Prince Hephaestus looked at the three groups. He looked very grim. The friendly, tired mechanic persona faded. He looked like a highly intelligent Prince preparing to deliver a terrible warning.
"The data reveals a strict timeline," Hephaestus explained quietly. "And according to the timeline, the easy part of the Succession War is officially over. We are about to enter the darkest phase."
---
The strategy room went completely silent. The three allied factions stared at the 9th Prince. The air in the room felt suddenly very serious.
Prince Hephaestus gestured to one of his engineers. The engineer stepped forward. He placed a small, glowing metal cube onto the center of the wooden table. He pressed a button on the side of the cube.
A bright blue holographic projection shot up into the air. The hologram displayed a massive, complex timeline. It showed hundreds of dates, names, and statistics. It detailed the history of the Belmontia Empire.
Sayma leaned closely toward the hologram. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her dark eyes scanned the floating numbers. She clicked her pen rapidly.
"This is an incredible compilation of data," Sayma praised politely. She looked at the engineers. "You digitized the entire Imperial archive."
"We had to," Heart answered. She crossed her muscular arms. "The physical books are too slow to read. The computers analyze the trends much faster. We asked the system to look for structural escalations in previous wars. The results were perfectly clear."
Prince Hephaestus took another sip of his black coffee. He set the metal thermos down. He pointed a grease-stained finger at the glowing blue timeline.
"Every single Succession War follows an identical pattern," Hephaestus explained smoothly. "The Emperor always designs the tournament in three distinct phases. The first phase is purely political. It tests our ability to manage resources. We get basic fetch quests. We clear minor dungeons. We do simple races."
Princess Hestia nodded slowly. She smoothed the silk fabric of her pristine white dress. "That aligns with our experiences. We raced for the Core of Luminus. We fought minor beasts in the slums. It was tedious, but it was highly manageable."
"Exactly," Hephaestus agreed. He tapped the blue hologram. The timeline zoomed in on a specific section. "But the first phase only lasts for a few months. Once the weakest royal candidates are eliminated, the Emperor shifts the gears. He initiates the second phase."
Zinia cracked her knuckles loudly. The strong earth mage grinned a tough, confident grin. "What happens in the second phase?"
"The training wheels come off entirely," Heart stated bluntly. She picked up her massive wrench. She rested it on her shoulder. "The second phase is designed to test absolute survival. The Upper Council intentionally introduces massive, unpredictable variables. They unleash catastrophic threats. They want to see which royal units crack under supreme pressure."
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Ira stood perfectly still near the wall. Her pale face showed zero emotion. "Statistically speaking, an intentional escalation of hostile variables is a highly effective method for breaking psychological defenses. It separates the strong tacticians from the weak leaders."
"Ira is right," Hephaestus sighed heavily. He rubbed his tired eyes. "The Emperor stops protecting the capital. He allows dangerous elements to run wild. The mutant bug attacks today are not an accident. The Upper Council probably knew about the bug nests for years. They just waited for the perfect moment to let them loose. They are testing our stamina."
Naomi frowned deeply. Her green eyes flashed with intense, protective anger. She rested her hands on her twin silver daggers.
"They let giant bugs attack innocent civilians just to test us?" Naomi asked fiercely. "That is completely reckless. People could get hurt. The citizens in the outer districts do not have magical shields."
"The Upper Council does not care about collateral damage, Naomi," Princess Iris said softly. Her violet eyes filled with deep sadness. "They only care about finding the strongest ruler. They view the entire Empire as a massive testing ground. We are just pieces on their chessboard."
Laxmi punched her open palm. Bright orange flames popped around her fingers. She looked incredibly excited, but also very angry. "I hate politicians. They sit in safe rooms while we do all the fighting. I am totally ready to burn their chessboard down."
Ken Eliot sat in his chair at the end of the table. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He reached into his bag of potato chips. He pulled out a crispy chip. He popped it into his mouth. He chewed slowly.
"This is exactly like the second season of a long anime series," Ken mumbled lazily. He pointed a finger at the blue hologram. "The writers realize the viewers are getting bored of the simple tournament rules. So, they destroy the stadium. They introduce a massive, shadowy villain group. They force the heroes to fight for their actual lives in the ruined city. It is a massive spike in the power scaling."
Elma turned her head. She glared at him. The blonde swordswoman wore her spotless white uniform. Her cheeks turned a vibrant shade of pink.
"Stop comparing our lives to your silly cartoons, Ken!" Elma scolded. Her voice pitched up just a tiny bit. "We are discussing actual, historical danger! We are talking about survival! Try to act serious for one minute!"
Ken gave her a big, goofy smile. "I am being very serious, Elma. Cartoons are an excellent reflection of reality. The main characters always need a training arc to survive the second season. They have to go to a magical mountain and punch rocks for a month. I absolutely refuse to punch rocks. That is a massive amount of physical labor."
Naomi chuckled softly. "You will not have to punch rocks, Ken. You just have to keep dodging. You are very good at stumbling away from danger."
"My stumbling is a flawless martial art," Ken bragged lazily. He took another potato chip. "I practice my clumsiness every single day."
Sayma ignored the joking. She pushed her thick glasses up again. She looked at Prince Hephaestus. "If we are officially entering the second phase, what should we expect next? Do the historical records indicate specific types of threats?"
Heart nodded her head. She tapped a button on the metal cube. The hologram shifted to show images of previous wars.
"The records show a massive escalation of hostility," Heart explained grimly. "We will not just face wild monsters. We will face targeted assassinations. The corrupt nobles in the Inner City will start hiring elite mercenaries to eliminate the stronger royal units. The shadows will become incredibly dangerous."
Zaima sneered loudly from the back of the room. The scowling servant crossed her arms tightly. "Let them send their mercenaries. The 16th Unit is totally flawless. We will crush any assassin that steps onto our property. We do not fear the shadows."
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