August, Lucas, Melania, Ophelia, and Valerie.
These five were the start of the small alliance. Whenever they found themselves in challenges together, they worked as a team and only stopped to compete with each other when everyone else was taken care of.
It was a way for them to monopolize wins while at the same time promoting teamwork between people in their circumstances.
When the second stage started and the first two rounds went by, the other common geniuses immediately realized the benefit of being part of a group.
The alliance grew instantly. Melania regrouped with August and Valerie once her round ended and the three of them caught up on many things.
Melania mentioned the alliance, and August immediately understood what she was trying to do.
This was the first step to creating a force that was loyal to him. For now, they only worked together because of the benefits, but that would eventually change.
August was certain of that because Lucas and Ophelia had already changed their attitude a lot from the moment they first joined the alliance.
They were all young. They were independent as they all focused on training over all else, but they needed friendships and bonds to facilitate their growth.
People would naturally grow closer when they were put together for long periods of time. This situation worked exactly the same.
The second stage of the heir wars didn't present any challenges.
Honestly, it ended without that many surprises, despite the audience being entirely engaged for every single round.
August and his friends matched the nobles in every game and gave serious competition to the Holy Clan geniuses who appeared every so often.
The problem was that every single one of those geniuses had the same mentality as Eris.
They wanted to dominate. Nobody below their circumstances was allowed to do better than them.
It didn't matter if it stained their image. As long as they defeated their competitors, that was enough for them.
That group of twelve was terrifying. It was hard to find a podium that didn't have one of them on it.
But it also became harder to find a podium without a commoner on it.
Whether it was August or one of his compatriots, at least one person would always end up there, showing the world that they weren't defeated yet.
And that spirit…
It was surprisingly inspiring, and not just to commoners.
August's alliance grew. Some nobles started to put down their pride and ask to join it, and when they found themselves so easily accepted, many of them started to warm up to their less fortunate brothers and sisters.
And, it wasn't just people joining August.
The entire format of the heir wars began to change as geniuses stopped competing alone.
As of now, with three months passing and the second stage ending, there were two main alliances.
The first belonged to August.
It was made up of six commoners and five nobles. That number was once higher, but many of their allies had been eliminated in this round.
The second was headed by none other than Mikael from the Dawn Dragon Clan.
He had another eleven nobles on his side, and they directly opposed August and his group at every turn.
The eleven people who joined Mikael truly hated commoners. They wanted to see all of them eliminated, and that was the only reason they'd allied.
The funny part was Mikael himself.
He…didn't feel the same way at all.
Instead, he felt a strong rivalry against August and Valerie after his defeat in the first round.
He respected their strength, and though he did want to join them, he felt like it would be more engaging if he competed against them with more fervor than ever.
And in the process, he just happened to become the leader of the second alliance.
August and Mikael had become friends in the past three months, but that wasn't information privy to just anyone.
At the end of the day, they were enemies on the battlefield.
Nevertheless, there were now two alliances and twelve individual Holy Clan geniuses who refused to participate in their shenanigans.
They had a lot of conflict in the tournament itself. There were many moments where people were forced to question which side was in the right and if what they were doing was really ethical at all.
They used tricks against each other, schemed like they were fighting a war, and showed the audience just how desperate they were to win.
Still, it had been quiet on the external front.
In a certain sense, the heir wars had only just begun.
The narrative was being written by the commoners, but the only time they'd actually taken first place in the place of a Holy Clan genius was in that very first round.
Currently, the likes of August, Valerie, and Melania were still far below the three Holy Clan geniuses who were the overall first, second, and third-place contenders in the tournament.
On the leaderboard, it said that they were in 6th, 4th, and 5th respectively, but the gap between Valerie and Seryius Ether, who was in third, was five points.
It wasn't a large number, but it meant that if Valerie wanted to overtake him, then she needed to get a podium finish while he missed one.
And that…
Well, that wasn't something the Holy Clans would allow.
Tensions were undeniably heightening.
The pot was boiling deep underground so nobody realized that it was about to burst, but once it truly did erupt, heaven and earth would not survive its wrath.
That was the situation heading into the third round, which was set to begin a month later.
What more was there to say about the individual training of each genius?
They did everything they could to get stronger. Their competitors would only outdo them if they wasted a single second.
Perhaps that was also why August and his people didn't face too much trouble outside of the arena.
For now, they were still protected by the heir wars.
For now, nobody had been blackmailed or bribed into betraying their comrades.
For now, at least.
It was bound to happen eventually. Despite becoming friends with everyone that he could, August was still wary of that situation because he knew for certain that the Holy Clans wouldn't tolerate his existence for much longer.
August had become an anchor for those trying to diminish their power.
To get rid of him, wouldn't the Holy Clans use the most convenient method of using someone close to him?
He had to be ready for it.
And now that he'd been experiencing real combat for almost half a year, the roadblock in August's mind was completely gone.
What kind of fighter did he want to be?
What kind of dragon did he want to be?
These were the questions that held him back.
Now that he had the answers, the heavens rewarded him with a moment that had been waiting for his response.
As he meditated in the sea, surrounded by wildlife and even a few people from nearby water dragon clans, his eyes suddenly shot open.
They were filled with light. August's head jerked back, and their light shot into the sky to connect to the heavens.
An awakening was taking place in the depths.
After all this time, August was going to join the rest at that benchmark.
The 4th class.
