SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

The golden sea of flames slowly dispersed.

The once-flat and sturdy black ground had long since been reduced to complete devastation. Vast sections had melted into crimson magma under the terrifying heat, while scorching waves continuously surged outward.

Even the energy barrier capable of withstanding high-level attacks was still rippling with ring after ring of waves that had yet to fully settle.

And at the centre of the battlefield, which had nearly been burned through completely, Lucien still stood quietly in place.

His pure white mage robe was untouched by even a speck of dust.

The continuously rotating golden solar wheel behind him still radiated a dazzling brilliance that was impossible to look at directly, as though the attack that had been capable of instantly destroying several summons had been nothing more than an ordinary test to him.

On the other side.

Zich was half-kneeling less than ten metres from the edge of the battlefield. His right hand, which gripped his Scythe, trembled slightly, while the rise and fall of his chest were clearly more intense than before.

As the last Skeleton Knight completely turned to ash within the flames, the connection between him and the summon was severed as well, causing his face to involuntarily pale for an instant.

In only two exchanges, he had already lost more than half of the summons capable of restraining the enemy head-on.

Worse still, from the beginning of the match until now, Lucien had never truly left his original position. Not even the slightest obvious emotional fluctuation had appeared on that gentle and calm face.

"How is he supposed to fight this?"

"Almost every one of Zich’s offensive methods is being completely countered!"

"The skeletons can’t get close, the poison gets evaporated, and even the Bombs can’t break through that Solar Barrier!"

"Is this match really going to end like this?"

Discussions continuously rang out from the spectator stands.

Many spectators who had originally been filled with anticipation gradually grew solemn, because it was not that they failed to understand how exquisite Zich’s tactics were. On the contrary, it was precisely because they understood them that they could see even more clearly just how powerless that brilliance appeared before absolute strength.

An underground ambush, smoke concealment, Skeleton self-detonation—you name it. Any one of those methods would have been enough to place another contestant in danger, or even directly decide the outcome of the match.

But against Lucien, all it took was a single wide-range spell. Every trap would be completely incinerated beneath absolute heat.

High above on the commentary platform, sweat had already seeped into Mithrash’s palm as he gripped the amplification crystal. His gaze had never once left the battlefield.

"Lord Dragon Count, does Zich still have a chance?"

Dragon Count did not answer immediately.

He looked at Zich, who was half-kneeling on the ground, then glanced at the enormous wheel still floating behind Lucien. Only after remaining silent for several seconds did he slowly speak.

"If he continues fighting like this, no."

Mithrash’s heart sank slightly.

However, Dragon Count’s next words caused his expression to suddenly change.

"But until now, he doesn’t appear to have truly attempted to break through that barrier."

"What do you mean?"

"Although his summons have continuously attacked, every time they were about to truly approach Lucien, they changed their objective in advance. The first time was to create an explosion that concealed the underground assault. The second was to use the Skeleton Knight to block the fire impact for him."

Dragon Count narrowed his eyes slightly.

"He isn’t attacking by force."

"He’s testing. Testing the range, speed, temperature, and interval between each of Lucien’s Solar Arts."

Upon hearing those words, Mithrash abruptly looked toward the battlefield.

At the same time, inside the highest VIP section.

The silver-haired woman’s calm, pale golden eyes had remained fixed on Zich from beginning to end.

Arnold frowned deeply.

"Testing?"

"He’s already lost so many summons. If he continues testing, even if he finds a weakness, he may no longer possess enough strength to complete the counterattack."

...

"You don’t have many summons left."

Lucien looked at Zich, his voice still gentle.

"If you have any other methods, it would be best to use them now. Otherwise, after my next attack, you may not even have the opportunity to stand again."

Zich did not respond immediately.

He lowered his head and glanced at the Scythe, which had been heated until its surface was slightly red. He then raised his head once more and looked toward the golden solar wheel behind Lucien, now nearly thirty metres in diameter.

From the beginning of the match until now, Lucien had used a total of three techniques.

The first golden rays possessed the greatest speed but the smallest attack range.

