Chapter 267 The Bitter Taste Of Defeat



[Ding!]

With a satisfying chime, a system notification popped up in front of Ares, announcing the successful completion of his quest: 

[System Notification!]

[Sudden Quest] Title: Defeat the Chosen One, Hercules! [Completed]

Reward: [Blessing - Gigantomania] [Acquired]

|Blessing: Gigantomania

Description: Gigantomania is a powerful blessing bestowed upon the user by a constellation of strength, allowing them to increase their physical strength tenfold.

It amplifies the user's muscle power, enabling them to perform extraordinary feats of strength.

This blessing can be activated at will, and its effect lasts for a limited duration before requiring a cooldown period.

With proper training and mastery, the user can learn to control and maximize the full potential of Gigantomania, allowing them to reach new levels of strength and power.

Note: The immense power of Gigantomania can cause severe strain and fatigue on the user's body. Use with caution.

Currently at ★: The blessing can only last for 30 seconds before the cooldown period begins.]

!?

Ares was taken aback by the blessing he had received. 'Isn't this blessing from Hercules' constellation? How can a blessing from another constellation be bestowed upon me?' he pondered.

It was an unprecedented event, as it was a widely acknowledged fact that a constellation could only bestow their blessings upon only their avatars and no one else.

As he pondered the origin of the blessing, he was suddenly attacked by Maya, who wielded her sword with deadly precision.

Clang—

Ares barely managed to block her initial strike, but the force of the blow sent him staggering backward.

She relentlessly continued her assault, striking at him with relentless ferocity.

Cling...Cling...Cling...

Ares was struggling to keep up with her onslaught, his sword barely managing to fend off her blows. 

Swish—

Just as Maya seemed poised to deliver the finishing blow, a shuriken came hurtling toward her throat, barely missing and leaving a scratch on her neck.

Scratch—

"...Well, this is interesting," she muttered as she dodged the next one with ease, a grin on her face as she continued to attack Ares even more fiercely.

Cling...Cling...Cling...

Their swords clashed repeatedly, producing a metallic ring with each strike.

"S-Shit!" Ares cursed under his breath as he desperately blocked her relentless barrage of strikes, the sparks from their clashing swords flying everywhere.

Maya moved with surprising agility, dodging the shurikens with ease while continuing her assault on Ares.

Ares desperately searched for a way to turn the tide of the battle against Maya and the Shadow Organization, but his newly acquired blessing, Gigantomania, would not be of much use in this fight.

Although it could increase his strength tenfold, the effect only lasted for thirty seconds and would leave him drained and unable to recover due to a lack of mana.

His attempts to fend off Maya's relentless onslaught with his katana proved futile as cracks began to form on the blade before it ultimately shattered in two.

Shatter—

Ares quickly resorted to using telekinesis to block her attacks with his shurikens, but it was too late.

Swash—

With a swift motion, Maya's sword pierced through his stomach, causing Ares to spew blood from his mouth as he lost control of his shurikens.

"Urgh!"

Maya smiled cruelly as she withdrew her sword and dealt a powerful roundhouse kick to Ares' gut.

Thwack—

Ares was sent hurtling through the maze before crashing into a wall, which crumbled from the impact.

Thud—

As he lay there bleeding from his stomach wound, debris rained down upon him, leaving him in a dire situation.

"A-Ares!" Ziona screamed, her voice laced with worry as she tried to rush towards him despite the wound on her own stomach.

However, she was stopped midway by a member of the Shadow Organization, who stood in her way with a mocking expression.

"You better stay here if you value your life," he said, sneering at her. "I am informed not to kill any royalties, but you're just an abandoned princess. I don't think your father will mind if you end up dead."

Ziona's face twisted with rage and disgust upon hearing his words. "Move out of my way, you clown bastard!" she growled, unsheathing her claws and lunging towards him in an attempt to attack.

However, he effortlessly dodged her attack and punched her in the wound on her stomach with a sickening smack.

