Over the course of a single day, several dozen contestants who fought bravely in the Zoroaster Tournament were eliminated. One after another, they fell; either from unconsciousness or death. With several of the preliminary matches complete, the victors moved on into the semi-finals.

Mura and Lilith won stylishly time after time, mopping up the competition. They had just finished their match in the semifinals, going up against a warlock named Rubitrix. With a quick, decisive blow to the head Mura bashed him over the head with the blunt end of his spear. By this point, the spear was nicked and worn out from the previous battles they had faced. Mura was slightly superstitious, not wanting to replace the spear on account of it bringing him good luck.

—Luckily the strongest opponent we faced this far was ironically our first, that Paimon guy.

“There you have it, everybody! Mura and Lilith win! The unlikely duo will go on to fight in the final match! Be there tomorrow morning to witness this fabulous event!” Dagon Jinn shouted out as the audience chanted Mura’s name in an echoing rhythm.

Lilith unfused from Mura’s body in a flash of light, appearing by his side as he pumped his fist in the air. She wished the audience would include her too. But she also reasoned that Mura did most of the work, so she brushed it off. Lilith put her hand up and looked at Mura, performing a fist bump before beginning their walk to the contestant’s lounge.

The warlock Rubitrix groggily got up onto his knees after regaining consciousness.

“N-No! You can’t stop the match now! I can still fight, see?”

Rubitrix picked up his enchanted staff, made of study blackened oak. A human soul resided within the staff, allowing it to be used as a Thrall. To prove his point, Rubitrix fused once more with his staff as his eyes began to glow.

“I can’t afford to lose! How will pay back my debts without that money?!” Rubitrix screamed out at Mura, causing both him and Lilith to turn around confused.

The audience grew angry as their cheers turned into loud booing. Dagon chuckled through his microphone at the magician.

“Sorry pal, that’s the rules. You lost, now get lost,” he stated, pressing a button to call for security. A small squadron of magic-wielding guards riding in levitating devices teleported within the arena.

“Desist immediately! Unfuse from your Thrall at once!” One of the guards said, his voice thunderous and intimidating.

Mura gripped Lilith’s hand tightly and led her back into the protection of the alcove within the stadium, near the additional weapons. Within the alcove were two executives, speaking nervously into their headsets.

Rubitrix refused. He yelled out the incantation of a spell, ignoring the guards. Before he could complete the spell, the guard yelled out an incantation of his own.

“Jigadō Number Fifty: Repulsion!” The guard shouted as a powerful gust of wind hit Rubitrix. The moment the force hit Rubitrix, his staff instantaneously and forcibly unfused from his body and spiraled out into the dirt.

Now unarmed, Rubitrix looked around trying to find his staff. Before he had a chance to orient himself, the guards released several magical blasts at the warlock in unison. Rubitrix shielded himself in vain with his arms before the blasts made contact, reducing him to dust.

“Now that was a fitting conclusion if I ever saw one! Let’s give it up for the brave men and women of Yomi’s Police Agency everybody!” Dagon enthusiastically shrieked.

The crowd applauded, clapping as the guards bowed and teleported away.

“For anyone wanting a unique souvenir, Rubitrix’s staff will now be available to purchase at the gift shop later this evening!” Dagon said cheekily.

❇ ❇ ❇

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The mood had long since settled after the debacle with the now deceased Rubitrix. Mura and Lilith sat in the lounge they had returned to several times now. Every time they came back, fewer and fewer people remained until this moment. They were the only two remaining, aside from two others.

It was Behemoth and Suzu, the duo from earlier. They too had survived this far, crushing anyone who got in their way. The final match of the night belonged to them as they would compete for a spot in the finals against Mura. Previously, Mura and Lilith tried to ignore or avoid the two. That strategy was unfortunately no longer an option, as there was no one to distract Behemoth from his malice.

Behemoth mostly ignored Mura however, which surprised him.

—What’s his deal all of a sudden? They’ve been acting antagonistic towards us all day and now suddenly that we’re alone, they’re acting as if we don’t exist?

