Zoroaster Memorial Arena, Yomi — One day later. The tournament’s opening ceremony was underway. Every single seat in the stadium was sold out as demons cheered on their favorites. Some had on body paint to support a district or town within Yomi while others had banners and signs they hoped would be seen by their friends or loved ones in the arena. Thunderous cheers and raucous whooping could be heard from kilometers away. The event was so big that it was even being broadcast on live television in the underworld.

Trumpets flared and shirtless muscular men beat in rhythm on large drums for the audience of nearly two-hundred thousand people. The arena itself was massive, shaped like a large oval with towering spires flying the flags of Yomi and its different cities. The scalloped roof featured twenty arches arranged in a ring, resembling a magnolia blossom from the outside. The unique design cast a beautiful shadow in the middle of the arena while gigantic monitors displayed close-up footage of the band playing in the center.

As the band finished up their song with a flurry of beats on the drums and a final trumpet blast, the crowd stood and clapped vigorously. What looked like the bottom half of an egg cast in chrome hovered around the arena. A man appearing in his late forties with picturesque slicked back hair, chiseled features and a microphone sat comfortably in the flying contraption.

“Hellllllllll~o ladies and gentlemen! Can I hear some more love for the wonderfully talented Hade United drumming troupe??”

The man put his hand to his ear, nodding his head as he smiled with a toothy grin that only a celebrity could muster. The people cheered once more as the man and his hovering announcer’s seat zipped around the arena.

“That’s the stuff, people! I’m your host, Dagon Jinn! I know you’re dying to see some blood and magic fly and so are our brave contestants! Without further ado, let’s get the 5,723rd annual Zoroaster Tournament started!”

Mura and Lilith sat in the waiting arena, which was nicely lit and catered with enough delectable and alcohol to fill several dining halls. They sat on a comfortable couch as contestants around them either ate, meditated, laughed obnoxiously or worked out.

“Dagon really looks like he had work done, doesn’t he?” A female contestant said.

“Yeah, why they choose a prima donna like him to host this year is beyond me.” Replied a muscular man with a large mustache and slight lisp.

Lilith snacked greedily on a chicken drumstick. Mura looked at her silently as a bead of sweat rolled down his head.

—She must be used to eating out of the trash or something. Really hope she doesn’t binge too much, it’ll slow her down.

Despite the night they spent together in a room provided to them for signing up, the two had barely made any sort of true connection. Mura had tried asking Lilith personal questions like what her hobbies were, where she was from originally and so on but no luck. Aside from that however, Mura could sense a potential friendship in the making.

“Sooooo Lilith, that’s the sixth chicken wing you’ve had.” He said to her, trying to start conversation. “You must like chicken, huh?”

“Who the hell doesn’t like chicken?! Of course I do, don’t you? Wait a minute, why are you counting my wings?”

“Well yeah! I love chicken, I’m just trying to not eat too much.”

“Wanting to maintain your girlish figure, I see. The camera adds five kilos anyway.” Lilith said cheekily with a laugh.

Mura felt his face grow warm as he stumbled for words.

“Well I’m not the one dressed in a skintight bodysuit! If anyone is going to look bloated, it’s you!” Mura retorted, still half-flustered. Lilith’s cheeks turned scarlet and she threw the chicken wing at Mura, causing it to bounce off his head and fly through the air. A wide-eyed man zoomed past them and snatched the wing out of freefall with his teeth.

“I’m gonna eat this, thanks!” He said running away, his words barely coherent with the morsel in his mouth.

Both Mura and Lilith looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

“Hey! Shut the hell up!” A blonde female shouted. Her hair was cut short and her hand rested on a baseball bat that was splinted, stained with some kind of mysterious brown crust. “These games are serious, stop acting like snot-nosed brats!”

Lilith raised her eyebrow at the woman, jumping out of her seat and staring the girl in the face. Her name bracelet read ‘Suzu Belloch’. Her skin was adorned with tattoos of sea waves curling around her legs, going up her body before peaking directly under her collarbone. Suzu's eyes were full of restrained anger yet oddly dull, as if the light had left them long ago.

“Listen here, Suzu. You don’t get to have a monopoly on how loud I laugh, got it bitchface?!”

Suzu shot her hand forward and gripped Lilith’s collar, staring her directly in the eyes. “You realize they fight until you’re either dead or you wish you were dead here, right?”

Lilith’s eyes darted to the ground. “Y-Yeah… so?”

Mura jumped out of his seat, pushing Suzu’s hand off Lilith. “That’s enough! Get your hands off her, got it?”

Suzu swung her bat up and pushed the tip into Mura’s chest, stopping him while keeping her eyes on Lilith.

“I wonder what happens when a yokai dies? I’m kinda curious now, hehehe… I really hope my master and I get to crack your cute little head open. Ohhhh how they’ll cheer~” Suzu chuckled darkly.

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Mura’s expression was unchanged as he gripped Lilith’s shaking hand and led her behind him. She hadn’t come across people like this before, but he had during his centuries in the slums. This woman was a killer, pure and simple. Not only that, but she was apparently a Thrall to someone even more demented than herself.

As if on cue, a giant of a man with short, spiky dirty-blonde hair walked up to Mura and Suzu. He was bulky with rippling muscles that showed through his tank top. Over top his undershirt was a brown jacket made of heavy leather and a high wool-lined collar. He glared down at Mura with a smile.

—Jeez… He must be three-hundred centimeters at least…

Mura eyed the name on the giant’s wristband. It simply said one word — Behemoth.

“What’s going on here, Suzu?” Behemoth said in a casual tone.

“These idiots were laughing like a couple of jackasses! They have no respect for this tournament, just like the rest of these people here!”

