Klaus basked in the presence of the woman before him, adorned in luxury and wealth. Her silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, with her horns just barely visible beneath the flowing locks. The beauty of the demon was unparalleled by anyone he had seen since his arrival.
"The Queen..." he thought, immediately recognizing the woman's significance at a mere glance.
For a split second, he wondered—if she was called a Queen, did that mean she was the Queen of Nyxia? If that were true, she would be the sole Queen of the Under World, as Nyxia was the only unified region in the entire realm. This realization made her title far more important than he had initially imagined.
Another thought struck Klaus almost immediately. If this woman owned the home, then she must be Ash's mother. If so, she would also be the wife of the God of the realm he was traversing. This meant Ash was royalty, the prince of Nyxia.
Klaus briefly found the idea amusing—his perception of Ash Brimstone seemed to elevate with each new piece of information about his fellow demigod. He then returned his attention to the scene unfolding before him.
As the woman stopped ahead of the demigods, they all focused their attention on her. She returned a warm smile and bowed her head slightly toward them.
"Welcome to Nyxia, demigods. And welcome to my humble abode," she began. "My name is Shynx, and I am the Queen of Nyxia."
Klaus' intuition was confirmed as Shynx continued to address them.
"Please come in, we have been expecting you," she said, turning to walk back into the house with her maidens flanking her.
The demigods took a brief moment before following Shynx into the main room of the house, leaving the demons who had escorted them behind. Klaus was impressed by the interior of the home, which followed the theme of beauty he had experienced since his arrival in Under World. The maidens accompanying the Queen guided the demigods to their seats, with Shynx sitting ahead of them shortly after.
"Apologies," Shynx began after a moment, "I assume you are all here for my son, correct?"
Klaus and the others nodded.
"Yes, well... unfortunately, he is currently not available," Shynx confessed. "In fact, he is currently off-world."
"Off-world?" Lance asked, surprised by the Queen's statement.
"That is correct," Shynx confirmed. "He is currently performing urgent duties with his father that require his attention for a while."
This news was slightly shocking to Klaus as well. He wondered what world exactly Ash was in at that moment, but he decided not to press the matter further, choosing to keep his curiosity to himself.
After a brief moment of silence, Shynx smiled softly at the demigods before addressing them again.
"On a separate matter, I hope you all are enjoying your stay in our humble world?" she asked. The demigods nodded in response.
She inquired when they would be returning to their world. They admitted they were unsure. Shynx then insisted that she wanted them to fully enjoy the rest of their stay in Nyxia before worrying about their next steps.
"I heard from my husband that you all have been working hard to grow your power and hone your skills as demigods," Shynx said. "I am truly impressed by your determination to protect mortal lives, so I would like to arrange a grand gesture for you all."
With her last statement, Shynx had an idea to enhance the demigods' experience.
"Oh..." Shynx began. "How about a brief sparring session with the champions of Nyxia?" She turned to one of the maidens on her left. "When is the Games of Champions expected to be held?"
"Not for another two months, my lady," the woman responded swiftly.
"I see," Shynx replied, deep in thought about what to do next.
She took a few seconds to contemplate before finally speaking.
"It seems I will need to make a royal exception on this matter," Shynx said, turning her attention back to the demigods. "Would you all be interested in participating in a brief sparring session with our champions? I will request the top contestants from last year to participate, and I will arrange everything to be ready by tomorrow."
Klaus was surprised by how quickly she could organize such an event, but given her status as Queen, it made sense.
"That sounds like a splendid idea to me," Lance said with a smile.
"I completely agree, brother," Arthur added, eager to see what challenge the event had to offer.
While the sons of the God of War always enjoyed the call for battle, Klaus was not as enthusiastic. He wanted to get stronger to protect the people he cared about, but his current predicament had dimmed that ideal slightly. Nonetheless, Klaus knew that declining such a request from someone so important would be rude, so he decided to participate.
"I am not against the idea as well," Klaus said a few seconds after Arthur's statement.