Behemoth looked ahead, as did Suzu. They both stared straight towards the hallway leading out towards the arena. The silence in the dimly lit room said more than any threat ever could.

As if on cue, Behemoth spoke a single sentence while keeping his eyes locked on his goal.

“Watch closely out there, I have something special I’ve been saving for you.”

Mura felt the hairs on his arms rise up as a chill shot down his spine. The tone Behemoth spoke with conveyed such violence and cruelty. Despite living out his life on the streets, Mura had never encountered something like this before. A being composed of pure wanton savagery.

Mura and Lilith said nothing as Behemoth and Suzu walked silently out into the hall as Dagon prepared the spectators for the final match of the night. Once the room was truly theirs again, Lilith broke the silence.

“H-Hey, listen okay? I’m really happy that we’ve made it this far, Mura.”

Mura looked at the young blonde girl sitting next to him on the couch. He certainly hadn’t expected anything like this, not after that encounter with their rivals.

“Me too, Lilith. You’ve got a knack for this kind of work! Maybe after we win this whole thing, you and me can work together some more?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, mister.” Lilith retorted with a cheeky smile. “We haven’t won jack-shit yet, but still… I’m happy.”

Mura crossed his legs, placing one foot over his opposite ankle.

“Where’d this come from?”

“Shut up, I just wanted to say it. I guess… I don’t know, it’s kinda fun?”

Lilith looked away from Mura, hiding the pink tint to her cheeks.

“Yeah, it is pretty fun. Still… despite all this violence from the others, it’s also pretty nice that we’ve won without having killed anyone. You know?”

Lilith nodded silently. Mura looked curiously at her, placing his hand atop hers.

“What’s on your mind?”

Lilith looked back at Mura’s hand on hers, jumping slightly once they made contact. Despite this, she made no attempt to remove it.

“Last night, you wanted to learn more about me. I could tell you did. I just… Well, I didn’t want to reveal my life story to some stranger. But now you’re my friend… The only one I have, honestly.”

Mura was taken aback by this confession. He curled his fingers around her hand, gripping it.

“Quite honestly I could say the same.” He said quietly.

Lilith waited a few seconds before gripping Mura’s hand back.

“As you know, I’m a yokai. A ghost that can’t move on to the afterlife… Usually it’s because a spirit was murdered violently in their past life or isn’t able to let go of some grudge, right? That’s what I was told at least…”

“Do you know what’s tying you here?” Mura inquired.

“I don’t!” Lilith shouted suddenly, her grip tightening. Her voice cracked slightly, like a knot was forming in her throat.

“I-I just woke up here! In Yomi… I just woke up on the streets one day, no idea where I was. It was like… like I woke up from a dream, only to awaken inside a nightmare.”

Mura sat silently as Lilith fought back tears. She let go of Mura’s hand to wipe at her face, as if still trying to hide any sign of conceived weakness.

“… How long ago was this?” Mura asked in a compassionate tone.

“F-Four years! Can you imagine that? Waking up in a foreign world one day, stuck there for four years?! I… I…”

“You can’t remember any of your life as a human, can you?” Mura finished for her, saving her from admitting any more.

“Only bits and pieces… Just fragments of what Earth was like when I was alive. But nothing about myself or anyone I knew or… might have known.”

Mura gave her some time to collect herself. Lilith reached out and grabbed Mura’s coat sleeve, blowing her nose into it. Mura said nothing despite recoiling inwardly; wiping it off on the couch after she was done. He grabbed her shoulder, causing her to look up at him.

“Listen, Lilith. If I survive this whole thing, I promise you this. I’ll help you discover why you’re trapped as a yokai.” Mura stated with a warm smile, his purple eyes glistening.

Lilith just stared into his eyes for a brief moment, then nodded.

“T-Thank you, Mura…”

“Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do for my best friend, right?”

The words sat around in Lilith's mind while she contemplated what he said.

—Best friend...