My SSS-Rank Gluttony Talent: I Can Evolve Limitlessly-Chapter 141: The way I want them to

The cracks grew rapidly, snapping outward like veins until they expanded into a vast, jagged fissure in the air.

With a sickening groan, the rift tore fully open into a dark portal that pulsed with malice. From its depths oozed thick, suffocating smoke that poured out like a living thing, crawling and coiling across the ground.

Juer’lo’s face instantly drained of arrogance. His body stiffened, and in one swift motion he dropped to his knees, bowing low until his horns nearly scraped the dirt.

His eyes locked downward, not daring to meet whatever presence had emerged.

From within the swirling smoke, a pair of glowing red eyes pierced the darkness.

They blazed with unholy fire, sharp and merciless, cutting through the air like blades.

The moment they appeared, the entire world seemed to darken further, as though even the two moons above dimmed in fear.

Riley felt it immediately.

Though this was only a memory, the sheer force of that gaze slammed into him like a tidal wave.

His chest tightened, his lungs refused to expand, and his legs felt like they would give way.

It was as if an invisible blade had been pressed against his throat, its cold edge biting against his skin with the promise of instant death.

His thoughts raced wildly. ’Who the hell is this demon?’

On the ground, Juer’lo muttered with uncharacteristic submission, his deep voice trembling: "This lowly demon is at your service, High Lord..."

The words struck Riley like a hammer. ’High Lord? His eyes widened in realization. That means this is... a High Demon!’

Memories from his past life surged into his mind. Though he hadn’t encountered them personally, he had pieced together fragments of knowledge from others who had survived long enough to whisper warnings.

The hierarchy of demons was strict and merciless.

At the bottom were the one-horned demons, savage and numerous, used as expendable pawns.

Above them were the two-horned demons, like Juer’lo, who acted as commanders and enforcers.

Beyond them stood the noble demons, rare and powerful, possessing three horns on their heads which branched, forming a crown-like shape.

They were known to possess immense mana and magic power, as well as insane physical capabilities which they used to dominate their opponents.

And above all of those... the High Demons. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

They were rulers of destruction, beings who walked as calamities given flesh.

They had four horns on their heads which also coiled and formed a crown-like shape similar to the noble demons.

However, they were a lot more powerful than the former, and rarely showed themselves even in his past life.

Even a proud two-horned demon like Juer’lo was nothing more than an insect before the noble demons, talkless of the high demons.

Of course above them all was the powerful and mighty demon lord, with an overall number of seven horns coiling on his head into a domineering crown shape!

Riley had only met the demon lord once, which was during the final stand of humans against him, which they pitifully lost at the end.

It was also when he died, and was eventually transmigrated back into his present life.

Meanwhile, the world around him fell into suffocating silence.

Juer’lo’s body trembled despite himself, his knees pressed hard against the cold ground.

Beside him, the one-horned demon was no better—its body shook uncontrollably, the tips of its claws rattling against the stone floor.

Their breaths came shallow and broken, almost hesitant, as if the very act of drawing in air might be taken as an insult. Each inhale was sharp, each exhale quivering, like they were terrified of even breathing wrong.

Riley, trapped within Juer’lo’s perspective, felt it all. The atmosphere was saturated with a crushing pressure so overwhelming it was almost unbearable.

Perhaps it was because he was merely seeing things through Juer’lo’s perspective, so he was feeling the exact same pressure the demon was facing.

The presence of the High Demon wasn’t even physical, and yet it pressed down on him as though a mountain had been slammed onto his shoulders.

’A High Demon... and he’s not even here in the flesh.’ Riley thought bitterly. His teeth clenched inside Juer’lo’s body.’ I’m still too weak to go against one.’

The thought gnawed at him. Annoyance stirred in his chest like a fire trying to escape its cage. But deep down, he knew it wasn’t surprising. Even among monsters, High Demons stood apart—nightmares born to rule.

A low chuckle rolled out from the portal, rumbling like distant thunder.

The sound reverberated through the ground, through the air, through bone and soul alike. It wasn’t loud, but it carried so much weight that Juer’lo’s body moved instinctively.

His head dropped even lower, his horns almost digging into the earth. Or perhaps it wasn’t instinct—Riley felt it too, a pressure that forced his head downward, as if the High Demon’s will alone could bend the world.

