Strongest Incubus System

The plan began taking shape that same afternoon, but Damon quickly discovered that manipulating an entire tournament without alerting the participants was more complicated than setting an ambush inside a mine. Celina had organized one hundred and forty-three registrations, divided among individual fighters, academy representatives, hired guards, and adventurers. Altering the brackets without creating an obvious pattern required changing schedules, training arenas, and administrative justifications as well.

Celina did all of that in less than two hours.

Damon remained in front of the registration table while she moved names between groups, replaced numbers, and created a special evaluation category for participants who had refused affinity examinations. Aria followed every modification, marking the seventeen suspects with nearly invisible symbols in the corners of their forms.

"You are placing all of them against the Open Door?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not all of them," Damon replied. "If we do that, they will notice. Some will face Mirath guards. Others will fight adventurers chosen by Celina. What matters is forcing them to use Qi under observation."

Celina pointed toward three names. "These already passed the physical evaluation and showed nothing unusual."

"Because they knew they were being evaluated."

"And during a real fight, they will believe no one is watching?"

"During a real fight, they will need to choose between losing and revealing what they hid."

Elizabeth examined the arrangement. "You are counting on pride."

"Pride, money, and fear of appearing weak in front of the other groups. Someone who traveled to Mirath in search of a root will not abandon the tournament at the first difficulty."

Ester remained near the window with her arms crossed. Jian Li had stabilized after the connection created by Yun Shuo, but the white marks had advanced several inches above her shoulder. That made the available time shorter than anyone wanted to admit.

"While you play at reorganizing fights, Jian Li’s circulation continues being replaced," she said. "I need access to the triangle."

Damon looked toward the structure trapped inside a stone box on the table. "Does it still react?"

"Yes. Not as before, but her root recognizes the object when it is inside the same building."

"Then it cannot stay near the infirmary."

"I do not intend to take it to her. I want to understand how it interrupts circulation."

Jian Yue placed one hand on the table. "The triangle belongs to Heshan’s conductors. Its symbols may be connected to the altar."

"That means Yun Shuo knows more than he told us," Damon replied.

The man was imprisoned beneath the arena, isolated from every other participant. Elizabeth wanted to transfer him to the mansion, but Damon preferred keeping him near the place where he believed his allies were located. If someone tried to free him, they would reveal another part of the network.

"He will not speak merely because we question him again," Aria said.

"I do not need him to speak."

Damon picked up one of the marked forms. The registered name was Han Ruo, a fighter who claimed to use only body techniques. He had entered Mirath two days after Jian Yue and purchased three small bags of mineral powder from a workshop near the river.

"That is used in root seals," Jian Yue explained.

"Then Han Ruo knows how to build or destroy one."

Celina checked the schedule. "His first fight will be tomorrow morning."

"Against whom?"

"Bao Ren."

The older man from the Open Door released a tired breath when he heard his own name. "You want me to make him reveal his affinity."

"I want you to pressure him without killing him. If he tries to use some hidden structure, retreat."

Bao Ren looked offended. "If I retreat, he wins."

"Then lose."

The man fell silent, as though the possibility had never occurred to him.

Damon placed both hands on the table. "This tournament does not matter. The arena, the prize, and reputation do not matter. If anyone here thinks about winning before discovering who entered Mirath, they may leave now."

Jian Yue looked toward the members of his own group. Su Lan nodded. Bao Ren took several seconds, but accepted. The others did as well.

The first day of the Founding Tournament began beneath a clear sky and before completely filled stands. Celina had sold more tickets than expected, created separate areas for merchants, and transformed the streets surrounding the arena into a temporary market. Elizabeth observed everything from an elevated box, trying to decide whether she was impressed or irritated by the fact that her subordinate had organized an event of that scale during her absence.

Damon remained inside a room beneath the box, standing before a narrow opening that allowed him to see the field without being seen. Ester stood beside him. Aria moved among the evaluators, carrying records and pretending to care only about the rules. Jian Yue and Su Lan waited inside the corridors reserved for fighters.

"You could watch while sitting," Ester said.

"I can see better from here."

"You are placing too much weight on your leg."

Damon adjusted his posture slightly. "Now?"

"Still."

"There is no position that satisfies you."

"There is. Lying down in your room."

The opening ceremony began with Celina presenting Mirath’s growth, the expansion of its districts, and the goal of turning the tournament into an annual tradition. The crowd responded with enthusiasm. Elizabeth appeared for a few minutes, received applause, and managed to give a short speech without mentioning that she had not known the arena existed until the previous day.

Damon observed the crowd, searching for unusual reactions. Most people were focused on the box or the fighters gathered on the field. Some, however, examined entrances, corridors, and guard positions.

"Man in the blue coat, third row on the left," he said.

Ester followed the direction. "What about him?"

"He did not look at the ceremony once."

"That is not a crime."

"He also brought no one, bought no food, and chose a seat with a view of two exits."

Aria received the indication through a guard and passed near the man several minutes later. She pretended to drop a sheet of paper, crouched down, and observed his hands.

