Warlock of War: My Ares System

From all sides, the surrounding ground, walls, and sky of wind attempted to consume each and every tornado, but as I reinforced it with my own [Advanced Air Magic], it tore through each feeble swirling attempt. 

"What the…" My face paled as all of his wind diverted from the tornado and gushed towards me like a rushing river. There was so much that even as I attempted to use [Flight] to escape and [Wind Control] to push back against the rushing gusts, I was getting sliced up and injured. 

It had to have lasted for at least a few minutes until we could no longer keep up our throne worlds. All of our mana had been drained and at the same time, we were so injured and pouring so much blood that Nell had to step in and announce the match was over. 

"Just let it go… you made your point. I doubt anybody is going to retaliate…"

My left arm was in tatters, my right arm… I mean, at least I could move it. I doubt I could pull off any fancy tricks, but there was no need for that anymore. The opposing dark elf was in no state to continue. 

Shattered right and left arms. Most likely broken ribs. A fractured jaw and concussed brain. That thick skin of his had been thinned out by those slashing tornados, allowing me to detect the dire state of his body. And, I could at least see he was competent in keeping most of his vitals alive while sacrificing the rest. 

"Tch… Can somebody bring a healer?!" Nell shouted, causing a few competent dark elves to step forward. "Heal both here, as I think moving either of them to the infirmary will only cause more damage." 

A bright green glow enveloped my injuries from afar and as the healer came into vision, I couldn\'t help but chuckle with the wave of adrenaline rushing out of me. I couldn\'t help but smile as Celidri, the girl who had been leading me around before came over to heal my wounds. 

Once both of us were in a state where we could actually move without being injured any further, we were moved out of the center of the wooden ring painted with blood. People were hesitant at first, but upon seeing a dark elf cloaked in darkness with eyes like a black hole, I couldn\'t help but shiver with excitement. 

"What?" Celidri blurted out before turning to where I was staring. "Ah, it seems he\'s taken the stage." 

"He\'s number one, right? That prince of darkness is something else. He looks like he was ripped straight out of a fantasy novel… damn, he kind of resembles one of my friends," I laughed, covering my mouth just so nobody could create any misunderstandings. 

"Anyways, forget the match right now. Let\'s continue our conversation from earlier," She smiled, leaning forward and pressing her hand on my thigh. The disturbed gaze of Nell stared down at me as I pushed her away. "Ahem, well, do you want to join our clan? Our benefits our great and our members are pretty good as well." 

"Is that guy who sent the fodder out to fight me part of your clan?" 

She paused, a drop of sweat running down her cheek as she opened those rose-tinted lips of hers. "K-Kind of, but not everybody is like him. He\'s an anomaly and-" 

"But it seems you were on his side about trying to put me in my place." 

"Y-You heard that?" She asked while I nodded gently, my eyes forming daggers that scraped against each soft cheek. "*sigh*... I would like to deeply apologize for that. I\'m sure you understand that it\'s custom for us to do that here. It\'s almost like a ritual to enter our school-" 

"Yeah, I don\'t care." 

"W-What? So you can forgive us?" 

"No, I don\'t care how much you apologize. If you tried to kill me, you\'re my enemy… also, I had no intention of joining your clan anyway. I could have entered it from the beginning… I\'m sure you already know that though." 

Her defeated expression twisting with confusion was a feast for the eyes. And even though I wanted to see more of that… I knew I could use this. She looked to be a hot shot at this school and even though I may have the title of a noble now, I don\'t have the expansive connections that they have. 

Currently, my main objective is to evolve because once that happens I\'ll be able to stand side by side with Orion. If I gain his approval that would be even better since that means all of these worrying thoughts that eat away at me at the back of my mind could finally disappear. 

Does he really trust us? Is it worth it trying to gain his approval? Does everybody else think the same way I do? Did he ever like us? Did he ever think we were friends? Were we… no more than just tools to him this entire time? 

It was impossible to find out without asking him directly. The facade that he had taken up prior to falling into hell was scary and I got to see it firsthand used on various people. Even the most powerful and influential people were no more than mere pawns to him and the fact that he is willing to risk his life makes the possibilities of his influence so wide that it could one day snare entire dimensions in his net. 

Feeling Nell\'s eyes disappear and her presence begins to back away, I shifted my eyes back onto the dark elf who looked to be brainstorming anything to try and recruit me. And, just as she began to bite her nail, I gripped her hand and gently moved it away, bringing my mouth close to her. 

"I want you… and a few items" I smiled, leaning in with a gentle and welcoming expression. "... Only then will I join your clan." She smiled back, her lips approaching mine, but just as I was about to meet her amidst all of these jealous students, she dodged the last second. Her smirk was teasing and as she shook my grip from her hand, she cracked open those lips once more. 

"Not here… but maybe later," She winked.