Sweat poured down Juer’lo’s face in thick streams, dripping from his chin and staining the dirt below. His whole body felt like a furnace despite the chilling cold in the air, his skin slick and his muscles trembling.

From the rift, a soft sigh drifted out, calm and unhurried, yet carrying enough authority to make every nerve in Juer’lo’s body scream.

"No need to be so terrified," the High Demon’s voice echoed, deep and resonant, as if spoken directly into their souls. "I am just here to give you... a mission."

Even though the words were casual, almost lighthearted, Juer’lo’s mind shook violently.

His heart hammered wildly inside his chest, pounding so hard Riley could feel it through his ribs.

’A mission... from the High Lord directly?!’ Juer’lo’s inner voice trembled with shock. The weight of the honor—and the danger—threatened to overwhelm him.

He swallowed hard, his throat dry, before forcing his words out with the utmost respect. "This lowly demon is at your service, High Lord..."

And beneath the fear, a thrill coursed through him. Excitement.

His chest rose and fell faster, his heart racing with anticipation.

To be chosen by a High Demon was more than duty—it was proof of worth, a recognition of his existence among the sea of lowly demons. Even through his terror, exhilaration pulsed through his veins.

The high demon’s piercing red eyes flared faintly within the swirling mass of black smoke, and a low, deep chuckle rumbled out from the portal.

The sound was so distorted and layered that it almost felt like a thousand voices laughing at once, echoing endlessly in the air.

It was the kind of sound that carried both amusement and disdain, the kind of laugh that made everything in its path feel insignificant.

"There’s a world I need you to go..." the high demon finally said, his words rolling slowly, dragging out with a casual tone that felt all the more suffocating precisely because of how casual it was. "Or should I... hmm... whatever."

His words trailed off, almost like he had lost interest in his own sentence midway. His tone carried no urgency, no explanation—just a careless remark.

Juer’lo, still kneeling with his forehead pressed close to the ground, did not dare raise his head or even twitch.

The one-horned demon at his side trembled visibly, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, as if the mere act of existing before the high demon was too much. Neither of them so much as breathed too loudly, fearful that even the smallest noise might draw unwanted attention.

The high demon’s gaze flickered faintly, and then a sigh rolled out of the dark portal. "This world... is a bit special," he said, dragging his words again, as though he were bored.

"It has this... annoying little thing... a ’protection’ of sorts. Something that prevents us from doing anything freely."

His tone dropped at the word ’protection,’ dripping with disdain and irritation. It was as if even acknowledging its existence disgusted him.

Juer’lo’s fists clenched slightly against the ground, though he kept his head bowed low. He didn’t understand what the high demon meant. Protection? From what? From who? How could any world have something capable of hindering a high demon’s will?

Still, despite his confusion, Juer’lo knew better than to speak. His life was worth less than nothing compared to the being before him, and to interrupt would have been to invite death.

The high demon seemed to be muttering now, almost to himself, his words drifting in broken fragments. "That damn [Apocalypse]... tch. We would have already raided it if not for that."

The high demon’s voice continued, low and laced with irritation. "The damn Ratur, tch... always so agitated about it... always preparing. Hmph."

His mutterings grew rougher, as though the very memory of whatever conversations he had with whoever ’Ratur’ was fueled his annoyance.

’Ratur... is that another demon? A high demon perhaps?’ Riley immediately picked up on this, and his confusion further deepened.

Nonetheless, he paid full attention to whatever jargons the high demon was saying, knowing very well even the most insignificant detail might turn out to be crucial information.

The crimson glow of his eyes flared faintly within the smoke, and Riley could feel his agitation ripple outward like a wave of suffocating malice.

"We’ve been planning to invade that miserable little world for a long time now," the high demon went on, his tone darkening. "And just when everything was in place, just when success was within our grasp... that cursed thing appeared."

His words oozed venom. The smoke around the crackled portal surged violently, as if responding to his emotions. The ground beneath Juer’lo and the one-horned demon rumbled faintly, as though it, too, felt the oppressive power pressing outward.

"That game," the high demon muttered again, his voice dropping into something more guttural. "Apocalypse. The humans think its just something insignificant, just the way I want them to... haha."