The Battle Begins!

While the rules of this competition were strict, there were always ways to give oneself an advantage, of course most of these ways involved money.

Minos was broke, but fortunately he had both Suki and Tylia to fund him, a lot of those funds going towards buying safe houses.

If one didn't even have a place to stay, then it would become a lot harder to get things done, but it was clear pretty much everyone had already thought this through, some princes even having hundreds of safe houses prepared.

Minos naturally couldn't afford that, but he still bought a few places in critical locations, which should suffice.

After walking through the shadows to escape any prying eyes, Minos arrived at his first safehouse, immediately gathering all his men in the living room.

"First of all, introduce yourselves along with your abilities, and be as comprehensive as possible." Minos said succinctly, getting straight to the point.

"Nissor, Early Aperture Opening Realm, Aptus, Tundra Breath. Strengths include espionage, tracking, and disguise." The eldest looking man took the lead saying.

Nodding, Minos looked to the next person, who immediately understood that was their que to speak.

So one by one, Minos got a quick understanding of his new men, of course when it came to the Inner Heaven one's, he already knew them better then they knew themselves.

"Very well then, since you've all introduced yourselves, it's my turn. My name is Minos, as for my strengths, you will all understand that in time. I only have one rule when it comes to operating under me, and that is to follow my word 100%, understood?"

"Understood!" The ten men echoed immediately, extremely disciplined.

"Good, then I want to start by hearing your opinions. Nissor, as the oldest here, let's start with you."

"As commanded, Sir! I believe right now the most important thing is to get eyes and ears on the other competitors, especially the princes and the sixteenth princess."

"Oh, you've got that news as well?" Minos asked interestedly.

"Of course, Sir!"

"That makes my life a lot easier… Anyways, Koha, it's your turn, what do you think?" Minos asked, turning towards the second man.

"I both agree and disagree. While I believe it's critical we keep focus on the princes, I think we are severely overestimating the threat of the sixteenth princess."

"And why is that?"

"The sixteenth princess is still young, only 19 this year. As powerful as her physique is, she simply hasn't had the time needed to hone her physique, forces, or strategy."

"That's a good point, Nissor, any objections?"

"While it's true the sixteenth princess is young, the fact that she has managed to keep her physique hidden for so long is indicative of her scheming and clever nature, not to mention age has never been a determinant of competence."

"Good points. Anyone have anything to add?"

"I've got something to say, Sir."

…

Soon enough, hours passed by in a flash, Minos sitting back leisurely as he let his men talk it out, never really adding his own points, just letting everyone speak.

He didn't mind 'wasting' this time, since until the first 24 hours passed, they weren't allowed to act anyways, not even through reconnaissance.

With nothing else to do other than talk, Minos wanted to understand his men as much as possible, and the best way to do that was through conversation.

Each reply, answer, objection, would let Minos understand their way of thinking a little more intimately, of course all of his focus was on his Aperture Opening Realm men, since he already understood the others.

Through hours of this, Minos already Nissor, Koha, Yosh, and Taji quite well, enough to feel comfortable using them.

Tapping his finger rhythmically as they kept discussing, Minos couldn't help but look at the window, wondering what the others were up too.

…

In a massive luxurious mansion in an unknown location, ten men were gathered in front of a throne, their eyes glued on the man sitting atop it.

The man in question looked very young, his body decked in jewelry, from earrings to bracelets and necklaces, and most importantly, the dozens of rings on his fingers.

Despite the room's silence, none of the men dared say anything, simply waiting for the first prince to break the ice.

"Why don't any of you speak?" The First Prince, Nufes, asked with a broad smile.

"We dare not speak without your command, Sir." One man replied.

"Oh? Good answer." Nufes said, laughing for a bit before speaking again.

"Since you're all so obedient, then I'll take the lead. First of all, my biggest enemy is my third brother, while I hate the bastard, I must admit his mind is extremely sharp."

"Of course there's also that sixteenth sister of mine, but she's young and naive, prone to error, so she is of less concern for the time being."

"As for the others, they're mostly stragglers, let's keep our focus concentrated on those that matter."

"Sir, I have something to add." The same man from before couldn't help but speak.

"I don't recall asking your opinion, so it's somewhat strange that you've just gone ahead and offered it. You others, do any of you remember me asking him his opinion?" Nufes asked, scanning through the other nine.

"No!" The nine replied in unison.

"How strange… I didn't ask, and yet I've received. Tell me, what's your name, soldier?"

"Isao, Sir."

"Isao, huh? I'm not too fond of that name, from now on I'll call you dunce. Dunce, why not go ahead and stand in the corner for the time being."

"..." Not sure what to say, Isao just obliged, walking off to the corner under Nufes's condescending gaze.

He had already heard a lot about the first prince's nature, but he never knew he was vain to such a level, his head unconsciously shaking as he held no confidence in such a leader.

…

"Tell me everyone, what makes the world go round?" Orino, the third prince, asked with a glittering smile, his teeth coated in gold.

"Strength."

"Wrong!"

"Influence."

"Wrong again!"

"Ideal-"

"Stop before I have to say wrong again! The answer is wealth! Wealth can buy strength, it can buy influence, and it can even create ideals, so the key to everything lies in this one word alone."

"The fact is, the majority of the competitors know they have no chance whatsoever, and herein lies our opportunity."

"We gather these nonfactors together, let them realize that victory is simply an impossibility for them, and then offer them reality through bribes."

"With only a handful of them, we'll have dozens of more men under our hands, which will give us an overwhelming advantage!"

"But what if others offer them something even better, such as political influence?" One man couldn't help but ask.

"Political influence? How ethereal is that? The beauty of wealth is that it's real and present, no need for games or tricks, just offer a number high enough."

"Now enough talking, let's figure out who our best targets are…"

…

"Right now we're in a bit of an awkward scenario. One on hand, I'm sure a lot of my brothers and sisters look down on me due to my age, but on the other, there are certainly those who will now hyperfocus on me." The sixteenth princess, Asumi, said as she paced around the room.

"Right now, I've got to convince everyone that I'm the first, not the second. Let them lower their guards for the time being while I amass power behind the scenes…"

"... Here's the plan!" Asumi said after a moment's thought, her eyes shining, convinced of this scheme of hers.

…

With everyone strategizing and plotting, the 24 hour safe period passed in a flash, the loud chime echoing throughout the city and making it clear that the Battle of Strategy had officially begun.

Back in his safe house, Minos's eye snapped open, his body slowly rising from his cross-legged meditative position.

With a few stretches, he walked into the living room, his men already gathered and standing straight, ready for a fight and just waiting for Minos's command to set them loose.

"It's good to see you all in this state. Then let's not waste the excitement, let the fun begin." Minos smiled.