The tremors from Valerie's clash with Faldren were felt at the castles of both teams.
They reacted roughly the same as they felt the draconic auras of those who had entered their true forms, understanding that none of them would be able to refrain from doing the same anymore.
But, both sides kept most of their attention on the border cities.
"As expected, your friend over there was useless."
Eris stood over the projection table and watched the map change, addressing the only other person in the room.
"That's just how it is," Wilhelm responded with a smile and a shrug.
"You know his situation."
"Yeah, you're a sick one."
"You aren't being very nice, Eris. I think most people would call it 'strategy,' would they not?"
Eris glared at the blue-haired man.
Of the people in this competition, including August, he was the one she despised the most.
After all, her hatred for August was situational. When it came to Wilhelm, there was a page-long list of reasons why she never wanted to be near him.
'Unfortunately, we have to work together here.'
And because she was one of the most prominent figures on their team, she had to work closely with him.
Estavian was…well, that didn't need to be mentioned at the moment. The point was that he didn't have any power unless he was near Wilhelm. It was impossible for him to act outside of that man's command.
That was exactly why he'd lost so miserably, wasn't it?
"Still, I don't know why you thought it was necessary to do all of that. We could've lured them in without losing as many troops," Eris said.
Wilhelm had only one condition for him to leave her alone and let her properly command the army.
The first move had to be his. No matter what he did, she couldn't interfere.
Naturally, she agreed. Having him stay far away was just too appealing for her to reject.
Yet, when Wilhelm decided to sacrifice three hundred of their troops just to lead Raphael into their territory, she couldn't help but doubt it.
"It doesn't matter," Wilhelm responded simply. His always-casual attitude was part of what made him so off-putting. He was, after all, the complete opposite of a casual person.
"Did any of them matter? Would any of them have contributed anything to our cause before dying? Whether they're sacrificed now or sacrificed later doesn't matter. In the end, this is a battle for those of us who actually deserve to be standing on this stage."
"Regardless, if you think they're stupid enough to fall for your little traps–"
"–little traps? Eris, my dear, you aren't braindead, are you? Did you actually think those basic formations were my only cards? Don't be silly."
Wilhelm grinned.
"Raphael is a bit of a blockhead himself. Maybe your favorite muckblood will realize that something is wrong, but that kid…he has a mind like mine."
Eris gritted her teeth. She couldn't fight with him here. It made her blood boil, but that was the fact of the matter.
Wilhelm's plan was simple, and it was already being carried out.
The exterior border cities weren't sieged with as much force as hoped, but that didn't matter.
The main target was none other than Raphael Ignis.
Plus…
"...when we take him from them along with those bottomfeeders he brought in from the outside, what will be left of their army?"
There was really only one critical piece of information that Gianna was able to share before she was eliminated.
Raphael was being followed by a famous mercenary group from the outside. They were feared, sure, but they were still just an unruly bunch that barely earned their noble titles.
Other than less than a hundred soldiers recruited from various clans, the rest were unknown.
The only thing Gianna could confirm was that they were all dragons and none of them had lineages she recognized. She disappeared before she could understand what the strength of those lineages was, but since they weren't anything recognizable, nothing more needed to be said.
Those were geniuses recruited by August Void. His origins were mysterious, but not enough to cause concern.
'Despite that, they're the ones I'm most wary of.'
Unlike Wilhelm, Eris didn't take them lightly. Rather than the threat she knew, the one in the shadows was more fearsome.
They may not have been from recognizable bloodlines, but if they were all 4th class dragons as reported, then they weren't weak by any means.
'Taking Raphael down is still the first priority.'
Since they'd come this far, there was nothing left to be said. Raphael had to be eliminated before they could focus on the rest of the team.
And, if they were lucky, they would be able to take down more than just him with their schemes.
'It won't be long.'
They'd have to wait until they heard back from Gianna, but once they did…
"Haa…"
Eris couldn't stop herself from sighing.
After this ended, there was nothing they could do to stop public opinion from turning against them.
For each and every person on their team, the only option left would be to win the heir wars.
Only then could they truly shush any opposing voices.
***
BOOOOOOM!
The rest were unaware of what was being planned in that castle. Even Seryius hadn't explored it too deeply out of fear of being detected.
Everything that both Eris and Wilhelm said was recorded and displayed before the world, but nobody saw it.
Not a single person actually witnessed that conversation.
After all, with so much excitement going on, who was going to focus on the portion of the war that was being intentionally minimized?
Especially at a time like this, when everyone's attention was focused on the constant explosions ongoing to the west of the same territory, nobody was of the mind to see what anyone else was up to.
It truly was a sight to see. When two dragons fought, it created a scene that was as beautiful as it was brutal.
Nature itself responded to those beings.
In the plains only a few hundred kilometers away from the western border city, the earth had become Valerie's territory and the sky belonged to Faldren.
A massive expanse of trees of all kinds, dead and alive, had populated the previously empty space.
Flying above it was an emerald-green dragon that looked far too majestic to be of common descent.
Meanwhile, the sky was entirely gold.
The energy of fate flowed freely, causing a myriad of phenomena throughout the clouds. A golden dragon with accents of red flew there, adobe his peer in altitude but not stature.
The two had not fought seriously yet. They'd been prodding each other, colliding only occasionally to see where the other side's power level was.
They were right about even. Neither of them could win with brute strength alone.
Then, this was going to be a more intrinsic fight, a fight closer to dragonkind.
A battle that looked brutish on the surface, but was the most focused on complexity.
Through a method like this, they would not learn who was the greater genius.
Instead, they competed to see who was the greater dragon.
And, after gaining a sort of respect for each other through their exchange thus far…
Both of them were dying to find out.
