WAR GOD : Rise After Betrayal

Chapter 5

Ares stood frozen for several seconds in the hospital lobby. His chest rose and fell irregularly. The word pregnant kept echoing in his head.

Without thinking any further, he quickened his steps.

“Rachel!” he called out loudly.

Rachel, who had just walked a few meters with Max, immediately stiffened. She turned around with a shocked expression, then it changed to irritation when she saw who was calling her.

“You?” she said coldly. “What do you want now?”

Ares hastened his steps and grabbed Rachel’s wrist.

“Are you pregnant?” he asked firmly. “Answer me. Whose child is it?”

“Let go of me!” Rachel slapped his hand away harshly. “Don’t touch me!”

Several people in the lobby began to look over. Max stepped forward, standing in front of Rachel with a mocking expression.

“What is this?” Max sneered. “A poor man daring to harass my wife?”

Ares did not look at Max. His gaze remained locked on Rachel.

“Answer me,” he said in a low voice. “If you’re pregnant with my child, that divorce is invalid.”

The next second, Rachel burst into mocking laughter.

“Hahaha,” she laughed loudly. “Your child?”

Max laughed as well, even louder. “Are you still daydreaming, Ares?”

Rachel rubbed her still-flat stomach with a victorious expression. “Keep dreaming. This child is Max’s.”

Ares froze.

“What did you say?” his voice was hoarse.

Rachel stepped closer by half a step, deliberately lowering her voice. “Every time I used to sleep with you, I always took contraceptive pills afterward. Always.”

Those words were like knives.

“And for the past two months,” Rachel continued without a shred of guilt, “I never slept with you. I was always with Max. So of course, this is his child.”

Ares’s face stiffened. His jaw clenched.

Max grinned. “Did you really think a woman like Rachel would carry the child of an unemployed man?”

Ares felt blood rush to his head.

His chest throbbed violently. A burning sensation spread from the center of his chest throughout his body. The seal that had been binding something within him trembled faintly, as if responding to his anger.

His hands clenched tightly. Veins bulged on the back of his hands. His vision darkened slightly at the edges.

Inside his head, the sound of war drums seemed to echo from afar.

Calm down, he told himself. Don’t lose control.

But the anger was too strong.

“You really are a shameless woman,” Ares said coldly.

A slap flew toward him.

However—

Rachel’s wrist was caught in midair.

Ares did not even realize when he raised his hand. He only reacted instinctively to block it, but the force that came from his body was far greater than he had expected.

Rachel staggered backward with a startled scream.

“Ah!”

Her body nearly fell if not for Max quickly pulling her back.

“You’re crazy!” Rachel shouted. “How dare you touch me!”

Max stared at Ares with eyes wide in fury. “You bastard!”

He turned toward the entrance. “Bodyguards! Get over here now!”

Two large men immediately approached. Their faces were cold, their steps firm.

“Beat him,” Max ordered without hesitation. “Teach him a lesson.”

Ares took a reflexive step back.

“Wait,” he said. “I don’t want trouble.”

One of the bodyguards sneered. “Too late.”

A massive fist flew toward Ares’s face.

But this time—

Ares’s body moved faster than his thoughts.

He blocked with one hand, then instinctively counterattacked.

Bam!

A heavy impact rang out.

The bodyguard was flung sideways and slammed hard into a marble pillar.

“What—?” Max’s eyes widened in shock.

The second bodyguard attacked from the other side. Ares turned and swung his arm without any clear technique.

Crash!

The man was thrown to the floor several meters away.

The hospital lobby immediately erupted into chaos.

“Oh my God!” “He knocked them down with one hit!” “The bodyguards are huge!”

Ares himself stood frozen.

He stared at his hands, his breathing ragged.

“What… what did I just do?” he whispered.

His chest throbbed violently. The heat surged again, then slowly faded, as if something was being pulled back inside.

Rachel turned pale.

“You—you monster!” she screamed in fear.

Max unconsciously stepped back half a step. “Ares… you…”

Ares lifted his face. His gaze was sharp, different from before.

“I won’t touch you again,” he said coldly. “And I won’t care about your life anymore.”

He glanced at Rachel one last time. “Take good care of that child. Tomorrow at nine in the morning, I’ll be waiting at the civil registry office. We’ll finalize the divorce papers.”

Without waiting for an answer, Ares turned around and walked away.

Every step felt heavy, but his mind was far more chaotic than his body. Behind his chest, the seal tightened again slowly. However, a small crack had already formed.

“What’s happening to me? Why do I feel like I have strength?” Ares still looked confused.

In the VIP ward, Elara reclined half-sitting on the hospital bed. The wound on her forehead had been cleaned and covered with a thin bandage. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were sharp as she stared at the phone screen held by Tom, who stood beside the bed.

“Play it again,” Elara said briefly.

Tom nodded and replayed the video recording. The screen showed the hospital lobby. Ares was seen facing Rachel and Max. The sound of their argument was clear, followed by the scene of two bodyguards being thrown away with just one punch.

Elara narrowed her eyes.

“He said he couldn’t fight,” she said softly.

Tom smiled faintly. “That’s what makes me sure, Miss. This man can actually fight.”

Elara fell silent for a few seconds. She stared at the screen without blinking, as if analyzing every movement Ares made.

“His punches aren’t trained,” Tom continued. “But his strength makes no sense.”

Elara nodded slowly. “Exactly.”

She shifted her gaze toward the window. “He didn’t intend to hurt anyone. That was a spontaneous reaction.”

“And he held back,” Tom added. “Otherwise, the consequences could have been worse.”

Elara turned back. “Where is he now?”

“He left the hospital alone,” Tom replied.

Elara inhaled slowly. “He has no destination.”

Tom nodded. “Men like that usually just wander aimlessly.”

Elara was silent for a moment, then said firmly, “Tom.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Follow Ares.”

Tom was slightly surprised. “Now?”

“Now,” Elara repeated. “He must be wandering the streets.”

Tom nodded resolutely. “Understood.”

“Take him to the Cole Mansion,” Elara continued. “Give him a guest room.”

Tom quickly made notes on his phone.

“Which guest room, Miss?”

Elara answered without hesitation, “The one next to my room.”

Tom raised his eyebrows but did not argue. “Understood.”

Elara added, “Make sure he eats and rests. We’ll talk about work tomorrow.”

Tom smiled faintly. “Yes, Miss.”

He turned around and immediately left the room.

On the other side of the city, Ares sat on the sidewalk near a bus stop that had long been out of service. Streetlights dimly illuminated his face. His jacket was slightly open, his breathing had calmed, but his mind was still in turmoil.

He stared at both of his hands.

“What happened earlier?” he muttered.

He clenched his fists, then opened them again. Nothing happened. No heat. No strange strength.

“Why, when I was angry…” he said softly, then fell silent.

Ares let out a long breath and leaned his back against the bus stop pole.

“Where should I go now?” he asked himself.

He had no home. No job. No one.

“Stay strong, Ares! At least you still have hope. Miss Elara will give you a job. Alright… for today, maybe I’ll sleep under a bridge first,” Ares said. He smiled while rubbing his stomach, which was beginning to feel hungry, even swallowing his saliva several times.

“I must prove to Rachel Corriere that I can become a useful man! No matter how, I must make that woman regret it!”