Headmaster Leopold's question hung in the air. He knew quite well that everyone was wondering how the teams would be portioned out as well, yet he remained silent for a while. It seemed the old man like his theatrics.
"This third trial will work using concepts of King of the Hill. The first team to successfully defend their Four Kingdoms Core twice will be considered the winners. Of course, the various scores you receive may or may not be related to this. I will always put the most stock in performance.
"However, this matter isn't as simple as it seems. Successfully defending against a particular role will count as one. But, defending against that same role once more won't count at all. Essentially, you must defend against one Mortal attack and one Immortal attack to claim victory.
"You will each have the opportunity to choose your role, except for Ryu who has no choice but to take the Four Kingdoms role to begin. This is both his blessing and his curse."
Many raised an eyebrow at these words. Since ending this trial relied on one Prince defending two roles once each, wasn't it a major advantage to go first? But, those who were more clever immediately understood the pitfall the moment Leopold spoke his next words.
"After Ryu takes up his position, the next individual – by the results of the previous two trials – will then be allowed a chance to pick their attacking role. Whether it be Mortal or Immortal, it doesn't matter. The decision will be left up to you. However, you do need to note that you aren't allowed to pick the same attacking role twice in a row, so be mindful."
Maybe if Ryu's eyes were opened, others would notice his gaze narrow. These rules seem simple, but how could Ryu not immediately understand the trap that was being laid?
If Ryu somehow defeated his very first challenger, would the subsequent Princes risk choosing the one role he had yet to defeat? Of course not! They would purposely pick the role Ryu had already defeated. No matter how many times Ryu defeated that one role, the trial still wouldn't conclude, and they would thus still have a chance at victory.
Why would the Princes choose to do this? Obviously because no one role was clearly better than the other. Both had their advantages and disadvantages, so they would obviously choose the role that mitigated their risks to the greatest extent.
The only life jacket Headmaster Leopold threw was in his final words. Obviously, he wouldn't allow the other Princes to endlessly exploit this rule. So, he barred them from choosing the same attacking faction twice in a row.
Still, this was hardly a concession. The best-case scenario was that Ryu would have to defeat his opponents through eight turns before he could finally win. This eight-turn total included defeating all seven Princes once before a new round began, then winning the first turn of that next round.
However, there was a far worse scenario available to Ryu.
What if he failed? If he didn't win eight turns straight, he would be booted from his Four Kingdoms role. By the time he fought for the right to claim that role once more, his opponents could rinse and repeat the same scheme. By then, their ability to chose the same role Ryu had already defeated would be allowed once more.
If this continued, Ryu would enter a vicious cycle of losses. Headmaster Leopold almost seemed to have made these rules as he did so that it would be impossible to win in one fell swoop.
Headmaster knew there were many alliances among the Princes, but with the way these rules were set up, would they really dare to so blatantly help each other? Even Silas couldn't be as carefree as he was before, or else his Viri Kingdom's Faith would definitely suffer.
As for Ryu and the Opes Princes, could the latter two really care for Ryu in this situation? If they helped Ryu win, how would they answer to their own people? The entire livelihood of the Opes Kingdom was hanging in the balance, they definitely couldn't afford to repay the debt they owed Ryu here.
The only acceptable alliances would be between brothers helping each other. In that case, the Kingdom could rally behind them. In fact, their Faith might even skyrocket. Who didn't like a story of brothers willing to sacrifice their rights to the throne for one another?
If Headmaster Leopold's calculations were correct, this meant that the only wild cards left would be Cayden and Kwan, both of whom would want to aid their elder brothers. This was Leopold's plan all along. He had known from the beginning that the three Kingdoms would band together to harm the Opes Clan, but in this case, the Opes Clan had the advantage!
Even if Amory defeated Ryu, Kalmin would have the chance to defeat him directly afterward. If Kalmin managed to win, no matter what the following Princes did, as long as he managed to make it to Kwan's turn, he would win! This placed Opes Kingdom's destiny firmly within Kalmin's hands. Whether they win or lose, it was all up to him.
'This is the best this old man can do for you two. Whether or not you can grasp this opportunity will be left up to you.'
As for Ryu, Leopold didn't believe for a moment there was a possibility for his victory. No one would be foolish enough to underestimate Ryu, not after what abilities he displayed. The issue was that the only number count that was limited were Qi Refinement experts, Leopold purposely didn't put any cap on the number of experts you could have below that cultivation realm. How could Ryu face hundreds of soldiers alone? His loss was inevitable.
Headmaster Leopold sighed. 'Don't blame this old man, Little Ryu. I organized these events long before I knew of your plight. If I had known… Maybe I would have made a change. Still, with your talent, even the moon and the stars are within your grasp. This old man will make sure you leave here safely. In the future, you can take your revenge yourself.'
Many shared Leopold's thoughts. That said, these individuals weren't nearly as benevolent as the old Headmaster. Their minds were far more sinister.
To the edge of the arena, Amory was pulled aside by his grandfather, Patriarch Cedar.
"The Dragon Corps are undefeatable, but that Ryu is far too unpredictable. Be swift and strong, throw everything you have at him, and definitely, do not, under any circumstances, allow him to survive past this first turn. Kill him."
Patriarch Cedar's lofty aura was akin to an ancient tree, rooted in the ground firmly. The only thing that gave away a glint of emotion was the dense killing intent in his eyes.