Conquering The Novel

[The battlefield will be shrinking in the next 5 minutes, please make it to the center!]

The announcement reverberated across the battlefield, reminding the remaining participants that the area was about to shrink in the next five minutes, and they had to make it to the center.

Meanwhile, Ares picked up the special weapon Blade of Champion. As he held it in his hand, he could feel the power coursing through the blade, and he marveled at its design. Suddenly, the weapon transformed, shifting and changing until it took on the form of a sleek and deadly katana.

!?

"Interesting," Ares muttered, admiring the blade in his hand as it transformed into a sleek katana. He spun the weapon around experimentally, feeling the weight and balance of it in his grip. 'Maybe I should ask Lia to make something similar for me,' he pondered to himself.

However, Ares had expended most of his MP during the last battle, and he could feel his movements and attacks slowing down as a result.

"It's too late to acquire this weapon," he muttered, shaking his head. Emi, still in shock from the gruesome scene she had witnessed earlier, stood beside him.

"Diana, how is the fight between Martial Star Academy and Cherry Blossom Academy going?" Ares inquired through the voice chat.

"The twins are not too bad; they are putting up a tough fight against Martial Star Academy, who possess the special shield, The Shield of Defender," Diana replied.

Most of the Cherry Blossom team had been eliminated in an ambush by the Martial Star team at the beginning including Lia, leaving only Ava and Eva alive. However, the twins were still holding their ground and had eliminated a few members of the Martial Star Academy team.

"Their battle is still ongoing, with neither side gaining the upper hand. However, it's only a matter of time before the twins get eliminated since they are finding it challenging to land a proper hit due to the special shield," Diana updated them.

"Alright, Emi. Let's go to where their battle is taking place," Ares said, bringing Emi out of her daze.

"Y-Yes," Emi replied, quickly regaining her composure.

As Ares and Emi hurried towards the location that Diana had pointed out, Ares inquired, "Diana, how many arrows do you have left?"

Swish—

The sound of Diana shooting an arrow interrupted Ares mid-sentence.

Thwack—

However, there was no notification this time about any elimination.

"Arg! I only have one arrow left now, and I'm low on MP as well. That shield is quite bothersome, it's blocked many of my arrows by now as if it has an automatic function to detect incoming attacks or something," Diana said in a frustrated tone.

Ares and Emi just smiled at her outburst and soon arrived at the location where Cherry Blossom and Martial Star Academy were battling each other.

They stood at a distance and saw that the fight had turned into a 2v2. Ava and Eva looked tired while the two students from Martial Star Academy seemed relatively unaffected.

The tense battle continued as Ares and Emi watched from a distance. Ava and Eva were clearly struggling against the two students from Martial Star Academy due to the special shield, and it was only a matter of time before they would be eliminated.

"Hey, Eva! Use this," Ares suddenly called out as he threw the blade of champion toward them.

Caught off guard, Eva was confused but quickly caught the sword.

!?

"T-This? It's the special weapon?" Eva muttered in confusion as the blade of champion transformed into her preferred short sword in her hand.

Eva was lost in her thoughts, wondering why Ares would give her the special weapon instead of using it himself since they were still opponents in the match. 'Wow, Is it a gift? Does this mean he trusts me?' she thought.

Meanwhile, Ava was fighting for her life against their two opponents and shouted,

"Argh! Sister, we don't have time for that. Come here and help me, will you?" She already knew what was going on in her sister's mind.

!!

Ava's shout snapped Eva out of her thoughts, and she quickly rushed to her sister's side, ready to fight alongside her.

"....."

Emi stared at Ares in shock as she saw him give away the special weapon so easily.

"Emi, help them with your spells to eliminate the Martial Star Academy," Ares suddenly ordered.

Emi was confused, 'But why? And why would he give that sword to her? He knows that we will have to fight them after they eliminate the Martial Star Academy, right?' she pondered inwardly.

However, she shook her head and decided to follow Ares' orders. She was too scared to question his decision.

