SSS Awakening: Conquering Worlds with My Cupid System

The battlefield became a blur.

Silas knew one thing with absolute certainty. He could not kill Echidna. The system had made that painfully clear.

[Mission Objective: Subdue or Escape.]

There was no reward displayed. No bonus, no explanation. Just those two words: Subdue or Escape, and right now, neither option looked particularly realistic.

Echidna moved, and Silas barely saw her. His body reacted before his mind could. He twisted sideways as a gigantic claw swept past his chest.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The air itself seemed to explode. Silas was thrown backward. He crashed through three trees before his body finally dug into the earth. His silver-and-blue armor was barely holding together.

"Ugh..." He coughed. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. His fingers tightened around his katana.

Echidna was already there.

Her enormous serpent body coiled around the battlefield, while her upper body remained perfectly upright. She didn’t rush. She didn’t need to. She simply watched him.

"You are remarkably resilient."

Silas slowly stood.

"Thanks."

"I am not complimenting you."

"I know." He wiped his mouth. "I’m still taking it."

Echidna smiled and disappeared. Silas’s pupils contracted as he used Thread Sight. His threads immediately mapped the surrounding space.

There! Behind!

He spun, his katana colliding with Echidna’s claws. The impact nearly ripped the weapon from his hands. Silas’s feet slid backward.

"Too strong..."

Echidna’s eyes narrowed, and she pushed, causing Silas’s knees to bend. The ground beneath him cracked, while his muscles screamed. She twisted her wrist, launching Silas through the air.

Before he could stabilize himself, a second strike hit him, and he was sent flying across the battlefield.

"Silas!" Chloe moved. A wall of white ice immediately erupted between them, blocking Echidna’s attack, but it couldn’t even hold. The entire structure shattered.

Chloe slid backward, her spear trembling in her hand. She stared at Echidna.

"You can’t get past me."

Echidna looked at her.

"You carry the power of Skadi."

Frost gathered around Chloe.

"Then you should know..." Echidna’s eyes narrowed. "...that gods can die."

Chloe’s expression became colder.

"Try me."

The temperature plummeted. Everything within dozens of meters froze. Even Echidna’s scales began developing a layer of frost. For a moment, it worked.

Echidna’s movements slowed, and Chloe thrust her spear forward. A massive lance of ice erupted. Echidna crossed her arms as the attack struck.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Ice swallowed her entire upper body. Chloe exhaled, but then a golden eye opened inside the frozen mass. Her expression changed.

"Impossible."

The ice exploded, and Echidna emerged. Her body was covered in frost and several wounds, but she was still moving. She swung her tail, forcing Chloe to try to block. The impact sent her flying.

"CHLOE!" Silas shot forward. His threads caught Chloe before she crashed into a tree. He pulled her back.

"I’m fine."

"You call that fine?"

"Yes."

"You’re bleeding."

"So are you."

Silas looked down. She was right. Blood was dripping from several places on his body. He laughed weakly.

"Fair."

Echidna attacked again. Silas rushed forward. Their collision created a shockwave. Silas’s katana struck Echidna’s claws. Every exchange pushed him farther backward.

His arms began going numb. His shoulders burned. His muscles screamed. His breathing became ragged.

[Warning!]

[Mana: 41%.]

Silas gritted his teeth.

"Already?"

He had been using Thread Manipulation, his Cupid techniques, his armor’s functions, his bow, and his various skills constantly. Against something like Echidna, his mana was disappearing far faster than it normally would.

Echidna noticed.

"You are tiring."

Silas ducked beneath another claw.

"Good observation."

"You cannot maintain this."

"Also good observation."

He drove his knee into her abdomen. It barely moved her. Silas’s eyes widened.

"You’re kidding."

Echidna grabbed his leg.

"Oh, shit."

She swung him; the world turned upside down, and she slammed him into the ground. The impact created a crater. His vision blurred.

For several seconds, Silas couldn’t move, but he heard something. A distant roar, then Chloe’s voice.

"Silas!"

His fingers twitched as he forced himself upright.

