Chapter 197 Ares' Arrogance

The announcer called out the representatives and vice representatives from each academy to come forward for a short interview before the start of the tournament. The students lined up in front of him, looking nervous yet excited.

The announcer began, "First up, we have the representative of the Royal Academy of Knights. Please introduce yourself."

A tall young man with brown hair stepped forward and said, "Greetings, everyone. I am Alexander, the representative of the Royal Academy of Knights."

The camera zoomed in on him, showing his confident smile and the emblem of the Royal Academy on his uniform.

"Can you tell us who you think is the most talented student in your academy? And who do you think will be your toughest competition?" the announcer asked.

Alexander looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "I believe all our students are talented in their own way. But there is one student who stands out, and that is the Vice-Representative of our academy, Princess Isabella. She has exceptional swordsmanship and strategic thinking skills.

As for our toughest competition, I believe it will be Ares and Livia from the Soreh Academy. I have heard a lot about their talent."

The announcer turned to Isabella and asked, "Do you agree with your representative, Princess Isabella?"

Isabella, a tall and beautiful lady with grey hair and piercing eyes, nodded. "Yes, I agree with Alex. Ares and Livia are definitely formidable opponents.

But he missed out on another student who made his name due to his exceptional strength, and I am eager to fight him as well," she said confidently.

"Oh, and who might that student be?" the announcer asked, intrigued.

"It's Hercules from the Martial Star Academy," she replied with a hint of challenge in her voice.

The camera panned over to a tall, muscular young man with jet-black hair, who flashed a cocky smirk in response to Isabella's comment. It was none other than Hercules, the vice-representative of the renowned Martial Star Academy and a feared fighter known for his brutal combat style.

The announcer moved to introduce the next academy, "Next up, we have the representatives and vice representatives of the magnificent Blitzkrieg Academy. Can you introduce yourselves please?"

A student with spiky blonde hair stepped forward and introduced himself as the representative, "Greetings everyone, I am Tyler, the representative of the Blitzkrieg Academy."

"And who do you think is the student from another academy that you need to be careful about?" the announcer asked.

Tyler smiled confidently, "As the representative of the Blitzkrieg Academy, I have no doubt that our students are the strongest competitors in this tournament. However, I must acknowledge that Hercules from the Martial Star Academy is a formidable foe, with his massive size and fierce fighting style."

The announcer nodded in agreement before turning to the vice representative of the academy, a petite girl with short pink hair, "And what do you think, Freya?"

Freya grinned mischievously, "I agree with Tyler, but I also have my eyes on Ares. He's known for his agility and strength and I'm excited to see how I match up against him."

...

As the interviews continued, some representatives named Ares as their toughest competitor while others named Hercules, Livia, and others, causing a murmur of amazement from the crowd.

The announcer approached the last two academies in line, the Soreh Academy and Martial Star Academy. He turned to the representative of the Martial Star Academy, a slender girl with long auburn hair, and asked, "Can you please introduce yourself?"

"Of course, my name is Sakura, and I am the Representative of the Martial Star Academy," she replied, adjusting her glasses.

"Great. So, who do you think is the student from another academy that you need to be careful about?" the announcer asked, holding the microphone toward her.

Sakura took a moment to ponder before answering, "In my opinion, we should keep an eye on Ares and Ziona from the Soreh Academy. Their intensive training regime and impressive swordsmanship make them worthy opponents."

"Interesting," the announcer responded, nodding. "And why do you think that?"

"Well, I've had the opportunity to observe them in combat before, when they were battling the demon cultists. Their skills were truly remarkable," Sakura replied, a faint smile gracing her lips.

The announcer turned to Hercules, the vice representative of the Martial Star Academy, who stood tall and muscular with jet-black hair. "And how about you, Hercules? Who do you think you should watch out for?"

Hercules grinned arrogantly. "There's no need to worry about anyone else when I'm around. I'll be the one to win this tournament."

The announcer chuckled. "Confident as always, I see. And how do you plan to achieve that?"

Hercules crossed his arms over his broad chest. "With my strength and skill, of course. No one can match me in combat."