When she returned to the passage, she spoke without looking directly at Damon. "Circular scars on both palms. The registration is under the name Shen Yu. He accepted the affinity examination and was classified as earth element."

"Then he found a way to hide it."

"Or he likes sitting near exits."

Damon remembered the name.

The first fights were ordinary. Guards, adventurers, and academy representatives used simple techniques, received applause, and left with minor injuries. Damon began feeling his body protest against the position, but refused the chair Ester offered until she placed it behind his knees and forced him to sit when he tried to step backward.

The fifth fight brought Bao Ren and Han Ruo onto the field.

Bao Ren entered with the short spear resting over his shoulder. Han Ruo carried no weapon. He was a large man with thick arms and old scars crossing his chest. He bowed to his opponent and assumed a low stance.

The signal was given.

Han Ruo advanced first. His movements were too fast for someone of his size, but he used no visible Qi. Bao Ren created an ice plate beneath his boot, slid to the side, and struck his ribs with the shaft of the spear.

Han Ruo received the blow without falling.

Bao Ren attacked again, alternating direction and distance. The Open Door method was efficient but incomplete. Every plate required too much concentration, and there was a small delay before the ice appeared beneath his feet. Han Ruo noticed during the third movement.

"He is studying the circulation," Damon said.

Ester watched the fight. "How?"

"He does not look at the spear. He looks at Bao Ren’s legs before every plate."

Han Ruo began attacking during the intervals between the ice formations. Bao Ren lost space, received a blow to the shoulder, and retreated to the edge of the field. The crowd shouted, believing they were witnessing only an ordinary reversal.

Damon noticed Han Ruo’s left hand close.

Mineral powder fell between his fingers.

"Now."

Bao Ren heard the signal transmitted by the evaluator and formed three plates at once. Instead of advancing, he struck the spear against the ground. Cold passed through the sand and reached the powder scattered by Han Ruo.

The minerals reacted.

Gray lines appeared around the man’s feet, forming half a symbol. Han Ruo realized he had been exposed and tried to break the design before it completed. Bao Ren turned the spear, struck his hand, and scattered the remaining powder.

The symbol appeared in full.

It was not identical to Yun Shuo’s triangle, but it carried the same inverted circle at its center.

The arena grew cold.

Damon felt the mark move beneath the bandage.

Han Ruo abandoned any attempt at disguise. He pressed one foot against the symbol and pulled the cold created by Bao Ren. The plates beneath the older man’s boots disappeared, absorbed by the mineral structure. Then the energy entered Han Ruo’s arms, covering his skin with a pale layer.

"He steals affinities temporarily," Damon concluded.

Bao Ren tried to retreat, but Han Ruo advanced using the same movement method he had just taken from him. An ice plate appeared beneath his boot. The man crossed the distance and struck his opponent in the chest with a punch.

Bao Ren was thrown against the arena wall.

The crowd shouted even louder.

Han Ruo smiled, believing he had transformed the revelation into a spectacle. He walked toward Bao Ren and raised one arm to finish the fight.

The ice plates shattered beneath his feet.

Bao Ren had allowed him to absorb an imperfect technique.

The stolen cold carried the same circulation delay Damon had noticed. Han Ruo tried to form another plate, but it appeared half a step behind him. He lost his balance.

Bao Ren struck his knee with the spear.

The man fell.

Before he could activate the symbol again, the evaluators interrupted the fight under the justification of using undeclared material. Guards entered the field. Han Ruo looked toward the exits and realized all of them were closed.

He tried to swallow something hidden beneath his tongue.

Aria, positioned near the evaluators, threw the folder at his face.

The object struck his mouth with enough force to make him spit out a small capsule.

Damon looked toward Ester. "She really is becoming terrifying."

"Living with you causes harmful adaptations."

Han Ruo was removed before a crowd that believed it had witnessed only a dramatic disqualification. Celina announced the next fight before questions could begin, and the tournament continued without interruption.

A few minutes later, two spectators left their seats at the same time.

The man in the blue coat was one of them.

"Shen Yu is moving," Damon said.

Ester held his arm. "The guards will handle it."

"He may activate another seal."

"The guards received instructions."

"They cannot feel it beforehand."

Damon stood.

Ester did not release him. "You promised to stay out."

"Of the fights."

"Do not turn words into an exit."

The cold beneath the bandage climbed several inches. Shen Yu was not merely fleeing. Something he carried was reacting to the symbol exposed on the field.

Damon closed his eyes for an instant and felt the direction.

"He is heading toward the lower storage areas."

"Where Yun Shuo is being held," Ester realized.

Damon was already walking toward the door. "Then someone finally decided to try freeing him."

Ester followed, still irritated, but did not try to make him return. Two guards came behind them. Aria remained in the arena to ensure the tournament continued and to observe the other suspects.

Shen Yu knew the route to the storage areas.

