Conquering The Novel

The second semifinal match had just concluded, and Maya announced the winners who would be facing off against Soreh Academy in the finals.

"Congratulations to Team Martial Star Academy for securing a spot in the finals!" Maya announced, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

Despite the absence of top students like Ava, Eva, Hercules, and many others in the semifinals, Martial Star Academy\'s match against Cherry Blossom Academy was still more thrilling and intense than the audience had anticipated. The winner was decided in Round 3, and Martial Academy emerged victorious by a mere second.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the finalists were announced.

[FINALS: Team Soreh Academy vs Team Martial Star Academy!]

"And now in the finals, we will witness the moment we\'ve all been waiting for. Ares will finally take down Hercules, silencing those from the Hero Association who still believe he\'s the strongest and unbeatable among the younger generation," Maya exclaimed with a broad smile.

!!

Her words stunned the audience, and even some of the high-ranking officials seemed taken aback. Maya\'s commentary was quite unexpected, especially since she spoke about the Hero Association and indirectly referenced Jessica\'s challenge to Ares.

After a brief moment of silence, the crowd erupted once again with excitement.

"She\'s got some nerve, I\'ll give her that," Sarah commented, sitting with her friends in the VIP box.

"Who is this woman, anyway?" Joseph asked with a perplexed expression.

"...I don\'t know. I\'ve never heard of her before," replied one of his friends.

The others shook their heads in agreement, as Joseph turned to them, seeking any information they might have about Maya.

"...."

***

The evening of the semifinals was electric with fireworks illuminating the sky and screens showing posters of Ares and Hercules facing each other, visible throughout the bustling streets around the Colosseum.

Ares stood atop one of the buildings, lost in thought as he gazed down at the decorated streets.

Suddenly, a woman wearing a black suit appeared behind him and asked, "So what do you want me to do, Ares?"

Ares turned to her with a grin. "You will stay with me until Irethiel returns. If Jessica tries something with her, I should at least have someone close to her to prevent giving her the upper hand, right?"

"...."

Rose, who was standing close by, was surprised by this turn of events. She had assumed that Ares sent her master to Jessica with no plan in mind. She was worried that Jessica might take her master hostage or worse, but she never expected Ares to already have a plan in place for such an event.

"I understand. I will stay by your side until that demoness returns. However, about my sister..." the woman hesitated.

Ares smiled reassuringly. "Don\'t worry, your sister will still be safe even after that Demon Lord died," he replied.

The woman looked relieved but still anxious. "...Are you hundred percent sure about this? She won\'t be eradicated like how that dead demon lord\'s followers were, right?"

Ares nodded. "I have terminated her contract with the Demon Lord and transferred her contract to Irethiel, so she won\'t die with the other Demon lords being killed. However, she will if something happens to Irethiel, her new master."

"....."

She let out a heavy sigh, "My sister managed to escape the wolves, only to find herself in the midst of a tiger\'s lair."

Ares turned to her, a sly smile spreading across his face, "But you know, wolves have been known to eat their own kind when they\'re desperate. Tigers, on the other hand, protect their followers when needed. It\'s much safer for your sister to be tied to me than to those fickle demons who could dispose of her at any moment, don\'t you agree?"

The woman, who was Jessica\'s secretary, Mia, remained unconvinced. "I can only hope that you keep your promise. I don\'t know how Miss Jessica will react when she finds out about this. She\'s not one to take kindly to demon lord followers, even those who were tricked into signing a contract."

Ares waved his hand dismissively. "You don\'t need to worry about her. She\'s far too gullible. Even if she does find out, just say that you did it for your sister, and she\'ll forgive you."

Mia shook her head. "You underestimate her. Jessica is ruthless when it comes to dealing with demon lords and their followers. I\'ve seen it firsthand."

Mia had agreed to become Ares\'s informant to save her sister, who had been deceived into signing a contract with a demon lord. But she also knew the risks that came with it and the potential consequences for her family.

She muttered with a solemn expression, "I don\'t know how you found out about my sister\'s situation, Ares, but if Jessica were to discover her allegiance to the demon lords, she wouldn\'t hesitate to kill her. And if she suspects my family\'s involvement, we\'ll be in danger too."

Ares was well aware of Mia\'s predicament: her sister was tricked into signing a contract with demon lord Belphegor, who then used Mia, Jessica\'s secretary, to keep tabs on the Hero Association\'s actions.

