I Awakened as an SSS-Rank System Maker!-Chapter 56 - Blood Blossoms

Chapter 56 - Blood Blossoms

A strange silence fell over the arena as the giant screen began to flicker, displaying the next match: Planet Solar versus Planet Venus.

From Venus’s side, the first fighter stepped into the arena. She moved with ghostly grace, as if the air itself bent around her. Her pink hair was elegantly tied, and her outfit was adorned with delicate flowers. Yet, each bloom hid a potent toxin a deadly beauty.

On the opposite side, the fighter from Planet Solar emerged: a man with blazing golden hair. With every step he took, the tiles beneath his feet melted, leaving behind a trail of scorched footprints. His presence radiated an intense heat a living embodiment of the sun’s fury.

Following him, the second fighter from Planet Solar appeared a towering figure whose body pulsed with crimson energy.

Opposite him stood Venus’s second fighter, cloaked entirely in black. She manipulated light with such precision that she vanished and reappeared like a ghost the shadow of death itself.

The battle began.

A surge of heat exploded from the Solar side, forcing spectators in the front rows to put on heat-protection masks. The temperature soared, yet the Venusian fighters stood unshaken.

Instead, they began to dance.

"Poison Blossom Dance, First Step," announced the pink-haired fighter.

She leapt gracefully, leaving behind a trail of pink fragrance. The scent spread through the air—a camouflaged mist saturated with dispersed bio-energy particles.

The golden-haired fighter lunged at her, his fiery strike nearly shattering the ground. But the blow hit nothing only her shadow remained.

On the other side, the black-cloaked fighter approached the giant warrior from Solar. He charged toward her in flames. She did not evade. She smiled. And in the next instant vanished.

Screams erupted from the crowd. The cameras darted in every direction, trying to capture her movements.

The ruler of Planet Solar rose from his seat, his gaze locked on the unfolding battle.

The golden-haired fighter’s aura intensified.

"Solar Formation, Second Phase!" he shouted, unleashing a wave of heat so fierce it made the air tremble.

But Venus was ready.

"Veil of Illusion," whispered the pink-haired fighter.

A blinding light burst across the battlefield, creating illusions in every direction.

The Solar fighter struck at the mirages, each missed blow adding to his frustration.

Amid the chaos, the Venusian fighter slipped behind him. From her fingernails, she launched a tiny needle no thicker than a hair. It pierced his neck.

"You’ve been struck," she whispered in his ear.

He froze for a moment, then laughed.

"I’ll burn you even if I’m poisoned."

But his movements began to slow. The toxin was fast targeting his nervous system.

Meanwhile, the black-cloaked fighter appeared behind the giant warrior and struck a precise pressure point. The behemoth staggered, his glowing energy flickering.

The crowd watched in stunned silence as both fighters from Planet Solar fell to their knees.

The announcer’s voice echoed, "Victory goes to Planet Venus!"

A moment of silence then the stadium erupted with cheers and screams.

In the stands, the ruler of Planet Venus smiled, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

The ruler of Planet Solar remained silent, his gaze fixed on his fallen warriors.

–

The arena was still recovering from the aftermath of the battle between Planet Solar and Planet Venus. The once-pristine battleground now bore the scars of fierce combat—scorched earth, shattered tiles, and the lingering scent of burnt ozone in the air. The crowd, torn between awe and anxiety, buzzed with talk about the unexpected prowess of the Venusian fighters.

In the observation room, Lucas leaned on the railing, his eyes fixed on the arena below. His mind replayed the sequence of events: the graceful movements of the Venusian fighters, the allure of their deceptive techniques, and the destructive efficiency with which they dismantled their Solar opponents.

Siman approached normally cheerful, but now his expression was steeped in contemplation. "They’re not just fighting; they’re performing. It’s like watching a deadly ballet."

Lucas nodded slowly. "Every move was calculated. Every step, a setup. They turned the battlefield into their stage, and the Solar fighters were nothing more than unwitting participants in their dance."

-*-

-*-

-*-

The announcer’s voice rose across the arena, heavy with the weight of the tournament’s climax. His voice echoed through the entire stadium.

"Here it is! The final battle... Planet Tian versus Planet Venus!"