August, Lucas, Melania, Ophelia, and Valerie.
These five were the start of the small alliance. Whenever they found themselves in challenges together, they worked as a team and only stopped to compete with each other when everyone else was taken care of.
It was a way for them to monopolize wins while at the same time promoting teamwork between people in their circumstances.
When the second stage started and the first two rounds went by, the other common geniuses immediately realized the benefit of being part of a group.
The alliance grew instantly. Melania regrouped with August and Valerie once her round ended and the three of them caught up on many things.
Melania mentioned the alliance, and August immediately understood what she was trying to do.
This was the first step to creating a force that was loyal to him. For now, they only worked together because of the benefits, but that would eventually change.
August was certain of that because Lucas and Ophelia had already changed their attitude a lot from the moment they first joined the alliance.
They were all young. They were independent as they all focused on training over all else, but they needed friendships and bonds to facilitate their growth.
People would naturally grow closer when they were put together for long periods of time. This situation worked exactly the same.
The second stage of the heir wars didn't present any challenges.
Honestly, it ended without that many surprises, despite the audience being entirely engaged for every single round.
August and his friends matched the nobles in every game and gave serious competition to the Holy Clan geniuses who appeared every so often.
The problem was that every single one of those geniuses had the same mentality as Eris.
They wanted to dominate. Nobody below their circumstances was allowed to do better than them.
It didn't matter if it stained their image. As long as they defeated their competitors, that was enough for them.
That group of twelve was terrifying. It was hard to find a podium that didn't have one of them on it.
But it also became harder to find a podium without a commoner on it.
Whether it was August or one of his compatriots, at least one person would always end up there, showing the world that they weren't defeated yet.
And that spirit…
It was surprisingly inspiring, and not just to commoners.
August's alliance grew. Some nobles started to put down their pride and ask to join it, and when they found themselves so easily accepted, many of them started to warm up to their less fortunate brothers and sisters.
And, it wasn't just people joining August.
The entire format of the heir wars began to change as geniuses stopped competing alone.
As of now, with three months passing and the second stage ending, there were two main alliances.
The first belonged to August.
It was made up of six commoners and five nobles. That number was once higher, but many of their allies had been eliminated in this round.
The second was headed by none other than Mikael from the Dawn Dragon Clan.
He had another eleven nobles on his side, and they directly opposed August and his group at every turn.
The eleven people who joined Mikael truly hated commoners. They wanted to see all of them eliminated, and that was the only reason they'd allied.
The funny part was Mikael himself.
He…didn't feel the same way at all.
Instead, he felt a strong rivalry against August and Valerie after his defeat in the first round.
He respected their strength, and though he did want to join them, he felt like it would be more engaging if he competed against them with more fervor than ever.
And in the process, he just happened to become the leader of the second alliance.
August and Mikael had become friends in the past three months, but that wasn't information privy to just anyone.
At the end of the day, they were enemies on the battlefield.
Nevertheless, there were now two alliances and twelve individual Holy Clan geniuses who refused to participate in their shenanigans.
They had a lot of conflict in the tournament itself. There were many moments where people were forced to question which side was in the right and if what they were doing was really ethical at all.
They used tricks against each other, schemed like they were fighting a war, and showed the audience just how desperate they were to win.
Still, it had been quiet on the external front.
In a certain sense, the heir wars had only just begun.
The narrative was being written by the commoners, but the only time they'd actually taken first place in the place of a Holy Clan genius was in that very first round.
Currently, the likes of August, Valerie, and Melania were still far below the three Holy Clan geniuses who were the overall first, second, and third-place contenders in the tournament.
On the leaderboard, it said that they were in 6th, 4th, and 5th respectively, but the gap between Valerie and Seryius Ether, who was in third, was five points.
It wasn't a large number, but it meant that if Valerie wanted to overtake him, then she needed to get a podium finish while he missed one.
And that…
Well, that wasn't something the Holy Clans would allow.
Tensions were undeniably heightening.
The pot was boiling deep underground so nobody realized that it was about to burst, but once it truly did erupt, heaven and earth would not survive its wrath.
That was the situation heading into the third round, which was set to begin a month later.
What more was there to say about the individual training of each genius?
They did everything they could to get stronger. Their competitors would only outdo them if they wasted a single second.
Perhaps that was also why August and his people didn't face too much trouble outside of the arena.
For now, they were still protected by the heir wars.
For now, nobody had been blackmailed or bribed into betraying their comrades.
For now, at least.
It was bound to happen eventually. Despite becoming friends with everyone that he could, August was still wary of that situation because he knew for certain that the Holy Clans wouldn't tolerate his existence for much longer.
August had become an anchor for those trying to diminish their power.
To get rid of him, wouldn't the Holy Clans use the most convenient method of using someone close to him?
He had to be ready for it.
And now that he'd been experiencing real combat for almost half a year, the roadblock in August's mind was completely gone.
What kind of fighter did he want to be?
What kind of dragon did he want to be?
These were the questions that held him back.
Now that he had the answers, the heavens rewarded him with a moment that had been waiting for his response.
As he meditated in the sea, surrounded by wildlife and even a few people from nearby water dragon clans, his eyes suddenly shot open.
They were filled with light. August's head jerked back, and their light shot into the sky to connect to the heavens.
An awakening was taking place in the depths.
After all this time, August was going to join the rest at that benchmark.
The 4th class.
