After they were teleported back onto the stage, the twins approached Damien’s group.
“Congratulations on your win,” Eren said. Although he was visibly disgruntled, he still acted like a good sport.
“Seriously! That last move was insane!” Ara continued. Her eyes were starry as she looked at Eva, not seeming bothered by the loss.
Rather than being bothered, she was excited to see an elf around their age who could keep up with supreme geniuses like Damien and Katherine.
“T-thank you,” Eva responded meekly. Through their cooperation with her, Damien and Katherine had learned that her confidence only emerged when she was in battle, causing them endless amusement.
“If you don’t mind me asking, did you plan for that situation all along?” Eren asked, getting straight to the point. Everyone knew which situation he was talking about.
Seeing that these twins were amiable people, Damien’s group treated them the same. They slowly explained their game plan to the twins.
The plan they had made was simple. Hiding Damien’s spatial abilities would benefit them if they faced anyone who hadn’t met them at the academy, so it was more of a precaution. Meanwhile, the crux of their strategy was to undermine Eva’s value.
Eva had a nature affinity, which showed its best potential in environments filled with lush greenery. No matter what this would be revealed when they ended up in a forest environment.
And since the forest was their first terrain, they decided to capitalize on it. Eva went all out and incapacitated the opposing team members without any issue, showing her use. Now that most of the attention was focused on Eva, it was time for the next step of the plan.
Their next location was a rocky flatland. During this round, Eva made sure to do nothing outstanding. Damien and Katherine carried the team as they plowed through the opposition. With Eva barely being useful, people started to make assumptions.
They used the second round of this match to solidify those assumptions that Eva wasn’t useful outside of a green terrain. It was important for her to be seen as the weak link of the group.
And finally, their last opponent game. When they realized it was the twins they were up against, they knew that hiding Damien’s spatial ability was pointless, as they came from the same academy. This didn’t discourage them, though.
The first round was lost due to a surprise move on the twins’ side, but they regained their footing in the second. All this time, they continued to play Eva as a weak link whose participation no longer mattered.
And it all came to fruition during that final round. It was a round where speed took priority over strength and wits like the previous two rounds. In this round, any small distraction would cost the win, causing both teams to enter a hyper-focused state.
In this state, the twins had failed to realize Eva’s continued presence in their base. She had been warped there by Damien at the very start. After all, he already knew the base’s location from the previous rounds.
If he wanted, Damien could’ve ended the Monolith Capture game in an instant. His power was simply a perfect counter for the game’s mechanics. However, he didn’t do it because he wanted to have fun. This is why the only time he used warp was to get Eva into position.
While the two teams raced to each other’s monoliths, she planted seeds within the cracks on the ground, and the vines that sprouted from them snaked their way to Eren.
A nature affinity was special in this way. It was mainly used to nurture rather than fight, but when needed, this nurturing power could be turned against enemies. Eva’s young age was the reason people assumed she couldn’t capitalize on this and only used her power for crowd control.
And the truth was, they were right. Eva indeed had no idea her power could be used this way until she met Damien and Katherine. The creativity of these two with elusive elements helped her break past a roadblock that she had been facing for many years regarding her attack power.
And once she knew the direction, it didn’t take her long to figure out the application. She had brought small poisonous plant seeds with her into the final round and had already achieved permission from the support staff of the event.
Although her role seemed small, in that she only stunned Eren near the end, this small move was what won them the match. Even with the fail-safe they had made of Katherine using illusions on the monolith, it wasn’t guaranteed that they won until Eren had been incapacitated.
The plan overall was a simple case of misdirection that had reaped immense benefits.
As the twins listened, their eyes were filled with an understanding light. “It’s no wonder. The plan focused on the innate arrogance that everyone carries. If it wasn’t for this, there’s no way we would have overlooked anyone even if they were the weakest participant.”
Damien smiled and nodded.
“To be honest, even we would probably do the same in your situation. We were titled as supreme geniuses, and even if many with the same title have fallen, it doesn’t discredit our achievement.
