SSS Class Awakening: I Can Forge My Beast Soul Avatars
Chapter 27: Wild Evolution

Chapter 27: Wild Evolution

The two combatants paced onto the dueling platform under the weight of hundreds of watching eyes.

Jason walked with effortless confidence, his shoulders loose, his lips twisted into the satisfied smirk of a man who already knew the outcome.

Across from him, Rex looked ready to burst. He stood with his fists clenched tightly at his sides, his chest heaving as his armored ram pawed furiously against the stone.

"Rex, please... don’t do anything that’ll get you disqualified before the signal," Mr. Crosswell murmured from the sidelines, letting out a heavy sigh.

Atlas glanced briefly at his instructor before turning his full attention back to the ring.

Standing between the two fighters was the designated referee — a broad-shouldered man with neat blond hair and a silver whistle held between his fingers. At his side coiled his own partner: a massive, muscular python whose thick, obsidian scales possessed a hardened, metallic sheen that reminded Atlas of dragon scales.

’That serpent isn’t just for show,’ Atlas noted, analyzing the beast’s tense, ready posture. ’It’s trained to step in the second a fight spirals out of control.’

The referee raised one hand, and the roaring chatter in the stands gradually died down into an expectant hush.

"Before we begin, three fundamental rules will govern this contest," the referee announced, his voice carrying effortlessly across the amphitheater.

"Any violation will result in immediate forfeit and suspension from the upcoming departmental tournament. Pay attention."

The air in the arena grew noticeably colder.

"First rule: neither participant may directly target or attack the opposing tamer. This is a battle of beasts, not a street brawl. Direct aggression toward an opponent means instant disqualification."

A quiet murmur rippled through the audience.

"Second rule: only natural beast traits and bound skills may be utilized. No external equipment, weapons, or outside intervention."

The referee raised a third finger. "Finally, the third rule: victory is achieved when an opponent’s beast yields, remains pinned or unconscious for five seconds, or is forced entirely outside the boundary ring."

He lowered his hand, his sharp gaze cutting between the two students. "Do both parties understand?"

Rex’s fiery glare locked onto Jason’s condescending smile. Neither yielded an inch.

"Understood," Rex grunted.

"Crystal clear," Jason sneered.

"Then take your positions!"

FWEET!

The whistle blast sliced through the silence.

The referee retreated smoothly toward the boundary line, his scaled python coiling tightly beside him. Both tamers immediately stepped backward to give their partners room to maneuver.

Jason acted first, channeling a brief surge of mana. A pale blue summoning ring flared on the stone floor, and his beast materialized with a low, menacing snarl.

Atlas leaned forward, his eyes widening slightly.

The creature was a dense, squat mass of muscle and aggression. Built close to the ground, it possessed a broad head, short, thick legs, and an unusually bushy tail.

Though roughly the size of a large hunting hound, its dense frame looked twice as heavy. Shaggy brown fur draped across its back, highlighted by distinct golden streaks running along its flanks.

Its wide paws were tipped with heavy, curved black claws engineered to tear through frozen earth and hide alike.

It moved with a rolling, tireless gait, its small, dark eyes locked instantly onto Rex’s ram.

The Class 5D section of the stands erupted into cheers.

"It’s already over!"

"A herbivore against a carnivore? Is this a joke?"

"Finish it fast, Jason!"

Atlas turned to his instructor. "What kind of beast is that, Mr. Crosswell?"

"A Gluttonous Wolverine," Mr. Crosswell replied, his arms folded tightly across his chest. His usual relaxed demeanor was entirely gone. "And Rex is in for a brutal fight."

"A Wolverine?"

"Don’t let its size fool you," the instructor warned, watching the brown beast scrape its claws against the stone.

"Wolverines are notorious for having a strength to size ratio that defies logic. Their jaw pressure can crush dense bone, their hides are thick enough to turn away light strikes, and their aggression is absolute. They simply do not know how to back down."

Atlas swallowed quietly, watching a drop of sweat roll down Rex’s temple.

’That thing looks like it would gladly chew through solid stone just to get to its prey.’

"All we can do now is trust Rex’s training," Mr. Crosswell added softly.

On the field, the Wolverine moved.

It didn’t test the waters or circle cautiously. It simply lunged, its stay-low posture making its trajectory unpredictable.

Rex’s ram, Limbus, lowered its head to counter, but the Wolverine twisted sharply mid-stride.

The Wolverine’s right paw flashed through the air.

Three deep claw marks opened along Limbus’s flank, spraying a fine mist of blood onto the white stone floor.

