I Awakened as an SSS-Rank System Maker!-Chapter 52 - The Crimson Death

Chapter 52 - The Crimson Death

The echoes of the previous battle still reverberated throughout the arena, the cheers and screams lingering in the air like a storm refusing to fade. Yet beneath this electrified atmosphere, subtler currents pulsed a silent tension and an undercurrent of unease. The other contestants sat in their designated places, whispering about the battle they had just witnessed. Their voices were low, but the weight of their words was heavy.

A contestant from Planet "Kael," tall and slender, arms crossed and lips tight with tension, said, "I didn’t expect them to dominate the fight this quickly... It’s clear they possess extraordinary power."

Beside him, a younger boy with fiery orange hair leaned forward and said, "Extraordinary? That wasn’t just power. Did you see how they moved together? Lucas and Darlene didn’t hesitate for a second. It’s like they knew how the fight would end before it even started."

A woman clad in golden armor, representing Planet "Riga," scoffed: "Hmph... Control or not, they haven’t faced

us

yet."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Not yet."

Another contestant, an older man with deep scars and a mechanical arm that gleamed with metal, spoke in a colder tone, "The next round will be brutal. I don’t think any other team can match that level of synchronization. Especially if they can use their techniques like that."

Murmurs of agreement spread among the seats. There was admiration—perhaps even awe. But beneath it all, a faint whisper of fear. No one dared to say it aloud, but it lingered in their glances, in the silence.

Two hours passed quickly. The tension rose like boiling water on the verge of explosion. And now, it was time for the second round.

Out of the twelve planets that had gathered, only seven had survived the first ordeal. Some fell by blood, others were defeated by superior strength or tactical mastery. But now, the field had narrowed. The air had changed. All eyes were fixed on those who remained.

Among them, Planet "Tian" stood like a looming storm.

Lucas sat at the far end of his team’s seats, his posture relaxed, but his eyes were sharp—watching everything, listening to every whisper. His black hair fluttered slightly with the shifting air currents caused by the arena’s continuous movement, but his expression remained unreadable. Focused.

Darlene stood beside him, her arms crossed, the royal blood still pulsing faintly beneath her skin. She had changed since the last battle. Her presence had matured—sharpened—like victory had carved a deeper purpose into her bones.

In the center of the arena, the golden-winged announcer appeared, floating, his voice amplified by unseen forces.

"And now, we move on to the second round!"

The crowd erupted in cheers once more, but this time, it was less chaotic—more focused. Every shout carried a tone of anticipation.

"The draw will determine the matchups! Who will face whom? Let us find out now!"

A hush fell across the arena as floating panels appeared in the air—one for each of the remaining planets. The panels glowed with a soft aura, and the magical runes began to swirl and form, like a sacred ritual.

The names began to appear in sequence.

Then, suddenly, the energy paused. A new name appeared, and the announcer’s tone shifted.

"Planet Terra of Beasts, previously ranked ninth, will not participate in the second round!"

Gasps of surprise spread through the crowd.

"They will advance directly to the third round. Consider it... a temporary reprieve."

Everyone fell silent. Then the murmurs began.

"They didn’t even fight in the first round."

"What kind of arrangement is this?"

"A conspiracy. It reeks."

The draw resumed.

Planet Tian (previously ranked 4th) vs Planet Riga (previously ranked 3rd)

Planet Solar (ranked 1st) vs Planet Kael (ranked 6th)

Planet Venus (ranked 2nd) vs Planet Sitra (ranked 7th)

A new uproar exploded from the audience. This was the moment. Each matchup was a clash of titans power, strategy, bloodlines, reputation everything was at stake.

The announcer shouted, his booming voice matching the crowd’s fervor:

"The first battle: Tian vs Riga!"

"Whoever wins will face the strongest team in the third round. But first, they must prove their might!"

Lucas rose slowly, his eyes narrowing.

From behind him came Siman’s voice, tinged with apprehension:

"Team Riga isn’t like Zorad. They don’t rely on brute force. They’re smart. Precise. Efficient."

-*-

-*-

-*-

"The second round will be decisive... No room for mistakes," Siman whispered to himself, his hands clenched at his sides.

In front of him, his father stood silently, his arms crossed.