“It’s natural for us to hold arrogance and look down on those normal participants, but it needs to be remembered that they’re geniuses in their own right. After all, look at our little Eva here.” Damien said teasingly as he patted her head.
Eva blushed slightly, causing Katherine’s eyes to narrow as she went directly for Damien’s waist, giving it a solid pinch.
“Ow! Ow! What’s that for?” Damien cried as he acted exaggeratedly pained.
“Hmph! It doesn’t matter what it was for, just know you deserved it!” Katherine replied as she turned her head away, hiding her slight smile.
Eva also smiled helplessly as she watched the two. Even her first meeting with them had begun with her witnessing the subtle tension between them, how could she not understand what was going on? Only, she had no plans to interfere.
She never even saw Damien romantically, only blushing due to the unexpected contact. She wasn’t racist by any means, but to please her family she wanted to marry within the elven clans.
The group continued talking about the various strategies they had made for the game as they went back to the private rooms assigned to them.
Although the twins had been disqualified, they were supreme geniuses, so their accommodations were covered until the end of the tournament. They were more than welcome to stay and watch.
When the group split up, Eva also followed the twins, as she had gotten friendly with Ara during their short time talking.
Damien and Katherine smiled as they walked away.
“She was fun to hang out with during this past week. It’s a little sad that we won’t be able to see her again.”
Damien shook his head as he responded. “Why wouldn’t you get to see her again? We live in the same world, and not all elves stay within the Helia Forest, so the possibility always exists.”
Katherine nodded, trying to shake off her slight loneliness. Noticing this, Damien changed the subject.
“It’s almost time for the final round, you know? While they allowed 300 participants to pass this round, it’ll only be 12 from the next. And after that, we can finally fight like we’ve been wanting to do since our first meeting.”
Katherine’s eyes brightened. With a battle maniac, talking about fighting was always the best medicine.
“That’s right!” She exclaimed, ” I can finally beat your ass and show you who’s the best between us.”
Damien grinned seeing her mood improve. “Yup, it’s finally time for us to figure that out. After that, we get to do some fun adventuring.”
Damien was obviously referring to the secret realm. He still didn’t have much information on it, but it being shrouded in mystery only made him more excited. Just like he felt back in the dungeon, he knew.
Maybe it was something he inherently had or maybe it was a feature of his eyes, but something within him was screaming.
A massive opportunity was waiting for him within that secret realm.
Shoving down his bubbling excitement, Damien continued to chat with Katherine as he waited for the screen to turn on once again to show them the rules for the final round.
It didn’t take long, as the announcer’s face popped into his view only two hours later.
“Good evening once again! As you all know, only 300 of you remain in the event, and we’re reaching the final stretch! It’s time for me to reveal our last game!
“This game will be much more simple than the previous one. It’s called King of the Hill. The rules are also not nearly as complicated. The first round was based on survival, the second based on intelligence, and now this third round is based on strength, though your wits will definitely help you.
“Competitors will be separated into groups of 25 and put in their respective arenas. Each arena has a single capture point. The goal of this round is to stay within the radius of the capture point as long as possible.
The projection shifted to show 12 small mountains that were lined up adjacent to one another. At the peak of each mountain, there was a circular zone with a black flag in the middle.
“As long as you’re in that radius you’ll gain points with time. Only one person is allowed within the radius at one time. If two people are in there at the same time, no points will be awarded.
“This game will be unlike the previous two! It is a game of speed and fortune! The time limit will only be a single day, and the 12 people with the most points at the end will advance to the fighting tournament! Good luck competitors!”
With that, the screen went black once again. Damien and Katherine looked at each other and grinned. Was it sheer coincidence or was it planned for the start? There were only 12 supreme geniuses left in the competition after the twins were disqualified.
It was obvious what this meant. Either the supreme geniuses would easily pass this game and fill the top 12, or a dark horse would bare its fangs and cause an upset.
The closing act of the Nexus Event had begun.