System's POV

Chapter 709: End Of The Elimination Rounds [Part 2]



Nothing much happened during the night, so those who stayed late were very disappointed.

However, they'd be in an uproar if they knew that many things actually happened behind the scenes, which they didn't get the opportunity to watch.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, I hope that all of you managed to get some good sleep because I had a very good one!" Thirteen said with a big smile on his face.

He indeed had a very good sleep, and it was all due to Sherry and Erica sleeping by his side. Claude also had a good night's sleep, but his morning hadn't been as good as Zion's.

After hearing that all the members of the Ashford Clan had been eliminated, he was forced to drag himself to the arena and keep smiling despite the fact that he wanted to kick his Co-Host so badly and send him flying!

"Sir Claude, did you have a good night's sleep too?" Thirteen, who was quick to rub salt on his Co-Host asked with a smile.

"I had a good sleep," Claude replied stiffly. "Now, let's see the names of the remaining survivors of each venue!"

Not wanting to discuss any more nonsense with the teenage boy, Claude just wanted the elimination round to end.

Since none of his Clan Members were left in the tournament, he was finding it difficult to continue smiling in front of everyone.

Thirteen, who decided that it wasn't worth it to keep kicking a dead horse, smiled and made a gesture for the staff to show the names of the last remaining survivors on each battlefield.

The teenage boy was pleasantly surprised to see that, not only did his siblings remain in the competition, but everyone else was also there.

Cristopher and Colbert, whom he had personally trained, were by Mikhail's side, acting as his bodyguard.

Alcapone and his Mafia Members were terrorizing the Marshlands, becoming the Kings of the

venue.

Shasha and her loyal band of Simps-errr, admirers, were also going strong. They just finished having a simple breakfast and were planning to eliminate the rest of the competition by dividing themselves into separate teams.

Thirteen's Squad Captains, Alexis, Paul, Pietro, and Piper, who were all in the Valley Area, had mostly eliminated their competition.

Based on the current trend, unless something truly unexpected happened, Thirteen and Claude believed that the battle would be over before lunchtime.

The teenage boy, who was in a good mood, made a lively commentary, keeping the audience entertained throughout the entire battle.

The competition in the different venues ended after two hours had passed.

The traps that the Ashford Clan had set up in different places had eliminated several

Wanderers during the first day, so their numbers had been drastically reduced.

After most Wanderers formed teams, the remaining stragglers were quickly eliminated, thus bringing closure to the first round of the elimination matches.

The last ten people left from each venue were escorted back to the Colosseum, where they were showered with cheers and applause.

Congratulations, all of you, for passing the first round of the elimination matches," Thirteen said with a smile. "However, the forty of you have just begun your journey. Tomorrow, only twenty of you will remain.

"You will participate in one-on-one battles, and the winner will proceed to the next round, joining the Seeded Candidates in a battle of supremacy!"

The Seeded Members numbered thirty in total.

Each Monarch Clan, with the exception of the Ashford Clan, had one candidate.

As the Hosts, they get the privilege of having two Seeded Candidates in their quota.

The Ten Prestigious Families had one seeded member each.

As for the Hero Party, they were automatically added as Seeded Candidates.

The remaining slots were given to the winners of other similar tournaments, including the Champion of the GANDAM Heaven Sword Tournament, which happened a year ago.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Claude hoped that Mikhail and Shasha would get to face each other in the tournament, so one of them would be eliminated.

However, who was Thirteen?

He had long rigged the Ballot Boxes, from which the participants would draw their ballots to see who their next opponent was.

The teenage boy had applied Rune Magic on it, preventing the names that he inscribed from fighting against each other.

As such, all those who received training under his Guidance in the Rigel Continent were guaranteed to fight outsiders, preventing them from eliminating each other in the second round of the elimination matches.

"Everyone, please draw your ballots!" Thirteen shouted. "You will fight the person who has the same number as the one you got. Go ahead and test your luck! Will Fortune smile upon you today? Or will Bad Luck make you go away?"

One by one, the survivors drew their ballots.

And, just like as Thirteen orchestrated, none of his people was matched against each other.

Cristopher, Colbert, and Alcapone breathed a sigh of relief because they didn't really want to eliminate their comrades in battle.

Thirteen didn't tell them that the event was rigged and would continue to be rigged until the Semi-Finals.

"Well then, everyone, I'll see you all tomorrow!" Thirteen replied. "Sir Claude, do you have some final words to say?"

"Thank you all for coming," Claude commented. "Let's meet again tomorrow."

After saying those words, both Hosts of the Tournament waved their hands to bid everyone

goodbye.

Then they both walked out at the same time.

The moment that they were no longer seen by anyone, Claude snorted.

"I don't know what kind of underhanded tricks you tried to play last night, but you got us good." Claude sneered. "Also, don't bother denying it. I won't believe whatever excuses you

have to say!"

"Tricks?" Thirteen asked in an innocent tone. "What tricks are you talking about, Sir Claude?"

Although Claude had said that he wouldn't believe whatever excuses Zion would say to prove his innocence, the teenage boy still asked.

There was a difference between silently agreeing to something and outright denying it.

With silence, Claude would confirm that he had planned everything, which would make him hate the teenage boy more.

But if Zion at least talked and tried to refute Claude's accusations, the older man would second guess if his suspicion was wrong and start wondering if a third party was involved.

In any case, Thirteen would not play along with these silly mind games and would nip all doubts in the bud before they could fester.

As to whether Claude and Aaron would believe him or not, it didn't really matter.

The moment he spoke up, a seed of doubt would already be planted in Claude's heart, making him unable to pin the blame on the teenage boy wholeheartedly.

Claude didn't even bother to answer Zion's question and stormed off without a second glance.

If only he turned his head around at the right moment, he would have seen the mischievous smile that appeared on the teenage boy's face.

There was no doubt that Thirteen was the one responsible for the suffering of the members of the young generation of the Ashford Clan.

Despite having the complete advantage in the early stages of the competition, they were

forced to take a back seat and enviously watch the people who had now gone into the second

round of the tournament.