Within ten minutes of Milady submitting her registration form, the most perceptive reporters likely realized that this year's Trial Tournament was going to be different.
But only those who had personally experienced the three rounds of the tournament truly understood that this year's competition had been changed beyond all recognition. Milady had shattered all its old rules, and the domino effect she triggered had rippled into the most unpredictable corners.
If the Trial Tournaments of past years were harmonious affairs where everyone was of one mind, then this year's event had quietly given rise to shadows of a different sort, each one seemingly spying from the dark, waiting for the right moment.
For example, during the second round, "Escape the Room," a contestant from the Changge Family who had been on Milady's team accidentally got his own Clan Leader eliminated.