The crowd stood in unison, a wild mix of cheers and applause. Flags from various planets fluttered high above their heads. The air was charged with tense energy, thick with anticipation. Beneath the fighters’ feet, the ground trembled with a strange pulse, as if foretelling the end of something great that was about to unfold.

Lucas took the first step forward, his black cloak swirling around him, alive with a promise of destruction. Every fiber of his being screamed power, an unstoppable force. Beside him followed Darleen, her gaze unwavering, aflame with infinite mana, her crimson scarf wrapped around her neck like a living creature.

From Planet Venus’s side, the pink-haired fighter appeared. She moved with ghostly grace, each step a silent promise of death. Her attire, adorned with intricate floral patterns, shimmered under the lights, but the flowers were more than decoration. Each one was a hidden vessel of pure, refined poison a deadly beauty. Beside her stood the black-clad fighter, the air warping around her like death’s shadow.

The announcer stepped back, lowering his voice to a whisper, yet it still rang in every corner of the arena.

"The final battle has begun..."

Lucas and Darleen exchanged glances. Darleen parted her lips, her voice barely louder than a whisper, yet enough to send a chill down Lucas’s spine.

"This isn’t a battle," she said, as her fingers spread, crimson threads of mana unfurling from her fingertips, hanging in the air. "This is the dance of endings."

As if on cue, silence fell. The air thickened, and everything stopped. Every spectator, every fighter, held their breath, waiting for the first move.

Then it came.

Darleen burst forward at an astonishing speed that left the audience in awe. Her crimson threads flew through the air, woven into a complex web of deadly precision, each thread an extension of her will. Her eyes blazed with determination but something darker loomed beneath.

At the same time, Lucas vanished.

One moment he was there, the next, he was gone.

He had activated his ability:

Hand Switcher – Shift Level.

In the blink of an eye, he switched places with the air itself, becoming a phantom in the wind. He materialized behind the black-clad fighter.

But she wasn’t there.

A chill raced down Lucas’s spine as the fighter’s shadow appeared at the edge of his vision. In the next moment, the air tore apart with a burst of dark light aimed directly at him.

Lucas reacted instinctively, retreating in a fluid motion like a predator. He activated Black Wings, soaring into the air in a swift arc, spinning like a flying arrow, narrowly evading the attack.

But the black-robed fighter had already vanished again. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Lucas cursed under his breath, frustration beginning to creep in. His target was elusive, like smoke impossible to grasp.

On the other side of the arena, the pink-haired fighter began her deadly dance. Her movements were precise, nearly ethereal, perfect. She whispered softly, summoning the third step of the Poison Dance. Suddenly, the arena floor erupted into a thick pink mist. It hung in the air like a curtain, obscuring vision and choking breath. The fragrance was intoxicating, but deadly.

Yet Darleen’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t even flinch.

"Composition Analysis," she murmured.

Her crimson threads surged to life, extending into the air, intertwining with the surrounding particles. With a single thought, she redirected the toxic mist back toward its source. The pink-haired fighter’s eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t expected this. The poison was supposed to be her weapon, her advantage but Darleen had turned it against her.

Still, the Venus fighter showed no signs of panic. Instead, she smiled beautifully, then clapped her hands together in a smooth, precise motion. A series of glowing orbs burst around her, each filled with a phantom wave of energy. The air shimmered, and the crowd gasped as multiple images of her appeared in every direction. It was a dazzling optical illusion.

But Darleen’s eyes were sharp. Her threads shifted, forming a protective shield around her. She moved like water fluid, unstoppable, ever-changing.

At the same time, Lucas was locked in a battle of pure instinct, speed, and evasion against the black-clad fighter. His mind raced, calculating, adapting. Every twist in the air, every flicker of shadow, was another piece of a puzzle he had to solve.

"Tyrant’s Presence!" Lucas roared, his voice filled with fury as his aura exploded outward. The air around him trembled under the pressure of his presence, and the ground beneath him cracked as if unable to contain the force.

The fighter hesitated... her steps slowed but only for a moment. She turned to face Lucas, her eyes gleaming with strange calm.

The pink-haired fighter’s hand shimmered, her fingers dancing in the air like a conductor. Every gesture was deliberate, every step a note in the symphony of her deadly dance.