under the rising force known as the Venom Fang Overlord.

"Hmm! Those old cougars of the Order really went all out..."

Darius muttered as he scanned the devastated terrain around him. The fractured forest bore silent witness to the aftermath—trees ripped in half, charred craters dotting the earth, and the lingering stench of scorched mana.

He sounded casual, but the next moment, his entire body stiffened like a drawn bowstring.

His eyes widened, locking onto something in the distance—a faint pulse of malevolent Amma that clung to the air like a decaying mist.

His gaze narrowed.

Though they were still kilometers away, his Stage 3 senses had latched onto something... wrong.

"Why is that abomination here?"

He nearly shouted, face paling as he instinctively took a step back.

All grace and arrogance vanished from his bearing in an instant, replaced by raw, instinctive fear.

If he had a choice, Darius would’ve sprinted in the opposite direction. Whatever sliver of pride he still held after being dominated was quickly shoved aside by sheer self-preservation.

But then—

A flicker of realization crossed his features.

He exhaled with exaggerated relief and muttered to himself.

"Thankfully, it’s a lower-grade Undead Princess Zygote... Thank goodness."

His tone was full of gratitude—as if the heavens had shown him mercy.

Yet his strange reaction didn’t escape Ricky’s watchful eyes. Not for a second had he looked away from the prince since stepping outside.

The way Darius immediately identified the creature and reacted so strongly told Ricky all he needed to know: this was far from some ordinary undead spawn.

He opened his mouth to question him, to ask what exactly he’d seen, but—

Before the words could leave his mandibles, a calm and detached voice floated from behind.

"Even after hundreds of thousands of years... this world hasn’t really changed."

"It appears that since that event, no one has broken through."

The Guardian Spirit’s voice was soft, almost wistful—but her words held a timeless weight. Her amethyst eyes gleamed faintly as she surveyed the sky, the land, and the fractured forest, as if measuring the echoes of history.

She stood like an ancient sentinel—untouched by the passage of time, yet burdened by it.

Ricky glanced back at her with narrowed eyes, puzzled. What event? What breakthrough?

But he didn’t ask. Not because he wasn’t curious—but because he had enough immediate nightmares to deal with.

He was no fool. Whatever the Guardian Spirit referred to... it wasn’t some minor incident.

Especially not if it was tied to creatures like this Zygote.

Ricky’s compound eyes slowly drifted toward the distant flicker of death energy. Just that faint glimmer was enough to unsettle the air around them, warping the surrounding Amma and pulling the forest into a subtle deathly stillness.

Even at this range, the aura was unmistakable.

This creature—the so-called "lower-grade" Undead Princess Zygote—had already lived for over a million years. And it was still evolving.

Whatever was sealed inside... wasn’t something Ricky could afford to face.

Not yet.

He exhaled quietly, mentally shifting gears.

"Scan the entire premises and eliminate anything that’s dangerous."

His tone was cool and firm. Commanding.

Darius immediately opened his mouth to protest—

But his body had other plans.

His tongue caught on his teeth as his knees moved, one step forward, then another. His hand rose, pulsing with controlled Amma, and began conjuring his spiritual field.

His eyes screamed rebellion, but his limbs moved with perfect obedience.

That terrifying realization returned—he had no say. No will. Not anymore.

Ricky didn’t even bother looking at him again. He’d already turned his focus toward the forest’s edge.

It was time to clean house—before the next abomination hatched.

Darius had already nodded silently and soared into the sky, his figure cutting through the clouds like a sharpened blade. Threads of spiritual force spread outward from him, probing every inch of the land below with precision.

Ricky watched his receding form for a brief moment, his compound eyes narrowing.

Then, with a quiet exhale, he turned and began walking toward the castle.

The ancient stones beneath his feet radiated a faint warmth, as if still echoing with the power of generations long gone. But Ricky didn’t pay them much mind—his senses were already expanding outward, reaching far beyond the walls of the inheritance grounds.

With his second spiritual space fully matured, his perception range had undergone a massive evolution. Now, the forest seemed like a living map laid bare in his mind.

And it wasn’t just that.

The Sleeper cells—scattered like subtle sentries throughout the Emerald Green Forest—fed him a steady stream of information. Through their hidden presence, Ricky saw without looking, heard without listening. Not a single ripple of movement escaped his mental net.

There were no signs of immediate danger.

At least... not yet.

But just as he was relaxing, a ripple of power brushed against the edge of his perception.

A distinct, blazing pulse.

Familiar.

Unmistakable.

Ricky’s eyes twitched slightly, and a wry smile tugged at the edge of his mandibles.

"Tch... the old man really can’t sit still."

He shook his head, the amusement in his gaze faint but undeniable.

Far off at the forest’s edge, the sky itself seemed to shudder. A flaming ball of heat and fury streaked across the horizon, slicing through clouds like a falling meteor. The very air screamed as it parted around the burning presence, scorched mana crackling like lightning in its wake.

It was like watching a miniature sun descend upon the earth.

A few days ago, Akroa had heard rumors—hushed whispers carried through hidden channels—that that damnable monster had been spotted again.

That was all it took.

The moment the news reached him, Akroa had sprung into motion like a volcano erupting after centuries of slumber. Patience abandoned, rage uncoiled—he had hurled himself straight toward the Emerald Green Forest with only one goal in mind:

To erase Ricky from existence.

Preferably with a single slap.