“My lord, could you just calm down a bit?”

“I'm calm.”

“It feels like a battlefield right now.”

“I'm calm.”

“Saying it does not make it true.”

“Pretending I'm calm is sufficient.”

“If a normal demon was here instead, they would be frozen with fear, I'm not kidding.”

Xania takes a deep breath, slapping herself as she goes to sleep.

“I guess that works.”

The next day before they head back to the stadium.

“My lord, please cast a thin barrier around yourself or you may actually make somebody faint or piss themselves.”

“Fine.”

Xania does so before teleporting back to the stadium with Anise following behind.

“Usually demons are used to that amount of bloodlust, but after so long of running and peace here, they can't really handle it as well anymore so don't do that.”

“I'll try.”

“No, you'll do it.”

“I can't guarantee it.”

“You better find a way.”

“That's not important right now, Anise. There's currently 3 participants left, so how do we do this?”

“Your choice.”

“Huh?”

“Scissors, paper, stone, Flipping a coin, drawing sticks. It's really all up to you.”

“So any method works?”

“Yep.”

Xania turns her attention back to the stadium.

“For the next match, we'll have my most trusted assistant, Anise, to come up and decide who'll fight first.”

“My lord, I really hate you.” Anise whispers softly, making sure to keep up appearances as Xania's ‘most trusted assistant’.

“Now that I think about it, why do you have no seat Anise? You've just been standing beside me this whole time.”

“My lord, you're actually not supposed to sit down, I just made your seat since I had a feeling you wouldn't be as cooperative if I didn't provide you with one.”

“Why no seat?”

“Tradition.”

“Why?”

“I have no clue.”

“But haven't you lived for quite a while?”

“My lord, I've lived for a while, yes, but how old do you think I am?”

“I'm not answering that.”

Anise faces the audience before announcing who is going to be paired up.

“My lord, a ball please.”

“Sure?”

Xania materialises a ball, giving it to Anise as Anise throws it upwards, causing it to come back down, hitting Davien.

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“Sliver and Covier shall fight!” Anise announces, teleporting the ball and Davien out beside her.

“Davien, why are you even participating?”

“Personal reasons.”

“...”

“Anise?”

“My lord, what makes you think I know why he is participating?”

“No, I meant you, why did you want Vanice to participate?”

“For fun? Why else would I do so?”

“Oh, what about Sliver?”

“I assume the same.”

“Davien, you were once human right? Are you the same as Anise?”

“Of course not.”

“Ok, I thought I was going crazy.”

“You are crazy.”

“How so?”

“You're the strongest and first female demon lord ever, along with the fact you're also the most immature. If you went back in time and claimed to be the demon lord, you would be hunted down for being a fraud and defamation.”

“...”

“You're also the…” Davien mutters the last part out to himself, not letting Xania hear or repeating it for Xania, annoying her.

Xania ignores Davien, making a seat for Anise and him as she stares at the ball for a moment before spying attention to the fight again.

Covier, with both greatswords, one in each hand runs at Sliver, easily blocking the beam of mana that is shot towards him and drops his swords, swinging Sliver by her tail towards the ceiling, breaking through as she tries to make a barrier around herself, flying towards god knows where.

Everybody stares in silence for a couple minutes.

“Uh… Anise, is that considered a win?”

“I suppose so, since my detection magic can't even find Sliver anymore.”

“Ah… she's 20 kilometers away.”

“I knew purifying the cursed swamp was a good idea.”

“Exactly.”

“What are you saying exactly for? It's my idea.”

“To be thick-skinned.”

“...”

Xania announces the winner, teleporting Davien into the stadium afterwards.

“This is the fight I'm most curious about.”

“Same my lord.”

Davien and Covier both disappear, appearing on the other side of the stadium each, a loud metallic clang in the center.

They keep fighting, causing more clangs to be heard with themselves being invisible most of the time.

After a bit longer, a weird energy, similar yet different to mana appears around their weapons as mini explosions occur when they clash instead of a clang.

“Anise, what is that energy?”

“I think it's called sword will, I didn't think Davien had achieved such a feat.”

“Is it strong?”

“Strong enough to injure you if it's trained sufficiently.”

“Can I learn it?”

“Perhaps, but I've never heard of a past demon lord or demon except for right now using it, so it may be hard.”

“I'll try later.”

“Oh, it's also what he used on Vanice, albeit definitely much weaker back then or she might really have been dead.

Xania and Anise keep watching as the time they are visible keeps decreasing while the amount of explosions increases.

This goes on for another hour, with everybody except Xania watching in anticipation. Xania on the other hand, Is about to fall asleep from boredom.

“My lord, wake up, I think they're almost finished.”

“Huh? Oh, ok.”

Xania stretches herself while yawning, with nobody except Anise noticing due to focusing on the fighting as the energy around their sword suddenly starts increasing at a rapid rate.

They both swing their swords at each other one last time, clashing with each other and causing a big explosion, sending Davien back slightly but sending Covier flying back and fainting.

The crowd erupts with cheers and insults, with mostly insults targeted at Covier for being human and a dragon slayer.

Xania stands up, announcing Davien’s win.

“Davien, the death knight has won the match! He is now qualified for a duel against me!”

Xania prepares to teleport Covier out but notices him waking up and walking towards Davien, whispering something before leaving the stadium.

Xania teleports into the stadium, freezing in place as Davien sends her a telepathic message.

“Miss Xania, I saw you about to sleep when I specifically told you beforehand to stay awake.”

“Oops?”

“I'm gonna beat you.”

“You're not gonna win.”

“I know, but I meant to literally physically beat you.”

“...”

Xania closes her eyes, preparing herself, being sent flying as she opens her eyes, noticing Davien in front of her a millisecond before getting hit.

“Ouch?”

Xania flies into the sky, sending mana down at Davien as he dodges with ease.

This carries on, pissing Xania off as she prepares a spell but enough to cover the entire fighting space of the stadium, sending it down at Davien who counters with his sword will.

They get placed into a stalemate as Davien sends some waves of mana along with sword will attacks at Xania, all of which do nothing even as they hit..

After a while, Davien sends another message to Xania.

“Miss Xania, fight me in melee combat or I'll embarrass you.”

“Just try it.”

Davien sighs, somehow without a mouth, sending a much stronger attack of sword will at Xania which she can't block due to it being instant and invisible, chasing her to feel a massive jolt of pain throughout her body, sending her crashing into the ground.

“Get up and fight me.”

“What the hell? What kind of an attack was that?”

“The attack of a simple swordsman.”

“What rubbish.”

Xania pulls out her scythe, attacking Davien with it as he attacks back, hitting her cleanly and sending Xania flying back.”

“Miss Xania, take this seriously as I won't be holding back like usual.”

“Fuck… that hurt. That stupid sword will energy hurts despite not causing damage.”

“That's because I simply need you to feel pain, not get injured.”

They keep fighting either Xania barely able to keep up with his attacks yet the fact that his holding back is obvious.

“I guess you're gonna win.”

“Nope.”

Davien gets hit by one of Xania's attack, confusing her.

“Huh?”

“Miss Xania, I'm gonna need you to win, so pretend along, okay?”

“...”

“Silence means consent.”

“...”

“Fine, I'll cooperate, but you're gonna teach me that thing later.”

“Sure.”