Despite Mia\'s reluctance to betray her employer, her love for her family was stronger. However, as she delved deeper into the world of demon lords, she soon realized that she had crossed the point of no return and became a follower herself.

\'It was only found out later in the novel that the demon lords were privy to their every move, and eventually, it was discovered that Mia was the betrayer,\' Ares mused.

Mia\'s backstory came to light when Jessica finally killed her, and Mia revealed her story in her last breath.

Ares took advantage of Mia\'s desperate situation and turned her into his spy, transferring her sister\'s contract from Belphegor to Irethiel.

Though terminating contracts with demon lords was no easy task, Ares had the knowledge from one of the rune books he had deciphered before signing a contract with Irethiel.

As he was lost in thought, Mia\'s voice brought him back to the present. "And what about the conference? I did as you said, but don\'t you think Jessica can easily recognize your identity if you attend the conference? Her eye can see through your disguise easily," Mia warned.

"It\'s ok if Jessica finds out my identity. In fact, I won\'t be needing any disguise once this tournament is over," Ares replied to Mia\'s concerns about attending the conference.

Mia was still confused, "...I still don\'t understand why you\'re participating in this tournament when you\'re already too strong for this," she said.

Even Rose, who had been silent all this time, looked at him curiously, wondering about his motives.

"Is it just because you want to defeat Hercules and prove Jessica wrong? Or is it because you are interested in the skills they will be providing to the winning team?" Rose chimed in.

"Hmm, What skills?" Mia asked, perplexed. She and even the Hero Association had no idea about this.

"Yes, it\'s supposed to be confidential. All the academies have wagered many of the special skills they possess as rewards to be given to the entire winning team, along with other valuable rewards," Rose explained.

"...I see," Mia muttered in shock. It was the first time she had heard of something like this. Even low-ranked skill books were highly sought-after and wouldn\'t be given away so easily, even for money.

"But if it wasn\'t you who leaked the information and it was supposed to be confidential, then how did he find out about it?" Mia asked, curiously as she turned to Rose for an answer, but Rose could only shrug in response.

Ares chuckled. "I knew it the same way I knew your sister was a follower of the Demon Lord," he replied. "...And I also know that Belphegor is keeping an eye on you," he added with a grin, his gaze drifting to the rooftop of a distant building. There, he locked eyes with a boy he knew well, who was also staring back at them.

As their eyes locked, the boy jumped down the building and immediately disappeared from sight.

Ares seemed unfazed by the encounter, but Mia couldn\'t help but feel uneasy.

!?

"W-Wait, what do you mean I\'m being watched by a demon lord?" Mia stuttered, and Rose was on guard.

"Don\'t worry. I think he just wanted to have a look at the person responsible for taking his pawn away from him," Ares said with a grin.

The distant figure staring back at Ares was none other than Ark, the demon kid whom Ares had attempted to sign a contract with before. With the help of his left eye and his upgraded Hawkeye, Ares realized now that it was actually Demon Lord Belphegor in disguise.

\'So that\'s why the contract failed,\' Ares thought to himself. \'But why wasn\'t Irethiel able to detect Belphegor\'s true identity despite him being in such close proximity?\'

Although Belphegor was considered the weakest of the Demon Lords, even weaker than Pazuzu, his cunning and ability to manipulate others made him a formidable opponent. And, Ares had planned to take him down first before going for Lillith or Asmodeus.

\'The longer he lives, the more trouble he will become,\' Ares pondered inwardly. He knew that Belphegor could even manipulate other Demon Lords into joining forces if needed to deal with him and Irethiel. The worst part was their goals this time aligned, as they all wanted Irethiel dead.

He turned to Rose and spoke, "Rose, you know what to do, right?"

"...."

Rose nodded reluctantly, knowing that she had been tasked with monitoring the Demon Lord\'s movements.

"...I\'ll do my best, but don\'t expect too much from me," she said before leaping down the building to trail Belphegor.

***

[AUTHOR\'S NOTE!]

Dear readers,

I\'m happy to announce that Volume 2 of our novel has come to an end with Chapter 270. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

However, I\'m also here to inform you that the novel will be on hiatus for a week and will return on May 20th. During this time, I encourage you to check out my new novel, "Unwilling Protagonist: Trapped In A Game As A Male Lead."

I think you\'ll enjoy it as much as you have been enjoying this one.

Thank you for your support and I\'ll see you all soon! 

:)