Ares raised his shield at the last second, blocking the blow.
CLANG! CLANG!
"Do you really think you can defeat me with that, Devil?" Ares said with an arrogant smile, as he blocked another strike from Kaito's spear with his shield. He countered quickly, his sword gleaming in a devastating arc toward Kaito.
SWOOSH!
Kaito dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike, and counterattacked, spinning the spear with precision. The tip of Vendetta lunged toward Ares, but the god of war easily blocked it, his divine strength keeping him steady.
"You have strength, but you lack skill," Ares commented casually, pushing Kaito back with a powerful motion of his shield. "All that demonic energy, and you don't even know how to use it properly."
Kaito gritted his teeth, retreating a few steps before planting the spear in the ground and concentrating his demonic magic. His body glowed faintly with a purple aura as he enhanced his muscles and senses.
"Let's see if you find this easy too," Kaito said, his voice laden with determination. He charged forward with renewed strength, the spear now faster and more precise, cutting through the air with deadly speed.
Ares raised his shield, but this time, the impact was more intense. He was forced to step back, his smile fading.
"Interesting... but still weak."
Kaito seized the opening, spinning the spear swiftly and aiming for Ares' legs, attempting to unbalance him.
SWOOSH!
Ares leaped backward, laughing as he twirled his sword in his hand. "You're trying to knock me down with tricks, but that won't be enough!"
Kaito didn't give up. Strengthening his body even further, he charged again, his strikes growing faster with each movement. With every exchange of blows, sparks flew through the air, illuminating the coliseum around them.
CLANG! CLANG!
Ares blocked skillfully, but for the first time, his expression showed that he needed to focus to handle Kaito's rapid and precise attacks.
"You're getting better," Ares commented, spinning his sword to deflect another spear strike. "But it's still not enough to defeat a god."
Thalia watched as Kaito faced Ares, silent fury in her eyes. While he distracted the god of war, she concentrated her power and turned her attention to the three women guarding Ares.
"I'll finish them off."
Lightning began to crackle around her as she charged toward the three women guarding Ares.
Thalia raised her hand, gathering electricity in her palm as her eyes locked onto the guards.
SWOOSH!
The first bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, striking one of the women dead on, slamming her against the wall with brutal impact. The guard collapsed to the ground, her body twisted and lifeless.
"That was easy," Thalia muttered, glancing at the other two, who, despite seeing their companion dead, held their swords and shields high, ready to fight.
Kaito, without taking his eyes off Ares, heard the sounds of battle beside him, but he trusted Thalia fully to handle the situation.
"Don't you care about your allies dying?" Kaito asked, still exchanging blows with Ares.
Ares smiled, spinning his sword to block another attack from Kaito. "In war, people die. It's part of the game," he replied, his voice cold and indifferent.
Thalia, wasting no time, charged toward the other two guards. With a swift movement, she summoned more lightning that enveloped her entire body. One of the women tried to strike with her sword, but Thalia was faster.
CRACK!
She grabbed the guard's head with an electricity-wrapped hand, and the shock coursed through the woman's body, who fell to the ground, her eyes lifeless and body charred by the lightning.
The last guard, visibly shaken by seeing her companions so brutally killed, took a few steps back. But before she could defend herself, Thalia was already upon her.
SWOOSH!
With a precise strike, Thalia drove her lightning-wrapped hand into the woman's chest, piercing through the armor with ease. The guard let out a choked scream before collapsing dead at Thalia's feet.
Kaito glanced as Thalia finished off the guards, her movements swift and lethal. He knew he could trust her to handle any obstacle.
"You talk of war, Ares, but it seems your army is weak," Kaito taunted as he spun his spear and charged once again.
Ares laughed loudly, blocking Kaito's attack with ease.
"Weak or strong, they're just pawns. In war, the only one who matters is the commander."
Kaito took advantage of Ares' momentary distraction to deliver a side strike with his spear, aiming at the god's leg. Ares was quick enough to raise his shield, but the force of the impact made him step back a few paces.
Suddenly, Ares' sword began to glow with dangerous intensity. Flames started to envelop the blade, crackling with a destructive fury as he raised the weapon into the air, letting the fire grow even stronger.
