"Wait just a moment. Before discussing any sort of competition, there is one thing which I am concerned about. If that woman there can read minds, then what is the point in a competition? She will merely predict all our moves ahead of time. Surely you cannot call that fair."

As Huberos stood forward to say this, the people around him looked forth with shock.

"Wait just a minute Huberos..... are you telling me she can read minds?", Tera asked.

"Indeed. Something which I believe removes all purpose from the competition. It is almost as if they are attempting to rig it from the start."

Faced with the accusation, Samantha merely smiled.

"Oh? So you're willing to say that my abilities are cheating, yet yours are not? Interesting. Fine then. You want a 'fair fight'? Hahaha..... what does that even mean? There's no such thing as a fair fight. If two people train from a young age and one is more talented than the other, the more talented one will win. Always. Can you call that fair? That people were born into the positions of winners and losers? I would hardly say that is true."

Closing her eyes in thought, the succubus stepped forward, slithering around Huberos.

"So what do you do? Do you handicap the person who is more talented and call that a fair fight? That's hardly fair either. Not allowing someone to use the skills which they have is the same thing as giving the weaker person an advantage."

"What is your point here, woman?"

Huberos eyed the woman as she spoke into his ear, frozen in his own movements.

"There's no such thing as a fair fight. Life is unfair from the moment we enter, and unless we counter it with even more unfairness, we can never say that anything is fair. However, that is hardly fair."

The slippery woman took her own position back beside her comrades, grinning victoriously as she inspected her own nails.

"But fine. If you have a way to prevent my mind reading, then sure. Go ahead. I can't turn this shit off, and it gets real annoying to have to hear everyone's disgusting thoughts all the time."

[Humble]

Huberos grinned as he used his own ability, allowing for the temporary sealing of the mindreading capacity of the succubus before him.

'Perfect. Now I can plan and plot all I wish, and she will not be able to catch onto whatever I am thinking.'

"You might think that we now have no method of catching onto your schemes, but mind reading is only the tip of the iceberg.", the succubus said as she continued to inspect her nails. "Ah, based on your expression you probably think that my mind reading hasn't been turned off yet. Sorry to spoil your party, but it has."

'Wha..... this woman..... is she messing with me? Did my ability not work? No, that's impossible. There was no such error message. It had to have worked. It had to... then..... the only other possibility is that....'

Huberos frowned as he accepted the only logical option.

'She can read my thoughts just from my expressions alone?'

"You're a very readable person, you know. Everything you think is always shown on your face. Ah, and because I hear people's thoughts all the time, I've gotten used to associating them with their expressions I suppose."

'Irritating irritating..... this woman is very irritating. I will eliminate her first and foremost.'

Shrugging it off as if he didn't know what she was talking about, Huberos continued the conversation.

"Could we get to the competition then?"

"Of course.", the elven figure replied. "Do you wish for it to be a simple battle? Or do you wish to do something more intricate?"

Huberos took a moment to stop as he heard this.

'A simple battle or something more intricate..... because of what we have bet on this, there is no need for a formal war. I gathered these plantmen as well as these other Hosts for the purpose of war, yet that is of course because it is typically only through war which you can force your opponent to do as you wish. Only through defeating them in direct battle could I have truly defeated them with certainty. Yet now, the situation is different. Right now, we can stake everything on this competition, therefore there is no need to battle directly.'

Huberos looked over to the three.

They likely were hiding many more abilities beyond what they had shown.

Which was why Huberos was reluctant to make any decision.

'If I propose a competition without knowing their abilities, I may very well be playing right into their hands. They will surely accept anything I propose, given that they have thrown the option to myself, yet I will not know whether or not the very competition which I have proposed is one which I am already guaranteed to lose.'

Huberos once believed he was the greatest, and that he could not lose.

However, after witnessing the Determined in all her splendor, he knew now one thing.

He could not afford to lose here.

A loss here would be his loss eternally.

Therefore, he threw away his own arrogance.

And he thought.

He plotted.

And he planned.

He knew well that unless he put forth every last effort and resource, that he would lose. Therefore, the mindset which he had approached this battle with no longer held chains on him.

'Should I propose a battle of intelligence? Something which relies on wit as opposed to strength? But if I were to do that, would I not simply be paired up with that elven figure? He was able to find out our abilities ahead of time, and he is already multiple moves ahead.'

As he thought, Huberos came across a single thought which dug away at everything he was.

'Can I actually defeat him?'

He had been outsmarted before. Who was to say that he would not be outsmarted again?

He had to think.

'We outnumber him greatly. That much is certain. Yet he would not have taken us on in our overwhelming numbers if he was not confident in his own ability to do so. That is right! I must think like him. I cannot assume that he is just a fool who has thrown aside all reason. There is a reason behind every action. So, he is confident that he can defeat all 600 of us, even with only 3 of them- and with their most powerful player sealed at that. After all, Apathia could merely change targets if there was another one who holds greater power..... although.....'

