Conquering The Novel

[Warning: This chapter contains graphic violence and bloodshed. Reader discretion is advised.]

***

The wind had picked up, causing the ice from Livia's spell to swirl even harder.

"Shit!" Ares cursed his luck as he looked down at his weapons. His ice katana had shattered in the last attack, leaving him with a rusty kitchen knife and a half-broken machete again.

Diana, on the other hand, had managed to acquire a good bow and a few arrows from the defeated Royal Knight academy, while Hiro had obtained a sturdy shield. However, with the remaining teams having special weapons in their possession, it was clear that they needed better weapons to stand a chance.

"Maybe I can find a good weapon from the eliminated students here?" Ares muttered, twirling the kitchen knife in his hand as he approached the broken mansion.

After receiving the notification of Shadow and Iron Fortress Academy teams' elimination, Ares realized that the teams must have turned on each other due to their dire situation. Their alliance proved to be a weakness as they had gathered in one place to deal with Soreh Academy, not expecting such a powerful attack from Livia.

Their plan was to create a barrier using the combined strength of all four academies, believing that it would be strong enough to restrict any incoming attacks. However, Livia's spell shattered their barrier and immobilized many of their members, making them easy kills.

As he reached the mansion, Ares noticed the conspicuous absence of any sounds of fighting. He spotted Emi and Hiro waiting for him, but Diana was perched on higher ground, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings for potential threats.

!?

"Where are the other teams?" Ares asked his teammates, perplexed by the silence.

"After the elimination of Shadow and Iron Fortress teams, the other two teams disappeared suddenly out of nowhere and we can't locate them," Hiro informed, his face creased with worry.

Ares fell silent, lost in thought. "How is that even possible?" he muttered. "Diana, do you spot anyone?" he inquired, switching to voice chat.

"The Glacier Peak Academy is lurking in ambush just ahead of you, exploiting the terrain to their advantage, and The Martial Star Academy is doing the same with Cherry Blossom on the other side of you," Diana responded, her voice steady and controlled. "However, I have limited arrows, so I'll refrain from shooting until I'm confident that I can take them down."

Ares nodded in agreement. "Okay, you can provide us with cover fire when necessary," he said, turning to Emi and Hiro. "Did either of you spot any usable weapons on your way here?" he inquired.

They both shook their heads, a look of dismay on their faces. "I saw a few weapons, but they were all cut in a smooth half as if something sliced them with no resistance," Emi stated.

Ares sighed, his gaze shifting to the rusty knife in his hand. "So, it's the doing of the special weapon, The Blade of Champion, I guess," he muttered.

"Alright, Let's get ready. We need to move--" Ares was about to speak but his words were cut off by the sudden whizzing of an arrow that came hurtling toward him.

Swish--

Without a moment's hesitation, Ares reacted quickly, slicing the arrow in half with his rusty knife, which was imbued with his mana.

Clink--

Swish--

Another arrow came in their direction, but Diana acted swiftly, shooting her own arrow toward the attacker.

Thwack!

A satisfying thwack filled the air as the arrow found its mark, and the notification popped up on the screen.

[Your teammate Diana had eliminated a member of Team Glacier Peak Academy!]

[Take that, you lil bitch! How dare you sneak attack him.] Diana's enraged voice could be heard through the voice chat as she eliminated the student who had fired the arrow at Ares.

"...."

"Um, Diana, your voice chat is on," Emi informed her awkwardly, noticing the colorful language Diana had used. She never expected such language from the usually graceful princess.

[O-Oh, was it? I'm sorry.] Diana replied, feeling slightly embarrassed before turning off her voice chat.

Ares thought to himself, 'Well, it seems like Diana is still hiding her true personality from everyone. But it's only a matter of time before her brother finds out and comes after her.'

Diana had revealed to Ares that she had already used her constellation ability in their previous match 1: to protect both him and the others from opponent teams attacks, which might have given away her Constellation's identity.

That was also one of the reasons why she had decided to let go of her facade and reveal her true feelings to Ares, as there was no point in hiding her personality any longer.