Shynx beamed at their responses. "Excellent, I will begin the preparations immediately." She continued, "I will also arrange for the event to be private, with no audience, to reduce any unnecessary attention to your presence. If you do not mind."
"That is fine with us," Arthur replied, unbothered by the proposal.
"Perfect," Shynx said before turning to the maiden on her right and whispering in the woman's ear. She then returned her attention to the demigods. "While we prepare for the event, I would like to offer one of our guest homes for you all to relax in until then if you would like."
The demigods nodded in appreciation as Shynx explained that her maidens would escort them to the house where they would stay temporarily. She also mentioned that she had duties to attend to in Nyxia, so she would have to depart for the day. The demigods understood and expressed their gratitude for her kindness. With that, the Queen departed for her duties, leaving a few maidens behind to usher the demigods to their assigned place of stay.
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As the demigods exited the main home, they were met once again by Jhin and Xhin, along with the other accompanying demons. The maidens tasked with guiding the demigods to their temporary residence informed the demons that they were free to depart for the day.
Xhin seemed a bit disappointed that she couldn't assist further, but her brother's actions showed he felt quite the opposite. Jhin was the first to leave, followed by the other demons. After a moment, Xhin joined the crowd and departed as well.
Klaus, along with the Knight brothers, was soon ushered to a guest home a good distance from the main house. Despite the ever-present darkness, it was late, and Klaus had no intention of doing anything else, so he headed straight to bed.
Immediately upon entering the room, he locked the door and moved to the bed. He lay down in his usual manner, head up and eyes staring at the ceiling above him.
He was still fearful of his thoughts and aware that if he indulged them, he might not be able to stop himself from having less-than-good ones. With this in mind, he decided to force himself to sleep immediately, hoping to avoid traversing that perilous field of thought altogether.
The next day arrived sooner than Klaus had expected. Maybe it was because he had skipped proper sleep for a while, but for the first time in a week, he felt more rested than usual.
As requested, Klaus was guided to the bathroom by the housemaidens, where he took a long shower before brushing his teeth and doing his hair. After finishing his freshening up process, he noticed that his clothes had already been cleaned and neatly placed in front of the bathroom for him. The speed and efficiency made him ponder just how advanced the technology in the Under World was.
Once ready, Klaus regrouped with Lance and Arthur, and the demigods were guided to the arena where the Games of Champions were typically held. Klaus was taken aback by the venue's immense size, realizing how seriously the event was regarded.
"The Games of Champions is one of the most important events here in Nyxia," a voice said from behind.
Klaus turned to see Xhin waving hello, accompanied by her brother. Considering that they had been tasked by Nekro to watch over the demigods while they resided in Under World, their presence made sense to Klaus.
"Combat is one of the most entertaining forms of media here," Xhin continued. "Because we do not hold murderous intent, battles are typically triumphant for us. It is a form of enjoyment."
This made total sense to Klaus, especially upon recalling Drake's presence during the Cosmic League and his thrill of battle against Lance. Klaus had also figured out by this point that Drake was potentially the demonic side of Ash, which made a lot of sense based on appearance. Though he knew there was more to it, as usual, he didn't care enough to request any answers.
Soon enough, the demigods, along with the demon twins, were guided to the main hall of the building. Upon entering, they were immediately confronted by a group of demons who appeared to be in peak physical condition. It was evident from their build and demeanor that these demons were highly skilled in combat, likely the champions Shynx had mentioned. However, one demon stood out from the rest, clearly a bigger deal than his peers.
As the demigods approached, this particular demon stepped forward from the crowd. He stopped in front of them, glancing them over from head to toe before bursting into laughter, clearly amused by their appearance.
"I assumed you all would be older," the demon said with a smirk. "This should be entertaining."
The other demons behind him joined in the laughter, mocking the demigods for their youthful appearance. Klaus observed the demon more closely, noting his impressive physique and realizing that this must be the main champion.
