SSS-Rank Evolving Monster: From Pest to Cosmic Devourer-Chapter 73: Dark Shadow taken prisoner

The forest—his sanctuary, his cradle of evolution—was burning.

Flames devoured the once-lush Emerald Green Forest with relentless hunger. Smoke curled and twisted into the sky like the screams of dying spirits, painting the heavens in a murky gray. The scent of scorched earth and burnt wood assaulted Ricky’s senses, acrid and sharp, clinging to his every breath.

He hovered in mid-air, suspended in the dying sky, his gaze frozen upon the inferno below. His antennae twitched violently.

Ricky prided himself on keeping a clear head even in the face of danger. But now, an emotion far darker than fear or caution boiled within his chest. Rage. Boundless and wild, it surged through his veins like a roaring tide, threatening to consume everything in its path.

He trembled—not with fear, but with fury so intense it made the air around him buzz.

His hands clenched, his wings beat with increased ferocity, and his spiritual field flared unconsciously, pushing back the encroaching heat.

"There’s only destruction in my mind now," Ricky muttered, his voice low and venomous. "If I find you... if you’re out there... I’ll rip you apart."

Without another thought, he dived downward like a meteor falling from the heavens, scouring the scorched ruins in search of clues—anything that would lead him to those responsible for this massacre.

"Dark Shadow, Alexandria... Boar, where are you? Please... respond if you can hear me."

His mental transmissions stretched across the decimated forest, searching for familiar pulses, hoping—begging—that someone, anyone, would answer.

"Don’t worry. I’m here now. No one will be able to harm you," he continued to speak, as if his words could reach the dead or summon the missing.

"Everyone... you don’t need to hide anymore. I’ve returned."

But the only response was the howl of the wind through the smoldering branches and the crackling chorus of relentless crimson flames, dancing with glee across the bodies of trees and memories alike.

Time blurred. Minutes, then hours, slipped by.

Ricky flew tirelessly through the ruin, his spiritual field shielding him from the flames, yet unable to shield his heart from despair. He combed through valleys of ash, over hills reduced to coal, through rivers that now boiled and hissed under the fire’s wrath. He sought them desperately—his companions, his friends, his family.

But there was no trace of life.

Nothing moved. Nothing breathed.

No insects buzzed. No beasts roared. Not even a bird took flight.

Only silence and death remained.

The sight twisted his gut. The scorched skeletons of creatures lay scattered like forgotten toys—burned bodies half-buried in soot, twisted into grotesque shapes of agony. Trees that once bore fruit of spiritual essence were reduced to blackened stumps.

No one was spared.

A part of Ricky refused to accept it. How? Why? What hatred could justify this scale of cruelty? What kind of enemy would go to such lengths?

He had only defended himself. He had only taken lives in retaliation, and those were warriors who had tried to kill him first. Was that enough to trigger this... genocide?

He landed slowly at the ruins of the Stone Courtyard—his home, once a symbol of warmth and peace, now reduced to a graveyard.

Stone walls once strong and ancient now lay shattered like broken bones. The grove of spiritual trees was nothing but a circle of embers and glowing ash, their former radiance reduced to dying sparks. The air was thick, heavy with smoke and sorrow.

There was nothing here. Nothing left.

A numbness began to take hold of his heart. His thoughts grew quiet, not calm, but empty—on the brink of despair.

Until—

A flicker.

A breath.

So faint it could’ve been imagination, but Ricky knew better. It was there. A familiar essence. Subtle, fragile, but unmistakable.

His eyes widened. His wings stilled.

"Dark Shadow... is that you?"

Hope bloomed in his chest like a spark refusing to die. Maybe she survived. Maybe she was hiding, cloaking herself so well that even he couldn’t detect her right away.

"There’s no need to hide," he whispered, his voice shaking with emotion. "I’m here now..."

Without delay, he dove toward the source, his eyes scanning the ground like a madman. His spiritual field expanded, parting the smoke and fire with increasing urgency. His heart thudded like a war drum in his chest.

The breath... it led him to a massive pile of collapsed rubble, half-buried in ash.

Here. This was the place.

He hovered before the broken stones, his breath caught in his throat.

The familiar spiritual presence was strongest here.

But... there was nothing. Only scorched stone, blacker than pitch, crumbling at the edges.

