I Awakened as an SSS-Rank System Maker!-Chapter 51 - What Battle?

Chapter 51 - What Battle?

The arena was brimming with energy, every corner radiating with excitement as the voice of the golden-winged announcer echoed through the colossal coliseum.

"The first match: Planet Tian versus Planet Zorad! Group Battle – 2 versus 3!"

The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers, an unstoppable wave of excitement sweeping through the stands. The energy was intense.

"A group battle?! That’s insane!"

"Zorad doesn’t play around... they’re going to crush them!"

Siman sat tense, his body taut, eyes narrowed, and fingers gripping the edge of his seat so tightly they turned pale. His voice, low and charged with anger, didn’t break the silence around him.

"A fight from the start? They should’ve postponed it... This is a slaughter plan."

His father, as always, remained calm and composed, a portrait of icy control. Without looking at Siman, he spoke in a quiet voice as sharp as a blade.

"Watch... we’re about to witness something extraordinary."

Inside the arena, the trio from Zorad emerged with an imposing presence. Their strength, size, and savagery radiated around them.

Barok, the largest among them, stood at the front. His body burned with internal fire, a destructive aura emanating from him.

"Welcome to the jungle..." Barok’s voice was low, mocking. "...where only predators survive."

Garm, the second in the group, stood behind Barok. His eyes glowed with primal hunger. Then there was Rolg, the third member, his skin covered in intricate tattoos that twisted and moved on their own.

But when Lucas emerged from the shadows, the entire arena seemed to hold its breath. The ground beneath his feet trembled as if acknowledging the weight of his presence. An immense, invisible force pushed through the air itself, and the audience could feel it—a pressure so intense, it was as if the universe chose this moment to pause.

[Tyrant’s Presence – Activated]

A suffocating aura spread from Lucas, a crushing weight descending on the arena with relentless power. The crowd’s cheers faltered, and a wave of unease began to ripple through the stands.

"Who is that?!" shouted a voice from the back rows, fear creeping into its tone. "My body is shaking... and I’m sitting in the last row!"

"He’s not just Rank A... There’s something strange about him!"

Beside Lucas stood Darlene. Her hair floated weightlessly in the air, the blood of sovereignty flowing through her veins.

Siman held his breath and whispered to himself:

"She’s changed... is her blood reacting?"

The golden-winged announcer’s voice rang out again, a sharp command that sliced through the tension.

[Battle Start!]

The trio from Zorad launched forward, attacking like a roaring wave. But Lucas was faster. His black wings spread wide, slicing through the air. He vanished in motion, a streak of dark energy propelling him into the fray.

Barok was the first to strike, his flaming fist crashing toward Lucas. But Lucas had disappeared. Gone from sight. The air behind Barok exploded, but Lucas had already moved.

"Handshifter – Angular Switch!"

In an instant, his hand morphed into a spinning spear, an arc of black energy tearing through the air. He used the momentum to unleash a brutal sidekick, sending Barok flying through the air and crashing into the edge of the arena with a deafening boom.

The audience gasped in shock, a collective intake of breath blending into stunned amazement.

"Impossible! Is that a shaping skill?!" someone shouted.

"His hands completely transformed!"

Darlene moved in the next moment. Her body shimmered with royal power as she extended her arm, fingers weaving through the air.

"Blood Web!" she cried.

Crimson threads of energy shot out, wrapping around Garm’s legs, binding him, venom seeping into his veins. His body convulsed violently, but he kept resisting, his eyes burning with fury. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Damn it! What is this poison?!" Garm cursed, his body shuddering as the venom surged through his bloodstream.

But Rolg was already on the move. He slammed his fist into the ground, cracking it beneath him. His aura ruptured the air, sending everything around him flying.

[Field Shatter – Rank S]

The ground split beneath Darlene’s feet, throwing her backward, her body soaring into the air. Lucas, too, was launched toward the far wall.

"Darlene!"

"I’m fine," she answered calmly as she regained her footing in the air.

Her body glowed with ethereal power, and with a cry, she unleashed her strongest skill.

"Bow to Sovereignty!"

A merciless pressure exploded outward, forcing everyone in the arena to retreat, unable to bear the weight of her power. Even the Zorad trio took a step back, their eyes widening in surprise.

The crowd fell silent, whispers spreading through the stands.

"A step back... but against who?!" someone murmured, stunned.

The Zorad trio steadied themselves, their skills activating in an instant, in flashes of blinding light.

"Full Burn Mode!" Barok roared, flames roaring around him.

"Beast Assault!" Garm howled, his body enlarging, muscles bulging to monstrous sizes, his eyes glowing with savage rage.

"Bone Lion!" Rolg commanded, and from beneath the ground, a massive lion of dark energy leapt forth, its eyes gleaming with sinister hunger.

Lucas and Darlene didn’t hesitate.

"Darlene, cover me!" Lucas ordered, his voice filled with cold determination.

As Darlene ascended into the sky, her energy radiating with murderous intent, Lucas unleashed his full power.

[Tyrant’s Presence + Handshifter + Bloodlust]

In a blink, one of Lucas’s hands transformed into a massive double-edged axe, its blade a writhing mass of living energy. The other turned into a jagged, dark bone shield.

Without hesitation, Lucas charged forward, a streak of darkness slicing through the flames and chaos around him.

He struck first. Barok’s fiery defense was no match for Lucas’s relentless assault. The impact sent shockwaves through the arena, but Lucas absorbed the blow and countered with a powerful strike to Barok’s gut. Blood exploded from Barok’s mouth, the sheer force of the hit making it hard for him to breathe.

"Impossible!" the audience screamed, their voices a mixture of awe and terror.