The very thought of someone holding greater power than that spirit caused a chill to go down the spine of Huberos.

'If another one of them holds such power, then we are doomed. The battle will be over before it has started. Then, I shouldn't suggest a direct battle. But how else would I utilize my numerical advantage if not in a direct battle?'

"Do you mind if we were to step aside to perform a strategic meeting before I answer that question?"

Huberos addressed the elven figure, to which he was greeted with an immediate nod.

"Of course. Take as much time as you need to discuss. We will remain awaiting your decision."

"Ah, and you will of course not eavesdrop on us in any manner- including those around you? Furthermore, you will not perform any underhanded tricks such as attacking those present while we are gone?"

"You have my word. You are certainly shrewd in your wording. You've ensured that we aren't allowed to perform any strange movements. I suppose I can respect that.", the elven figure replied.

[Conditional Humility]

Huberos merely thinned his eyes as he turned around, still suspicious of the man.

"Come, you three. We have a discussion to hold."

And so, the four headed off to a room to the side at the orders of Huberos.

As the four walked off, Trevor pushed up his glasses with a grin.

"A most interesting opponent. He finally realizes his own position, and is doing everything he can to ensure his victory from that position. He is much more intelligent than most of the opponents we have faced."

"Why are you entertaining his whims like this, Theo?"

Trevor was met with a quick question from Garett, who looked ever so slightly annoyed.

"Letting him have all these conditions that make it harder for us. Is this all part of your plan?"

"Of course. Watch and learn. It is by allowing this man to play us that he will fall right into our own trap. He is traversing a minefield, carefully avoiding suspicious spots and slowly stepping his way through. He will little by little make his way to the end, and it is then that he will realize something."

With an evil grin, Trevor folded his hands behind his back.

"Just before the end, there will be miles of mines that cover every square inch of land. No matter how careful he is, he will either step on one..... or he will give up before he inevitably loses his life trying."

----

"Man, they even have conference rooms in this place? Huberos, I'm starting to think....."

Gormand looked around in surprise as the four walked.

"I'm starting to think that we're..... out of our league here."

"I know that."

Holding his head with his clawed hand, Huberos snapped back with a grin.

"I know that.... which is why we have to figure something out."

"So what do we do?"

Speaking from the arm of Gormand, Apathia entered the conversation.

The four filed in, sitting down at their respective seats as Gormand laid Apathia out in sitting position, and they looked to one another with concern.

"The fact of the matter is that they are already aware of my abilities and Apathia's. It is likely that they already understand your own as well, Gormand. I am unsure whether they hold the ability to increase the power of weaklings like I do, however I would prefer not to find out. Which is why, fortunately, I have ensured that we will be facing the antiheroes alone in this battle. And it is because of their arrogance..... or perhaps even due to their confidence, that they have accepted these terms. Yet the very fact that they have means one thing."

Tapping his claws on the table, all eyes- including those of Apathia who took the effort to open both eyes- focused on Huberos.

"They truly believe they can win against all 600 of us."

This much was obvious, however on stating it the room became silent.

"So what should we do then? Do we face them head on in a battle?"

"I am concerned with that option. The fact that we are allowed to decide the competition shows that they are extremely confident no matter what type of competition it is. Either that.... or....."

Huberos sentence trailed off as he thought this, however he shook his head in complete denial.

"No, that was a dumb thought. There is absolutely no way they could know that."

"Know what?", Gormand asked.

Holding his fingers to his temples, Huberos closed his eyes.

"It would be ridiculous to think that they could possibly be able to predict exactly what competition we would propose, no?"

As he said this though, a thought hit the mind of Huberos.

"Wait a minute...."

Bending down in thought, a grin overcame the face of Huberos.

His fangs dug into his lower lip as he smiled, nodding to himself.

"Yes.... that's it..... that's it!!! They..... are meticulous. They are opponents who plot and plan, attempting to gain information on all they challenge so that they can be prepared for whatever moves their opponent could possibly make. Isn't that correct?"

"That's right.", Tera said in agreement. "Based on everything they've done so far, it seems like they've had all this planned from the start."

"Therefore, how does one defeat someone who strategizes, plots and plans? It is simple!! We simply do something which was so far out of expectations that it was never even considered!!!"

"Eh?"

The other three all looked to Huberos with confusion.

"What do you mean by that, Huberos?", Gormand asked.

"We find a competition which is so ridiculous.... so out of the ordinary.... something so unpredictable that they absolutely could never have predicted such a thing!!!"

"Ah.... I see.... so because they expect us to utilize all 600 of our warriors, we should instead do something that throws that advantage aside?", Tera stated.

"An interesting idea. That is a possibility....."

"What if we made it into a wager?", Apathia stated. "The people on each side, that is."

