"...Is that from the Inventory?" Ares muttered, surprised, as he noticed the sword in Eris''s hand seemingly materialize out of thin air, akin to how items manifested within his own inventory.


    "...It''s just spatial space magic," Eris replied with an unbothered expression.


    nk— nk—


    Momentarily taken aback by Eris''s utilization of spatial magic, a skill he had never seen her use in his past life, Ares swiftly resumed his assault.


    Drawing upon the power he acquired by defeating Hercules, he invoked his gift, Giantomania, augmenting his strength exponentially. However, despite his increased power, Eris effortlessly countered his attacks.


    nk— nk


    "...I heard you were a mage," Eris remarked while easily deflecting his continuous attacks. "But your swordsmanship is quite decent," sheplimented.


    ''As expected, her understanding of swords is far superior to mine,'' Ares pondered inwardly as he struggled tond an effective blow on Eris. ''For her to be able to block all of my attacks so effortlessly, she was called sword maiden for a reason.''


    "But if this is the extent of your power, I''ll be... disappointed in my future self for choosing someone as weak as you," Eris stated with an eerie smile.


    !?


    Ares''s eyes widened at her words. "You...don''t tell me—"


    "...why don''t you stop dwelling on what you can''t control and just focus on the present?" Eris interjected, sidestepping his attacks with ease.


    However, at Eris'' words, turmoil brewed in Ares''s mind. He already had doubts that his transmigration into this so-called novel world was due to Eris''s involvement, but her words only confirmed his suspicions.


    ''No, this can''t be real,'' Ares thought to himself. ''This is all just an illusion created by that bastard Belphagor''s skill.''


    However, he couldn''t understand how a skill could create such a vivid sense of consciousness. And her mention of being disappointed in her future self for choosing him only added to his confusion.


    "Is she... truly just an illusion?" Ares questioned, his mind clouded with uncertainty.


    Suddenly, a notification interrupted his thoughts.


    Ding!—


    [Skill: Ruler''s Authority has been activated!]


    With the activation of the skill, rity washed over Ares, dispelling his doubts and uncertainties in an instant.


    "In the end, it''s all a lie, right?" Ares sighed deeply, his voice heavy with disappointment.


    "...."


    Eris remained silent, her expression briefly shifting before returning to its usual impassive state.


    As questions flooded Ares'' mind, he felt the connection they once shared slipping away. Doubts gnawed at him, uncertain if the Eris before him was real or a mere creation of Belphagor''s deception. Yet, if her words held truth, he couldn''t shake the unsettling thought that she might have orchestrated everything from the start.


    The events, starting from his daring rescue of her in the dungeon, her seemingly selfless sacrifice to protect him, to stumbling upon a mysterious novel among her belongings, and his unexpected journey into this world, all appeared to be intricately entwined within her scheme.


    Yet, despite the overwhelming evidence, a part of him still clung to the hope that there was something more to this intricate web of events.


    Ares gritted his teeth, snapping himself out of his contemtion. His sword crackled with electricity, releasing a barrage of crescent-shaped blue arcs aimed at Eris.


    Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh


    Despite the onught, Eris gracefully evaded each arc with remarkable agility, catching Ares off guard with her swift movements.


    Anticipating the need for a change in tactics, Ares surged forward, channeling his domain to enhance his abilities throughout the arena.


    "Domain!"


    With the domain active, Ares''s speed multiplied tenfold as he executed his Atomic sh skill against Eris.


    "Atomic sh!"


    Swish— Swish— Swish


    nk— nk— nk


    To his astonishment, Eris skillfully blocked his Atomic sh despite the domain''s influence.


    !?


    It was the first time Ares had witnessed someone entirely nullifying his Atomic sh.


    sh—


    Simultaneously, as Eris blocked Ares''s atomic sh skill, she executed a sh upward, causing Ares''s domain to crumble instantly.


    Crumble— Crumble


    "What...?" Ares muttered, wide-eyed.


    "Is that the limit of your skills?" Eris questioned, pointing her sword towards Ares, challenging him to push further.


    Ares tightened his grip on his sword, resisting the urge to give in to her taunts. He was reluctant to rely on his telekinesis or other skills, preferring to test his swordsmanship alone against her. Despite Eris''s apparent power, he sensed that she was more interested in evaluating his skills than in harming him.


    Because when their swords shed, Ares noticed a distinct improvement in his swordsmanship, a surge of proficiency coursing through him—an experience he hadn''t felt in quite some time.


    "Why aren''t you fighting back?" Ares asked, his brow furrowing as he tried to maintain hisposure.


    "...If I were to retaliate, it would be over too quickly. Besides, I still have ns for you. How could I effectively use you if you were to perish within this mere illusion?" Eris responded calmly, her expression unchanged.


    "...."


    ''Well, that makes sense,'' Ares thought to himself. ''Her intentions in bringing me here would be pointless if I were to die in this ce. There must be a reason behind all of this.''


    Typically, under the influence of Belphagor''s Eternal Dream skill, individuals were unable to act of their own ord. They faced their regrets, crafting realistic scenarios to confront them, often mistaking the false dream for reality.


    However, because of Ares''s Ruler''s Authority skill, he was able to maintain his consciousness and self-control. But Eris also seems to somehow disy an unusual sense of self-control, possessing her own will as if she were alive.


    "...Didn''t your mentor teach you any other sword skills?" Eris''s sudden question struck a chord with Ares, causing a shift in his expression.


    "...."


    It wasn''t that Mika hadn''t imparted her skills to him; she had taught him most of them. However, despite wlessly imitating her techniques and possessing a photographic memory that facilitated the mastery of numerous skills, an elusive aspect remained in mastering even one of her skills.


    It seemed as though something crucial was missing during his practice, hindering him from achieving true mastery of Mika''s skills. While he could replicate the form and power of the skills to some extent, they fell shortpared to the sheer power and finesse Mika disyed when using her abilities.


    "So, you want to see what Mika taught me, do you?" Ares grinned, summoning a second sword into his grasp.


    "Let''s see if you can withstand this unscathed," he dered confidently, intertwining his swords in a cross formation and activating his static electricity skill. The des crackled with energy as they became enveloped in an Electric Aura.


    "Cross-Sword Thunder Blitz!" he muttered, emting Mika''s signature skill but imbuing it with his electric element instead of fire.


    Crackle— Crackle—


    The air crackled with energy as the des sliced through space, emitting bolts of electrified power.


    Zap— Zap— Zap


    The charged des hurtled toward Eris at incredible speed, aiming to engulf her in a torrent of electrifying strikes.


    "...Hm?"


    To be Continued...