The ram stumbled sideways with a pained bleat before recovering its footing.

"It’s already drawing blood..." Atlas muttered, his hands tightening on the railing.

The Wolverine shook its head, scattering red droplets from its claws, before immediately sinking back into a low crouch. Its small eyes gleamed with feral thrill.

Limbus didn’t hesitate. Driven by pain, the ram dug its iron-hard hooves into the ground and launched a heavy counter-charge.

The stone floor shuddered beneath the ram’s acceleration. It drove forward like a battering ram, its spiraling horns aimed straight for the Wolverine’s center mass.

Yet the Wolverine remained deathly still, waiting until the very last fraction of a second — then snapped to the left.

The ram’s massive horns cut through empty air, brushing past the predator’s fur by mere inches.

Before Limbus could arrest its momentum, the Wolverine spun on its hind legs and leaped for the ram’s exposed neck.

"Limbus, dodge!" Rex roared.

Using the sheer momentum of its sprint, the ram threw its weight sideways, executing a rough, rolling recovery.

The Wolverine’s jaws snapped shut on nothingness, its landing ringing heavily against the floor.

"That was too close," Atlas breathed out, his pulse spiking.

Rex’s face was flushed with frustration. "Limbus! Don’t let it dance around you! Take it down!"

The ram turned, scraping its hooves furiously, preparing another charge.

Atlas watched the exchange with a growing sense of unease. This isn’t how Rex usually fights.

In practice, Rex moves alongside his beast — he draws attention, creates openings, and lets Limbus finish the job.

But under these rules, he can’t step into the ring. He’s forced to watch from the sidelines, and Limbus is losing its rhythm.

Limbus charged again, adding even more power to its stride.

Instead of dodging sideways this time, the Wolverine turned and sprinted directly toward the perimeter wall of the arena.

"It’s retreating?" someone in the crowd shouted.

"Corner it!" Rex yelled. "Don’t let it escape!"

Limbus closed the gap rapidly, driven by the thrill of the chase. The distance shrank to nothing as the Wolverine was pinned against the smooth stone barrier.

The audience held its breath.

At the absolute last moment, the Wolverine executed a sharp, ninety-degree leap off the arena wall.

Limbus had no time to brake.

BOOOOOOM!

The ram’s massive horns slammed directly into the solid masonry wall. The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, cracking the stone face.

A collective gasp echoed across the auditorium.

Limbus staggered backward, its legs trembling violently. Its eyes rolled back momentarily as the concussive force rattled its skull, and with a heavy thud, the massive ram collapsed onto its side.

"Limbus!" Rex yelled, taking an instinctive step forward before the referee raised a warning hand.

The Wolverine landed smoothly nearby. It turned, lowering its head as it began a slow, predatory walk toward the dazed ram, its claws extended for the finishing blow.

"Get up!" Rex’s voice cracked with raw desperation, his knuckles white. "Get up, Limbus!"

The ram groaned, its flank heaving, but its legs refused to support its weight.

The Wolverine opened its jaws, raising its forepaw to strike.

"LIMBUS! OVERDRIVE!" Rex screamed, slamming his fist against his chest.

Instantly, the ram’s eyes snapped open, blazing with an intense, emerald-green light.

A surge of radiant green energy erupted from Limbus’s body, knocking the Wolverine backward with a concussive burst of pressure. The predator hissed, covering its eyes as the blinding light washed over the ring.

The entire stadium fell dead silent.

The fallen ram began to rise. Its body trembled not from weakness, but from an overwhelming surge of raw power.

Muscles expanded beneath its hide; thick veins bulged along its legs and shoulders. Its curled horns began to visibly lengthen, thickening and sharpening until they resembled terrifying, twisted lances.

The structure of its skull widened, its jaw becoming heavier, its once-docile herbivorous frame morphing into a hulking, terrifying war beast.

The radiant light faded, revealing a towering, monstrous ram whose breath came out as thick plumes of white vapor.

Atlas stood frozen, his jaw slightly slack. The timid herbivore was gone. In its place stood an absolute apex threat.

"...What is that?" Atlas asked quietly.

Beside him, Mr. Crosswell’s eyes narrowed. "That... is Limbus’s innate racial trait. Ancestral Berserk. It forces a temporary evolutionary surge when pushed to the brink of defeat."

On the arena floor, Rex wiped a line of sweat from his forehead, his face breaking into a fierce, triumphant grin. "Now we’re talking."

The monstrous ram lowered its massive new horns, locking its glowing green eyes onto the startled Wolverine.

Rex raised his fist high into the air. "Limbus... smash it to pieces!"