Throne Of Supreme

Chapter 279: A Whale Falls and Everything Comes to Life

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Tall trees rose from the ground, their straight trunks stretching skyward, with thick canopies blotting out the sky.

The ground was littered with dead branches and fallen leaves, filling the air with a faint smell of decay. All around, it was eerily quiet, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves in the wind.

Suddenly, two figures appeared out of nowhere.

Though it was nighttime, kurome, as a demon, had perfect dark vision. She glanced around and remarked in surprise, "It's so quiet! Where are the dangerous species? Even if their leader is dead, shouldn't they still be here instead of disappearing entirely?"

Aoki stood silently for a moment, his gaze fixed on the ground. Then he said, "I'm afraid they were eaten."

Kurome's eyes widened in shock. "Eaten? By whom?"

Aoki pointed downward. "By this island."

"This island? How can an island eat dangerous species?" kurome asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

Aoki explained, "If I'm not mistaken, this island is actually the corpse of a super creature—one even more powerful than the super-dangerous species we've encountered."

Kurome's eyes widened further. "A corpse? Something this massive is a corpse?"

"Do you remember the wasteland filled with corpses?" Aoki asked.

kurome nodded quickly. She remembered it vividly—countless corpses, both large and small, scattered across the ground in an unnervingly strange sight.

Aoki continued, "If we were to go back to that wasteland now, we'd probably find even more corpses there."

Kurome's face paled as realization dawned. "You mean... they were eaten too?"

"Most likely," Aoki confirmed. "As for the four super-dangerous species, they might not have been super-dangerous from the start. It's possible they were merely extra-dangerous species that gained certain benefits from this super creature, allowing them to evolve.

"The unusually large dangerous species we encountered on this island were likely influenced by the remnants of this super creature's power."

He paused, then added, "When a whale dies, it creates life for countless other creatures. The death of a super creature can birth a terrifying secret world."

kurome frowned, still confused. "But if this super creature is dead, how is it able to eat other dangerous species?"

"Let's find out," Aoki replied.

"Find out? How?" kurome asked.

Without answering, Aoki grabbed Kurome's arm. Before she could protest, their bodies began to sink into the ground. The hard soil beneath them felt as though it had turned into liquid.

Kurome's eyes widened in astonishment.

She could feel the soil shifting and rolling around her, yet there was no sensation of pressure or discomfort. Despite the lack of air, her breathing remained unaffected.

After what felt like an eternity, the scene around them abruptly changed.

They found themselves in a massive underground cave. Strange, towering stone pillars surrounded them, their surfaces covered in intricate patterns.

At the center of the cave, a gigantic "meatball," as large as a house, hung suspended in midair. It expanded and contracted rhythmically, as though it were alive, and its surface glowed faintly with a reddish light.

kurome stared at it for a long moment before finally whispering, "Is that...?"

Aoki nodded. "It should be the heart of that super creature."

They had almost missed it.

If kurome hadn't noticed the peculiar behavior of the super-dangerous species, or if Aoki hadn't developed his Observation Haki, amplified by the Thunder Fruit, they might never have discovered this hidden treasure.

kurome stared at the massive heart, its rhythmic beating both mesmerizing and unsettling. "How is this possible? Is it still alive?"

"It's not truly alive," Aoki explained. "But it still retains some of its strength. It must have absorbed the energy of the dangerous species outside to sustain itself in this state."

kurome turned to Aoki, her expression serious. "Could it be resurrected?"

Aoki shook his head. "It's unlikely. The energy it has left isn't enough to bring it back to life."

Although the heart had regenerated, Aoki could sense that it was operating at the very limit of its remaining strength. Given enough time and the right external conditions, this super creature might indeed be resurrected—but there were far too many uncertainties involved.

Suddenly, Aoki spoke. "Come to think of it, we might be the ones who caused the downfall of those dangerous species."

kurome looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Aoki gestured toward the oversized heart. "It's been emitting a unique kind of vibration—one that affects the minds of living creatures. Normally, this effect is suppressed by the super-dangerous species, which act as a stabilizing force. But we killed all four of them. Without their leadership, the remaining creatures were vulnerable and ended up being devoured within two months."

Kurome's expression shifted as she pieced it together. "Fluctuations that affect the mind? That explains why I've felt a little emotionally unstable since we entered this place."

As for the fate of the dangerous species, she didn't seem particularly concerned.

"You stay here," Aoki said, slowly floating toward the colossal heart.

If this super creature were still alive, its strength would undoubtedly surpass that of the super-dangerous species. Its level would likely be four stars. However, this revelation didn't surprise Aoki.

The fact that humans in this world could create the Shikoutazer indicated that the upper limit of power here was no less than four stars. It was entirely plausible for creatures of this caliber to exist.

Raising his palm, Aoki touched the heart.

It felt warm and elastic under his hand, with a sticky surface that resembled freshly harvested flesh.

Suddenly, the flesh and blood on the heart's surface began to liquefy, transforming into a gelatinous substance. It surged toward Aoki's palm, attempting to devour his flesh and blood.

Aoki calmly activated his Armament Haki, enveloping his hand in its protective coating.

The gelatinous flesh collided with the hardened barrier, unable to penetrate it, yet it persisted, desperately trying to force its way through.

"It seems to act purely on instinct, without any real autonomous consciousness," Aoki observed.

He withdrew his hand, his gaze thoughtful.

The heart still contained an immense amount of bloodline power, and more importantly, it possessed spatial attributes.

His earlier hypothesis had been correct: the four super-dangerous species had indeed gained significant benefits from this super creature, which had allowed them to evolve.

Among them, the four-winged dragon appeared to have reaped the greatest rewards.

A four-star spatial attribute bloodline.

Aoki's eyes gleamed with resolve. This bloodline was undoubtedly worthy of occupying one of the limited slots in his "Devouring" ability.

However, as he floated back toward Hei Tong, a trace of regret flickered across his face.

He didn't yet have enough free skill points to upgrade "Devouring" to level 3, meaning he couldn't absorb this bloodline for now.

Still, it was only one level away.

There was some time before Akame and Esdeath would wake up, and Aoki planned to use those days to level up his "Infinite Dragon Beast" occupation.

Additionally, after the recent battles, his supply of special foods had dwindled significantly. He needed to replenish them.

While there were many dangerous species in this world, there weren't nearly as many strong humans—especially those strong enough to meet Aoki's standards.

At his current level, only individuals or creatures above three stars could provide him with substantial experience.

So far, Esdeath was the only human he had encountered who met that requirement.

Even Akame and General Budo fell short of the threshold.

However, Aoki wasn't concerned.

When it came to "Infinite Dragon Beast," experience was never a problem.