SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

Chapter 158: Convergence! Final Battle[Part 2]

The mist over the Blackwater Swamp was growing thinner by the moment, and more candidates were emerging from different directions.

To the candidates closing in, this scene was far too tempting.

A candidate who had just killed a field boss and already eliminated several others was a huge threat in the tournament.

No matter how you looked at it, this was the perfect time to strike.

Zich glanced at the candidates slowly spreading out around him and already understood what they were thinking. Snatch the supply crate, grab elimination points, take him out while he was weak. These were all perfectly reasonable judgments.

If he were in their shoes, he’d probably think the same way.

It just wasn’t so pleasant when you were the one being targeted.

Just as the tension was about to snap, a flash of fire suddenly flared up from the other side of the mist. Several thin lines of flame skimmed across the ground, directly cutting off two candidates’ approach to Zich.

Helen emerged from the mist, flames already burning in her hands. There was no smile on her face, and her gaze carried a clear warning as it swept over the surrounding candidates.

"Doesn’t it look ugly, this many people surrounding someone who just fought a field boss?"

A Velhari candidate sneered.

"This is a competition."

"I know," Helen’s tone was calm. "Which is why I’m only saying it’s ugly, not that you can’t do it."

Zich glanced at her, his eyes widening in surprise. Before he could speak, thin roots suddenly burrowed out of the mud on the other side. Several blades of grass slowly spread from the edge of the black water. Mira, wearing her farmer’s hat and cradling her sickle, walked over from another shallow water path.

She looked at Zich first, then at the supply crate behind him, her voice still calm.

"The soil here is terrible, but I can work with it."

Mira’s tone made it sound like a perfectly ordinary thing to say, but the roots beneath her feet were already spreading outward, clearly not just there to stand around.

Then, a third familiar figure appeared.

Jayden emerged from behind a broken log, his hand on his sword hilt, his expression as cold as ever.

This time, Zich was genuinely a little surprised.

Helen showing up, he wasn’t surprised.

Mira appearing, he could understand.

But Jayden being there, that was interesting.

"You’re here too?"

Jayden met Zich’s gaze, and his face grew even colder.

"Don’t misunderstand."

"I haven’t said anything yet."

"I still hate you," Jayden said coldly. "But letting other races and candidates gang up on the human representative in a situation like this would make humanity look bad."

Zich looked at him for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

"I’m surprised you, of all people, could think this far."

At those words, a big red vein appeared on Jayden’s forehead.

Helen looked at the two of them and felt a headache coming on, but she also knew this wasn’t the time to deal with their issues.

The surrounding candidates’ expressions had turned sour.

A moment ago, Zich had looked like a worn out target. But now, Helen, Mira, and Jayden were standing beside him. Add Iron and Slimy to the mix, and this was no longer a target you could just rush in and swallow up.

Zich looked down at Slimy.

"Vital Surge."

Slimy struggled to lift itself up. Though exhausted, the moment it heard Zich’s command, it immediately puffed up.

A faint blue glow radiated from its body, first covering Zich, then quickly spreading to Helen, Mira, and Jayden.

The next instant, the visible health bars above all four of their heads rose by a noticeable margin.

[Health Increased]

The expressions of the surrounding candidates changed instantly.

"That slime can do area healing?"

"It’s not healing, it’s a health buff!"

"But that’s a slime, right?"

"What kind of summon is that thing?"

In the observation hall, quite a few representatives sat up straighter.

A slime that looked completely harmless, yet could spit poison, deploy barriers, and provide team wide health buffs. The value of such a summon in combat far exceeded that of ordinary low tier summons.

Back in the Blackwater Swamp, the fragile balance finally broke.

A Verkhari candidate struck first. He clearly understood that if they delayed any longer, the human group’s condition would only stabilize further, and their temporary advantage in numbers would disappear.

A bone blade tore through the mist, heading straight for Zich.

At the same time, the other candidates moved too.

But not all of them charged at Zich.

Some targeted the supply crate. Some targeted the human team that had just been boosted by Vital Surge. And some simply took advantage of the chaos to attack the nearest candidate because, in a situation like this, anyone could be an enemy, and anyone could be a convenient shield to use for a moment.

All out chaos erupted instantly.

Helen raised her hand, and lines of fire rose from the ground, cutting off one route to the supply crate. She didn’t use large scale explosions. Instead, she used flame corridors to split the enemies’ approach into several painfully awkward zones.

Mira stepped into the mud, roots and grass spreading through the wet soil, slowing the candidates approaching her side. The Blackwater Swamp wasn’t ideal for large scale plant growth, but as long as there was soil, she could create trouble.

Jayden drew his sword directly. His blade showed no hesitation. After pushing back one human candidate head on, he spun around and blocked a sneak attack from a Keth candidate. His movements remained aggressive, but this time, he didn’t stray too far from the group.

Zich stood in a mid back position, reforming a small Soul Bomb in his hand.

He didn’t throw it hastily, as tossing bombs randomly in a chaotic melee would waste energy and could easily make everyone turn on him.

So he only threw the Soul Bomb when enemies clustered together, aiming to take out plenty of them at the same time.

At that moment, he saw an opening, and without wasting any time...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!