SSS Ranked Talent: I Can Upgrade My Skills Infinitely-Chapter 158: The Arena of Tides, Titan vs Behemoth

"Apollyon wants a duel," Alvian said, a cold smile touching his lips. "I’m going to give him a massacre."

The location for the "Duel of Sovereigns" was not within the city of Azureus, nor was it in the deep trench of the Draconic Legion. It was set in the neutral zone, a massive, flat expanse of calcified bone and coral known as the Arena of Tides.

The Syndicate was broadcasting.

Floating mana-cams hovered around the perimeter, beaming the image to every major city in the game world. To the players watching from the safety of the capital or the starter villages, this was the first World Event. A clash between the mysterious "Godslayer" and the King of the expansion pack.

Alvian stood at the southern edge of the arena. He was flanked by his inner circle. Valeria stood to his right, her armor polished to a mirror sheen, her claymore resting on her shoulder. Seraphina crouched to his left, sharpening her daggers. Master Thorne, Master Kaelen, and Lady Ola stood behind them, the Guardians of the city united.

But Alvian stood alone in the front.

He wore the [Vestments of the Void Monarch], now fully repaired and humming with the energy of his new stats. The [Crown of the Frost Monarch] sat upon his brow, radiating a chill that kept the water around him at a comfortable temperature.

"They’re watching," Seraphina whispered, nodding at the floating cameras. "The Syndicate. The Guilds. Everyone."

"Let them watch," Alvian said, his voice calm. "Fear travels faster through a lens."

Opposite them, the Draconic Legion had assembled. Thousands of True Dragons lined the ridges of the arena, a wall of scales and fire. They didn’t roar. They didn’t move. They waited with the discipline of soldiers.

And in the center of their formation, sitting on a throne of floating obsidian, was Apollyon.

The Dragon King rose.

He was not a beast. He was a humanoid figure, seven feet tall, clad in armor made of shifting, liquid red metal. He wore a cape of woven shadow. His face was handsome, almost elven, but his eyes were vertical slits of burning gold that held no humanity.

He floated forward, entering the arena. He didn’t swim. The water simply moved out of his way.

[Target Identified: Dragon King Apollyon]

[Level: 70]

[Class: World-Eater]

[Status: Player (Old Era)]

Alvian’s eyes narrowed. The system scan confirmed the intel. Apollyon wasn’t an NPC. He was a remnant from the previous era of the game, a player who had survived the beta cycles and ascended to monsterhood.

"Alvian," Apollyon’s voice boomed, not through the water, but directly into the minds of everyone present. "You have caused me a great deal of inconvenience. You broke my toys. You disrupted my harvest."

Alvian stepped forward. He didn’t float. He walked on the water, his [Greaves of the Tide-Runner] solidifying the liquid beneath his boots.

"Your toys were cheap," Alvian replied, his voice amplified by his mana. "And your harvest is cancelled."

Apollyon smiled. It was a terrifying expression. "Arrogance. You think because you killed a few generals, you understand power? You are a user. I am an administrator. I know the code of this world better than you know your own name."

"You know the code," Alvian agreed. He stopped ten meters from the Dragon King. "But I know the exploits."

The tension in the arena was physical. The water between them vibrated.

"We have an agreement," Apollyon said, spreading his arms. "Single combat. If you win, my Legion withdraws. If I win, Azureus is mine."

"Terms accepted," Alvian said. "But I have a condition."

"Oh?" Apollyon raised an eyebrow. "You are in no position to bargain, little human."

"I’m not bargaining," Alvian said. He pointed to the massive army of dragons behind Apollyon. "I want a warm-up. Your army against my champions. Three rounds. If my people win, you reduce your magic resistance by 50% for our duel."

The crowd of dragons roared in anger, but Apollyon laughed.

"You want to bet on your pets?" Apollyon looked at Valeria, Seraphina, and the Guardians. He sneered. "Very well. It will be amusing to watch them break. I accept. Three rounds. Best of three."

Alvian turned to his team. He looked at Valeria.

She looked back at him. Her face was pale, but her jaw was set. She knew what he was doing. He was buying time to analyze Apollyon’s aura. He was also giving them a chance to prove they weren’t just baggage.

"Round One," Alvian announced. "The Tank."

Valeria stepped forward. She didn’t look at the army. She looked at Alvian.

"I won’t let you down," she whispered.

