Conquering The Novel

"Student Ares, what are you doing here? Fights between students are not allowed outside the VR world," Maya furrowed her brows in disapproval.

"Oh, my bad. We just came by to get our team members," Ares replied with a smile.

"Yeah, you see, we've been waiting for them for quite a while now, but they still haven't arrived. So we thought something happened to them, and we dropped by," Diana added nodding repeatedly.

Maya just gave them a blank stare while the Martial Star Academy students rushed toward Hercules to check on him.

"You bastard, how dare you-" Hercules stood back up with a ferocious expression with the help of his teammates, but Maya cut him off.

"SHUT IT!" she exclaimed, stopping Hercules mid-sentence.

"Show your rivalry when you guys meet each other in the match, and not in front of me," she added firmly, though inwardly she was excited at the prospect of a potential fight.

'Come on, I'm just saying, but I won't stop you if you guys want to fight that badly. Fight! Fight!' Maya's thoughts raced with anticipation.

However, As Ares landed his gaze on the teams in front of him, his left eye began to crackle with electricity, and he spoke with a grin, "You all may have teamed up against us in this match, but let me warn you, the upcoming matches will be a different story. I'm curious to see if you're up for the challenge," Ares said with a grin and a dangerous glint in his eye.

As Ares' gaze fell upon the teams, they suddenly fell to the ground, gasping for breath and clutching their chests in pain.

"Argh!"

!?

"What's happening?" Maya exclaimed, immediately sprang into action, trying to help her struggling students.

A dark, ominous presence seemed to fly above Ares, its dark wings spreading wide, but he couldn't see it. Confused by this reaction, Ares retracted his gaze and his left eye returned back to normal. Slowly but surely, the teams regained their breath and started to get up from the ground.

However, only the teams from Martial Star, Blitzeirg, Glacier Peak, and Shadow academies were affected by Ares' gaze. The rest of the teams stared at Ares in shock and disbelief, including his own teammates.

'What the...? Is this also due to my left eye?' Ares pondered, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"Ares, I am hungry. Let's go eat," Livia unbothered, spoke abruptly as she tucked his sleeve, which brought him out of his daze.

"...."

"...Yeah sure, let's go," Ares said and turned to leave with Livia, but soon Diana shook her head and came out of her thoughts before following behind them as well.

While everyone else stood there confused, including Maya who was still trying to figure out what happened.

Erina, in particular, was left with many thoughts swirling in her head. 'Didn't he say he came here for us? Then why is he leaving with only Livia and Diana? And what about the rest of our team? And the meeting we were supposed to have?'

***

They exited the premises and were on their way to a fancy food stand that Livia had recommended.

As they walked, they saw the excited crowds, various food stands, and game stalls. It felt like a festival, and people were staring at them as they moved.

"Look, it's Ares, Livia, and Diana from Soreh Academy!" one excited teenager exclaimed.

"Kyaaa! Ares is so handsome up close!"

"Let's go get a picture with him," the girls said and were about to approach Ares but stopped in their tracks when they felt the glares from Livia and Diana.

"....."

"Hey Ares, aren't we going to teach Lucas and Kevin a lesson for their stupid behavior during the match?" Diana asked suddenly, ignoring the crowd.

"If we're going to teach them a lesson, we have to start with you, you dumb potato," Livia retorted.

"L-Livia, y-you don't call me that!"

They began to bicker among themselves while Ares ignored them and was lost in thought.

'I didn't have much hope for Kevin anyway, but what's bothering me is Lucas's performance in this match,' Ares pondered.

Despite Lucas' goody-two-shoes character, he had performed exceptionally well in the novel and had not hesitated to eliminate other participants. Despite the divided state of the Soreh Academy team, Lucas had been the driving force behind their success in every match he participated in.

It suddenly dawned on Ares that Ayla had been present beside Lucas in every match he participated in.

'Even during our entrance examination, Ayla was by his side, and Lucas managed to eliminate a good number of students, which is why he was placed in a special class.'

"That means only one thing! Lucas wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone as long as it is to protect Ayla," Ares muttered.

Overhearing Ares, Diana nodded in agreement, "You're right. Sometimes it seems like Lucas is just a remote-controlled robot with Ayla holding the remote. She can control him however she wants," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"...."

