Chapter 1703: Third Stage [1]

Thirty-four geniuses were instantly transported into two separate territories along with two thousand troops.

Each of those troops had been vetted in the moment of teleportation to check if they had the right qualifications to participate. As for the geniuses, well, there was only one irregularity among them.

The first, second, and third-place geniuses were all participating in the war, so the question was...who was the seeded genius?

There were thirty-five of them in the competition, but an even number was necessary for the fairness of the round. One person had been left out.

Well, he wasn't going to be out of the war for the entire time, but he was definitely something of a trump card.

None of the Holy Clan geniuses could be chosen for that role. Because their clans and their fellow geniuses would complain in a way that the tournament administration didn't want to deal with.

The seeded genius couldn't be one of the weakest. At that point, what was the point of seeding at all? They were just saving someone who was going to be eliminated soon anyway.

The strongest were off the table, but there were many noble clan geniuses who had particular talents that would be more useful in war than others.

One of such geniuses was chosen to sit out for the beginning of the round. Later on, he would be returned to whichever team was able to claim him as one of their people.

As for why he of all people had earned this role...?

Well, it was purely due to his "domain."

Kashim Darkarm was a man who didn't particularly stand out in the heir wars. He had brushed by in every round, and when alliances formed around him, he stayed mostly neutral.

He had less of a connection to their group than anyone else, but he technically gave his allegiance to Mikael.

Nevertheless, he had sworn an oath to the heavenly order that he would remain neutral and properly aid whichever team he ended up a part of.

Kashim's ability made him an impenetrable fortress. Taking cities would be easy when his ability was in play, because even Holy Clan geniuses had to be wary of his territories.

The in-depth explanation of his ability could wait until he was also participating in the war.

When August and the rest arrived in their individual palaces, that was all they were told through their emblems.

Kushim would eventually be an important card to hold, but he wasn't the immediate priority.

The teams spawned in war rooms, complete with massive tables in the middle that had holographic projections of the arena map.

As if they were reading each other's minds, both teams immediately approached those tables before anything else.

"Three border cities."

It was the first thing August noticed and the first thing that was called out.

On both sides, there were three border cities staggered across the line that separated their territories.

Moving inward, August's territory had two cities to the east and one to the west, while the other side had territories evenly distanced from each other in the east, west, and center of the territory.

The castles were at the very end of each territory, separated from the closest city by several tens of kilometers. Even if they wanted to get there as soon as possible, any troops in the castle would need several seconds at the very least to reach their destination.

"Hmm..." Cera hummed.

"With a distribution like this, should we go for Plan C?"

"That would be nice, but they'll probably be able to read it easily. That plan telegraphs itself fairly obviously to those who are smart enough to see it."

"True," Cera agreed, nodding her head.

"Still, it's a good starting point. We can switch into Plan B and even use the more destructive elements of our first draft to catch them off guard. It really just depends on how they respond."

"Right. As you said, we can start there and figure out the rest after we see what they're up to. Regardless, the first step is to distribute our troops and do some reconnaissance. They're likely thinking the same."

Until this point, only August and Cera, as the team's tacticians, were talking.

Now that the conversation had continued into something that the rest could also contribute to, others joined in.

Mainly, Raphael and Iridia.

Raphael already had his army. The mercenaries he hired would only listen to him, after all.

He did it to make sure that his position would remain stable, but he unintentionally left Iridia with only August's troops at her disposal.

"Let my mercenaries take the frontlines for now. We have not vetted your people, so they can wait until they've proven themselves."

August narrowed his eyes, not appreciating the man's tone, but didn't say anything.

'In the first phase, most of the troops in the border cities will become sacrifices. It's better for mercenaries to take that role, especially since my people will be more useful for the rest of the battle.'

Raphael was strong. He also had a lot of training since he was one of the Ignis Clan's best prospective talents.

However, he had never seen war.

It was fine to let Raphael take some embarrassment first so he could take the rest of the war as a learning experience.

As for Iridia...

"I agree. Even if they are your troops, they will have to accept me as their general for now. Before we enter combat, I need to meet them."

She supported Raphael for a reason different from his own. It was definitely a more rational approach as well.

August had already informed his people that they'd be led by someone else at the start. They had accepted it, but it was still unknown if they'd get along with Iridia.

Logically speaking, keeping the five hundred of them in the cities closer to the palace was a better decision for now.

Somehow, everyone's opinions lined up.

Valerie and the rest, Seryius, and the Aurora Clan geniuses abstained from the conversation, merely observing as the two generals and two tacticians continued to make plans despite being somewhat unaware of their enemy's intentions.

They were unaware, but they made plans because that was only temporary.

The second they achieved their first victory, they could move their enemies along a predetermined path and manipulate them into playing into their hands.

For now, everything that needed to be done was still preparation.

But the third stage had already begun.

The announcer wasn't in the same arena as them, nor were the crowds, but they were all watching eagerly through the invisible cameras that recorded every move that both sides made.

Inside a massive swathe of land, enveloped in a golden light barrier that disallowed any communication between that place and the outside world, a little over two thousand people prepared for war.

And outside of that place, a far greater number did the same.

It was obvious which war would start first, but...

Would it be able to end before a similar situation manifested on a far greater scale?

None of these geniuses understood how close the situation in Arulion was to erupting. Hell, even the Holy Clans didn't properly understand the storm that was brewing.

But those few that knew that it would come...

It was safe to say that all of them had fled far, far away from the Kingdom of Dragons.