Then he deviated.
"This year, the tournament includes a modification. In recognition of evolving threats to the Empire's stability — including recent incidents involving Cult infiltration of academic institutions — the final round will feature a new challenge."
The arena quieted. Two hundred thousand people processing the word "modification" with the particular attention that humans gave to changes in established systems.
"The championship round will not be a standard combat exhibition. It will be a collaborative exercise. The two finalist teams will face a shared threat — a controlled Abyssal incursion released from the Coliseum's containment vaults. The teams will be evaluated not only on individual combat performance but on their ability to cooperate under genuine crisis conditions."
A shared threat. Two teams. Working together.
The tournament's final round wasn't team-versus-team. It was team-plus-team versus dungeon.
