A few days after his match with Typhon, there was an announcement of those who would be moving on past the preliminaries. Though the teams that made it through stayed mostly the same, the only difference was that since the team with Balberith and Verrine didn't exist, Barakiel's team got through instead.
Alex decided to celebrate with everyone, and invited them to a barbecue behind the manor. The attendees were the residents of the manor, the rest of Rias and Sona's peerages, Sairaorg and Seekvaira with their peerages, the Vali squad along with Elaine and Lavinia, and Barakiel. Alex's team was also invited, but since he promised an explanation for the oozaru form, they arrived a couple hours before it started while everyone else was setting up. Sitting across from him was Roygun, Bova in mini dragon form, and Elmenhilde, while the rest of his team was already aware of his circumstances with the exception of Crom, who wasn't really interested. Alex was just ending his story,
"Which is why if you guys wish to truly follow me then you'll have to leave this world behind for the time being." They all looked as if they were contemplating his words, as it was a lot to take in. Roygun then said,
"Fufufufufufu, I knew that you'd most likely be doing something big in the future, but this completely blew me away. Now my worry is that I might be too weak to actually help you with your goals." As Alex already warned her that she wouldn't be able to participate in the rating games after the tournament if she followed him, Roygun wasn't too worried about leaving the devil world behind. She then swore though, to make sure she deserved to stand beside him in the future. Bova on the other hand,
"Tell me lord, will there be other dragons in these other worlds?" Alex nodded, and replied,
"In most of them yes, though not all dragons are like those in this world." Bova nodded, not really listening to Alex's words after hearing confirmation that these other worlds had dragons as well. His mind was on how strong he would be compared to these other world dragons, both because he wanted to test his strength against them, and because he felt that if they were stronger than him then he would only be an embarrassment to his lord and master. Instead of raising the issue of if he wanted to stay or leave, Alex had instead ignited the fire of passion inside Bova for increasing his own strength. He swore that he would train to be stronger than all other dragons out there, so as to never humiliate his lord.
The only one conflicted with Alex's story, was Elmenhilde. She understood that by telling her, he was placing a great deal of trust in her, as this information could very well be used against him. She then thought about the reason she wanted to participate in the tournament under Alex, to overcome her past within the Carmilla faction. She then had a thought,
"Are there vampires in these other worlds as well?" Alex nodded again and said,
"Indeed, though like with what Bova asked they are not all the same, and hold different values." Similar to Bova, Elmenhilde also now had the fire of determination burning within her. She vowed, she would meet with these vampires from the other worlds, and see what it truly meant to be a vampire! Alex was unaware of the thoughts going through each of their heads, but could tell that they would all most likely continue following him, even if Elmenhilde wasn't his subordinate. He then asked,
"So can I take it you'll all continue supporting me in the future?" They all looked at him and declared,
"""YES!"""
Alex smiled, pleased that they would continue to follow him to the other worlds. He then stood and clapped his hands together, before saying,
"Good, now that's out of the way let's get this party started! Once we finish the set up..." They all got pumped with the first part of his words, but practically fell over when he finished them. They then assisted with the party set up.
***
A couple hours later they were finally getting the party underway, and everyone had showed up, once again with the exception of Crom. They were in the yard behind the Misty Manor, with various games set up with chairs and tables all around. There was also a giant barbecue pit built in since Alex hoped for many parties with more people in the future, and a couple tubs nearby filled with various drinks, one of which was an adults only tub filled with alcohol. In the middle of the entire setup was a large pile of firewood for a bonfire.
Some of the girls were playing volleyball with the net nearby, while others cheered on what team they wanted to win. Loup Garou was the one manning the barbecue, of course the one who knew the most about preparing grilled meats was the werewolf. Arthur and Elaine were sitting near each other, obviously enjoying each other's company since they were able to freely pursue each other openly.
Rossweise and Grayfia both seemed as if they were about to pass out, with several alcohol cans around them both from the drinking contest they seemed to have. Alex couldn't figure out how those two ever managed to decided on having a contest with something they were both horrible with, as Rossweise was horrible at handling her alcohol, and Grayfia was not only very strict, but was a known troublemaker when drunk. He quickly got the attention of Burent and Marion from Ravel's peerage, and had them take the two to their rooms before either could start trouble.
Alex sat in his lawn hair watching all of those around him, until a certain silver haired man sat down next to him. The two didn't say anything for a while, just taking in the atmosphere, before Vali finally broke the silence.
"I intend to defeat you when we fight, don't you dare lose before you reach me." Alex smiled, as he already expected the declaration, and replied,
"If you didn't intend to beat me then it would defeat the point of the tournament to begin with. Don't take that as me thinking you have a chance though, I will win." Vali smiled at his rival, and didn't say anything more, before the two stood to rejoin the festivities.