I Awakened The SSS Class Abyssal Warlord

The moment the gong rang, Kraal's body convulsed with twisted excitement.

The tattoos across his scarred flesh pulsed with a sinister red light, veins bulging as if they were about to burst.

His fingers cracked and lengthened into jagged claws, hair sprouting rapidly across his arms, chest, and face.

His spine contorted, forcing him onto all fours as his muscles swelled to monstrous proportions.

His teeth elongated into curved fangs, his nose flattening and widening, nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply—the scent of Aiko's flesh filling his mind.

His pupils shrank into razor-thin slits, sharp and predatory, his ears sharpening into points that twitched at every sound.

The primal hunger in his eyes was unmistakable. This was no ordinary transformation.

This was the curse of his skill—Savage Beast.

It granted monstrous strength and speed, but at the cost of his sanity.

Each transformation dragged him further into the abyss, instincts warping until only a single craving remained—flesh. Human flesh.

It was that insatiable hunger that had driven him to devour his comrades, his enemies, and even his own family, until only The Crucible could contain the beast he had become.

Kraal's lips curled into a saliva-dripping snarl, his gaze locked onto Aiko like a predator who had just found its next meal.

But before his transformation could fully complete, a massive, translucent blue cylinder materialized above him.

It slammed down with a deafening CRASH, driving him onto the arena floor like a nail into wood.

The stone beneath him cracked, his monstrous roar cut off by the impact.

The construct lifted back into the air, shimmering slightly, before slamming down again—and again—each impact leaving Kraal's half-transformed body more broken than before.

Fur matted with blood, bones snapping, his bestial strength unable to break free from the sheer, overwhelming force.

The audience went silent, stunned at the unrelenting brutality coming from someone so small.

The barrage continued, each strike heavier, faster, until the once-ferocious beast was reduced to a shattered, pulpy mass.

Blood seeped into the cracks of the arena floor, pooling beneath the mangled remains of Kraal the Eater.

Aiko stood calmly, her hand raised, controlling the barrier construct with the grace of a conductor leading an orchestra.

This was Aiko's power—the signature ability of her B-Rank Class – Guardian Artificer.

Her first skill, Architect's Bastion, allowed her to form barriers of any shape or size, with the unique ability to move and manipulate them at will.

Defensive magic was usually static—walls, domes, shields—but Aiko's magic was different.

Her barriers weren't just shields; they were weapons, capable of striking with brutal force.

When the final strike landed, she let the barrier dissipate, leaving only a pile of unrecognizable flesh and bone.

For a heartbeat, there was only silence.

Then, the crowd erupted.

"Holy hell, did you see that?! She flattened him like a bug!"

"That's a defense mage? That's a goddamn siege weapon!"

"I'd let her crush me like that any day!"

"That tiny thing just turned a monster into paste. Unreal."

"Step on me, goddess!"

The announcer's voice boomed, excitement crackling in his tone.

"AND THE WINNER—WITH UNMATCHED FEROCITY AND UNRELENTING FORCE—AIKO OF DANTE'S DIVINE VANGUARD!"

The crowd roared louder, chants of her name rippling through the arena as the gates opened, allowing her to return to the waiting room.

Aiko walked back without a word, her expression unchanged—as though crushing a flesh-hungry monster was just another day at work.

As the door to the waiting room slid open, Aiko stepped inside, her small frame as calm and composed as ever.

The atmosphere was far different from when Dante returned after his match.

There were no awkward silences, no subtle looks of exasperation. Instead, there was a quiet respect—a silent acknowledgment that whatever doubts anyone had about Aiko's strength had been utterly erased.

Dante, of course, was the first to break the silence.

"I didn't know you had it in you, shorty. That was almost as perfect as me!" he said, flashing his trademark smug grin.

The group collectively rolled their eyes, not even bothering to argue with his relentless narcissism. They were getting good at just ignoring him.

Lina stepped forward first, offering Aiko a small smile. "Good job out there. That was impressive."

Oliver leaned back, arms crossed, eyeing Aiko thoughtfully. "Why didn't you at least let him finish transforming?"

His tone was casual, but there was a hypocritical edge to it—the kind of question meant more for conversation than critique, especially since Oliver would have done the exact same thing if their roles were reversed.

Aiko paused for a moment before answering, her voice soft but clear. "Because fully transformed beasts have thicker skulls. It's easier to crush them before the bone density increases."

The room fell silent.

Tariq, who had been about to say "Well done—" choked mid-sentence, coughing loudly in shock.

The sheer cold logic behind Aiko's reasoning caught all of them off guard—not because it was wrong, but because it was so brutally pragmatic.

No hesitation. No mercy. Just a clean, efficient elimination. The fact that it came from the quietest member of their team made it all the more chilling.

Tariq, still sputtering, sat back down, muttering something about how he'd never look at Aiko the same way again.

As for why Tariq was even there—his match was scheduled for the next day.

Other battles were still ongoing, but if the organizers had known both Dante and Aiko would finish their fights so quickly, they would have shifted Tariq's match to today.

Unfortunately, no one could predict the sheer efficiency of this new team.

Breaking the tension, Lina clapped her hands together. "Well, since we don't have anything else to do today, why don't we go celebrate Aiko's victory?" she suggested brightly, pointedly ignoring Dante's presence altogether.

Just as Dante's mouth opened—likely to insist that his victory deserved equal celebration, if not more—the others immediately agreed, cutting him off before he could get a word out.

Without waiting, the team filed out of the room, Aiko quietly following behind Lina. Dante stood frozen, his jaw hanging open, stunned at how effortlessly they had dismissed him.

"Unbelievable..." he muttered to himself, before reluctantly following them, his ego bruised but not broken—after all, there was still plenty of time to remind them of his perfection.