“And you’re the leaders? The strongest among your ranks?” Ares asks.

  “Shit, they speak?” Heysoos remarks.

  “Careful, guys. These two are still equivalent to ultra champions,” David warns.

  “You may be strong and have defeated many powerful beings in Hell, but I doubt you’ve ever met a worm, let alone one with intelligence like ours,” Ares continues. “Huh? I can’t say popsicle?”

  Hephaestus eyes Lust. “That two-faced floating being – that’s your floor’s guardian? Interesting design choice.”

  “Guardian? Floor? Being? Looks like they call things differently in Heaven,” Charlotte mutters.

  “I’ll take down that floor guardian! You handle these weaklings,” Hephaestus declares, but instead of darting toward Lust, he veers to the far side of the level, away from Ares. Crowd’s team quickly agrees to follow, leaving David’s team to face Ares.

  “Humans are such fools. Did you think we’re here to kill your guardian?” Ares taunts. “We’re here for you strong souls. We’re here to wipe you out.”

  David’s team exchanges confused looks, but Ares doesn’t give them time to respond. His form solidifies as his armor materializes around him. Tall and powerfully built, Ares’s chiseled features and intense, smoldering gaze add to his menacing presence. His bronze-toned skin glows beneath the gleaming crimson armor, edged in black along the chest plate and joints. The brutal, scale-like segments layer thickly, and spiked pauldrons jut from his shoulders. A narrow, dark visor on his helmet obscures his gaze, intensifying the aura of quiet fury.

  “All souls, aim your attacks at the guardian!” Hephaestus commands, his voice amplified, echoing across the battlefield.

  The order throws the Heaven ranks into confusion. Despite the onslaught from Hell's army, they are bound to obey. Missiles pivot toward Lust, while those without ammunition activate their jetpacks, launching themselves into the air to hover above, awaiting for the right opportunity to strike.

  Meanwhile, Ares summons a flaming sword and a golden shield while pillars of fire erupt around him, radiating a bloodthirsty lust that instills fear in David’s team. Before they can react, the pillars bend toward each team member. Most dodge out of the way, but Fatima stands her ground, blocking the flames with a rock pillar. Ares dashes toward her, using his shield to smash through the partially shattered rock, then swiftly swings his sword, aiming for her neck.

  Fatima fortifies her neck with rock, but Ares's swing never connects as David unleashes a barrage of lightning at him. Ares quickly shifts his stance, blocking the bolts with his shield. Just then, a rock pillar erupts from beneath him, but he times his leap perfectly, using the pillar’s emergence to launch himself into the air. As he ascends, he maneuvers with jets of flame propelling him from beneath his feet.

  David’s team hurls projectiles into the air with relentless force. Ares deftly dodges and blocks with his shield, his formidable armor absorbing the impacts of those that land. In a sudden move, his sword morphs into a spear as he lands and charges toward Ruben. Instantly, walls of various elements rise to protect him, effectively shielding Ruben from the spear, which pierces through all but the final wall, its flaming tip protruding. Seizing the opportunity, Charlotte shatters the ice wall, sending shards flying toward Ares, while Ruben deflects the spear from his hand. As a result, Ares turns away to avoid the shards piercing his helmet, leaving him weaponless and vulnerable for a moment.

  “How dare you defy a rooster!” Ares says.

  David, Fatima, Kai, Isabella, and Eugene converge on Ares, weapons drawn as they swarm in. Ares smirks, prompting David to call out for his team to halt. In an instant, flames erupt beneath the five, and Ares now spins in a circle wielding a flaming ax. David’s warning comes too late as Eugene both hands are sliced deeply and Kai suffers severe burns across his body, despite being a fire soul himself, outclassed by Ares.

  “Kai!” Violet screams, rushing over as Eugene begins to tend to him, using water to soothe the burn.

  “If you wanted a spar, why didn’t you just ask? Come at me, all of you at once,” Ares dares, his voice laced with seriousness.

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  David hesitates, wary of a trap. Knowing they can’t retreat, he gestures to Ruben who creates a gust to blow Eugene out of the battle.

  “Slow him down! Don’t let him take to the air!” David commands.

  Charlotte hurls her ice flail at Ares, who instinctively blocks. To his surprise, the weapon clings to his shield, icy spikes sprouting and securing the flail in place. Electrifying lava surges up beneath him just as lightning strikes down from above. Ares drops his shield and leaps back, stabilizing himself before turning around and dashing forward. Gripping his spear with both hands, he vaults himself into the air. Once again, he’s airborne, hovering above them.