Alvian reached out. He placed a hand on her shoulder. For a second, the cold mask slipped. "I know. Just remember. You aren’t a wall. You’re an avalanche."

Valeria smiled. She put on her helmet. She walked into the center of the arena.

Apollyon gestured to his ranks. The ground shook.

"Go," the Dragon King commanded. "Crush her."

From the lines of the Legion, a monstrosity emerged. It was a Dragon Turtle, but corrupted by the Syndicate. It was the size of a castle, its shell covered in spikes of adamantite, its maw dripping with magma.

[Target: Magma-Shell Behemoth]

[Level: 60]

[Status: Siege Breaker]

The Behemoth roared. Valeria stood alone, a speck of gold against a mountain of death.

The arena floor shuddered as the Magma-Shell Behemoth lumbered forward. It was a siege engine made of flesh and stone, designed to crush city walls. Every step it took sent plumes of silt into the water, obscuring its massive, tree-trunk legs.

Valeria stood her ground. She looked small. Insignificant.

"SQUASH THE BUG!" a Dragon Knight roared from the ridges.

The Behemoth opened its maw. A ball of concentrated magma formed in its throat.

"Breath attack," Seraphina hissed from the sidelines. "Valeria, move!"

Valeria didn’t move. She planted her feet. She slammed her tower shield into the sand.

"[Titan’s Fortress]!"

A golden dome of energy erupted from her shield.

"BOOM!"

The magma breath hit the dome. The water around Valeria flash-boiled, turning into a cloud of scalding steam. The impact was enough to crack the seabed, but the golden light held. The Behemoth roared in frustration, its breath exhausted.

It charged.

The massive creature tucked its head and rolled. It became a spinning wheel of spiked shell and momentum, a bowling ball the size of a building aiming for a single pin.

"She can’t tank that," George gasped. "The kinetic energy is infinite!"

Alvian watched, his arms crossed. "Physics Lesson Number Three," he whispered to himself. "Momentum can be redirected."

Valeria watched the spinning mountain approach. She didn’t brace. She waited.

"Three... two... one..."

Just as the Behemoth was about to crush her, Valeria dropped the shield. The golden dome vanished.

The Behemoth, expecting resistance, lurched forward, its balance shifting.

"[Titan’s Strength]! [Giant Form]!"

Valeria exploded with light. Her body grew, her armor expanding until she stood twelve feet tall. She didn’t try to stop the roll. She stepped to the side, pivoting on her heel. She reached out with both gauntleted hands and grabbed the spikes on the side of the spinning shell.

"GRAAAH!"

With a scream of pure exertion, she used the monster’s own momentum against it. She didn’t stop it; she flipped it.

"WHOOSH!"

The massive Dragon Turtle was launched into the air. It spun helplessly, its legs flailing, its soft underbelly exposed to the world.

"Impossible," Apollyon muttered from his throne.

Valeria didn’t watch it fly. She acted. She equipped her claymore.

"[Titan’s Meteor]!"

She leaped. She shot up through the water, meeting the Behemoth at the apex of its arc. She drove her sword down, aiming for the soft, unarmored plastron.

"SQUELCH!"

The blade sank deep, burying itself to the hilt. Golden light flooded the monster’s insides.

"Boom."

The Behemoth crashed to the ground, landing on its back with a force that registered as a seismic event. Valeria landed on top of it, ripping her sword free in a shower of magma-blood.

The creature twitched once, then went still.

[Winner: Valeria (Vanguard Ace)!]

The silence in the arena was deafening. The Draconic Legion stared in shock. Their siege breaker, their tank, had been flipped and gutted in less than a minute.

Valeria stood on the corpse of the monster. She was panting, her armor smoking from the heat, but she raised her sword high.

"NEXT!" she roared at the dragon army.

Alvian smiled. It was a small, almost imperceptible curving of his lips.

"That’s my tank," he said.

Apollyon’s face darkened. The game wasn’t funny anymore.

"Round One to the humans," Apollyon announced, his voice cold. "Send the Shadow."

From the ranks of the Legion, a new figure stepped forward. It wasn’t a brute. It was a silhouette made of darkness, barely visible against the water.

[Target: Shadowstalker Wyrm]

[Level: 61] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

[Class: Assassin]

Alvian looked at Seraphina.

"You’re up," Alvian said. "Don’t blink."

Seraphina drew her daggers. She vanished.

The war for the world was just heating up.