No movement. No sound. No figure rising to greet him.

Still, he hovered there, unwilling to look away. Trembling. Praying.

Because this... this was all he had left.

Just then, a glimmer—a soft, nearly imperceptible flicker of light—caught Ricky’s attention from deep beneath the rubble.

It was faint, so faint that even his keen lifespan sense barely detected it. Like a dying ember in a sea of ash, it pulsed weakly but steadily, slowly inching its way toward the surface.

His heart skipped a beat.

Could it be...?

But as the presence drew closer, a subtle realization chilled the edge of his excitement. This aura... it wasn’t hers.

Ricky narrowed his eyes, his antennae twitching with confusion.

"If it’s not Dark Shadow... then who could it be...?"

The glow intensified slightly, revealing its sluggish, trudging ascent through the shattered earth. It wasn’t radiant like flame or malicious like corrupted aura—it felt raw, unrefined, heavy.

A sudden crack echoed nearby.

A section of scorched ground split open with a deep groan, as if the forest itself were exhaling its final breath. From within the jagged wound in the earth, a large, bulky figure emerged—five feet tall, with a hardened, white-stone exterior that reflected the surrounding firelight like polished bone.

Ricky’s eyes immediately flicked with caution.

[Stage 2 being detected.]

[Click to check status.]

His instincts took over. Without hesitation, Ricky accessed the prompt.

[Status Window]

[Chromoroh Boar – Stage 2, Rank 1]

[Bloodline: NONE]

[Lifespan: 24/210 years]

[Spiritual Force: 2.4]

[Abilities: Elemental Mimicry (EEE Rank)]

"...So he is Boar," Ricky muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching with a mixture of surprise and relief.

While he’d been gone, Boar had actually broken through to Stage 2. A feat not easily achieved... especially not so quickly.

How did he advance so fast? Ricky’s last memory of Boar placed him a considerable distance from this threshold.

Before he could process further, a deep, pained groan echoed in his mind—an all-too-familiar telepathic voice laced with weariness and guilt.

"Venom Fang Overlord... you shouldn’t have come here. They’ll kill you."

The sorrow in his tone struck Ricky harder than any physical blow. His expression softened.

Even in such miserable state, Boar still care about his well being, Ricky heart felt heavy.

"I’m here now, Boar," he said gently. "Tell me what happened. And who are you talking about? Who are they?"

’Who would dare to kill me..."

As if the voice had granted permission, the rocky skin covering Boar’s form began to flake and fade. With each breath, the white mineral coating dissolved, revealing the creature beneath—his real body, battered and bruised. Gigantic scars crisscrossed his frame like rivers carved into a mountain, some still glowing faintly with residual energy.

Boar staggered forward slightly, a painful sigh escaping his maw.

"Those bastards... of the Radiant Knight Order," he growled, each word saturated with hate and shame. "They captured Big Sister Dark Shadow and Alexandria... and killed everyone else."

His voice cracked.

"They only spared me because they... wanted to send a message." frёeωebɳovel.com

Ricky didn’t move, but the tremor in his compound eyes betrayed the hurricane brewing inside.

Radiant Knight Order.

A name he knew well. Too well.

"...Good," he muttered, voice low and controlled—but beneath the stillness was thunder.

"Very good..."

His rage bubbled just beneath the surface, but he reined it in with a will forged through battles and blood. Now wasn’t the time to lose control. Not yet.

But he swore in his heart, he would Make them regret doing this, every second of their lives.

Boar’s next words, however, nearly unraveled that resolve.

"So you’re telling me... it’s been three months since I was gone...?"

Ricky stared at him in disbelief, antennae twitching in confusion.

How was that possible, it had been only few hours since he entered the Inheritance ground.

Boar slowly nodded, his head heavy with guilt.

"Big Sister Dark Shadow was so worried," he said, eyes distant. "After we couldn’t find you... she sent Alexandria and me to search. We scoured the forest. We even tried to trace Noctyss..."

He stopped short, shuddering slightly.

"...Then those monsters showed up."

The forest burned around them, but the silence between the two was heavier than smoke.

"Continue tell me everything, no details shall be missed." Ricky urged in a heavy voice.

It was clear, there was indeed difference in time flow inside the Ineheritance ground.

Then it appears it wouldn’t be long before he could use mother and son Poison.

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