Ares intercepted Hercules' strike with a swift movement and, in a single fluid motion, dismembered his hand.
The severed limb fell to the ground with a sickening thud, and Hercules howled in agony as blood poured from the stump.
Splatter— Splatter
Ziona watched in disbelief as Ares suddenly appeared before her, saving her from certain death.
Ares ignored Hercules's screams and turned to Ziona, extending his hand to help her stand up. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.
Ziona grimaced, struggling to stand up properly due to the intense pain. Her clothes were soaked in blood, a testament to the severity of her injuries.
"...I will live," she responded weakly, taking his hand to steady herself.
"Here, use this," Ares said, handing Ziona an Intermediate Healing potion he had found in one of the treasure chests.
"T-Thank you," Ziona replied, gulping down the potion in one go.
"AHHH!"
Suddenly, the escalating screams of Hercules drew their attention. Erina had just finished her opponent and turned towards the commotion, while Claude was still in the midst of his fight with a formidable opponent.
As Hercules howled in agony, his wound began to emit a bright red light. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding.
The ground shook, and Hercules started to grow in size, his muscles bulging, and his skin stretching and expanding, transforming him into a towering giant that easily dwarfed Ares and Ziona.
Ziona stared at the transformation in shock. "What...the fuck is that thing? Is this even something possible?" she muttered in disbelief.
Ares gazed up at the monstrous giant, his expression calm and focused. "...It's his constellation's doing," he muttered, before quickly turning to Erina.
"Erina, take Penelope and move as far away from here as possible," he ordered.
Erina came out of her shock and quickly nodded and helped Penelope move away from the danger.
"Claude, you may need to finish your fight quickly," Ares added, his gaze fixed on Massive Hercules.
"...I'm trying, but this bastard is annoyingly tough," Claude replied, still locked in the battle with his opponent.
The Martial Star Academy member he was fighting didn't seem fazed by Hercules's transformation and was solely focused on defeating Claude.
"He's not using his constellation's power; he's being controlled by it," Ares muttered to himself, his mind racing.
'But why would a mere tournament match between youngsters attract the interference of a constellation?' He wondered.
Ares was lost in thought when Ziona interrupted him. "...What do you mean by his constellation's doing?" she asked, puzzled.
Ares noticed Ziona's confusion but didn't have time to explain further. "I don't have a lot of time to explain this, but just assume that he is an avatar of some constellation and that constellation has taken over his body now and is after us," Ares explained as he readied his swords.
!?
Ziona was still struggling to make sense of the situation. She had never heard of or experienced anything like this before. 'A constellation? His Avatar, what? What the flipping hell is he talking about? Since when did constellations begin to involve themselves with mortals?' she thought to herself, trying to wrap her head around the concept.
"Stop using your small brain and take this before you get yourself killed," Ares said as he passed Ziona one of his swords.
Ziona quickly took the sword, grateful for the weapon in her hands. She braced herself for the impending fight, thankful that Hercules was now only one-handed.
Without warning, Hercules charged forward, his massive fists slamming into the ground with enough force to shake the entire maze.
Boom—
Ares and Ziona leaped out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding the attack. The resulting shockwave knocked Ziona off balance, but she quickly regained her footing.
Ares saw an opening and moved in, swinging his katana at Hercules' leg with all his might.
Slash—
However, the blade only managed to leave a shallow scratch on Hercules' thick skin. He countered by swinging his fist at Ares, sending him flying through the air.
Thud—
Ziona watched in horror as Ares crashed into a wall, his body creating a crater on impact. She knew she had to act fast if she wanted to help him.
"...Tsh, I don't like transforming like this, but I don't have any other choice," Ziona muttered as she focused her mana, transforming into her beast form.
Ziona's transformed appearance was that of a large, ferocious wolf with sharp, gleaming teeth and fierce ember eyes. Her fur was thick and glossy, and her muscles rippled under her skin as she moved. She was agile and fast, and her claws were sharp enough to cut through steel.
As she leaped towards Hercules, her jaws opened wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. In her massive paws, she held Ares' sword and swung it towards Hercules with deadly force.
Hercules was quick to react, dodging the attack and countering with a punch that Ziona narrowly avoided.
Swish—
Ziona realized that her sword might not be enough to defeat Hercules, so she decided to rely on her natural weapons instead. She lunged forward, claws extended, and slashed at Hercules with all her might.
Slash—
Hercules blocked her attack with his one hand, but the force of the impact caused him to stumble backward. Taking advantage of his momentary imbalance, Ziona attacked again, aiming for his wounded arm.
Hercules growled in pain as Ziona's claws and sword sliced through his skin, reopening the wound. But he refused to be defeated so easily. With a fierce roar, he slammed his good fist into the ground, causing a shockwave that sent Ziona flying backward.
Crash—
Ziona crashed into a wall, causing a shower of debris to rain down on her. She struggled to get back on her feet, but she could feel her strength waning.
Her wounds were starting to take a toll on her body, and she knew she couldn't keep fighting for much longer.
Ares groaned as he struggled to his feet, his body battered and bruised from the blow dealt by Hercules. He knew he had to act quickly to protect Ziona.
"You better not die on me. I don't have any more healing potions," he said as he tossed his last potion toward Ziona.
Ziona caught the potion and drank it swiftly, feeling a surge of energy as the potion worked its magic. Even though the pain was still excruciating, she managed to get back on her feet, determined to keep fighting no matter what.
!?
"Ares, focus," Ziona said, her voice tight with pain. "Just staring at me won't help us take down this Barbarian, will it?"
Ares grinned sheepishly, "My bad. But seriously, you look pretty badass in that form."
!!
Ziona rolled her eyes, but a slight blush crept up on her cheeks. "B-Bastard, don't flirt with me at a time like this. I am dying here."
"Right, right. Anyways, I have a plan. Let's attack him from different angles and distract him," Ares said, his attention back on Hercules.
"...Okay, let's do it," Ziona replied, her determination renewed.
Together, Ares and Ziona charged toward Hercules, attacking him from different angles. The battle raged on, with each side giving it their all.
Despite the intense pain and injuries, Ziona's determination and Ares' strategic planning helped them hold their ground against the powerful Constellation. However, as the fight continued, the outcome was still uncertain.
The air crackled with energy as they clashed, and the ground shook with each blow. But the question remained, could they defeat the powerful Constellation?
To Be Continued...