On the third day, the last Qualifying Matches were held and, to Vera's and Iris' relief, Lux had successfully made it onto the list of the last 32 contestants, which included the Four Kings and Five Overlords.
These 32 contestants would now fight one-on-one battles which would allow them to reach the semi-finals and get the opportunity to be hailed the Champion of the Lionheart's Tournament
The victor would also gain amazing treasures that were personally prepared by the Six Kings, as well as the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy.
Alexander had already declared that the Champion of the tournament would gain the privilege of becoming his daughter's fiance, which had caused Iris' countless suitors to take the tournament seriously in order to get the chance to marry the blue-haired beauty that was also referred to as the Princess of Barbatos Academy.
Lux looked at the Big Magical Board where the names of the Four Kings and Five Overlords were separated in different brackets. This was to ensure that none of them would fight each other early, which made those that had passed the Qualifiers cry foul.
However, since this was the will of the organizers, there was nothing they could do about it.
The final groupings were divided into four. Each group had 8 contestants inside it. The Nine Prodigies who stood above the rest were arranged in a manner that they could only fight each other after fighting two times.
Meaning, the organizers had arranged for the final battle in each Division to be the Kings and the Overlords fighting against each other.
At least, that was what they assumed would happen when they made this setup. They didn't believe that those who passed the Qualifying Matches would be able to beat the best prodigies of the young generation.
'Well, I guess this also works to my advantage,' Lux thought as he gazed at the groupings on the giant board. 'Nero is in Group A, while I am in Group C. It seems that we won't get a chance to fight each other until the Semi-Finals. Assuming that he doesn't lose his matches.'
Lux rubbed his chin as he looked at the matchups for tomorrow.
'The Boar will be fighting against Rol, while Gerhart will be fighting against one of the Four Kings, who also specializes in the Wind Element,' Lux mused. 'What a setup, Barbarian versus his prey, and Wind User versus another Wind User. If I remember correctly the so-called young King is a Prince from an Elven Kingdom.
'I guess those who bear the title of King are members of Royalty, while Overlords are those with noble backgrounds or lower, like Nero.'
Lux looked at his opponent in the Rank C tournament and saw a familiar name, which made him chuckle.
'Looks like I'm up against that Barbarian who has been courting Iris for years,' Lux thought. 'Einar Mordosk, nineteen years old, Middle Grade-A Apostle. Stat wise, he is stronger than me. He is a pure combat fighter that specializes in swords, and axes. He also has the Rage Skill, which is similar to Berserk, but with no side-effects. He is going to be one tough cookie to crack.'
Lux had to admit that his first opponent was quite a powerhouse.
Einar was one of the Four Kings of the younger generation, and was the second eldest son of the Barbarian King, Amastan Mordosk.
When people think of Barbarians, they immediately imagine brutish warriors who only had brawn and no brains.
Unfortunately, this was not the case with the Barbarian King. He was a very wise ruler, and had ushered in a new era for his people, making them one of the most powerful Kingdoms within the Eastern Regions of Solais.
His Son, Einar, may not be as wise as his father, but he could be considered as someone who had a good head on his shoulders. Some even said that he was one of the top 3 strongest individuals who represented the younger generation.
As for whether he was really in the top three, top two, or top one, no one really knew.
All they knew was that he was someone they couldn't afford to mess with because Einar was someone that didn't show mercy to his enemies.
While Lux was about to check who Nero's opponent was, a shadow fell upon his body.
Lux casually looked behind him to see who was blocking the sunlight and saw a man who was over two-meters tall and looking down on him with a calm expression on his face.
It was none other than Einar, who was also Lux's next opponent.
"So, you are my opponent in the next match," Einar said as he looked down at the chubby teenager, who was shorter than him. "I already saw through your disguise, Lux Von Kaizer. I will make sure that I cripple you for good in our battle."
"You're not the first person to call me by that name," Lux frowned as he looked at the man that towered over him. "There have already been three others aside from you, and I am starting to wonder if you guys have a crush on this Lux Von Kaizer or something."
Instead of answering, Einar grabbed Lux's face and scratched the side of his face with his fingers. It was as if he was trying to remove a mask or something, but his attempts didn't yield any results.
"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Lux shouted as he pried the Barbarian's hand away from his face. "Are you trying to injure me before our fight has even started? Is this how you Barbarians do things?!"
His loud shout caught the attention of people in the arena, which made them look in their direction. Bruno, who was paying close attention to Lux, started to walk in their direction. Seeing that one of the officials of the tournament was coming their way, Einar scoffed before leaving.
