"Welcome all contestants and our wonderful audience to the Nachtstern Festival Competition!" Azrael announced in a magically amplified voice that echoed through the whole Underworld. "Each time we have an astounding number of competitors, but this year you all have beaten the record – 1387 people have decided to participate. No doubt spurred on by the chance to see our lovely princesses closer!"

He pointed towards Morrigan, Deziara and Viana who stood close together, lined up along with other contestants in front of a pathway near the lava river. Cheers and applause resounded from the audience who were standing behind a special zone across from the lava river, just like people would in an auto rally.

Morrigan felt a bit overwhelmed being in the middle of such a huge crowd, but thankfully she and her sisters were placed among the honorary participants from other races and demon nobles. Of course, the three of them still stood out even among the cream of demon society, but at least the nobles had enough decorum not to openly bother them.

She carefully looked over the competitors standing closest to her. All of them exuded confidence, even the deep gnome. What Morrigan was surprised to see was the fire burning inside the elven boy's eyes. The infernal next to him scoffed, clearly not thinking much of the boy, but he just looked head-on with an unyielding gaze. She had to wonder where he got all that confidence from.

"Our competition this year will begin with a Test of Speed. Some of you probably knew this was coming. After all, our contestants have to prove their physical prowess first. Now here are the rules, children. Listen closely, because if you break them – it's game over!" Azrael said enthusiastically, narrating from the raised podium where all VIPs sat. Including the Demon King himself whose gaze lingered on his three competing daughters.

Look at the bright side, Morrigan. Since you are here in the competition, you do not need to deal with the fallen delegation directly. Also isn't Azrael enjoying this a bit too much?

"Rule number one – do not attack other contestants. You may use magic to hinder their path or slow them down, but physical harm is strictly forbidden. There are rule enforcers watching everyone along the path, and if somebody disobeys this rule they will be fed to Princess Morrigan's dragon," Azrael warned and then snapped his fingers.

Haku appeared from behind the podium, forcing a few people standing closest to it to scamper away. He looked around curiously at first and then wagged his tail enthusiastically when he noticed Morrigan among the participants.

"Be good, Haku!" she called at him and waved. The dragon nodded and laid down next to the podium. Participants from other races seemed particularly unnerved by Haku, as did the lesser demons.

Hopefully, that will be enough to deter people from hurting others. However, I imagine some will still try it if they believe that there is nobody who could catch them during the act.

"Rule number two – no shortcuts! You can fly, glide, slide or even dig to move forward, but it has to follow the designated path. The moment you try to take a shortcut, you are disqualified. Although you won't be fed to the dragon for that," Azrael laughed at his own joke, although the audience seemed rather unamused by it.

"Rule number three – no piggybacking on others! You have to cross that finish line with your own feet and if I see that you are using others to move forward in any way, then you'll be buried in the hot sand and left to cook there for three days. Let me tell you – it's not an enjoyable experience, folks. Tried it firsthand myself," Azrael warned and then continued. "The first four hundred participants to cross the finish line will be able to continue competing tomorrow. Now – are there any questions?"

A few hands shot up among the participants, but the white-haired demon completely ignored them, clapping his hands together loudly.

"Good, now prepare to run! On my signal."

Morrigan exhaled and stared at the craggy track ahead of her. If the competition were purely about running, then she would no doubt lose. She was younger and physically weaker than others. But there was no rule against using magic.

"Three, two, one – GO!" Azrael yelled and all the participants shot forward, trying to get ahead of each other.

Morrigan instantly turned into a shadow and sped forward, moving along the shadowy cracks in the ground. She saw how Deziara ran forward, swiftly avoiding collisions with other participants by either jumping over them or weaving out of their way. Her sister possessed special speed-enhancing magic, a gift Alphegor gave her on her fifteenth birthday. Deziara had been so ecstatic that she had trained hard with it and had mastered it within a few months.

Viana didn't have any speed-enhancing abilities, however, she had earth manipulation magic on her side. She moved the earth from underneath her feet propelling herself forward, and throwing the nearby contestants out of her way.

Morrigan slid over the crags Viana created with ease, speeding forward along with the group of fastest runners. She wasn't first, but rather sticking close to the front runner's shadows and using them as leverage points to move forward. Thanks to the proximity of the lava river, the area was rather well lit out so Morrigan couldn't just thoughtlessly rush forward. But there were still enough shadows for her to work with.

As she and other contestants approached the first turn along the track, she noticed the elven boy Galandir pulling ahead of the competition by flying on some sort of transparent, golden wings. The audience was not thrilled by this development in the slightest, booing at him angrily.

"Overworlder!"

"Cheater!"

"Disqualify him!"

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These people are so judgemental. There are plenty of other people flying and you're not judging them. Although he does feel a bit overpowered for someone of his age. I'd like to have some golden wings too. I wonder if it's some sort of magic or an innate ability.

Resigned to her fate, Morrigan continued, occasionally checking on both of her sisters. Suddenly the track ahead of them erupted, hot lava spewing up in columns from random spots on the ground. The lava went so high up in the air that flying over it would most certainly make you lose too much time.

"Oh, did I forget to mention – this is an obstacle course. So watch your step," Azrael cackled.

You son of… You should have mentioned that before. I'll give him such an earful for this later.

The runners paused, looking at the lava pouring out like hot geysers, unsure of which path to take. First one to take initiative was the duergar champion who had kept up with the leading group by riding on a stone golem of sorts. He erected a tough rock shield around himself and headed straight for the field.