Behemoth sat down next to his Thrall, causing the bench to shift and creak under his massive frame. He crossed his leg over the other, his toned arm stretching across Suzu’s shoulders. Mura’s nose stung at the man’s musk, he reeked of booze and malice. His black eyes were beady, fixed on Mura like a sniper aiming to kill.

“You gotta be a bit nicer to these two, girl. They’re naïve, full of hopes and dreams like half these idiots here. They can’t get a lick of sense into their heads until reality hits out there.”

Mura had enough of these two. He gripped Lilith’s hand tighter than before.

“It’s okay, we were just leaving.” Mura said, glaring daggers at the murderous duo. He walked away from them with Lilith in tow, trying to put the encounter out of his memory.

❇ ❇ ❇

Dagon Jinn continued to hype up the crowd, flying around the arena. The time to begin the battles was now underway.

“You people ready to see the spectacle of a lifetime?”

The audience replied with a deafening cry.

“Wonderful, folks! With that, let the Zoroaster Tournament begin!”

Two opponents would be matched together in the initial rounds of the tournament. From there on two opponents would be matched up afterwards in succeeding rounds until a champion emerged.

Mura and Lilith watched on the television screen as the first round began. Anxiety and excitement built in Mura’s chest, watching the two contestants battle as Dagon commented over the fighting. Mura looked down at Lilith. Noticing that her body was tense, he placed his hand atop hers.

“You okay?”

Lilith just nodded silently.

“What’s the matter, you got a stomach cramp from all those chicken wings or something?” Mura joked.

Lilith was simply quiet before Mura noticed a few drops of liquid rolling down Lilith’s cheeks and onto her thighs.

“I… I don’t want to die, Mura.”

He held her hand tightly while stroking her head tentatively. He wasn’t sure if this was the best approach she’d appreciate, but it felt like the correct one.

“I’m not letting you die, Lilith. If things look bad, I’ll surrender the match. That’s allowed too, remember? So don’t worry.”

She nodded again and sniffled, resting her head against his chest.

“… Thanks.” She said, her voice quiet.

“Don’t mention it.”

Out in the arena, the first few rounds were passing by quickly as one victor knocked his opponent out with volley of kicks to the head. Another surrendered the match and so on. The defeated were brought through a separate wing behind the scenes to receive medical treatment. Time seemed to finally arrive as a man wearing a black blazer with the Zoroaster Tournament logo emblazoned on the back approached the front of the waiting room.

“Contestants Number 42, Mura and Lilith! You’re up next!” He announced loudly.

—They must have our opponent ready in the other waiting room on the other side of the arena.

Lilith jumped up, her vigor restored. She and Mura joined hands as they walked through the white halls until they reached the large opening that led out onto the arena battlefield. Mura looked at the weapons rack that was displayed on the wall beside him. He studied it and grabbed a double-bladed spear off the display. He twirled it once, swallowing any fear he had and putting on a brave face.

“Remember, just follow my lead. Alright?”

“Gotcha, boss!” Lilith replied, pumping her fist.

Dagon Jinn hovered in place high above in the stands as he announced the next challengers.

“Alrighty folks, next up we have the demon named Mura alongside his Thrall, Lilith~!” Dagon yelled out as the audience roared along.

Mura and Lilith walked out onto the arena as hundreds of thousands cheered them on. There was a cool breeze emanating from the open roof of the stadium as they strolled into the center. Mura tried to make out the features of the countless people in the stands, but to him they better resembled colored dots from the distance. He noticed a levitating television camera pointed at them, broadcasting their faces for the entire nation. Mura winked and shot a finger gun at the camera and Lilith flashed a peace sign.

—I hope Belial saw that on the TV back home. Old man is probably cursing up a storm right now.

“Look at them! Already acting like the victors they were born to be, such gusto!” Dagon cried out eccentrically. “But they haven’t won yet. They’ll be up against the fearsome, ferocious beast of a duo! Paimon and Orobas~!”

Mura stood his ground as what could only be described as a nightmare raced out of the opposite gate. A monstrous gargantuan beast with the torso of a bull and the facial features of a man stampeded into the arena like a bat out of hell. His legs were veiny, shaggy with hair and bulging with pure muscle. Atop his vaguely humanoid head were the twisting horns of a ram. His bulging, yellowed eyes darted about as if every noise startled him. Steam poured from the monster’s skeletal nostrils and it let loose a horrible roar.

—I’m guessing that’s Orobas…

Mounted on Orobas’ back was a lean man with fiery red hair tied into a topknot. He was shirtless, his tanned skin glistening with a sheen of sweat. The man’s lower torso was fused into Orobas’ back.

“Oh-ho! Here’s a new one, everybody! A partial fusion of user and Thrall! For those at home, this allows the Thrall to fight alongside their user. The two are conjoined rather than just the Thrall floating around inside their user’s soul! It’s an interesting and smart technique for those with a physically strong Thrall like Orobas!” Dagon said, slicking his hair back with his hand while looking towards a camera.

—Shit, I’ve never even come across something like this before. Gonna have to improvise.

Mura looked down at Lilith with a smile as she mustered up the courage to do the same. In a flash, Lilith’s form turned into slivers of light and flowed into Mura’s skin as his veins flashed with a brilliant glow. He grinned confidently at Paimon, the red-haired man who simply smirked back.

“Everybody ready?” Dagon asked the audience as they stood and hailed the four in the arena.

Mura spun his spear as it shined in the sunlight, readying for battle as Orobas let out a ghastly roar. It echoed throughout the stadium, making the pebbles on the dirt ground rumble slightly.

Dagon Jinn flashed a grin and pointed at the camera as a thunderous gong shot out across the stadium.

“Then without further ado… It’s showtime!”