Mephys

Leo walked back to his room and suddenly found Austin outside his door, waiting for him.

"What's the matter?" Leo asked.

"Something great has come up!" Austin spoke excitedly, "I met a noble who is willing to share with us a video on Mephys' recent tournament!"

"Really?! Are you sure about that? Where did you meet him?" Leo was shocked and became a little suspicious. Although nobles have been more respectful to peasants than in the past, not all of them were of good nature.

"Back when I was getting ice cream. He and I were right next to each other. He was quite interested in me since my face had appeared in the sky yesterday," at this, Austin's face reddened a little at the memory, "Anyway, this guy was very sociable, and he even offered me a chance to watch with him this afternoon. He said I could also bring a friend too."

"What's his name?"

"Jeffrey Quinn."

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Walking down a corridor, the two friends entered a lounge. It was currently occupied by a small group of people. Seeing Leo and Austin walk in, one of them stood up and greeted them. He was a tall boy with reddish brown hair and a big smile on his handsome face. His clothes were exquisite in quality, but was a bit plain in design. Just by looking at his expression and posture, one can sense his joyful personality.

"It's good to see you again Austin Bridge. And may I ask, what's your friend's name?" the boy politely bowed to the two as he welcomed them.

While still a bit wary, Leo had nothing against him. Bowing as well, he responded, "My name is Leo Ester."

"Leo Ester, hmm. It's good to see you as well. My name is Jeffrey Quinn. Come, come. The show is just about to start!" Jeffrey excitedly gestured to them to sit down at one of the seats.

In the lounge, there was a wall that was currently being projected with images by a certain object on the ground beneath it. Seating themselves at the last row, Leo was shocked to realize that the show was currently being streamed live. It wasn't a recording.

'This device is an Image Displayer. Although my family has one, it is still one of the more expensive magic items. At least a 100 gold coins! My father had to scrounge a bit and was only able to buy two.

'Even more surprising, it seems connected to Mephys' own live stream. You would have to pay even more money to get that privilege.'

While Leo was still a bit shocked, the projection on the wall started changing. Music could soon be heard and a grand coliseum came into view. It was the opening personally designed by Mephys to attract one's attention before the real show started.

Mephys is a high-level demon that came from Hell over 100 years ago. Though nobody knows just how high ranking he is compared to other members of his kind, he is currently well known as one of the strongest demons recorded in history. A creature who seeks excitements over anything else, Mephys had ended up hosting his own show to satisfy this hunger. Being an entertainer and an intelligent business man, Mephys has built a large name for himself among the citizens of Bavalon. As for other nearby nations, his popularity is only less so.

Although at first, because of his origins, many of the religious temples sought to destroy him in the name of their gods. However, try as they might, every attempt to kill the demon had only backfired tremendously. It was once even turned into a play by Mephys to attract more attention. When the temples tried to get their gods for help, the deities surprisingly did not respond. Eventually, Mephys was left to do whatever he wanted. Despite being a demon, however, this individual has consistently remained neutral throughout his time in this world. He never once got himself involved in anything that could bring him in conflict with others (besides those worshippers from the temples).

Leo began to enjoy himself as he thought of the previous times he has watched this show. It was only a handful, with his friend Austin having only ever seen two. And those were when his friend was invited to his home. The demon Mephys would always try to add a little fun with each new presentation. One can never get too bored with watching his shows.

Soon, the screen on the wall displayed Mephys standing on a podium. Renowned as a fashion enthusiast, he was currently wearing a purple suit spotted with a few gems around the sleeves. The individual had pale skin that seemed to glitter in the light, a very unusual trait for a demon, with rainbow-colored hair that extended past his ears and two short horns sticking out on his head. Mephys was smiling with his androgynous face, and gestured with both arms to announce the main event.

"Good afternoon my dear guests and viewers!" Mephys said, in a voice which oozed charm and charisma, "Today will be a special day. While I have always been a national friend to the citizens of Bavalon," at this, he gave a vague smile, "I am a believer that anyone, regardless of their country, should have a chance to join a tournament to test their own skills. Strength is not dependent on one's origins, no matter what they might be," Mephys suddenly bowed, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present a never-before seen tournament between powerful knights from separate countries!"

"What did he say?!" Austin and some surrounding people all gasped.

Everyone in the lounge were all taken aback by this sudden change. Leo was once again impressed by this demon's ability to bring new surprises to his audience. Looking around, he noticed that Jeffrey was quivering with excitement.

"Simply amazing... He... I see..." Jeffrey started to mutter quietly to himself.

"What is it?" Leo curiously asked.

"Oh it's nothing," Jeffrey shook his head, "I just thought about the new possibilities this could bring to Mephys' business. No doubt, he will be able to get even more viewers if he expands his selection of events to other nations."

Leo was stunned by this noble's shrewd thoughts. Won't Bavalon be upset by this? But as he thought more about it, if this was the demon's intention, then it really wasn't a harmful move. Mephys had never taken sides with anyone. He simply chose Bavalon as his home ground mainly because it was convenient for him as a result of Queen Victoria's reforms. He never actually had any strong ties. It wouldn't be too risky for him to start expanding and solidifying his influence to other places.

On the screen, Mephys quickly introduced individuals clad in suits of armor. As he did so, he also indicated which nations they are from. Leo slowly leaned forward as he observed some of them, hoping to see all the new nationalities. People from Bavalon didn't need to be mentioned. He even recognized some of them from past tournaments. Leo did, however, witness certain people from Bavalon's neighboring nations. There were those from the Fermes Kingdom, located south of Bavalon. Then there were the Spanyx Empire, neighbors on the same land to those in Fermes. All three of them had been at war with each other. Although now, things have quieted down, tensions between them were still brewing. After Fermes and Spanyx, there were races of creatures that were not humans. They were elves, dwarves, and beastmen who had also come from nearby nations.

In the coliseum, there were crowds of people of different races cheering at the introductions. If you were lucky, or had enough money and influence, you could personally obtain a ticket that could give you a seat to the show in person.

The audience was very excited as they witnessed them walking into the center of the coliseum to start. The beginning of the tournament was set between groups sorted based on their countries. They are to work together in an elimination round till only four teams remain. The second round was set in an enormous labyrinth which the remaining members would have to escape from. Though it would be solo, teammates can choose to support one another but only if they can find each other without facing any accidents. Finally, the last round was a battle royale between the final contestants till only one person remained. They would be declared champion and win a prize from Mephys.

As the teams were waiting, an enormous glass sphere suddenly emerged from the sky and steadily descended into the middle of the coliseum. The teams didn't seem worried as they silently waited for the thing to fall on top of them. It seemed that they were briefed about it beforehand. After coming into contact, they appeared within the sphere itself at different locations. Each of them were in close contact with the inside walls.

Mephys' voice was soon heard by everyone.

"Let the tournament begin!"