A hot burst of lava hit his shield, but the duergar didn't appear bothered, his golem marching on with his shield intact. Seeing this, several other participants moved into the lava field using their own shields for protection. Viana was one of them, using earth and soil to block incoming bursts of lava.

"If you're worried about your safety – let me tell you something. Those worries are absolutely warranted. If you don't know how to avoid or block lava, then better stop before you turn into a piece of charcoal," Azrael sounded absolutely delighted, narrating from the safety of the podium.

Isn't this supposed to be a safe, fun competition? Where did that bit go? I'm pretty sure getting hit by a burst of lava is deadly, even for a demon.

Deziara was about to run ahead through the lava field, when a hot stream erupted in front of her, forcing her to step back.

"Deziara, are you alright?" Morrigan asked, emerging from the shadow. Deziara breathed heavily but looked unhurt.

"Yeah. I am fine. Who came up with this thing? I thought this was supposed to be completely safe," Deziara huffed angrily, watching how more and more participants risked taking their chances. "How are we supposed to get through?"

Running through as a shadow is probably too risky. Lava would illuminate the area and force me out of my shadow form. While I am resistant to fire, I'd probably still get burned if I come in direct contact with lava. I could try using a forcefield, but I am not sure if it can withstand the force. The fact that Galandir managed to break it fairly easily, makes it unlikely.

An idea struck Morrigan's mind. She outstretched her hand towards the lava field, feeling for the hot fire sleeping underneath. Within a few seconds, it was clear to her, where exactly the lava moved and where it would erupt next.

"Follow me! I know where to go," Morrigan announced and ran into the lava field.

"Morri, wait! We could get seriously hurt," Deziara pulled her back by her hand.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing," she grinned, and Deziara relaxed. She looked at how the flaming pillars rose up from the ground, then at Morrigan who was a picture of confidence. Finally, Deziara relaxed and allowed herself to be led into the flaming field.

Morrigan walked slowly with her right hand extended forward. She grasped onto the hot tendrils of lava with her magic, trying to feel for their location underground. It was moving and shifting, converging together to escape outward with incredible force. Morrigan led her sister away from the hot spots, instead moving over the places where lava felt most stagnant.

"Princess Morrigan knows where to go. Follow her!" one of the participating demons yelled and rushed to follow them. Some other demons joined in the slowly moving column, and Morrigan noticed that the elven boy and the deep gnome champion also followed her lead.

I didn't think they would follow me. I better make sure to lead them to the least dangerous areas which can accommodate a larger number of people.

As Morrigan slowly moved forward, feeling the lava flow with her fire magic, the infernal champion reached the lava field, having fallen behind the frontrunner group. He didn't even pause at the threatening lava eruptions, instead marching straight through them. Morrigan and Deziara watched as they got hit by a flurry of lava, only to keep walking as if it were a gentle summer shower.

"Morrigan, he will catch up to us in no time. Is there any way we could move forward faster?" Deziara urged.

"Not if you don't want to be cooked. I don't think I could stop one of those lava streams with my magic since it's not just pure fire," Morrigan explained.

"Don't rush. You'll be endangering not just your lives but the lives of all these people too," Galandir called flying a little bit above them. Morrigan nodded and continued her way slowly and carefully.

He's just trying to save his own skin. Not that I blame him. I don't really want anyone to get charred to a crisp.

"Well, would you look at that! Thanks to our lovely Princess Morrigan's efforts a whole bunch of participants managed to get over the lava field unscathed. Seems awfully close to piggybacking, but I'll let it slide since the Princess doesn't mind. But this strategy has lost them a lot of time. Will they be able to catch up to the frontrunners?" Azrael continued his magic-enhanced commentary, while the audience cheered, chanting Morrigan's name.

Yes, we will!

As soon as they were out of the lava field, Morrigan turned into a shadow and zipped forward. Deziara and Galandir did the same, resuming their previous speeds. Viana along with the duergar and infernal champion were far ahead of them, but since this particular part of the tracks was further away from the lava river, Morrigan had more shadowy places to work with, rapidly catching up to them.

"Uh-oh! It seems our frontrunners have reached our second obstacle – the Underworld mountain. I hope you're good at climbing because going around means you're going off the track. And that's a no-no," Azrael laughed sadistically, to which the audience responded with disapproving muttering.

As Morrigan moved forward, she saw what really looked like a mountain ahead of the track. It was incredibly steep, and often participants would slide off it, forcing them to start anew. Viana was creating little footholds on the mountain, just large enough for her to grab onto. The duergar was having a bit of trouble as his golem kept sliding off, being too large to effectively climb.

Now's my chance! I'll regain the ground I've lost.

Once Morrigan reached the mountain, she moved straight up, neither the height nor the steepness being a real problem for her. The elven boy was moving at the same speed as her, flying over the hurdle without any issues. A few other contestants who could fly or levitate followed closely behind them.

"Alright, folks, our frontrunners have changed. I know most of you can't see it, but let me tell you that Princess Morrigan is currently in the lead. Her shadow form is terrifyingly fast. Trust me – I had to chase her once or twice," Azrael said.

"And you've never managed to catch her," Alphegor added.

"It's hard to catch something you can't touch, Your Majesty."

"Morrigan is far too clever to be caught by you," the King responded and the audience laughed.

"Perhaps, but will she and the other contestant be clever enough to get over our third and final obstacle? Stay tuned, folks!"