The tremors from Valerie's clash with Faldren were felt at the castles of both teams.
They reacted roughly the same as they felt the draconic auras of those who had entered their true forms, understanding that none of them would be able to refrain from doing the same anymore.
But, both sides kept most of their attention on the border cities.
"As expected, your friend over there was useless."
Eris stood over the projection table and watched the map change, addressing the only other person in the room.
"That's just how it is," Wilhelm responded with a smile and a shrug.
"You know his situation."
"Yeah, you're a sick one."
"You aren't being very nice, Eris. I think most people would call it 'strategy,' would they not?"
Eris glared at the blue-haired man.
Of the people in this competition, including August, he was the one she despised the most.
After all, her hatred for August was situational. When it came to Wilhelm, there was a page-long list of reasons why she never wanted to be near him.
'Unfortunately, we have to work together here.'
And because she was one of the most prominent figures on their team, she had to work closely with him.
Estavian was…well, that didn't need to be mentioned at the moment. The point was that he didn't have any power unless he was near Wilhelm. It was impossible for him to act outside of that man's command.
That was exactly why he'd lost so miserably, wasn't it?
"Still, I don't know why you thought it was necessary to do all of that. We could've lured them in without losing as many troops," Eris said.
Wilhelm had only one condition for him to leave her alone and let her properly command the army.
The first move had to be his. No matter what he did, she couldn't interfere.
Naturally, she agreed. Having him stay far away was just too appealing for her to reject.
Yet, when Wilhelm decided to sacrifice three hundred of their troops just to lead Raphael into their territory, she couldn't help but doubt it.
"It doesn't matter," Wilhelm responded simply. His always-casual attitude was part of what made him so off-putting. He was, after all, the complete opposite of a casual person.
"Did any of them matter? Would any of them have contributed anything to our cause before dying? Whether they're sacrificed now or sacrificed later doesn't matter. In the end, this is a battle for those of us who actually deserve to be standing on this stage."
"Regardless, if you think they're stupid enough to fall for your little traps–"
"–little traps? Eris, my dear, you aren't braindead, are you? Did you actually think those basic formations were my only cards? Don't be silly."
Wilhelm grinned.
"Raphael is a bit of a blockhead himself. Maybe your favorite muckblood will realize that something is wrong, but that kid…he has a mind like mine."
Eris gritted her teeth. She couldn't fight with him here. It made her blood boil, but that was the fact of the matter.
Wilhelm's plan was simple, and it was already being carried out.
The exterior border cities weren't sieged with as much force as hoped, but that didn't matter.
The main target was none other than Raphael Ignis.
Plus…
"...when we take him from them along with those bottomfeeders he brought in from the outside, what will be left of their army?"
There was really only one critical piece of information that Gianna was able to share before she was eliminated.
Raphael was being followed by a famous mercenary group from the outside. They were feared, sure, but they were still just an unruly bunch that barely earned their noble titles.
Other than less than a hundred soldiers recruited from various clans, the rest were unknown.
The only thing Gianna could confirm was that they were all dragons and none of them had lineages she recognized. She disappeared before she could understand what the strength of those lineages was, but since they weren't anything recognizable, nothing more needed to be said.
Those were geniuses recruited by August Void. His origins were mysterious, but not enough to cause concern.
'Despite that, they're the ones I'm most wary of.'
Unlike Wilhelm, Eris didn't take them lightly. Rather than the threat she knew, the one in the shadows was more fearsome.
They may not have been from recognizable bloodlines, but if they were all 4th class dragons as reported, then they weren't weak by any means.
'Taking Raphael down is still the first priority.'
Since they'd come this far, there was nothing left to be said. Raphael had to be eliminated before they could focus on the rest of the team.
And, if they were lucky, they would be able to take down more than just him with their schemes.
'It won't be long.'
They'd have to wait until they heard back from Gianna, but once they did…
"Haa…"
Eris couldn't stop herself from sighing.
After this ended, there was nothing they could do to stop public opinion from turning against them.
For each and every person on their team, the only option left would be to win the heir wars.
Only then could they truly shush any opposing voices.
***
BOOOOOOM!
The rest were unaware of what was being planned in that castle. Even Seryius hadn't explored it too deeply out of fear of being detected.
Everything that both Eris and Wilhelm said was recorded and displayed before the world, but nobody saw it.
Not a single person actually witnessed that conversation.
After all, with so much excitement going on, who was going to focus on the portion of the war that was being intentionally minimized?
Especially at a time like this, when everyone's attention was focused on the constant explosions ongoing to the west of the same territory, nobody was of the mind to see what anyone else was up to.
It truly was a sight to see. When two dragons fought, it created a scene that was as beautiful as it was brutal.
Nature itself responded to those beings.
In the plains only a few hundred kilometers away from the western border city, the earth had become Valerie's territory and the sky belonged to Faldren.
A massive expanse of trees of all kinds, dead and alive, had populated the previously empty space.
Flying above it was an emerald-green dragon that looked far too majestic to be of common descent.
Meanwhile, the sky was entirely gold.
The energy of fate flowed freely, causing a myriad of phenomena throughout the clouds. A golden dragon with accents of red flew there, adobe his peer in altitude but not stature.
The two had not fought seriously yet. They'd been prodding each other, colliding only occasionally to see where the other side's power level was.
They were right about even. Neither of them could win with brute strength alone.
Then, this was going to be a more intrinsic fight, a fight closer to dragonkind.
A battle that looked brutish on the surface, but was the most focused on complexity.
Through a method like this, they would not learn who was the greater genius.
Instead, they competed to see who was the greater dragon.
And, after gaining a sort of respect for each other through their exchange thus far…
Both of them were dying to find out.