"Oh..... oh..... I see..... interesting..... so we use them as chips to gamble with? However, what if upon proposing this they instead decide to use their own people as chips as well?"

"We let em use as many as they want up to 600. Then we're even. We gamble with the lives of those we rule. If the other side wins em over, they become their slaves. If we win em over, then they become our slaves."

"Excellent. I like the idea. It effectively throws out our advantage of numbers, which will surely throw off their expectations. Furthermore, it will allow for the competitions to happen in a series of events, which means we will be able to control the betting depending on the competition itself. However, if we turn the competitions into a series of events, then they would surely not agree if we were to choose every competition, no? Therefore, we will alternate on who decides on the competition, yet the opposing side must agree to the proposed competition. How does that sound?"

"I think they'll agree.", Tera stated.

Gormand nodded and Apathia merely sat there, too lazy to voice her own opinion.

"So what should we do for the first competition then?", Tera asked.

Fixing his own tie with his confidence restored, Huberos pulled out his handkerchief, once more wiping the blood from his chin.

"What else? An all out battle where everything but killing is allowed."

----

"Very interesting. I accept those conditions. We will hold a number of competitions with wagers. This will ensure that our spectators are properly entertained, after all. Then.... for this first battle, I would like to present to you our wager.", Trevor stated. "Coran. Come forth with your family."

Huberos, Apathia, Gormand, and Tera had returned to the arena and explained the conditions which they had come to, which was followed by Trevor's agreement.

Garett held his hand to the ground, coming into contact with it, and a stairway which led down into the arena formed from the rock.

Walking down it were roughly 40 people.

A humanoid spider, a humanoid wasp, and a number of humans.

All of these people were well dressed as if they were prepared for an event, and they immediately knelt before the antiheroes.

"Your excellency, we are here at your command."

"Indeed. This is our wager for this first battle. 36 high quality slaves."

"High quality? Most of them are merely children.", Gormand questioned. "Do they taste good? Or can they cook?"

"I can assure you that my wife's cooking is greater than anything you've ever consumed.", Coran immediately responded while keeping his head bowing to the antiheroes.

At this Alicia was unsure what to do, therefore she continued to keep her head low.

"I see. Then, I'll look forward to it.", Gormand responded.

"Ahem. While many of these slaves are mere humans, each and every one of them is skilled in some manner. Furthermore..... they have been promoted such that their combat potential is far beyond that which a normal human can usually reach. Therefore, this is indeed quite the wager. I do hope you can match it?", Trevor stated while glaring at Huberos.

"Of course. I will bet 36 of my plant warriors, then. In similar manner, while they have been taken from a weaker race, their abilities have been increased to the point where they almost exceed my own."

"Very well. Then the bargain for this game has been set. However, your warriors will take part in this battle, no?"

"Of course they will. This is an all out battle, after all. Since killing is not permitted, it should not make a difference, correct? After all, if you were to damage the property which you win that would be your own fault.", Huberos stated.

"Hahaha..... you truly are an interesting opponent. Very well then. The wager has been set. Determined, did you hear all that?"

[Loud and clear]

[Yep, I got it.]

Two different voices responded to Trevor's question, and Trevor waved for Coran and his family to go off to the side near Claire where they would await the end of the battle.

"I will be cheering on for your victory, your excellencies."

With this, the forces of Huberos and Gormand lined up for battle, preparing themselves.

"One final confirmation on this battle. Anything but killing goes, no?", Samantha asked.

"That is correct.", Huberos responded without turning back to Samantha.

'Even if we lose this battle, this is beyond acceptable. A small loss now for information on their own abilities. It is a sacrifice now for the overall victory later.'

As soon as all had been lined up, Claire stood up with a smile.

"Are both sides ready?"

"We're good.", Garett responded with a thumb up.

"We are prepared.", Huberos stated.

"Then.... start."

----

'So we're really just gonna sit on the side here and do nothing?'

'We're the queen. When does the queen take part in the battle? I'll watch as they win everything for me, then swoop in and grab it all as my own victory in the end.'

Claire and Clarice looked on at the arena which had been set and prepared by her comrades.

'Ah, but there is one time when the queen takes the field.'

'Are you comparing this new life to a game of chess?'

With a light laugh, the girl brushed aside her silver hair with a sigh.

'I wonder. Perhaps that's how it feels sometimes.'

Raising her arm, she began to point out the people before her, as if she were tapping each one of them.

'Piece by piece, I move them. If they don't follow my orders, then I throw them aside. When did I become so logical?'

Closing her eyes with a bitter smile, the angel looked down at her own outfit.

She was wearing a necklace made from the skulls of actual people which had been reduced in size.

Grabbing it, she held one of the skulls within her demonic hand.

'This entire world..... it feels like I'm just playing a game. A game where I make the rules, I do what I want..... and I crush all my opponents at any given time.'

Opening her eyes, a sinister smile came across the face of the angelic girl.

'I love it.'