"Still..." He coughed. "...alive."

[Warning!]

[Mana: 18%.]

Silas stared at the notification.

"Eighteen?"

His breathing became heavier. He had to change tactics. He couldn’t keep fighting her with abilities. Not like this.

He let go of his katana, causing Echidna to tilt her head.

"Giving up?"

Silas stood.

"No." His body lowered. "I’m changing the rules."

He rushed forward with just physical strength. His fist struck Echidna’s jaw, causing her head to move slightly. Silas followed with another punch, then a kick.

Echidna blocked; Silas ducked. He grabbed one of her arms and used her momentum against her. She slammed into the ground, and the impact shook the forest. Silas landed beside her. He didn’t give her time to recover.

He used everything he had. Echidna retaliated. A claw tore across his side. Silas grunted and struck her ribs. Her tail caught him, but he twisted.

A poisonous claw grazed his shoulder, and his skin immediately began burning.

"Poison..." He staggered.

Echidna attacked; Silas blocked with his forearm. The force nearly broke his arm. He countered with a headbutt. Echidna’s nose cracked; she recoiled. Silas smiled through the blood.

"Got you."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You are foolish."

"Probably."

She struck; Silas dodged. Another strike; He dodged. Another; He couldn’t. The claw ripped across his chest. Silas flew backward, his armor finally breaking apart. Pieces of silver metal scattered across the ground.

[Warning!]

[Mana: 9%.]

Silas stared at the screen.

"Nine..."

Echidna slowly approached.

"You have reached your limit."

Silas tried to stand, but his legs trembled. He almost fell. Chloe rushed toward him.

"Silas!"

"I’m fine."

"You aren’t."

"I’m..." He looked at his trembling hand. "...mostly fine."

Chloe stepped in front of him.

"I’ll fight her."

Silas grabbed her wrist.

"No."

"Silas."

"You can’t."

Her eyes sharpened.

"I can."

"I know." He looked at her. "But that’s not what I meant."

His voice became quieter.

"You’re exhausted too."

Chloe remained silent. Echidna watched them. She could have attacked, but she didn’t. Instead, she seemed interested in what Silas would do next. Silas looked at his system.

His skills were becoming unusable. His body was exhausted. His armor was destroyed. His weapons were damaged. And Echidna was still standing.

He needed something else, something he hadn’t used, something he had been deliberately avoiding. Silas looked at the symbol behind him.

His Cupid insignia. Then he remembered something, his wings. He hadn’t fully understood them yet. His first wing had only recently stabilized, and he had barely used it.

Silas smiled.

"Well..." He slowly raised his head. "...guess we’re doing this."

The system immediately responded.

[Warning!]

[User’s current physical condition is unsuitable for Wing Activation.]

Silas laughed.

"That’s unfortunate."

[Recommendation: Do not activate.]

"Denied."

[Activating Wing may cause severe bodily damage.]

"Still denied."

[You are an idiot.]

Silas paused.

"Did you just call me an idiot?"

[Confirmed.]

"Whatever."

He reached behind himself. Something stirred, and a faint pink light appeared. Then...

FWOOOOOOOOOSH!

A massive wing unfolded from Silas’s back. It looked like something between divine energy and an actual wing, formed from thousands upon thousands of glowing pink threads.

The moment it appeared, the entire battlefield changed. Echidna’s expression shifted, and even the monsters stopped fighting for a moment.

Silas gritted his teeth, as the wing trembled violently. His entire body screamed.

"Come on..." He clenched his fists.

"Just..." His eyes flashed. "...one hit."

Echidna’s expression became serious. She moved; Silas moved too. Their attacks collided. Echidna’s claw came toward his chest, but he twisted. He couldn’t overpower her, even though he was an SSS-Rank. Echidna was a mythical monster with more than thousands of years of experience.

She was a true demigod, even though he could tell that she was severely weakened. If she had been at her full strength, he wouldn’t have lasted this long.

He couldn’t outlast her or match her, so he did something much simpler. He swung his wing.

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