The announcer then asked Hercules about Ares, who had broken many records and was considered a tough opponent by most of the other academy representatives.

"What are your thoughts on Ares, Hercules? He's been getting a lot of attention lately, and many of the other representatives think they should be careful of him," the announcer said with a small grin.

"Huh? Isn't he just overrated? Just because he's somewhat more handsome than me, everyone thinks he's stronger than me. In fact, I can defeat him with just one punch," Hercules taunted, grinning arrogantly and openly challenging Ares.

The announcer chuckled, clearly pleased with the reaction he had elicited from Hercules. The other representatives looked on curiously, eager to hear how Ares would respond to Hercules' challenge.

"I see, so you think you can defeat Ares with just one punch, huh?" the announcer repeated before turning towards the Soreh Academy representatives.

"And last but not least, we have the representative from the Soreh Academy. You are a well-known figure now, Ares. But how do you feel about Hercules' open challenge to you?" the announcer asked with a grin.

Ares replied with a condescending smile, his calm demeanor implying that he was simply stating facts. "He's nothing but a brute who relies solely on his strength. Frankly, I don't even consider him worthy of challenging me," he declared confidently, his arrogance palpable.

!?

Erina stared at Ares with wide eyes, and so did the other students.

Hercules' expression twisted in anger, and he took a step forward, but he was stopped by his representative.

"I-I see. Then, is there someone else you think you should look out for?" the announcer probed, trying to steer the conversation.

"To be honest, if the tournament were taking place in the real world with no restrictions, I am confident that I alone could beat the hell out of all of them myself," Ares said with a smile, causing gasps from the audience.

"However, Since we are lowering the power levels to prevent an outcome of a one-sided battle and give them a proper chance, I think the twins, Ava and Eva, who are the representative and vice-representative of the Cherry Blossom Academy possess a unique fighting style that could pose a challenge even to me - especially their Blossoming Duet technique," Ares commented.

The audience murmured in surprise at Ares' confidence, and some even looked fearful at the mention of the Cherry Blossom Academy's twins.

Even the twins exchanged a surprised glance when they heard Ares mention their duet technique, which they had been secretly practicing with their father.

"How did he know about that technique?" they both wondered, confused as to how anyone else could have found out.

The announcer cleared his throat, trying to regain control of the conversation.

However, as Ares finished speaking, Hercules stepped forward again, looking angrier than before. "You're just a cocky little brat," he growled. "I'll make sure you regret saying that when we face off in the tournament."

Ares simply raised an eyebrow in response. "I'll be looking forward to it," he said calmly. "But don't expect an easy victory."

The crowd fell silent, their eyes widening as they watched the tense exchange between the two competitors.

Erina, who was standing next to Ares, rolled her eyes. "Can we please focus on the interview now?" she said impatiently.

The announcer nodded, sensing the tension in the air. "Y-Yes, of course. So, any final words before we begin the tournament?"

Ares smiled wryly. "Just that I'm ready for whatever comes my way," he said confidently. "And ...I hope everyone else is too." With that, he turned and walked back to his academy's group.

"...."

"...Do you have anything else to add, Princess Erina?" the announcer asked, seeing Ares already leaving.

"Let the best academy win!" Erina simply said that and followed behind Ares.

She had eagerly prepared for this interview and planned to not make enemies of any academies, but it seemed that Ares had other plans.

She was not angry at Ares for taking shots at all the academies at once, as she knew Ares was not the type to do things without a plan.

However, she was disappointed that Ares didn't give her a heads-up about his plans beforehand.

The interviews finally came to an end and the representatives and vice representatives from each academy went back to their respective teams to prepare for the tournament.

The audience was buzzing with excitement as they eagerly awaited the start of the competition.

As the interviews came to a close, the announcer's voice filled the air once again, "Ladies and gentlemen, let the tournament begin!"

Tick-Tick-Tick-Tick

And with that, the Roulette began to spin on the huge holographic screen, visible to everyone in the arena. The crowd erupted with excitement as they watched the wheel select the content of the first match, marking the beginning of a thrilling and competitive tournament that would determine which academy would emerge victorious.