"Do you believe in them?" he asked.

Siman replied, "I believe."

The second round began.

Tension filled the air like smoke before a fire ignites. Everyone could feel it. No one in the arena dared to look away ..not now.

The energy from the crowd was high, but inside the arena?

The silence was deadly.

Darlin walked alone through the massive arch, stepping onto the battlefield made of glimmering obsidian tiles and glowing red battle lines.

She stood in the center, the echo of the previous battle’s blood still ringing in her mind. It had awakened something in her something cold, focused, and harsh as judgment.

On the other side, her opponent stood with a twisted smile on his lips. His name was "Fark," ranked third among the elite fighters of Riga. His body was covered in armored scales that shimmered like molten rock, with small electric sparks dancing around his limbs.

A user of Lava-Electric Fusion.

A terrifying combination.

He said loudly enough for the entire arena to hear, smirking: "You’re smaller than I imagined. I hope you scream louder than the one before you."

Darlin’s expression didn’t change. Not with a glance, not with a gesture.

The light flashed, signaling the start.

Let’s begin.

The ground exploded beneath her.

Lava erupted like a fountain of molten fire, and twin lightning bolts shot through the smoke, striking towards the center of her body.

Darlin moved at the exact same moment. Her feet lightly touched the cracked tiles of the arena, dodging the strikes with precision born of a calculated instinct and a strict mental calculation. In that same instant, she moved her hands forward.

The Beast’s Venom

It shimmered in the air, invisible to the eye, but alive with a scent understood only by her.

She wove the "Crimson Nets" like blood-stained silk across the battlefield, clinging to the ground. She wasn’t planning on breaking his power in a direct confrontation—not yet. But she would hold the pulse of the battle.

Fark screamed again, hurling another surge of electric lava in an arc: "Look at you, running like a child. I expected more from the elite of Tian!"

Darlin’s body disappeared to the left, and appeared to the right. Her foot touched the edge of a cracked tile, and in the next moment, the ground beneath Fark hissed. The venom seeped into the cracks.

Yet, he continued to smile.

"Tricks don’t work. You think this venom can stop me?"

But he was wrong. The goal wasn’t to stop him.

It was to disorient him.

Her next strike was slower. A moment of hesitation, barely noticeable, but Darlin caught it. She always caught it. Her mind grasped the signal, analyzing every moment with a sharp frame. The venom was interfering with the current inside his blood. His electrical powers began to betray him.

Finally, she responded, her voice as cold as frost: "You talk too much... and bleed easily."

Fark roared, slamming his fists into the ground, the lava exploding around him to form a defensive circle, and a wave of electricity surged violently and savagely.

Darlin lowered herself, spinning through the flames, and in the same instant, activated Blood of Sovereignty.

Her veins glowed crimson. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The Crimson Nets ignited.

They were no longer threads, but living blades, directed by will.

They struck at Fark’s fiery barrier like snakes.

Fark screamed as the threads tore through his fiery armor. It wasn’t just damage, it was suppression. The bloodline energy in the threads disrupted the balance of his elements.

Still, he fought. He resisted.

He charged with all his might, sparks flying from his body, aiming to finish it.

But she reached him first.

Her hand touched his throat in the middle of his attack.

His eyes widened.

A stab.

His body fell to the ground like a discarded statue.

Silence.

The stillness reigned over the arena for two seconds.

Then a wave of sound surged.

A hundred thousand voices screamed in unison in disbelief.

And Darlin didn’t look back at the crowd.

She turned and left, the threads of blood retracting behind her like obedient shadows.

In the waiting room, Lucas watched her through the screen, his hands crossed, his eyes devoid of clear expression. Around him, chaos reigned. Some celebrated, while others trembled.

"That was fast," Siman muttered from behind him.

Lucas replied, "She didn’t waste any time."

Siman said in a softer voice, "And she didn’t hesitate."

Lucas didn’t respond, but his expression shifted slightly perhaps pride. Or something colder.

In the treatment wing, Fark’s team was struggling to save his body. His heart beat wildly, and the mana pathways inside him were disrupted.

One of the Riga trainers looked at the test results in shock.

"She... didn’t just win. She dismantled his internal core structure."