Conquering The Novel

The whole team of Soreh Academy was gathered in the meeting room, with a lively and cheerful atmosphere as they had qualified for the semifinals of the tournament. Ares and Erina were discussing the lineup for the upcoming match, while the rest of the team chattered and cheered in the background.

Even though they had already secured their spot in the semifinals, Ares decided to let the students who had yet to participate in a match have a chance to compete in the upcoming Match.

Tringg—

Suddenly, a loud ringing sound echoed throughout the room, signaling an important announcement. "Attention, ladies, and gentlemen! The fifth match of the tournament, which will also be the knockout round, has been determined, and it's none other than...The Survival Match!" The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers in the meeting room.

Erina turned to Ares, "So who will be the students participating in this match, Ares?" She asked.

A brief silence filled the room as many students who had not yet had a chance to participate eagerly awaited their turn.

Ares smiled and replied, "I will leave this decision to you, Erina. You can select the students that you deem suitable for this match."

Erina smiled and nodded, taking a moment to consider, "I have a few students in mind, but before I make any final decisions, I wanted to know how many students can participate in this match."

Knock— Knock

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Before Ayla could react, Diana quickly jumped up to retrieve the envelope containing the match instructions and handed it to Ares, causing confusion among the others in the room.

!?

Not bothered by Diana's act, Ares took the envelope from her and gave the instructions a brief glance before passing it on to Erina to read. "I trust you can handle it," he said with a smile.

Erina nodded and opened the envelope to read the instructions, her eyes scanning the contents quickly.

[Greetings, contestants! Welcome to the Survival Match, where only the strongest will survive!

This match works on 5 rules that are as follows:

Rule number one: Each team of 6 will be dropped into a designated arena within the forest of the trial. This arena will be filled with various obstacles and creatures, both benign and malevolent. Be warned, some of these creatures may prove to be powerful foes, so be sure to stay on your guard.

Rule number two: The goal of this match is simple - survive. You must remain in the arena for as long as possible, as only the team with at least one member still standing at the end of the match will be declared a winner and can secure the whooping 30 points.

Rule number three: In order to level the playing field, each team will be given a limited number of items that they can bring into the arena. You may choose from a variety of weapons, potions, and other magical items to aid you in your survival. But choose wisely, as your resources will be limited.

Rule number four: Be creative! You never know what might come in handy during the match. Use your environment and resources to your advantage, and don't be afraid to think outside the box.

And finally, rule number five: This match will not have a time limit. It will continue until there is only one team left standing, or until all teams are eliminated. So stay sharp, stay alive, and may the odds be ever in your favor!]

"Interesting," Erina muttered to herself before turning back to the group, "It seems that we can have up to six students participate in this match."

Excitement and anticipation filled the room as the members of the team discussed who would be participating in the upcoming match.

Yawnn~

Ziona suddenly stood up and announced, "I'm out!" She began to exit the room but turned back to Ares with a huge grin. "Hey Ares, are you in for a spar? There's no point in wasting time watching this match. Let's go train instead." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

Diana quickly spoke up, "No!" before Ares could reply, knowing that he wouldn't turn down a spar.

Livia was about to say something, but she stopped herself when she saw Diana's reaction.

!?

Confused, Ziona furrowed her brows and asked, "Hm? What's the matter?"

"H-He already has plans with me," Diana said with a smile as she grabbed Ares' arm possessively.

Ares gave Diana a questioning look, to which she responded with a pleading look. Ares sighed and then turned to Ziona, "...Sorry Ziona, Diana and I made plans beforehand. But I'll call you once I'm done and we can continue our sparring tonight."

"O-Oh, okay. I'll wait for your call then," Ziona nodded understandingly and gave Diana a quick glance, noticing how she was holding onto Ares' arm as if it were second nature, before turning to leave.

"...I'll be leaving as well, Ares. But don't forget to text me while training with Crazy Potato, I need some pointers from you about my swordsmanship," Livia said in a low voice with a sad expression.

"I'll be glad to give you some pointers, Livia. Just let me know when you want to train," Ares replied with a friendly smile.

Livia nodded with a soft smile before giving Diana a brief glare and leaving the room.

The room fell silent as the others began to depart as well, including Ayla, Lucas, Claude, and Kevin, who all wanted to prepare for the semifinals the next day.