"It's time to take this to the next level, Devil," Ares said, his voice filled with power as he charged at Kaito with the flaming sword.
Kaito, feeling the heat of Ares' sword, knew he could no longer fight with brute strength alone. He quickly raised his hands and channeled the wind around him, creating a barrier of air to protect himself from the flames.
SWOOSH!
The wind enveloped Kaito, spinning at high speed as he faced the destructive power of Ares' flames. Sparks from the flames clashed with the wind, creating a storm of fire and air around the two.
"The wind will consume your fire, Ares!" Kaito shouted, increasing the force of the wind barrier around him.
Ares laughed as he advanced, undeterred. He raised his flaming sword and delivered a powerful strike against Kaito's wind barrier.
CLANG!
The impact was so strong that the wind barrier distorted, the flames beginning to penetrate Kaito's defense. He gritted his teeth, feeling the intense heat starting to burn the air around him.
"You think you can defeat the god of war with wind? Your hopes are pathetic!" Ares shouted, advancing with a new series of blows.
Each strike of Ares' sword tore through the air with flames, trying to break through Kaito's defense. The Devil, for his part, struggled to maintain control of the winds, but Ares' overwhelming force was beginning to overload his defense.
Ares' flames finally broke through the wind barrier Kaito had created. The impact was devastating.
BOOOM!
Kaito was violently thrown back, his body crashing against the stone wall of the coliseum with a resounding thud. The shock reverberated throughout the battlefield, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
"KAITO!" Thalia screamed, her heart tightening as she saw the Devil hurled like a rag doll. She took a few steps forward but hesitated, remembering Kaito's order not to interfere.
Kaito, still dazed by the impact, spat blood, tasting its metallic flavor in his mouth. His body felt heavy, and pain radiated through his chest. He struggled to breathe, but still, his gaze remained determined.
"This is... funny now..." Kaito murmured, forcing a smile, spitting more blood as he slowly rose.
Ares approached, laughing arrogantly as he watched Kaito struggle to stand.
Ares raised his flaming sword, ready to deliver the final blow.
Before Ares could finish the attack, he felt a sharp pain in his back. His body froze for a moment, and he widened his eyes in surprise. Turning his head slightly, he saw the tip of Kaito's spear piercing through his body, firmly lodged in his back.
"How...?" Ares murmured, incredulous.
"I... can control the spear... mentally," Kaito said.
Ares staggered back, letting out a scream of pain and rage. He tried to pull the spear from his back, but the weapon was firmly lodged in his body, glowing with a demonic light. The god of war was clearly weakened, his strength fading as he struggled against the pain.
Thalia, taking advantage of Ares' momentary distraction, raised her hand, concentrating all her energy into the lightning crackling around her.
"Time to finish this!" she yelled, launching a massive bolt of lightning directly at Ares.
CRACK-BOOM!
The lightning struck Ares with devastating force, making the god of war let out a deafening scream as his body was electrocuted by the immense energy. The flames around his sword dissipated, and the shield fell from his hands as he struggled against the combined force of the spear and the lightning.
"This is really fun!" Ares shouted, laughing madly as he felt the pain of the lightning and spear piercing his body. Even in his weakened state, the god of war still found pleasure in battle, as if every blow he received was an incentive to keep fighting.
Thalia rushed to Kaito's side, her eyes filled with concern as she saw the Devil injured and breathing heavily.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice laden with worry as she helped him to his feet, placing his arm over her shoulders for support.
"I've been better," Kaito murmured, a weak smile on his lips. He glanced at the spear, still embedded in Ares' back.
Suddenly, Ares let out a guttural roar, his body beginning to grow in size. His already imposing form started to swell even more, each muscle bulging as his shape took on titanic proportions. The coliseum around them seemed to tremble with the divine aura and uncontrollable fury emanating from him.
Kaito's spear, still lodged in Ares' back, was ejected as his size increased, falling with a thud onto the stone floor.
THUD!
"You think you've won?" Ares roared, his voice echoing through the coliseum. "I am Ares, the god of war! The more I fight, the stronger I become!"
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