"Good job, Diana," Ares said, acknowledging her successful kill and turning his attention back to the present. "Emi, get ready to use your defensive spells. We're moving forward." He then turned to Hiro. "Hiro, you'll be leading us from the front as usual," Ares instructed, and both Emi and Hiro nodded in response.

As Hiro bravely moved forward through the rubble with his shield raised, Ares scanned the surroundings with his skill Hawkeye, holding his rusty knife and a broken machete at the ready.

"Yahhh!"

Suddenly, a massive student jumped at them, wielding a sword high in the air.

"Atomic Slash!" Ares swiftly used his skill with the machete, hoping to stop the attacker in his tracks.

Swash-- Swash -- Swash

Ares' attack landed on the opponent, but only dealt 25% damage. He quickly realized that the student was heavily equipped with defense gear, and his rusty knife and broken machete were not enough to inflict serious damage.

Despite Ares' attack, the student continued charging toward them, undeterred. As Ares was now out of attack range due to his use of the skill Atomic Slash, he was unable to intercept the student's attack. The opponent's sword was now aimed directly at Hiro, leaving him exposed.

"Hiro, to your left!" Emi shouted a warning, quickly casting an additional barrier on Hiro to protect him from the incoming attack.

Slash--

Hiro raised his shield to block the incoming attack, but to his surprise, the student's sword sliced through Emi's barrier with ease and then cut through Hiro's shield as if it was made of paper. The opponent's sword then made contact with Hiro's body, slicing him in half. The impact was so severe that he was eliminated instantly, and his body turned into particles.

[Your Teammate Hiro Has Been Eliminated!]

"Huh?" Emi exclaimed, shocked at the sudden turn of events. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw Hiro being cut in half and eliminated before her very eyes.

Reacting quickly, Emi immediately began to cast defensive spells to protect herself from the incoming attack. As the student didn't stop after eliminating Hiro. With a fierce battle cry, he swung his sword with all his might at Emi.

"DIE!!!" he yelled.

Ares saw the attack and was about to intervene to help Emi, but suddenly two students from the Glacier Peak team came at him with their weapons raised. The last remaining student used his spell to conjure a thick layer of ice that wrapped around Ares' feet and immobilized him completely, preventing him from moving.

***

Time seemed to slow down as the guy wielding the special sword swung his blade to the right with immense force to cut Emi in half. A wave of fear washed over her as she realized she might be the next to fall.

On Ares' side, the two Glacier Peak students came at him with their swords made of ice while he was immobile. But Ares was quick to react and used his wit to turn the tables on his attackers.

"Swap!" he shouted, and in a split second, he switched places with the guy using the Blade of Champion. As the guy was in the middle of his swing, his sword cut through his own two teammates who were about to attack Ares before he switched places.

Splash--

With a sickening splash, blood flew everywhere like a fountain as the two Glacier Peak students were killed, their bodies cut in half. Their weapons were left flying in the air as their bodies turned into particles.

Ares wasted no time and moved to catch both swords before they could hit the ground.

Catch--

With the swords in hand, he brought them towards the guy wielding the Blade of Champion, who was now immobilized by his own teammate's spell, and decapitated him like a pair of scissors on his head, sending his head flying in the air.

Blood gushed out of his decapitated body, drenching the surrounding area.

[Your teammate Ares had eliminated a member of Team Glacier Peak Academy!]

The scene unfolded in a flash, and the last remaining member of Team Glacier Peak stood frozen in shock, watching as his teammates were eliminated one by one in a pool of blood.

Swish--

As he struggled to regain his composure, a sudden whizzing sound caught his attention. Before he could react, an arrow pierced through his open mouth, silencing his gasp of surprise.

"Thwack!"

The force of the impact knocked him off his feet, and he crumpled to the ground, writhing in pain before being eliminated from the battle.

[Your teammate Diana had eliminated a member of Team Glacier Peak Academy!]

[Team Glacier Peak Academy Has Been Eliminated!]

The sound of the announcement echoed through the battlefield, punctuating the end of yet another fierce battle.

Emi stood there, stunned by the events that had just unfolded before her. She felt grateful for Ares' quick thinking and bravery, but also couldn't shake off the horrific sight before her.