The demon returned to his crew, who continued to joke about being summoned to brawl with what they perceived as mere children, speculating if it was some kind of test from their Queen.
"As you can tell, those are the top eight contestants from the previous Games of Champions," Xhin explained, her expression dimmer than usual.
"And the delusional one just now?" Arthur asked, referring to the demon who had approached them.
"That would be Hex," Xhin replied. "He is the current champion, having won the entire event six times in a row."
Upon hearing this, Lance smiled broadly.
"Then this should be an elegant battle," he said, his excitement palpable.
The demigods were eventually ushered into the arena, following the demons who were expected to participate. As they stood in the center of the stage, the voice of a demoness echoed from the sidelines, away from the battlefield, and towards the contestants.
"Greetings, everyone," the unfamiliar woman began. "By the Queen's request, I will be the instructor and coordinator of this brief event."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"I am sure you were expecting Her Grace's presence, but unfortunately, urgent matters require her attention. Therefore, she will not be present for this exhibition."
The demigods understood that Shynx was a busy woman, so they were completely okay with her absence. With this out of the way, the instructor then advanced to the next topic.
"Now," she began, "you may begin the battles however you desire."
Upon hearing this, Lance smiled and stepped forward, his anticipation evident.
"In that case," Lance began, "I would like to fight them all myself first."
Arthur's expression instantly changed as he darted his eyes towards his brother.
"Absolutely not," Arthur exclaimed. "I will be the first one to battle them instead."
The two brothers were clearly excited for the match that was to come, their anticipation palpable to all who watched. Amidst the other demons, Hex couldn't help but burst into laughter. Stepping forward once more, he addressed the demigods with a cocky tone.
"Your bravado is adorable, little ones," Hex started. "It seems mommy didn't teach us how to recognize when we are outmatched."
The other participating demons joined in the laughter at the champion's remark. However, the instructor had a different idea.
"Wouldn't it be more preferable to battle together, if you both desire?" the instructor suggested, sensing the tension in the air.
Lance and Arthur exchanged a glance before turning to the instructor.
"Would that be a fair option?" Arthur asked.
The instructor glanced at the participating demons, who looked back at her. Hex briefly conferred with his crew before turning his attention back.
"Oh, that would be a fair option," Hex stated with a smirk.
The two demigods exchanged smiles before the instructor confirmed.
"Perfect, then we will begin at the sound of the bell," she announced, allowing the participants to prepare.
"Prepare yourself, brother," Lance said to Arthur with a grin.
"I certainly am," Arthur replied, assuming his stance. "But you should be careful, or I might just take them all on myself."
"Preposterous," Lance retorted, mirroring his brother's stance.
"Are you okay with sitting back and not participating in the first brawl?" Xhin inquired of Klaus as they lingered on the battlefield for a moment.
"It doesn't matter to me either way," Klaus replied.
Xhin offered a soft smile before responding. "I figured you would say that."
Klaus, accompanied by the demon twins, then made their way to the sidelines to spectate the match, knowing they weren't partaking. He realized this would be the first time he would witness the Knight brothers battle together, sparking a tiny bit of anticipation within him.
He understood these battles wouldn't be fair. Despite the demons' combat skills, the supernatural abilities of the demigods, especially this duo, tipped the scales heavily. With their powers in play, the outcome seemed predetermined. However, as this thought crossed his mind, the instructor announced a crucial detail.
"An important request from the Queen before the battle," she began. "The demigods are advised not to use their respective abilities during combat. This is to level the playing field and ensure fairness."
This meant Lance couldn't utilize Divine Arsenal, and Arthur's Hardening ability would be off-limits. Klaus understood the reasoning behind it, making the fight more balanced for the demons. Despite these limitations, Lance and Arthur remained enthusiastic, eager for the battle to commence.
Hex, alongside the other contestants, readied himself, though his confidence didn't match that of his opponents. After a brief moment of anticipation and preparation, the bell finally rang, signaling the start of the brief spar between demigods and demons.