Diana and Livia remained silent, seeming to understand Ares' plan without needing to question it.

Emi quickly assessed the situation and knew what she had to do. She began casting defensive spells to protect Eva and Ava, who were now in possession of the blade of champion. The twins were surprised by the sudden help but decided to focus on the fight before them.

Eva dodged and weaved around the Martial Star Academy students, narrowly avoiding their attacks. With a burst of speed, she lunged forward with her short sword, her pink aura pulsing around the sword.

The blade glowed brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding, and then it sliced through the air, striking the shield of the defender held by one of the students.

Clink—

To everyone's shock, the shield shattered into a thousand pieces from just that single attack, leaving the student exposed and vulnerable.

Shatter— Shatter

!!??

The Martial Star Academy student holding the shield of the defender was stunned, not expecting his special shield to shatter with a single attack from the blade of champion. His fellow student was equally surprised, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.

But before they could recover, Ava sprang into action, taking advantage of the situation and eliminating the exposed student with a swift movement. She darted forward and pierced his throat with her short sword., ending his life with a single strike.

"Arghh"

Eva meanwhile had her attention focused on the remaining student, who was now casting a spell and sending a barrage of fireballs toward them.

Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh

Emi noticed the student's movements and quickly cast her own spell to create a shield that enveloped Eva and Ava, protecting them from the incoming spell. The spell hit the shield with a loud bang and dissipated harmlessly.

Bang—

With Emi's shield spell still active, Eva swiftly closed in on the last remaining student, who was now frantically trying to cast another spell.

Eva's movements were so fast that the student had little time to react. As she neared him, Eva unleashed a swift strike with her short sword, and the blade erupted with a bright pink aura, slicing through the incoming spell with ease.

Slash—

The student was taken aback by the sudden attack, and before he could even react, Eva's sword connected with his body, slicing him in a clean cut from his head downwards.

A spray of blood erupted from the student's body as he fell to the ground, eliminated.

Splash—

[Team Martial Star Academy has been Eliminated!]

Fuuu~

As Eva and Ava let out a sigh of relief as they were finally able to eliminate the Martial Star Academy, and they turned to see Ares approaching them.

Eva's smile widened as she ran towards him, expressing her gratitude, "Thank you for your help, Ares—"

But before she could finish her sentence, an arrow caught her off guard, piercing her forehead with a thud.

Thwack—

Eva's lifeless body fell to the ground in slow motion, eliminating her in an instant.

[Your teammate Diana has eliminated a member of Team Cherry Blossom Academy!]

Diana muttered, "Don't try to seduce him, you bitch! I already have my hands full with so many other women around him."

And at the same time, Ava was on her knees, battered and wounded, struggling to catch her breath from her previous battle. And before she could even react or speak, she was struck down by an unseen force her head was severed from her body, and a spray of blood showered the ground around her.

Her lifeless body fell to the ground as her eliminated status appeared on the screen.

[Your teammate Livia has eliminated a member of Team Cherry Blossom Academy!]

Livia's excitement couldn't be contained as she spoke running toward Ares, "This potion of invisibility is nice! Can you see me, Ares?"

"No, I can't see you, but I can hear your movements," Ares replied.

Livia suddenly jumped into Ares' arms, her petite form fitting perfectly in his embrace.

!?

"Can you feel me now?" she whispered playfully.

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, she felt his firm grip on her waist.

Ares was initially taken aback by Livia's sudden embrace, but as she leaned into him, he found himself embracing her back with equal fervor. With their bodies pressed tightly together, Livia's invisible form moved towards Ares' lips, and they shared a passionate kiss that seemed to last forever.

Livia felt her heart flutter as Ares deepened the kiss, his hands caressing her back as he pulled her closer to him. She was lost in the moment, completely swept away by the intensity of their connection.

[Team Cherry Blossom Academy has been eliminated!]

Beep!—

The familiar beep sound was heard signaling the end of the match, which broke the moment, and Ares felt Livia pull away from him as they began to teleport back outside the VR world.

Swish—

***