  As Ares evades the incoming projectiles, he readies himself to strike down at David with his ax. But before he can land the blow, a massive watery cyclone bursts forth, carrying an array of weapons within its wide radius. A deafening explosion follows, likely from Mira’s whip, sending Ares hurtling past the entrance gate and crashing into the level wall outside.

  “Take that, Ar…A…Aliases? Pfft…Aids!” To everyone’s surprise, it’s Mira who shouts this while perched atop the enlarged Cateto’s head.

  “How did you get here so quickly?” David asks.

  “Heaven souls are focused on attacking just Lust, which gives us and the rest of our forces a chance to push forward!” Wyn shouts.

  “Good timing! We need you!” David urges.

  Wyn’s team joins David’s, and just as they’re about to follow Ares out of the entrance gate, Ares is spotted hovering back inside.

  “Whenever he flies, can someone from your team work with Cateto to shoot him down? The rest should join us on the ground,” David instructs.

  With that, Cateto enlarges once more. Anticipating the next attack, Ares darts directly at Cateto. However, Wyn summons a watery cyclone infused with ice in front of Cateto, halting Ares’s advance. Just then, a large fiery laser beam shoots forward, tracking Ares’s ever-changing position.

  Carefully timing his throw, Heysoos launches his anchor, enhanced by Charlotte’s wind. It successfully hooks onto the spike of Ares’s pauldron. In response, Ares spins upward to free himself from the anchor, but this move provides Cateto with the perfect opportunity to blast him into the wall outside the gate once again.

  “Yeah, Lisa! Woo!” Yu cheers.

  “Oh, Mister Yu! Shush! It’s Cateto!” Lisa replies, blushing.

  “My family has existed in Hell for generations of souls, enduring much training to become the foundation of all the demons,” Cateto explains.

  “Hey, no time to chit chat! Let’s follow him and make sure we pin him to the wall next time!” Wyn suggests.

  “He’s not gonna fly no more after this,” Vivian adds.

  “Then we’ll make him! I think I might have an idea,” David says.

  Outside the gate, the group finds Ares crouched, his fists pounding the ground.

  “How dare you mock me!” he roars, his voice seething with anger.

  While the others shiver in fear, Wyn replies nonchalantly, “Mock you how? By hitting you with a projectile from a cat’s mouth?”

  “What the fuck?!” James and Charlotte exclaim simultaneously, while the rest gasp in disbelief.

  “We want to spar with you. Just us here,” David says, pointing to himself, Fatima, Wyn, Yu, and James.

  As the group forms around him, Ares sweeps his ax at David with both hands. David turns to block with his own weapons, but Ares's strength is unmatched, dragging him into the wall. Fatima springs in to help, thrusting her drill forward. Ares desummons the ax and raises his shield to block her attack, deflecting the drill upward and creating an opening to thrust his spear forward.

  At that moment, James charges in from the side with his merged weapon. Ares reacts by swinging his spear to deflect James’s rapier instead. Following this, Ares throws the spear at James, but Yu’s crescent blade deflects it just in time. Meanwhile, Wyn positions himself behind Ares and launches both chakram blades, aiming for the tight space behind Ares's neck. In a swift motion, Ares throws his shield, spinning it through the blades. Wyn reacts just in time, ducking low to avoid the incoming projectile.

  David charges back in, his own shield raised, but he's easily halted by Ares’ own shield. From the other side, Yu extends his blade, only to find it locked in place by Ares’ ax. Seizing a large opening, Fatima thrusts forward at Ares. In a swift motion, Ares twists his wrists, adjusting the angles of his weapons before spinning to deflect all incoming attacks.

  Then, he launches his shield toward Fatima. Unlike Wyn, she doesn’t react in time, allowing the blade to slice diagonally from her shoulder down her body, though she remains intact.

  “FATI!” Charlotte screams.

  Charlotte quickly blows Fatima toward her, wrapping her arms around her as her body trembles violently. Although David wants to check on Fatima, he knows he doesn’t have the time. Joining the fight now in Fatima’s place is Heysoos.

  “Ruben, go get help! We need the city cats here as soon as possible!” David commands, prompting Ruben to dash back inside.

  “We’ll have to find a way to pin him down,” Heysoos declares, beginning to circle around Ares.

  As they charge in all at once, Wyn and David aim low while Yu and James go high. Ares can’t simply spin to evade them all. Instead, he blocks Yu’s blade with his shield and deflects James’ rapier with his sword before striking down at Wyn. This gives Heysoos the opening he needs to throw one of his chained hooks around Ares’ arm. Wyn intentionally falls on his back to block the descending blade with the chakrams, feeling a tremendous pressure on his back as he braces himself.