That confirmed he had studied the construction or received instructions from someone involved in the work. He did not hesitate at intersections and avoided patrolled corridors without needing to check them. Damon kept his distance, using the mark’s reaction instead of following the sound of footsteps.

When they reached the wing where Yun Shuo was imprisoned, they found two guards unconscious. There were no visible injuries. Small stone symbols had been attached to their armor, draining heat from their bodies until they lost consciousness.

"They are alive," Ester confirmed after touching the first man’s neck.

Damon continued.

The cell door stood open.

Yun Shuo remained shackled inside, but Shen Yu stood before him, pressing one hand against the chains. The circular scars on his palms glowed with faint blue light.

"You took long enough," Yun Shuo said.

"Han Ruo was captured," Shen Yu replied. "We need to leave now."

Damon entered the corridor.

"You continue speaking as though the exit remains available."

Shen Yu turned without surprise. "We knew you would follow."

"Everyone knows too much about my habits."

The man stepped away from the cell and raised his hands. The circles in his palms began rotating, drawing cold from the symbols attached to the walls. Unlike Han Ruo, he did not need to scatter powder. The seals had been carved directly into his skin.

"You are the Heavenly Body," Shen Yu said. "You should not protect thieves."

"Jian Li broke a sphere to avoid dying."

"And condemned thousands."

"And you kept a root fed by people in chains."

"The valley needed to survive."

Damon stopped several meters away. "Then find a way that does not involve placing someone inside a sphere."

"It is easy to speak when you carry a complete root."

The sentence contained genuine anger. Shen Yu did not appear to be an agent obeying orders in exchange for money. He believed Jian Li had stolen the life of his homeland and that Damon protected the guilty woman because he possessed enough power to ignore the consequences.

"Did you come to negotiate?" Damon asked.

"We came to recover it."

"Then you chose poorly."

Shen Yu struck both palms together.

The symbols in the corridor activated simultaneously.

Heat was torn from the stones, armor, and air. A wave of cold passed through Damon, but the Heavenly Body did not resist. It absorbed the temperature as a natural part of its own structure.

Shen Yu realized the mistake too late.

The circles in his hands tried to drain the cold from Damon.

They found a quantity far greater than they could endure.

Damon did not attack. He merely opened part of his external circulation.

The symbols in Shen Yu’s palms froze. White cracks advanced over his wrists, forcing him to separate his hands. He retreated, but Damon was already close.

A short strike hit his stomach.

Shen Yu doubled over.

Damon grabbed the back of his neck and threw him against the wall without using enough Qi to break the stone. The man tried to form another seal with his fingers. Ester drove a needle into a point near his shoulder, blocking the movement of his arm.

"That was a fight," she said.

"It was a quick arrest."

"You hit him."

"He was resisting."

Yun Shuo began laughing inside the cell. "You think this ends by imprisoning two or three men?"

Damon looked toward him. "No."

The laughter diminished.

"That is why I kept the tournament open," Damon continued. "Han Ruo revealed the symbol. Shen Yu abandoned the stands. Everyone waiting for a signal now needs to decide whether to flee, attack, or keep pretending."

Ester understood. "You wanted one of them to try freeing him."

"I expected it."

"You could have mentioned that."

"You would have said no."

"I am still saying no."

Rapid footsteps sounded in the corridor. One of Celina’s guards arrived carrying a message from Aria. Three of the seventeen suspects had abandoned the arena immediately after Han Ruo’s capture. Four others remained, but had changed position in the stands. One was approaching the area reserved for noble families.

Elizabeth was there.

Damon left Shen Yu with the guards and began returning.

Ester caught his sleeve. "The lines."

The mark had climbed back to his elbow.

"I can continue."

"I did not ask."

"Ester."

She evaluated his face, breathing, and the stability of the root. "Five minutes. Then you stop, regardless of what happens."

Damon nodded.

When they returned to the passage near the arena, the sound of the crowd had changed. It was no longer enthusiasm. There was confusion in the northern stands. Guards closed corridors while Celina announced a technical pause to reorganize the field.

Aria appeared running. "One of the suspects entered the box using an employee seal."

"Elizabeth?"

"She is still there."

Damon felt the root react.

Not toward the box.

Toward the center of the arena.

He looked through the opening.

A woman dressed in white combat clothing stood alone on the field, although no fight had been scheduled. She had long, nearly silver hair and held a transparent sword with both hands.

The sand froze around her.

The crowd began retreating.

Jian Yue stood at the opposite entrance, motionless, staring at the woman as though he recognized something that should not exist.

"Who is she?" Damon asked.

He took time to answer.

"Mu Qing."

"What does she want?"

Jian Yue looked toward Damon. "She died in Heshan Valley four years ago."

The woman slowly raised her face.

Her eyes were completely white.

When she spoke, her voice crossed the arena without effort.

"Return the stolen root."

Vorn’s mark opened beneath the bandage.

Xue Lian’s memory answered.

Damon realized that the three bodies beneath the lake might never have truly been dead.

One of them had just entered the Founding Tournament.

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