Chapter 266 Betrayal And Sacrifice!



Erina's eyes widened in shock at Ares' words. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"A-Ares, what do you mean? How can this not be a magical space?" she asked in a puzzled voice.

Ares looked around with a furrowed brow, scanning the surroundings intently. "...Look around you, you can still see the bodies of the eliminated students," he said gravely. "This is not a magical space. We are already in the real world."

!?

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone tried to comprehend what Ares was saying. The bodies of the eliminated students lay around them, lifeless and still, a stark reminder of the reality of their situation.

If what Ares was saying was true, then it meant that they had just killed the students from the Martial Star Academy in real life, rather than in a magical space. 

The thought sent shivers down Erina's spine. She had never taken another person's life before, and the idea of having done so in a tournament match was almost too much to bear.

Just Imagining the screams of the students before they were killed by her, her heart sank.

The tournament was supposed to be a test of strength for the academies and their students, but it had turned into a deadly game with unimaginable consequences.

The participating students were young and innocent, with dreams and aspirations they wanted to fulfill. They never would have guessed that the tournament match would take their lives.

Erina felt tears welling up in her eyes as the weight of the situation hit her. "T-Tell me it's a lie, please!" she pleaded, her mind racing with the faces of her eliminated teammates.

Except for Ares, Ziona, Penelope, Claude, and herself, all of their remaining teammates had also been eliminated during the match. The reality of their victory now felt hollow and meaningless in the face of the lives they had taken.

Erina turned to Maya, desperately hoping that what Ares had said was just a cruel joke. "P-Professor Maya, please tell me this is just a prank. We were definitely teleported to a magical space from the arena, right?" she pleaded.

There was a moment of tense silence as Maya didn't reply. Instead, her grin only grew wider, sending a chill down Erina's spine.

Suddenly, the space around them began to warp and small portals appeared out of nowhere, making a swishing sound.

Swish— Swish— Swish

Claude and Ares immediately readied themselves, aware that they were the only ones in any shape to fight. Ziona and Penelope were already injured, while Erina was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Stop playing around and finish the job, Maya. We don't have much time. They may have already figured it out and could be after us," a man's voice echoed from one of the portals.

In an instant, figures clad in black attire and half-white skeleton masks began to emerge from the portals, surrounding the group. Their menacing presence filled the air, sending a wave of fear through the already-shaken group.

"Shit!" Ares cursed under his breath as he immediately recognized the group of people that had surrounded them. 

Maya's grin faded as she spoke up. "I still don't understand why you're all here. You know I'm more than enough to deal with some youngsters," she said in a dissatisfied tone. "Though he is stronger than your average Joe, he is still no match for me."

The male responded with a reminder, "You know the boss doesn't tolerate failures. And he is well aware of your playful character. You already wasted a lot of time waiting for the match to end."

"Well, you can't blame me, can you?" Maya retorted playfully. "You saw how that barbarian grew in size, right? And it was exciting to watch how these two youngsters were able to kill him despite their mana restrictions."

A tense silence followed before the group, Ziona, who had regained her footing with Ares' support, asked in confusion, "...Ares, who are these clowns?"

"They're ...from the organization that calls themselves the Shadows," Ares replied wryly, his mind already racing on how to escape this situation.

Hearing their conversation, he already deduced that they were there for him.

Suddenly, one of the members spoke up. "Alright, so we still have five students that are alive? We're only here for Ares, so I will be nice and give the other four students a chance to get out of here alive," he said in a thick voice.

Erina, Claude, Ziona, and Penelope were shocked at the revelation that the Shadows were here for Ares. Maya, too, was taken aback by the suggestion that the other students could be spared.

"What are you talking about? We can't just let them go. It could come back to haunt us," Maya protested.

The man replied authoritatively, "We can't risk killing any royalties. After this incident, we will already have Ivica and the Martial Star Academy after us. And let's not forget, if Mika and Helena were to return alive, they will also want to avenge their disciples' death. We don't want to attract the attention of the Kingdom of Aloctona as well."

Maya was unimpressed. "Don't worry about Mika and Helena. The dungeon they entered requires a sacrifice to clear it, so I believe they will both perish inside. And if not, only one of them can come out alive," she said with a mischievous smile, her gaze fixed on Ares.

"You know how humans are, Ares," Maya continued her voice still full of excitement. "We won't think twice to sacrifice someone to save our own lives. And those two so-called sisters, Mika and Helena, are not even related by blood," Maya said with an ecstatic face as if she was imagining the scene unfolding before her eyes.

"Haaa, How I wish I could see the two so-called sisters fight to the death just to save their own lives," she muttered, her hands clasped together in glee.

!!

A huge boulder suddenly came hurtling towards Maya, but she casually smashed it to pieces with a single punch.

Shatter—

"Oh boy, looks like we made someone angry," Maya remarked with a grin, enjoying the chaos she had caused.

"Bitch!" Ares scowled in anger as he glared at Maya with a twisted expression, his normally stoic demeanor cracking under the weight of concern for his master's safety.

Despite his efforts to maintain his composure, the thought of his mentor's being in danger had stirred an unexpected emotional response within him, one he was unaccustomed to experiencing.

It was unusual for Ares to lose his composure, as he was typically composed and detached, viewing others solely as tools to be used for his own purposes. However, he had come to realize that he had grown attached to these women without even noticing it.

"Enough with the chit-chat. It's time for you to die, Ares," Maya declared as she took a step forward, her imposing presence sending a wave of oppressive energy through the air. "I would have liked to recruit you into our organization, but it seems that your brother is more valuable to us than you are."

Her every movement released a tremendous aura that made it difficult for Erina, Claude, Penelope, and Ziona to breathe, leaving them struggling for air. However, Ares remained unaffected by Maya's overwhelming presence.

"Argg!" The others clutched at their throats as they gasped for air.

"Stop struggling and make it easier for us, will you? Your mana is restricted, but even if it weren't, it wouldn't make a difference," Maya taunted as she picked up Ziona's sword from the ground.

Ares readied his katana, but he knew he had no chance of winning with his mana restricted. Even if he somehow managed to defeat Maya, he still had to contend with the rest of the Shadow Organization members to make it out of the maze alive.

The only silver lining was that the mana restriction seemed to be specific to this maze, so this meant that even his opponents were facing the same limitations.

"Don't expect Mika or Helena to come to save you, Ares. I'd be surprised if either one of them makes it out alive of that vile dungeon," Maya spoke, her tone filled with sadistic pleasure. "And you know what makes me even sadder? The fact that we had to sacrifice one of our own members, my fav Helena, just so she couldn't ruin our plans."

"....."

The atmosphere was charged with an electric tension as Ares and Maya locked eyes, each poised to fight for their own motivations.

With Ares's mana restricted and the rest of the Shadow Organization lurking in the shadows, the odds were undeniably stacked against him. However, Ares refused to back down, his katana at the ready.

The true measure of Ares' strength was about to be put to the ultimate test. The outcome of this battle would have far-reaching consequences, both for himself and the world at large.

Ding!—

To be continued...