Void Evolution System

From the genius perspective, the ceremony was simple. They needed to rehearse it only because the organizers had to make sure that nobody caused trouble when it was actually taking place.

After around an hour of sitting in their individual suites and watching the events taking place on their screens, the geniuses were called out into a large hall and told what they needed to do.

This was their first time seeing each other since arriving in this place.

For the noble clan geniuses, it didn't mean much. If anything, they were just glad they had a chance to lay their eyes on a true genius from a Holy Clan.

Eris Noct was indeed present, but none of them had the chance to lick her boots or try to establish relationships,

The organizers made sure that the geniuses couldn't do anything besides learn what their roles were and practice their movements.

All they had to do was walk on stage and stand there as the ceremony took place. The rehearsal was mainly for the organizers themselves, but the geniuses had to be prepared to stand still for an hour without doing anything.

Frankly, the rehearsal was useful. Since they'd already heard everything that was going to be said, they could be ready for anything when the time came.

And it came soon enough.

With nothing more than a glimpse at each other's faces and the thoughts they'd formulated based on them, the geniuses were ushered to a side entrance of the arena to await their cue.

It really was streamlined in a way that kept them bewildered enough to not do anything they weren't told.

As they stood there and assessed each other, well, it was more apt to say as they stood there and eyed August, Valerie, and the two other commoners currently present, they looked out into the arena where the ceremony had already started.

At a time like this, it was best to go over how the heir wars actually worked.

It was not exactly an elimination-based system. Instead, it relied on points.

The top three geniuses in every round would be rewarded with ten, eight, and five points respectively. Those in the top ten would gain one point, while those who didn't place would get none.

At the end of every round, the geniuses who didn't have any points would be pitted against each other in a final standoff. Anyone who couldn't score points in that match would be eliminated.

This format would continue until there were only a few geniuses left. Those who found themselves in the topmost bracket would compete in single-elimination competitions that contained three challenges. Whichever genius won two would move on, while the other would have to leave the competition.

It was a relatively simple rule set, but that was exactly why the heir wars could take so long.

If geniuses were on the same level, then they'd compete and compete until one of them finally lost. That could take days, months, or even years.

Currently, in the arena, there were thirteen geniuses.

The sixty-five young talents in the heir wars had been separated into five groups for the first round.

August and Valerie were in the first group, while Melania had ended up in the second.

Perhaps she was the one that got lucky. Only the first group had to participate in tiring ceremonies, after all.

There was really only one good thing about the entire process.

The end of it.

Not just because it was all over, but because of what the announcer said.

"Now, you must all be wondering what the first challenge is!"

It was time to reveal how they'd actually be competing.

Every group had a different challenge to make sure nobody had an advantage.

For the first group…

VOOM!

Along with the announcer's words, a mana barrier rose to protect the crowd from the happenings on the arena floor.

Portals opened under the geniuses' feet, dropping them out of the arena.

Well, that was how it seemed, but they were actually still present. The announcer was actually the one who'd left.

The arena began to change. Structures rose from the dirt and created a huge maze spanning its entire length.

If it wasn't obvious enough from the shape of the maze, the announcer told the crowd exactly what they were looking at.

"Behold, the Eonian Labyrinth!"

Multiple screens flashed to life, displaying every genius in front of the crowd.

They weren't visible to those directly looking at the labyrinth due to the height of its walls, but the screens helped them identify who was where and what they were doing.

"The Eonian Labyrinth is filled with beasts of all kinds and powerful treasures! Today, your favorite geniuses will compete to see who can reach the center of the labyrinth and defeat its guardian beast first!"

The announcer made wide motions as he spoke, bringing attention to himself as the labyrinth's core functions activated one by one.

"It is a winding and changing landscape filled with unexpected twists at every turn! It is an arena with both dangers and treasures waiting for our young talents to discover! In this challenge, there is only one rule! The geniuses must attack the challenge on their own! If any signs of cheating are detected, they will immediately be disqualified from the heir wars!"

Nothing else.

"No killing" was a rule that didn't need to be defined because this was a public event. There was never an option to kill in the first place.

Aside from that, there would never be such a thing as rules in the heir wars.

This was a battle of emperor candidates. Every move the geniuses made would be viewed and judged by the public. Every decision and path they chose would reflect their qualifications as an emperor.

That was enough to limit their action to an acceptable level.

There was too much riding on the competition for them to risk it all for momentary glory.

Nevertheless, the concept was quite simple.

The geniuses had to navigate the maze and defeat anything that got in their way. They were allowed to fight each other. They were allowed to steal and plunder. They were allowed to do anything as long as it helped them get to the center of the labyrinth in the shortest amount of time possible.

Many of the nobles were already brainstorming on how to mess with their foes.

A lot of eyes had already focused on August and Valerie, since they were geniuses that people had to pay attention to after the elimination round.

And of those eyes, discounting the gazes of spectators, not a single pair was friendly.

Unfortunately for those geniuses who couldn't stop thinking about him, August couldn't care less about them.

Rather, he was even more excited for the challenge itself than he was before.

'Labyrinths? This is basically my specialty!'

A healthy mixture of battle and wits. A challenge similar to certain training regimens that Damien had made him practice during his formative years.

The fact that his enemies were nobles left his mind. The implications of him defeating them did the same. He forgot about Eris Noct, and he even forgot about Valerie.

His mind absolutely focused on the labyrinth.

"Everyone, are you ready?!"

The announcer's voice.

Once again, like the elimination round, August only heard it when it was most important.

"This is the official first round of the heir wars, the first showing of our realm's greatest geniuses who are vying for the throne. They have prepared themselves on the grid, and I hope that all of you in the audience have done the same!"

The announcer grinned.

"Now, without further ado…"

He paused for effect as he swept his arm towards the arena floor, making his voice even louder with mana.

The thirteen geniuses who had but a minute to prepare themselves got into position.

They waited for those words to fall, for the horns to blare.

And only a few seconds later, the announcer granted their wishes.

"...let the games begin!"

He yelled it with all his heart.

Horns blared, filling the arena with sound.

And thirteen geniuses shot forward, vying for their place among the greats.

With this, the heir wars had officially begun.

All that was left was to see how it unfolded.