Chapter 1697: Preparation [2]

Every Holy Clan had sent two geniuses into the competition. They made up a solid portion of the contestants at this point, so it was a little surprising that August hadn't run into many of them.

However, they were definitely there. All of them, including the geniuses from the Liqua Clan.

The day when August met them and was forced to fight would come soon. After all, both of them were on the enemy side.

The geniuses from the same Holy Clan had to be placed on the same team for obvious reasons. The war wouldn't be much of a war if people from the same side were able to seize control over both teams.

The six on August's side were from the Ether Clan, the Aurora Clan, and the Ignis Clan.

Mikael was a follower of the Aurora Clan, so August had a good impression of them. The Ether Clan was more mysterious. He didn't quite know what to think of them. Finally, those named Ignis were known for their arrogance. They would likely be the most difficult to control.

The majority of those on his team responded to his message. The rest didn't speak, but it was assured that they'd appear.

For some, this meeting was a time to create a hierarchy. August had been the figurehead of this group for the longest time, but the Holy Clan geniuses wouldn't easily let him tell them what to do.

For others, it truly was a time to create a strategy to defeat the other side. It was just a matter of who was taking the competition seriously and who was treating it as an ego battle.

The location August chose was remote, but everyone competing had the money to pay for private teleportation directly to the coordinates. Even those who started poor were now backed by sponsors who gave them that kind of privilege.

August arrived first. He looked around at the familiar yet unfamiliar area.

There was a broken palace here. It lost its significance a long time ago, but it once meant everything to dragonkind.

It was a fortress of legends back then, but it was currently completely unknown. Even the most informed geniuses likely wouldn't know what it signified.

But August knew.

Because he inherited the memories of the man who built it.

August chose this location mainly because he was still something of a wanted man. He, Valerie, and Melania all had the same status in that sense, so it wasn't great for them to go into society.

They'd been able to train peacefully only because Damien gave them the facilities. If it wasn't for him...well, their lives would have been hell by now.

Nevertheless, the fortress was separated from all of Arulion's society, several thousands of kilometers from the nearest small settlement.

It was from a part of Arulion's history that had been erased along with most of the old continent, so the newly forged Arulion was made where nobody could access it unless they knew what to look for.

August had never been here in person, but seeing it for himself sparked a different kind of emotion than what he felt when he was watching Qinglong.

It was decrepit, sure, but it was just as glorious as ever.

'It wouldn't be bad if I could fix it.'

That was a thought for another time.

For now, August entered the fortress and waited for the others to arrive.

Melania, Valerie, Lucas, and Ophelia came first. Within about ten minutes, they'd made their presence known.

The rest of their original group arrived within half an hour, and the last six geniuses, who were new, came somewhere within forty-five minutes and an hour.

Their attitudes were immediately as expected.

Though they couldn't help but express their initial surprise when they saw their surroundings, they remained stoic afterward, as if this meeting was a small war between them as well.

August smiled wryly.

'This is going to be harder than I thought.'

He clapped and hands and got everyone's attention. They were in an old meeting room in the palace, so the atmosphere was just right for them to start.

"Why don't we introduce ourselves formally? If we're going to work as a team, it's best we know each other's strengths."

In the end, he still started with the rationality tactic. His long-

term plans could be enacted later.

"I'm August Void. I'm a water dragon, no specific lineage, but I'm strong enough to defend myself. More importantly, I think I'm pretty smart, so I'll be best when it comes to strategizing."

He gave them enough of an outline of what needed to be said.

Valerie and the rest introduced themselves as well to create the proper atmosphere, and slowly, everyone joined in.

August and his group were all familiar with the nobles and commoners who'd joined them thus far.

The last commoner aside from those who were known was named Glendon Serria. He was a fire dragon like Ophelia, but they were on different levels.

Still, he was good enough to make it this far, so he wasn't someone to be underestimated.

The five nobles who joined them were named Hannen, Korra, Tassien, Quinn, and Zeno. The first three came from fire dragon clans that followed the Ignis Clan, while the last two came from subordinate clans to the Aureat and Ether Clans respectively.

Hannen, Korra, Tassien, and Zeno were instantly floored by the geniuses who had joined their team.

Their demeanor had changed and become more submissive, because all they had been taught since young was how to submit to the Holy Clans.

That kind of demeanor didn't elicit respect from their stronger peers. Instead, it generated a kind of ire that made August sigh.

Still, the fact that the rest of them had finished introductions provoked the Holy Clan geniuses to do the same.

The two from the Ether Clan were Seryius and Cera. They were brother and sister, and their abilities directly opposed each other. While Seryius was more combat-focused, Cera had a mind beyond minds and could handle the complex calculations of spatial support abilities with ease.

From the Ignis Clan came Raphael and Iridia. Once again they were a man and a woman, but they had no relation other than that of being from the same clan. As to be expected from the Ignis Clan, they were both combat-focused, but they did diverge. While Raphael was good at precision movements that were deadly against individuals, Iridia had explosive wide-area damage that was more destructive than anyone else in the competition.

And finally, from the Aurora Clan were two geniuses by the names of Gio and Bianca. They were dedicated healers for the most part, but if they didn't have the combat talent to match, they wouldn't have been able to survive in the heir wars no matter what their status was.

Their group was made up of mainly offensive players, but that didn't matter much.

"Alright. Since we have a basic understanding of our roles now, I'll tell you all the thoughts I've had so far. Feel free to interrupt with your own at any point."

August had taken the momentum of this meeting from the first moment. And, since he was focusing on the upcoming battle and giving only relevant information, nobody could find an opportunity to butt in.

There were at least a few who were looking for an opportunity, but August didn't plan to give them any attention unless they approached the conversation genuinely.

This time was provided to them so that they could work out the gritty details before ever touching the arena grounds.

So even if he had to take these Holy Clan geniuses on by himself, August would find a way to do it.

Unless someone better could prove themself, August was not willing to give up his authority.

Because even if this team was a ragtag group of people who didn't get along...

...August was determined to lead them to victory.