Ares and Diana patiently waited for Erina to finalize the team lineup. "Considering our team's strength for this match, it's not possible for you guys to go after Martial Star and Cherry Blossom Academy. You would just be giving them free points if you do go for them," Erina explained.

"However, it's a different story for the rest of the teams. Team Shadow Academy can easily be dealt with even if they proceed to the semifinals since they will lose their advantage fighting 1v1, so lets just ignore them.

All I want for you guys is to go for the other two teams that could be troublesome dealing with in a 1v1 team battle in the semifinals: Glacier Peak Academy, who can change the terrain to their advantage, and Blitzerg Academy, known for their speed." Erina concluded.

The team nodded, determined. They were on a mission in this match, which was to eliminate Glacier Peak and Blitzerg Academy first. If they managed to come out on top, then they could go for other academies.

Ares smiled, impressed by Erina's plan, which was precise and effective.

After a few more moments of strategic discussion with Erina, all the chosen students left for the VR Area.

As they left, Erina turned to Ares. "Alright, Ares. I need to go train too. You can text me the details of our meeting," Erina said, giving Diana an awkward smile and nodding before leaving the room.

"Sure thing, Erina. I'll text you the details," Ares replied, nodding at her as she exited the room.

As the team dispersed, Ares and Diana stayed behind for a moment. "Now, Is there something you wanted to say?" Ares asked, his expression curious.

Diana hesitated, taking a deep breath before finally blurting out, "A-Actually, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me?" Her cheeks flushed as she waited for his response, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

There was a brief moment of silence as Ares seemed to be lost in thought, making Diana's heart beat faster with anticipation.

Although she had won the bet with Livia to go on a date with Ares, she knew that it still ultimately depended on Ares' decision whether he wanted to go out with her or not.

She didn't believe that she could force him to go against his will, knowing all too well about Ares' strength.

'So, this was what their bet was about, huh?' Ares thought to himself, amused by Livia's easy acceptance of her defeat. He had expected some drama and argument between the two of them.

However, Ares couldn't say he wasn't pleased with the situation. This would allow Livia to accept other women around him as well.

'It won't happen overnight, but she will eventually learn to accept the situation,' Ares mused.

He smiled, turning his attention back to Diana. "Sure, why not? The Golden Colosseum is a lively place, with a festival atmosphere and plenty of food stalls, games, and shopping centers. I'm sure we'll be able to find something fun to do together."

Diana's face lit up with a grin of excitement. "That sounds perfect," she replied, feeling grateful and happy that Ares had accepted her invitation.

***

Diana and Ares strolled through the bustling golden Colosseum, taking in the festive atmosphere around them. The sweet scent of cotton candy and popcorn filled the air as they passed by various food stalls. Colorful lights hung from the ceilings, illuminating the surrounding area with a warm glow.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Ares asked with a smile.

Diana looked around excitedly, taking in all the sights and sounds around her. "Hmm, let's check out the games first!" she exclaimed, pointing towards a section of the colosseum where various carnival games were set up.

As they walked around, Diana noticed a game where you had to shoot targets with a bow and arrow. Archery being her forte, she suggested they try it out.

"Hehe, let's try this game first and see who can score higher, my love?" Diana said with a beautiful smile that Ares had never seen before from her.

Despite the crowd gathering around them, recognizing them, Diana didn't care. She wanted to be her real self today and didn't want to hide behind a facade.

Her identity as a chosen one was already revealed to the world after experts deciphered her constellation's identity as Artemis after match 1 when she created a shield using her constellation's ability.

It wasn't a crime to be a chosen one, but the problem was her constellation and the enemies that will come after her sooner or later including a demon disguised as her brother.

Ares chuckled and followed her toward the games section.

"Ok, let's see how I fare in archery against the best archer," Ares said.

"Umu, Umu! It's good that you know I am the best, but you are not that bad as well, my Ares," Diana nodded while beaming as she picked up the bow. "So shall we begin?" She said with a competitive grin.

"Sure," Ares replied and picked up the bow as well.

"Let's start with hard difficulty, and you can't use mana, okay?" Diana informed.

Ares nodded, "Alright."

With that, Diana set the difficulty to hard on a screen in front of them, and the targets surrounding them changed instantly as they found themselves in an open green field.

[Get ready!] they heard the game-like voice.

[Three, two, one, start!] As soon as the countdown ended, the targets began to appear out of thin air.

To be continued...