The Radiant Sun released afterward could disperse smoke and summons with Lucien at its centre, but it could not cover the entire battlefield.

The final Solar Purification Ring had the greatest range and destructive power, but after expanding to its maximum distance, its strength had clearly weakened.

As for the golden barrier that had continuously surrounded Lucien...

It appeared flawless.

But before every large-scale technique was released, the light of the barrier would undergo an extremely brief fluctuation.

Less than half a second. Perhaps even shorter. But that was already enough.

Zich slowly exhaled.

"Slimy."

"Bo."

Slimy, which had been hiding behind the rubble near the edge of the battlefield, quietly responded.

Lucien’s gaze shifted slightly.

But before he could confirm Slimy’s location, Zich suddenly raised his left hand and took out all five Spirit Bombs in a single motion.

The moment the audience saw this...

The stands instantly erupted into commotion.

"Five?!"

"What is he planning to do?"

"Two couldn’t break the barrier earlier. What difference will more of them make?"

Lucien also saw the Bombs.

His expression did not change much, but the golden solar wheel behind him began rotating slightly faster.

"Quantity cannot compensate for a difference in quality."

"I know."

Zich once again repeated the same words as before.

Immediately afterward, he suddenly swung his left hand.

The five Spirit Bombs did not fly toward Lucien. Instead, they landed in five different areas of the battlefield.

BOOM!

The first bomb exploded a hundred metres to Lucien’s left.

A vast cloud of black smoke instantly rose into the air.

BOOM!

The second bomb landed on the right.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The remaining three exploded almost simultaneously.

Dense black fog spread wildly from five different directions, once again covering the entire battlefield in the blink of an eye. However, unlike before, several narrow gaps that appeared to follow no pattern had been left between the clouds of smoke, as though Zich had failed to properly control the locations of the explosions in his haste.

"Smoke again?"

"It was already proven useless earlier!"

"Is he planning to repeat the same tactic?"

Countless spectators revealed puzzled expressions.

Lucien, however, did not underestimate him.

He raised his right hand. The solar wheel behind him lit up once again.

"Radiant Sun."

HUM—!

Golden radiance erupted outward with Lucien at its centre.

Exactly as before, all the black smoke rapidly dispersed beneath the sunlight.

But at the exact instant the radiance had expanded halfway, a blue figure suddenly shot out at high speed from one of the gaps between the smoke!

Slimy!

It did not charge at Lucien from the front. Instead, its entire body continuously expanded, compressed, expanded again, then compressed once more. Using the narrow gaps between the ground and the smoke, it constantly changed direction, while its speed climbed to an unprecedented level through repeated rebounds.

Slimy’s body followed no fixed trajectory whatsoever. Nor was it restricted by the bones that any ordinary creature should possess.

Several golden rays shot out from the solar wheel, but Slimy repeatedly dodged them by twisting its body into nearly distorted shapes. One ray clearly struck its body, but it merely punched a hole straight through the soft flesh, which was filled by the surrounding slime in the very next instant.

"Slimy is drawing the rays away!"

Mithrash suddenly realised what was happening.

"Then where is Zich?!"

Almost the exact moment those words left his mouth, behind Lucien, a white-haired figure had already charged out from the black fog that had yet to completely disperse!

Zich!

From the instant the five Spirit Bombs exploded, he had never chosen to advance from the front. Instead, using the commotion created by Slimy, he moved around the outermost edge of the smoke, eventually reaching the area behind Lucien where the Solar Art’s expansion speed was slowest!

He gripped Frostgrave with both hands.

The icy-blue energy no longer covered the entire blade as it had before. Instead, it had been forcibly compressed into an area less than a foot wide at the very tip. Dazzling cold light continuously flickered, and even the surrounding air had condensed into a thin layer of frost.

Lucien finally turned around. For the first time, there was no smile on his face.

The solar wheel behind him suddenly contracted inward.

The Radiant Sun technique, which had originally been spreading outward, instantly came to a halt. All the golden radiance flowed back, once again condensing into an almost tangible defensive barrier.

And this was the exact moment Zich had been waiting for.