In the Paragon Realm, the nine Divine Beings stood at the very top.
They were the true powerhouses.
Their influence ran so deep that no one dared to provoke a clan connected to a Divine Being. Not even indirectly. The only exception was if that clan was also backed by another Divine Being.
And even then, things stayed careful.
There was always an unspoken respect between clans backed by Divine Beings. It wasn't courtesy. It was survival. To earn the attention of entities like that, a clan had to accomplish something truly remarkable. No frauds survived at that level.
The Paragon Battle Royal was a tournament hosted every year by the Divine Beings themselves.
It wasn't for entertainment.
It was a filter.
A method they used to observe, test, and select the factions and clans worth backing. Power, growth, potential. Everything was weighed there.
Because of that, any clan already backed by a Divine Being automatically received an invitation. They were required to attend.
It was their way of proving they were still worthy. Still useful. Still strong enough to carry that backing.
That was why Lucius's request hit so hard.
Shagun froze for half a second as the meaning sank in.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
He tilted his head back, the sound filling the tent as his shoulders shook. It wasn't polite laughter. It was loud. Disbelieving. Almost mocking.
"You… you must be joking, right?" Shagun said, still chuckling as he looked back at Lucius.
Lucius didn't react.
His expression didn't change. Not even slightly.
He simply stared at Shagun, calm and steady, like the laughter meant nothing at all.
Lucius understood his position clearly.
Now that he had Shagun's full attention, thanks to the card, he knew one thing for sure. Shagun wouldn't act rashly. Not unless he completely misunderstood what Lucius was asking for.
"I am not joking," Lucius said, his voice steady, right after Shagun's laughter finally died down.
The change on Shagun's face was instant.
The amusement drained away, replaced by open surprise. Then shock.
"Do you have any idea what you are holding?" Shagun said, pointing directly at the card in Lucius's hand.
"That card belongs to the Divine Being named Jovisrax," Shagun continued, his tone growing heavier with every word.
"Most of the high factions under him don't even have one," he said. "And yet a no-name clan that appeared out of nowhere is carrying it?"
Shagun let out a slow breath, trying to steady himself.
"The Divine Beings are the ones who decide how invitations are shared," he went on. "If your clan was truly close to Jovisrax, you should have received an invitation already."
From Shagun's point of view, the logic was simple.
He had no idea how Lucius obtained the card. He didn't know if it was something recent or something from long ago. Either way, any clan tied to a Divine Being should have been on the list. No exceptions.
Lucius, however, was already piecing it together.
'When Jovisrax gave me the card, he gave it to me as an individual,' Lucius thought.
'He likely believed I was still part of the Vornshade clan,' he continued.
'A clan that has already been wiped out. That would explain why he never bothered sending an invitation in the first place,' Lucius concluded.
Left for Shagun, he didn't believe it.
Lucius was still insisting.
"I got this card recently, through some unplanned meetings with Jovisrax," Lucius said calmly. "It happened after the event invitations were already shared."
Shagun took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
To him, the story sounded off. Not impossible, just… inconvenient. Still, it was believable enough, given the card sitting right there.
"Usually, we don't make exceptions," Shagun said. "Not even for clans under a Divine Being."
He paused, eyes flicking back to the card.
"However, your case is different," he continued. "For a clan to possess that card… maybe that is the invitation itself."
With that, Shagun turned and walked over to the oval table.
The holographic display of the Colosseum hovered above it, alive with moving images. Shagun raised his hand and began swiping through the projections, zooming in, dragging the view, shifting angles as if searching for a specific point.
After a moment, the image settled.
The display locked onto the area outside, where the Wyndhams were standing among the crowd.
"Before you do that, I'd like to inform you of something else," Lucius said.
Shagun stopped mid-motion.
He turned back to Lucius, his expression sharpening.
"I actually have two clans I want to get into the tournament," Lucius said. "I was wondering if you could help me with that."
Shagun's face tightened into a frown.
"I can only do a favor for one clan," he said flatly. "Not two."
Shagun turned back to the holographic footage and began counting quietly, his fingers moving in the air as he tracked figures on the display. Halfway through, his brows lifted slightly.
He stopped.
Then he turned to Lucius.
"That's a clever move you're planning there," Shagun said, his tone slower now, more thoughtful.
Lucius didn't respond. He waited.
"But I still can't help you get more than one clan in directly," Shagun added.
Lucius's jaw tightened. One hand curled into a fist at his side, the motion small but sharp. Frustration leaked through, even if his face stayed calm.
"However," Shagun said, holding up a finger as he looked back at Lucius.
Lucius's eyes narrowed a little.
"There is a way for them to get into the tournament," Shagun continued.
That caught Lucius's attention. His posture shifted, subtle but alert.
"After the invitations are shared among clans," Shagun said, "other clans are allowed to fight for those invites."
Lucius wasn't impressed. Not even a little.
He already knew this.
Once an invite existed, clans without backing could challenge for it. Through arranged duels, side tournaments, wagers, or even open conflict. Some won clean. Some stole it. Some wiped another clan out and took it from the ashes.
The method never mattered.
What mattered was simple. If you had the invite on you, you could enter.
"It's too late for that," Lucius said flatly.
Shagun turned fully toward him and smiled wide, almost amused.
"Who said it's too late?" he replied.
"There's a reason why some clans rush straight into the Colosseum the moment they arrive," Shagun said, tapping the holographic table with two fingers.
"Those are the clans that understand one thing," he continued. "It's never too late to fight for an invite until the event officially begins."
Lucius's eyes lit up at once.
The pieces clicked into place.
One invite was already secured. That much was clear. The Wyndhams' main participants were covered. But the second path… that was for the extra slot. The backup force. The insurance plan to push their ranking higher in the Battle Royal.
With that realization, Lucius already knew his next move.
He didn't smile, but his posture relaxed just a little.
'I see it now,' he thought.
'There's still time.'
---
Meanwhile, Alex was locked in a silent staring contest with someone he didn't know.
A stranger.
Her blue eyes didn't blink. They scanned him, sharp and steady. For a brief moment, the noise of the Colosseum faded away.
Then the system flashed.
[Warning!]
[Stay off the Synapse Circle sight]
Alex frowned.
The message didn't explain anything. No reason. No details. Just a warning.
He broke eye contact at once and focused on the system panel floating before him.
'If this is a warning,' he thought, 'then the system knows something I don't.'
That alone was enough.
Alex shifted his position, moving away from the open line of sight. He blended into the crowd, not too far from the Wyndhams, but far enough that bodies and movement blocked him from her view.
'There's more to the Synapse Circle than it looks,' he thought as he settled.
Unknown to Alex, he wasn't the only one unsettled by that brief exchange.
Rhyssa stood still, a faint chill crawling over her skin as she stared at a holographic screen floating in front of her.
[Name: Alex Wyndham]
[Age: Unable to get information]
[Stage: Unable to get information]
[...]
Her brows knit together.
'What the heck?' she thought.
'Is the system malfunctioning now?'