Everything since the beginning of the competition was for the fourth challenge. The announcement of feats in the first challenge made people know the achievements of the strong.
The visible crowns that the designated kings had during the first challenge were a subtle recommendation by the first sage. It tells the competitors who he believed to be strong. It is all so that the competitors will be able to make an informed decision about who to follow. When there is an undisputable icon, the people can use it as a rallying point and be united.
A large portion of that preparation would have been destroyed by Soverick's and Salvos' conflict. A conflict between the two of them could have spiraled out of control. The consequences within the third challenge are trivia as to how it will affect their cooperation during the fourth challenge.
It would have all culminated in a disaster for the fourth challenge. The battle sage monkeys will be divided like never before. Their chances of victory will also fall below 50% if they also try to undermine each other during the fourth challenge.
The sage has to admit that this happened because he underestimated Soverick. He didn't focus on Soverick right from the start. He had to have several options available since he couldn't predict Soverick's actions.
Soverick was coerced into participating in the competition mainly to draw more competitors from the battle sage monkeys and to crack the core of the Arenas. It was until he showed his worth that the sage realized that he was a better option as the leader.
"Speaking of unpredictability. That Soverick is a handful." The sage muttered to himself.
There are a lot of plans that the sage put in place. This competition has many purposes. One of them is to get rid of Soverick. It is one of the plans that the first sage had for Soverick before he realized Soverick's worth. The first sage hasn't changed his mind, though. He has stopped underestimating Soverick, but he still wants to replace him as the child of the plane.
Lady Amari is not the only one seeking to remove him. Everyone that knows how to take the title from Soverick has entertained the thought several times, and no one knows better than the first sage on how to remove the connection between Soverick and the plane and graft it to another host. Salvini is not his enemy. She just looks like one because she is fulfilling his will.
Soverick might be conscious of the danger he is in or oblivious to it. It doesn't matter since he can't do anything about it. He had already lost the moment he took that brand upon himself and connected to the pillar that brought him into the competition. I think you should take a look at
Soverick was very eager to participate in the competition. He wanted to gaze upon the law of Order of the sage. The first sage was also eager to see him participate in the competition for many reasons. So they don't owe each other anything. The sage can take the title since it was his descendant that gave it to Soverick in the first place.
The only thing that would have saved Soverick is if he didn't activate the ability of the child of the plane within the world fragment. It would have been difficult for his connection to be removed then. But Salvini made sure that he used it. She played the part of the helper and villainess at the same time. Soverick was surrounded on all sides by enemies. He couldn't even trust his allies. The only thing that he could trust was his strength. It pushed Soverick to activate the boost from his title.
Soverick brought his connection with the plane into the arena when he called for support. Then he went on to crack the core of the arena, thereby creating a connection between himself and the core. Now the first sage is certain of success. The next step is finding the person who he will make the next child of the plane.
The plan wasn't sure to work. It is a method to remove the title of the child of the plane without killing the current holder. It has never been done before. The best method to take the title is to kill Soverick while he is in his strengthened state after calling for support. But the first sage swore an Oath that made Soverick feel safe enough to attend the competition. So the first sage had to find another way to take the title from him.
The sage promised that no harm would come to Soverick from him or the other world gods during the competition. So he can't harm Soverick outright, but there are workarounds to that promise. For one, Soverick can bring harm to himself by creating a connection between himself and the core of a world fragment.
That shouldn't normally happen unless Soverick goes out of his way to crack the core of an arena. Then he might have to leave his title behind if he is somehow killed during the competition. That will be difficult to achieve, but the sage and descendants can surely find a way.
The sage also promised that the racial council would try its best to protect him as long as he remained the child of the plane. So Soverick might find himself killed when he has outgrown his usefulness. Then the connection will be given to a proper sage with the foresight to use it. Soverick's end is inevitable because he attended this competition.
The sage thought about it and decided to go through with his plan for Soverick. "With Soverick gone, the era of the battle sage will dawn again."
The first sage doesn't hate Soverick, just as he doesn't like Soverick either. He is not aiming for Soverick's end because of a vendetta or hatred. He is only concerned about the welfare of the plane, not Soverick. He cares about the plane, so he will do what's best for the plane regardless of Soverick's feeling about it.