"Urgh!"

The impact made Ziona vomit blood, and she fell to her knees, holding her stomach in agony as her wound opened up again, causing her to bleed profusely.

"Z-Ziona, are you alright?" Erina shouted in concern, rushing to her side.

Claude remained in his position, seemingly unfazed, while Penelope had managed to regain enough strength to stand on her own.

Suddenly, Claude called out to his sister, "Erina, let's leave. They are here for Ares. We don't need to risk our lives by staying here."

Erina's eyes widened in disbelief, "C-Claude, how can you say that? We can't abandon Ares when he needs us the most."

"What do you plan to do by staying here?" Claude replied. "You can't help him in any way, and you'll only watch him die in front of your eyes."

Erina gritted her teeth, knowing that as harsh as Claude's words were, he was right. She couldn't help Ares by just staying there, and she would only witness his death.

"You don't have to feel guilty for leaving him. They are here for Ares, which means that all the students who died here also did so because of him. Ares offended someone far above his level, and all the students paid the price," Claude continued.

Erina was left speechless, unable to find the words to respond. She knew that the Shadow Organization had brought them to this maze in the real world solely to kill Ares.

They couldn't touch him in the Colosseum in front of high-ranking individuals, so Maya had planned this from the beginning.

Unlike the previous matches, only the finals were held in the magical space, and Maya took advantage of that to bring Ares out of the Colosseum, dragging the rest of the students here for no reason or fault of their own.

Ziona, on the other hand, refused to accept Claude's reasoning. Despite her injuries, she managed to muster the strength to speak up.

"...E-Erina, you can't seriously consider leaving Ares here to die," she said, her voice weak but determined. "He's not to blame for any of this; he didn't know any more than we did. It's all his brother's fault who planned this assassination. You heard what they said, didn't you?"

Ziona, barely conscious, tried to convince Erina, who seemed to be believing Claude's statement.

"Even if what you said is true, there is nothing we can do here. Think realistically. Ares wouldn't want you to waste your lives here, staying and just witnessing his death," Claude said, his gaze fixed on Erina.

Erina closed her eyes for a moment, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. She knew Claude was right, but the thought of leaving Ares behind, helpless and alone, made her heartache.

Finally, she made her decision and opened her eyes. "Okay," she said, her voice filled with pain and sadness. She helped Ziona to her feet, who was barely conscious due to her injuries.

"N-No, please, Erina! W-We need to help him!" Ziona protested weakly her voice was barely audible, and she was losing consciousness due to blood loss.

Erina's eyes welled up with tears as she realized that she was powerless to help Ares. She apologized to Ziona with guilt and regret, "I'm sorry, Ziona, I can't do anything here. I'm powerless." 

She gave one last look to Ares, who was buried under the debris and struggling to stand up. "Forgive me, Ares. I'm not strong enough to help you," she whispered to herself, her heart aching with sorrow and regret for leaving him behind.

Erina then turned to Claude and nodded, and together they carried Ziona, who had lost consciousness. They began to exit the maze, ignoring the Shadow Organization members who laughed at them in amusement.

Erina made an oath to herself as they left, 'I promise that I will make you all pay for what you have done today.' She clenched her fists, controlling her anger, and vowed to seek justice for Ares and all the innocent students who had been dragged into this deadly game.

***

As Erina and Claude made their way out of the maze, leaving Ares behind, the Shadow Organization members began to close in on him, their faces twisted in cruel delight.

Ares was left alone, struggling to stand amidst the debris and destruction. Blood was pooling around him as his wounds continued to bleed. He looked up, his eyes filled with pain and desperation, but there was no one left to help him.

The members of the Shadow Organization loomed over him, their weapons drawn. Ares took one last ragged breath, his body giving out as he collapsed onto the ground. The Shadow Organization closed in, their laughter ringing in his ears as darkness consumed him.

What fate awaited Ares at the hands of his enemies? Only time would tell.