Chapter 223: two options

All twenty names appeared on the projection in neat rows. Moments later, they began rapidly shuffling and blinking like a lottery draw.

Many contestants tightly crossed their fingers, and so did their families in the stands — parents, siblings, and relatives who had watched them come this far and desperately hoped they would not be eliminated just yet.

Gradually, the shuffling slowed.

One by one, the names began to settle into place.

The entire Colosseum fell into complete silence as everyone focused on the projection, waiting for the final results to become clear.

All the pairings were completely random. Some contestants were matched against strong opponents, while others still knew nothing about the people they would face.

Nova’s opponent was a young man named Kael Aster. His match was scheduled second.

Rieka’s opponent was Orion Ashford, with her fight set as the fifth.

Celine’s opponent was a girl named Mira Vance, scheduled third.

But the most unexpected and unfortunate pairing of all was Asia’s — she had been matched against Liam Everhart, and their fight was set to go first.

When the names finally appeared clearly on the projection, excitement swept through the Colosseum.

At the same time, many contestants grew visibly nervous upon realizing they had been paired with one of the stronger fighters.

Asia simply stared at her opponent’s name. She did not panic. Even if she lost, she would still have the chance to fight in the losers’ bracket and earn her way back into the main rounds.

Nova saw Asia’s pairing and could only shake his head. There was nothing he could do about it. For a moment, he wondered if his own monstrous bad luck was now beginning to affect his wives as well.

Liam, on the other hand, smiled when he saw his opponent. He turned toward Nova with a sharp look, already imagining how he would show everyone who the real main character of this tournament was.

"It’s completely unexpected... and unfortunate for Asia," Jenna said worriedly.

"Ah, it’s not a big deal," Nyxara replied calmly. "She will definitely return to the main rounds after defeating the other losers in the secondary bracket along with five others."

"Yes. It’s nothing major for Lady Asia," Velena agreed.

Theodore’s expression tightened the moment he saw his daughter’s name paired with Liam. He had not expected this, but there was still a path forward for her even if she lost.

Maria also looked at the names and felt a slight discomfort. Although she was not particularly close to Asia, she did not like Liam... and she had come to regard Asia as something of an acquaintance she rather liked.

Vaorak and the other high-level figures simply watched in silence this time, as if they already knew there was more to this situation than met the eye.

[We now have our ten matches. Everyone knows their opponents and should be prepared to face them.]

The audience roared with excitement as the fights were about to begin. But Slickmouth suddenly spoke again, surprising everyone with an unexpected announcement.

[Before we start the first match between Asia Frost and Liam Everhart... I would like to present a special opportunity to Asia Frost.]

Confusion spread through the crowd. Before anyone could speculate further, Slickmouth continued.

[In the previous round, Asia Frost was the first to claim a platform among the top twenty, and Rieka Vargirth was the second.]

[Although this was not announced earlier — as it was intentionally kept secret — both of them will now receive special privileges. And as the first-place finisher, Asia’s privilege is the more advanced of the two.]

Shock rippled through the audience. Liam cursed under his breath. He had already known something like this was possible — his family had told him about similar occurrences in past tournaments.

Celine and several other elites had also been aware of the possibility, yet simply knowing about it had not been enough. They still had to clear their lanes in time, which many of them had failed to do.

The audience and contestants alike accepted the decision without protest. Now they only wanted to know what the privilege actually was.

[Lady Asia’s privilege is that she may choose one of two options.]

[First: she may advance directly to the next round. In that case, her current opponent will be considered defeated, and she will move forward without fighting.]

[Second: she may request a new opponent. The matchup will still be random, and Lord Liam will also be reassigned a different opponent from among the remaining contestants.]

Everyone was surprised. The first option sounded extremely advantageous, and similar privileges had appeared in tournaments across the world before.

But if she chose the second option, she would not be seen as someone who simply accepted her bad luck and took the easy path. Instead, she would be regarded as someone bold enough to still choose to fight.

Asia turned toward Nova and quietly asked him something through mental transmission. He gave her a small nod and a smile in return.

Asia smiled as well, then looked up toward Slickmouth and spoke clearly.

"I will choose the second option. I want a different opponent... because I accept that I am not yet ready to face someone at Lord Liam’s level."

Her words echoed across the arena. No one blamed her. In fact, many praised her for the decision. Everyone had also noticed that she had first sought Nova’s opinion, meaning she had taken his advice.

Lyra and the other high-level figures smiled upon hearing Asia’s choice. Theodore let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that his daughter would not be eliminated in the very first match of the third round.

Jenna and Edward both smiled. Velena gave a small nod of satisfaction, and Nyxara also offered quiet praise.

Liam cursed internally. The chance he had been looking forward to had slipped through his fingers. He had been so close to eliminating a strong contender in the first match without even having to fight properly.

[A wise choice. We will now reshuffle only Lady Asia’s and Lord Liam’s opponents.]

After the reshuffling, Asia was paired with a young man named Silas Falk, while Liam received a noticeably weaker opponent.

[Due to this change, we will also adjust the order of the matches slightly. The first fight will now be between...]

[Nova Valencrest and Kael Aster.]

[All other contestants are requested to leave the arena, except for Nova Valencrest and Kael Aster.]

[You may all enjoy the upcoming match from your designated seats.]

New viewing seats had been prepared in different sections of the Colosseum specifically for the remaining contestants, allowing them to watch the fights until their own matches began.

Once everyone else had taken their places, only Nova and Kael remained standing on the vast arena floor.

Kael Aster was a twenty-seven-year-old youth with a sharp, handsome face — though not quite on the same level as Nova’s. He had short brown hair and a muscular, well-trained frame.

In his hands he held a long spear, and the confident look in his eyes made it clear that he was highly skilled with the weapon.

He was the son of a Duke from the Kalemor Kingdom and a well-known figure among the high-ranking nobles of the younger generation. Many already considered him one of the stronger contestants in this tournament.

Nova looked at him with a faintly bored expression. After a brief moment of thought, he suddenly raised his voice and called out to Slickmouth.

"Can I get a spear as well?"

Kael and many others were visibly surprised. Wasn’t this man a sword user? Why was he suddenly asking for a spear?

Still, Slickmouth had no reason to refuse the request.

A guard quickly approached and handed Nova a spear—a King Realm-grade weapon.

The Colosseum’s armory held many different types of weapons, and anyone who wished could take one and use it in the tournament. However, most contestants preferred to use their own weapons.

**

Thanks for reading...