Lia realized that her question had made both teams uncomfortable when she heard exclamations from them.
"I'm sorry, I didn't an to intrude—" Lia apologized for her indiscretion, but Livia cut her off.
"Yes, you're right. I really, really like him very much," Livia confessed with a beaming smile, not hesitating to share her feelings for Ares.
!!
Both teams were taken aback by Livia's straightforwardness, and there was a brief silence.
To everyone's surprise, Ares smiled at her and affectionately patted her head, "I like you too, Livia," he replied with a warm smile.
"Eh?" Livia was taken aback by the gesture, her eyes widening in surprise. She never expected Ares to reciprocate his feelings in public. Her face turned red as she beca embarrassed, not knowing what to do next. She didn't expect such a reaction from Ares.
Her mind began to race with thoughts of her future with Ares, she couldn't help but wonder about their relationship status. 'Ahh, what should I do now? Are we a couple now? When should we get married? What should we na our children?' Livia's thoughts were consud with her new romantic prospects
However, the other girls couldn't help but feel their hearts break when they realized they never stood a chance against Livia's unwavering devotion to Ares.
Even Lia, who had finally beco confident in her own abilities, felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight of Ares and Livia's affection.
'This...was to be expected. I always knew that a man like Ares would have soone he likes. But...why is my heart aching? It's not like we were that close, right? We were just supposed to be business partners, so why?' Alia was lost in her thoughts.
Diana, on the other hand, looked at Livia in surprise, realizing the extent of her feelings for Ares. She had no idea that Livia was putting in so much effort to be with him.
'Well, if it's Livia... Maybe it's fine—' Diana thought to herself, but quickly pushed the thought aside. Though she didn't mind Ares having other girls around him, she wanted him to fall for her first. She didn't want to end up like her mother.
Before she could interject, an announcent on the battlefield interrupted their thoughts.
[The battlefield will be shrinking in the next 5 minutes, please make it to the center!]
"The center, let's move to the center," Diana said, prompting everyone to start moving.
"A-Alright, we know where the rest of the teams are gathered waiting for us, so we can move there directly," Ava suggested, to which Ares and the team nodded in agreent. They began to move forward, led by a mber of Team Cherry Blossom Academy who had a tracking skill.
However, Eva remained quiet throughout the journey, and Ava sensed that sothing was wrong. "Is everything okay, sis?" Ava asked Eva telepathically, noticing her sister's solemn expression.
Eva hesitated for a mont before nodding timidly as if to say she is fine, but Ava wasn't convinced. "You ...have a crush on him as well, don't you?" she asked, knowing her sister too well.
!!
Eva's eyes widened in surprise, but she eventually nodded, confirming Ava's suspicions.
"I...I think I might have a little bit of admiration for him that's all," Eva responded telepathically, her cheeks turning pink.
Ava's heart sank. She had known about Eva's crush on Ares even before the tournant began. She had noticed the way her sister's eyes lit up whenever Ares appeared on their social dia feed, but she had dismissed it as a harmless celebrity crush.
However, seeing Ares' smile when he spared them in the first match seed to have triggered sothing in Eva's heart. She had begun to believe that she might have a chance with him.
But the reality was harsh. Livia's straightforward confession had shown that there were too many girls vying for Ares's attention, including Alia and even Diana, who had her own plans for Ares.
"I understand how you feel, Sister, but you have to rember that there are many other girls who like him too," Ava said gently, hoping to ease her sister's heartache.
Eva nodded, but Ava could see the disappointnt in her eyes. She couldn't bear to see her sister hurt, but she also knew that she couldn't do anything to change the situation.
As they finally neared the center, the team found themselves standing at the edge of a dense forest, with a towering, half-broken mansion visible in the distance.
The guide leading them pointed toward the mansion, saying, "This is it, the remaining teams are located inside."
The tension was palpable as everyone's eyes darted around, searching for any signs of opponents lying in wait. They all knew they were outnumbered and outmatched, and nerves were running high as they prepared for the upcoming battle.
The knowledge that the battlefield would soon shrink, forcing everyone closer together, only added to the already present sense of danger.
"...So how should we begin our attack, Ares?" Ava asked curiously.
Ares grinned, knowing exactly how to make their attack stand out. He had soone on his team who could start their raid with a bang.
"In fact, it's advantageous that they're all gathered in a single place. We don't have to waste ti searching for them," Ares said, realizing the strategic advantage of having all the remaining teams in one place.
As Ares grinned, Diana and Livia exchanged knowing looks, realizing what he was about to suggest.
""Let's make a grand entrance, shall we?" Ares announced confidently.
He proceeded to outline his plan, delegating specific tasks to each mber of the team. "Diana, I want you to stay up high and take out enemies from a distance. Emi, focus on defense magic to protect our team from sneak attacks. Hiro, use your shield to push their front line back and create an opening for us to attack." Ares concluded, his voice steady and assertive.
!?
Ava and Eva looked at Ares, confused. "What about our team? Are you saying you don't need us and that you can deal with all the remaining four teams by yourself?" Ava asked, furrowing her brow.
"...Yes, we can help too!" Eva added in a low voice.
"Of course not. I know you guys can be of help too. However, even though we are working together for now, every team is ultimately for themselves. The more kill points you get, the higher the chance of your team moving up the rankings. So, you have to earn your points for yourselves while our team creates an opening," Ares explained with a smile.
"...."
Ava and Eva kept quiet, realizing he was right. "...Yeah, you're right. Our teams have to earn our points ourselves by eliminating as many students as possible. However, how are you planning on breaching their defenses? They won't even allow your team to get close to the mansion, and there seems to be a barrier cast around it as well," Ava asked curiously.
"You'll find out soon enough," Ares said with a mysterious smile, his eyes fixed on Livia, who nodded in understanding. With a confident stride, she stepped forward and raised her right hand in the air.
The air around the battlefield suddenly grew heavy, and a cold breeze swept through, causing everyone's hair to flutter and goosebumps to rise on their skin.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
Ava gasped as she saw countless blue magic circles appear in the sky above the mansion. "What the...?" she muttered under her breath, wondering what kind of magic was being used.
Livia's voice bood across the battlefield as she called out the na of her spell.
"ABSOLUTE—ZERO!"
To Be Continued...
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