But Lucas wasn’t finished.

From above, Darlene unleashed her poison again.

"Beast Venom – Full Activation!" she shouted.

Garm’s body convulsed, muscles seizing as the poison tore through his veins. His eyes rolled back, his body trembling from the agony.

"This isn’t a battle... it’s complete domination!" one spectator breathed in shock.

But then, the ground shifted. Rolg’s Bone Lion exploded beneath Lucas, launching him into the air. Rolg followed, his fist crashing into Lucas’s chest with devastating force.

A deafening silence fell over the arena. The impact was so powerful it shook the stands.

And then... Lucas smiled. Blood dripped from his lips, but in his eyes, there was no fear—only a cold enjoyment.

"But... I’m learning."

[The Learner – Max Analysis]

With perfect precision, Lucas mirrored the same strike. The same angle, the same depth. Rolg’s body flew back, his energy shattered.

The audience fell into stunned silence, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Siman’s voice trembled with shock.

"Impossible... how did he replicate it so precisely?"

His father, calm and calculating as always, whispered under his breath:

"Skills are evolving before our very eyes. That boy... he’s exceptional."

The arena stood on the brink of chaos.

-*-

-*-

-*-

Barok gasped for breath, struggling to rise as his muscles screamed in pain. Blood dripped from his wounds, and his eyes burned with fury. He hadn’t expected this he hadn’t expected him.

But Lucas stood before him, unyielding, with a dark presence. His wings fluttered behind him, like the shadow of death, and his hands began to transform.

Lucas’s fingers curled, and in a flash of raw, unforgiving power, his hand turned into twin shadow blades. They were long, black as night, trembling with unnatural energy. A cruel smile spread across Lucas’s face as he stared at Barok, who could only stare back in shock.

"You made a mistake..." Lucas’s voice was low, cold as a tomb. "Thinking I was beneath you."

Barok’s heart hammered in his chest, but his body was too slow. His strength was already fading. Before he could respond, Lucas was on him. The blades moved with the precision of a storm, cutting through the air like predators on the hunt. In one swift motion, one blade sliced across Barok’s chest, the other to his neck.

Barok’s eyes widened in shock, but it was too late. His body collapsed to the ground, a lifeless mass of blood and broken spirit. The power that had once been there was now nothing in the blink of an eye.

A heavy silence fell over the arena. The crowd, stunned and silent, couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed.

From the edge of the battlefield, Garm screamed, his body writhing as the crimson webs Darleen had cast around him continued to bind him. The threads tightened with each desperate attempt, while poison coursed through his veins, squeezing him like chains of pure agony.

"No! Let me go!" Garm screamed, his eyes wide with panic as he tried to tear apart the webs, but they held him firm. His strength was draining, and his body’s energy was leaking out.

Darleen stood in front of him, her expression calm, as if the world around her had slowed. She looked at Garm with a strange pity, her grip tightening around his head like a vise.

"Go to sleep," she said softly, her words carrying an unspoken command.

Suddenly, the crimson webs exploded with violent force, tearing through Garm’s body with surgical precision. His limbs jerked, his body convulsed as the blood in his veins screamed in protest.

The crowd held its breath, watching in horrified awe as Garm’s body collapsed to the ground, dead and torn apart. The poison had done its work, and Garm was no more.

From the stands, a heavy gasp rose, filled with surprise.

"I’ve never seen a woman fight with such beauty and brutality together."

But as the dust settled, only one enemy remained.

Rolg stood alone in the center of the battlefield. His body was bleeding from dozens of wounds, but his eyes were filled with defiance, unwavering and steadfast. The fury in his gaze was enough. The last of the trio from Zorad, and he wouldn’t kneel. He couldn’t.

"Zorad does not kneel!" he roared, his voice rough, almost hoarse with the weight of his resolve.

He raised his arms, energy swirling around him in waves of power. His bloodstained, broken body was still full of anger. He unleashed every last drop of his strength in a desperate final attack.

But Lucas and Darleen didn’t retreat. They didn’t hesitate. They advanced together, in perfect harmony, a double force that could not be stopped. Their eyes met, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

Without a word, Lucas launched himself forward, shadow blades cutting through the air like twin storms, while Darleen rose above him.

The moment their forces collided, it felt as though the world stopped breathing. The arena shook, and the ground cracked beneath their feet. Energy exploded in every direction, an unstoppable force of destruction that was felt in every corner of the coliseum. The shockwaves reverberated in the stands, making every spectator feel it deep within their core.

Then, there was a final, thunderous explosion. The battlefield was torn apart, and a flash of blinding light devoured everything in its path. When the smoke cleared, nothing remained standing. No Zorad. No resistance.

The arena was silent, the air thick with the weight of what had just occurred.

The voice of the golden-winged announcer rang out, breaking the silence with its thunderous authority.

[End of the match!]

[Winner: Planet Tian!]

The crowd, which had been holding its breath in shock, erupted in a wave of overwhelming joy. Cheers rose like a storm breaking through the dark sky.

"Tian! Tian! Tian!"

The booming cheer echoed through the arena, resonating like the sound of war, a victory cry that would continue to echo.

Siman’s heart pounded in his chest, his breath shallow as he stood up from his seat. His mind raced, unable to process what he had just witnessed.

"It wasn’t a battle... It was a display of dominance." His voice was barely above a whisper, but it was sharp, laden with admiration.

Beside him, his father, who was usually the picture of silence, finally broke into a smile. It was a small movement, barely noticeable, but the pride in his eyes was undeniable.

"The boy... He broke all the rules of rankings." His voice was calm, but there was a deep, rare tone of admiration in it.

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