Conquering The Novel



[Your Teammate Ziona has eliminated a member of Team Martial Star Academy!]

[Your Teammate Ziona has eliminated a member of Team Martial Star Academy!]

[Your Teammate Erina has eliminated a member of Team Martial Star Academy!]

[Your Teammate Claude has eliminated a member of Team Martial Star Academy!]

[Your Teammate Penelope has eliminated a member of Team Martial Star Academy!]

It's been more than 30 minutes into the match, and as Ares pressed deeper into the maze, he battled and defeated any monsters and students from the opponent's academy. He heard numerous notifications from his watch, announcing the eliminations made by his teammates.

"...Looks like the match will end sooner than expected," he muttered to himself as he wiped the blood off his sword and katana after retrieving them from the Orc lord's corpse.

Standing amidst the corpses of the slain monsters and opponent students, Ares turned his gaze into the distance, sensing a presence of a group of people engaged in a battle.

***

"Arghhh, N-No!"

The student from Team Soreh Academy pleaded for mercy, his hands clasping at Hercules' grip around his neck, his eyes wide with fear. The atmosphere was thick with tension as the other members of Team Martial Star Academy stood in a semi-circle around him, their weapons at the ready.

"P-Please, don't kill me!" he gasped, his voice barely audible.

"You're not going anywhere," Hercules replied with a tightened grip, making it difficult for the boy to breathe. "I will make sure that you all die here today by my hands, including..." He turned to his teammates, who were all left injured and were covered in blood after facing Hercules. "Including that bastard Ares." He added.

"H-Help—" The boy struggled to speak, but Hercules' hand was too tight around his throat, cutting off his air supply. The other injured members of Team Soreh Academy watched in horror, powerless to help their comrade. They knew they were outmatched, and outnumbered.

Hercules motioned to the other member of Team Martial Star Academy. "Kiara, kill them!" he ordered, before snapping the student's neck and throwing him in front of his teammates.

Thud!—

One of the members of Team Martial Star Academy whose name was Kiara hurriedly nodded at Hercules' command, unsheathed her sword and swung it at the already injured student of Soreh Academy who was unarmed and surrounded.

Swash— 

The blade hit his shoulder with a sickening thud, causing him to fall to his knees and gasp for air, tears filling his eyes as he clutched at his wound in agony.

Ignoring his pleas for mercy, the girl swung her sword again, this time hitting his abdomen. Blood spilled from the wound as the boy fell to his side, gasping for air before finally being eliminated.

Swash—

After killing him, Kiara turned around, only to see Hercules glaring at her with the intensity of a predator eyeing its prey.

Gulp—

She felt a chill run down her spine, realizing that he would spare no one if given the chance. As he stared at her with an unreadable expression, she closed her eyes tightly frightened, and then opened them again, relieved to see that he had turned his attention elsewhere.

"What are you all waiting for? Kill them as well, and make it more painful this time," Hercules ordered other of his teammates coldly.

The members of Team Martial Star Academy quickly nodded in agreement and advanced toward the wounded members of Team Soreh Academy who were lying helpless on the ground.

Hercules then slowly walked towards the pink-haired girl, who was still kneeling wounded, and covered in blood.

"What is your name, little girl?" he smirked.

The pink-haired girl, Penelope, let out a mocking laugh. "Pftt, you will die from him soon anyway. I wonder how brutally he will eliminate you," she taunted.

Hercules' expression twisted in anger. "...Do you have any last words before dying?" he asked with a sadistic grin.

"Fuck Off!" she spat back.

Hercules sneered in Penelope's direction, his eyes flashing with malice. "I'll enjoy ending your life," he hissed, reaching out for her throat.

Swish—

Suddenly, a small knife whizzed past and embedded itself into Hercules' hand, causing him to scream in agony and reel back in pain.

"Argg!"

He turned to face the source of the attack, only to see a familiar face emerging from the shadows.

!?

"You!" He sneered, still holding his injured hand.

Ziona stepped forward, her hair framing her face as a twisted smile played across her lips. "Surprised to see me, Barbarian? Let's settle our scores, shall we?" she taunted, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

Penelope looked up in surprise as she recognized Ziona.

"Z-Ziona?" she breathed, her expression shifting from fear to relief.

!?

Ziona turned towards her with a raised eyebrow. "You're Penelope, the fire mage, right?" she said. "I'm impressed that you're still alive with that little bit of mana, which is useless for a mage. And I see you've defeated a few bastards from the Martial Star Academy as well."

"Haha, I just got lucky," Penelope replied as she struggled to stand up, her body aching from the previous fight. She clutched her side, where a deep cut had been inflicted by one of the Martial Star Academy students. "...I'm sorry," she said, feeling guilty for being so weak.

Ziona shook her head. "Don't worry about it. You did your best," she said reassuringly. "Now, let me handle things from here."

She turned her attention back to Hercules, who had removed the dagger from his injured Arm and was now glaring at her in fury.

Ziona flashed her claws at him, daring him to make a move. "Let's end this quickly before Ares steals my kills," she taunted him, her grin widening. She still hadn't found a suitable sword, but her claws would have to do for now.

As she approached him, two students from the Martial Star Academy tried to attack her, but she easily dodged their blows and kept moving toward her target.

"I don't have time for small fries," she said dismissively, her focus solely on Hercules.

Just as the opponents' attacks were about to hit her again from behind, Erina and Claude suddenly appeared beside them, each wielding a dagger.

Swash— Swash—

With impressive speed and accuracy, the two swiftly stabbed the two attackers, causing them to fall to the ground in a pool of blood, their screams of agony echoing through the maze.

Ziona didn't even spare a glance at the fallen foes. She kept moving forward, her attention fixed on the last three remaining members of Martial Star Academy.

"Now then, let's finish this," she said with a low growl as she charged toward Hercules, her sharp claws gleaming in the dim light.

She left the remaining two Martial Star Academy students to Erina and Claude to deal with, trusting in their skills as she focused on her own opponent. 

With every step she took, the ground shook slightly, her aura radiating off of her in waves. Hercules glared at her, his own weapon at the ready, and the two clashed in a fierce battle, sparks flying with every strike.

***

The sound of the scuffle between Hercules and Ziona echoed throughout the field, causing the ground to tremble under their feet.

As the intense battle raged on, Ares watched from a distance, perched atop a nearby wall with his arms folded. "Let's see how strong you've become, Ziona," he muttered with a sly grin, his gaze fixed on the 3v3 fight unfolding below.

Hercules was fiercely battling Ziona, Erina was holding her own against the agile Kiara, and Claude was facing off against a burly opponent with a shield.

Having already eliminated all the members of the Martial Star Academy, Ares keenly observed as the last three opponents stood in front of Ziona, Claude, and Erina. 

The trio fought with remarkable coordination and strategy, evading their opponents' attacks while delivering swift and decisive blows.

Ares leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he observed the fight. He could see that Ziona had grown much stronger since the last time he saw her in a real fight, and he was eager to see how much further she could go.