As they walked, Ares glanced at Diana who was walking beside him on his right with a skeptical expression. 'And then there's Diana. She can be incredibly dumb most of the time, but then she surprises me with her sharp wit. Is she hiding a side of herself that wasn't mentioned in the novel?' Ares wondered.

"Hmm? Do I have something on my face, Ares? Why are you looking at me like that? You're making me blush," Diana said putting both hands on her cheeks.

"...It's nothing," Ares replied, shaking his head and redirecting his attention elsewhere.

"So, you were also surprised when Dumb potato spoke sensibly for once?" Livia asked, tugging on Ares' arm.

"Yeah, she can be unpredictable," Ares replied with a smile, shaking his head.

"What? I'm not unpredictable. And Livia, don't call me that," Diana protested as she suddenly grabbed onto Ares' other arm.

"..."

"You, why are you coming with us?" Livia suddenly asked, giving Diana a sour expression as she saw her clinging to Ares.

"Duh, because I'm hungry too," Diana replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Go eat by yourself and leave us alone!" Livia scowled.

"W-What? You both are not planning on going on a date without me, are you?" Diana asked with puppy eyes as she looked at Ares.

"...."

'Their feelings towards me had become increasingly evident, and I could no longer play the role of the oblivious protagonist who remained unaware of their affection,' Ares pondered, shaking his head.

It was also clear to him that both Livia and Diana were aware that he knew about their feelings.

"Yes, it's a date! So now get lost and leave us alone," Livia said, grabbing Ares' hand tightly.

"H-Huh? T-Then what about me?" Diana asked, her gaze still fixed on Ares.

Sighing, Ares replied, "You can come with us as well."

"W-What, Ares?" Livia exclaimed surprised.

"Wow, really? Hehehe, thank you Ares! I love—" Diana said excitedly, but halted mid-sentence when she saw Livia glaring at her.

!!

"What ...were you going to say to him?" Livia demanded, her eyes glowing fiercely. "I dare you to say it!"

Diana met Livia's unwavering gaze and said, "Actually, Livia... I love Ares as well."

'Ah shit.'

Ares was taken aback by Diana's sudden confession. He had never expected her to reveal her feelings so openly, in front of Livia at that.

Livia, on the other hand, was furious. Her aura changed in an instant, and the ground beneath their feet started to freeze.

"What... did you just say?" Livia asked again, her voice laced with anger.

Diana took a deep breath and repeated, "I said that I love Ares. I'm sorry, Livia. I didn't want to hurt you."

"You're sorry?" Livia scoffed, her eyes flashing with rage. "You're sorry for trying to steal the man I love?"

"Livia, please calm down," Ares interjected, trying to diffuse the tension. "Diana and I have been friends for a long time, and I didn't expect her to reveal her feelings like this."

Livia ignored Ares and turned to Diana. "You think you can just waltz in here and steal Ares away from me?" she spat. "Ares is mine, and I won't let you or anyone else take him from me."

"Livia, that's not fair," Diana protested. "I have feelings for Ares as well. We can talk this out like adults."

"I don't want to talk this out!" Livia yelled. "I want you to stay away from Ares. He's mine, and I won't share him with anyone."

"He is yours? Did you ever confess to him? Or did he ever say he loved you? How can you say he is yours when he never agreed to be with you?" Diana remarked, her voice firm and challenging.

Livia's eyes narrowed at Diana's words. "I-I don't need his confession to know that he belongs to me. A-Ares is mine, and I will not let anyone take him away from me," Livia repeated the same thing again.

"You think just because you have feelings for him, he automatically belongs to you? You can't just claim someone as yours without their consent," Diana retorted.

Hearing Diana, Livia's anger continued to simmer, and the atmosphere around them turned increasingly chilly.

Some people from the crowd began to run away, fearing a possible fight, while others stood far away with their phones in hand, recording the spectacle of the two princesses fighting over Ares.

Ares sighed inwardly. He knew he had to act fast to defuse the situation before it escalated any further.

"I knew this day would come, but not like this," Ares muttered to himself, shaking his head in disappointment.

He quickly stepped in between Diana and Livia, feeling their intense gazes on him. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around their waists, lifting them up effortlessly.

As Ares was taller than both of them, he was able to support their smaller frames with ease.

!?

Diana and Livia were taken aback by the suddenness of his action.

Swish—

With a swish, he disappeared, leaving a bright blue trail behind them as they zoomed through the streets.

Diana and Livia could feel the wind whipping around them, their hair streaming behind them like ribbons.

***