The Great Demon System

It had been hours since the tournament initially began, and all had been going precisely as expected, no major upsets. three total rounds had gone by, leaving 64 out of the initial 256 participants remaining. There was only one round of fights separating them from the start of the true tournament for the final 32— In the eyes of both the masses and the very participants, anything before that was nothing but preliminary rounds. 

Moby and those who followed him's plans were all going precisely as expected. None of them experienced any hardships during their climb to the top. However, that was not entirely true if hardships also consisted of paparazzi. 

Currently, it was still break-time in between matches, and all of them were together sat around a table in the shade, all except for one crucial person who was missing as they patiently waited for the next round of fights to be announced. 

"Elizabeth, I'm just wondering how you've even made it this far." Regrit chuckled. 

"Just because I mostly have supporting skills doesn't mean I'm helpless!" She shrugged. 

"Regrit, now's not time for this…" Artorias sighed. 

"What! It was a serious question!" 

"This is the first time we've seen each other since Moby's first match, now's really not time for trouble…" 

"Is— Is big brother not joining us?" Hikari asked with disappointment on her face. 

"With paparazzi on his ass I doubt he'd be coming until the whole thing is over and finished with," Regrit responded, leaning back on his chair with closed eyes and his hands behind his head.

"Oh… I see…" She pouted. 

"Man I'm hungry, I wish we could order some food." Regrit groaned. 

"Hungry? You do realize we're in VR right? The VR machines will keep your body nourished until you're out of it." Kai turned around and raised an eyebrow. 

"Of course I know that! For me, being hungry isn't just to satisfy my needs, there's just a feeling about eating that I'm missing right now due to this virtual body… A lot of it even makes some of my powers useless… There's nothing running through my veins… It's all hollow."

"You know, I sort of understand you brother. Eating is sometimes just about the experience," Rupert smiled and nodded. 

"We finally agree on something!" Regrit laughed. 

"Well, WE ARE brothers!"

"Stop rubbing that fact in like you're proud of it!"

"Quiet you two!" Artorias slightly raised his voice with his hands crossed. "We've already got eyes on us from the nearby tables to begin with since we're still in the tournament, let's try to not cause a scene now…"

"Come on Art! Don't act like you don't like the attention," Rupert mused. 

"Ugh… Now is not time for fun and games! This is serious business! We can't relax too much!"

"Oh, ease up on it! This tournament is pretty much all secured! It's more like a vacation in here and seeing fun matches more than anything! Even Lor— *cough* Kane is 100% certain of victory,"

"But there's still no guarantee! Anything can still happen!"

"Hmmm, I guess so. But with me on the team you really got nothing to fear!"

"You know… Living in an actual society really has changed you since we first met…" Artorias lamented. 

"I've always been like this, I just don't act like this in front of important people or when the moment is actually serious. I know humility when it's needed and relaxation when it calls!" He chuckled. 

"It's true… He's been like this for a while now…" Regrit commented. 

"Well… You're… You're just more certain in your own power… That's why you can be so relaxed." Artorias muttered. 

"Hmmm? You jealous now?"

"No! Of course not! Anyways! Let's just get off this topic! People are staring! Just get more serious! Prepare for the unexpected! Because I'm sure that's what HE would want us to do!"

"I guess you might be right…" Rupert took a deep breath and sat up straight. "I suppose I'll try as long as that is what he truly wants…"

*DING*

And that was when suddenly, a notification sound echoed through the air like a tidal wave, and as soon as that sound seeped into the ears of the masses, all was dropped as their eyes were immediately drawn upon their wrists, wide open and in haste. 

The final preliminary matches have finally been announced...

"Damn! My thing is lagging!" Regrit heavily tapped his watch. 

"The servers are overloading, everyone is on the website at once so it makes sense," Elizabeth answered with a smile on her face as she scrolled down to where she needed to be. 

"Nevermind that! Just tell me what the matches are! Who am I fighting!"

"You're against… Krone Nelson in 30 minutes…"

"Never heard of him! Seems to be another easy match! How about the others?"

"So far, I don't see any of us fighting each other, so that's good…" She continued before Artorias took charge. 

"I'm fighting Hera Jine in 25 minutes… Moby's fighting Perry Payton in 20 minutes... Hikari is facing Ganzo Babstisma in 15 minutes… Elizabeth with Arnold Terry in 10 minutes… And finally… … …"

"Hey, what's the hold up? The website's not loading for me either. Who am I facing?" Rupert leaned forward.

"Does it matter? You're confident in winning anyways," Regrit chortled. 

"You… You're fighting Adam Walker… The supreme general's grandson and projected favourite by almost everyone to win this entire tournament…"

The table stood silent among the boisterous crowds as they all stared wide-eyed. Naturally, the eyes of many fell upon their table, noticing Rupert's figure, eager to see his reaction to what was undoubtedly an early end to his tournament run. 

But when they did, they found a face they did not expect… Once he got past the initial surprise of the match-up, there was no fear in his eyes, nor any kind of dispair or disappointment. No… That greater demonic smile he bore did not harbour anything amusement and excitement. 

In moments such as these, orders were very clear from Moby himself, and once he looked down towards a sudden message from his watch, his resolve and delight were once again sharpened beyond what he first perceived.

[ Do it… And good luck. If you beat him, I'd be glad to face you in the finals.]

"Hey! You're Kai Fatebringer right?" A man looking over from the side came up and asked, before many others who only ispected from a distance followed his lead. 

"Yes! The one and only!"

"You… You're facing Adam Walker, the supreme general's flesh and blood… That look on your face, are you not worried? Scared that it's all over?"

"Huh? Now why would I ever be scared of someone like him!" He laughed. "Just you watch! I'm about to put him in his place and show him what true power is…"