He had attempted to see if he could remove the mask that the chubby teenager was wearing to confirm whether he was really the Half-Elf they were looking for.
In truth, Einar just said that he had seen through the chubby teenager's disguise in an attempt to see his reaction. However, contrary to his expectations, Lux only gave him a fed up look, which made him execute his Plan B, which was to forcefully remove any disguise he might be wearing.
Lux watched the Barbarian go, while sneering in his heart. No one could remove the Mask of a Thousand Faces unless the one whom it was bound to removed it themself.
This artifact was also immune to other artifacts that could see through disguises. The maker of the Mask had made specific adjustments when crafting it to prevent any type of discernment, and identification spells from penetrating through his disguise.
This was why the Mask could only record two faces at a time, because adding more would make its anti-detection skills weaken.
With this mask on his face, Lux was confident that no one would be able to know his identity. He had also practiced not reacting to people calling him Lux, while wearing the mask, which had foiled the plans of the Iris' suitors to try and learn his true identity.
"Are you alright?" Bruno asked as he stopped beside Lux. "Your next opponent is very strong. If you feel that you can't keep up with him, make sure to surrender as soon as possible. The mages will immediately take you out of the arena."
Lux smiled and gave Bruno a nod of acknowledgement. "Thank you. I will keep that in mind."
The chubby teenager then shifted his attention to the board to see who Nero's opponent was.
'An unfamiliar name,' Lux thought. 'Well, not that it matters. I'll just watch his battle before mine tomorrow.'
Everyday there would be four matches held in the Grand Arena of the Coliseum. The betting system would also open, which was something that Lux intended to capitalize on in order to gain money, and of course, Beast Cores, which would help him increase his strength for future matches.
He had upgraded his Special Body Constitution to Grade D, and the rewards he received were worth all the Beast Core he had sacrificed for his upgrade.
Although he didn't know exactly how strong Einar was, he believed that with the Trump Cards he possessed, he would be able to give the Barbarian Prince a run for his money.
—--
"Oh no, Big Brother's next opponent is Einar!" Iris, who had just seen the latest match ups, exclaimed. "This is terrible. Big Brother might not win against him!"
Vera, who was handfeeding Eiko a meatbun, glanced at her panicking granddaughter who was walking back and forth inside the room.
"Calm down, Iris," Vera said. "Lux entered the competition knowing that he would be facing strong opponents. It makes no difference if he faced Einar sooner or later. In the end, only the strong will become the champion of this tournament."
Iris sat beside her Grandma and leaned her head on the old lady's shoulder, acting spoiled.
"I know, Grandma, but I can't help but worry," Iris replied. "I love Big Brother so much that thinking of him getting hurt because of me makes my heart ache. Maybe the two of us should just elope and hide somewhere in Elysium. What do you think, Grandma?"
"Believe in him, Iris," Vera commented as she wrapped her right arm around her granddaughter to give her a hug. "Lux is strong. Perhaps stronger than both of us think."
"Do you really think so, Grandma?"
"Of course. I was the one that took care of him since he was a baby. Naturally, I know how determined he can be when faced with adversities. I know that you are worried because you haven't seen Lux fight, but I have."
Vera pressed the side of her head against the top of her granddaughter's as if trying to make a point.
"Lux no longer needs my protection," Vera said softly. There was a trace of sadness in it, but her words also contained a sense of pride. "I believe that someday, he will be the one protecting others instead."
"Including me, Grandma?"
"Of course."
"Ma!" Eiko commented after she finished eating the meatbun in Vera's hand. "Protect Ma!"
Iris giggled as she picked up the baby Slime who had just said that she would protect her.
"Okay, protect me too, Eiko. Make sure that your Papa and I live a happy life together."
"Ma!"
The Baby Slime nodded her head in affirmation. Eiko gave Iris a confident smile, which made the latter smirk and made Eiko's cheeks jiggle when she rubbed her hands on them.
Vera watched this scene with a smile as she thought of the future where she would hold her great grandchildren in her arms.
Lux had already opened up to the idea, and the only one that was blocking her happiness was none other than her son, Alexander, who was also the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy.
'As long as Lux wins this tournament, Alex will have no choice but to abide by his own words,' Vera mused as she looked at the mother and daughter pair who was fooling around together.
The reason why Vera was not making her move was because she believed that Lux would win the tournament.
By doing so, it would remove all kinds of obstacles, including his son's opposition, which would pave the way for her, and her granddaughter's, happiness.
