The Great Demon System

For a very brief, yet preciously peaceful span of time, a small sigh of relief exited the supreme general's mouth. His furrowed temples softened, his arched back laid back onto his throne and his heavily jittering right hand opened and relaxed from its closed fists.

'Finally… It's all over…' was the only thought present in his mind as he closed his eyes and once again sighed his stress away.

After all, his grandson had finally won, and his lawful words were once again upheld like holy scripture.

However, that brief moment of serenity was precisely as it was, brief, and the tower he had all built thus far came crumbling down on him head first. 

When he opened his eyes, the world of shadows was no more, and both fighters were once again on the ground, yet instead of Adam standing victorious, he was in a block of ice, and instead of a mangled corpse, Moby stood tall and proud as the victor.

'WHAAAATTT!!!?!?'

His eyes spurted bloodshot as he leaned forward in his seat with an open mouth, yet despite such an act of pure instinct, he could not speak even a single word, all went on within the machinations of his mind.

'Ah— !! How could this happen!? There was no mistake! There should have been no way! I MADE SURE OF IT!!'

"Hahahahaha! I knew it! See that Vilhelm! My main man Kane won! You ready to pay up now!? I expect my new guild weapon delivered by tomorrow, 12:00 PM sharp country X time," Ashley openly laughed, gloating in the glimmer of sweet victory. 

"This— This can't be… Supreme general! How did Adam lose! I thought you we—"

"Yes! And I was certain!" Cade Walker, the supreme general interrupted the sweating man to his side. "There must have been something wrong! I'm confident of it!"

"B— But sir… Are you really s—"

"YES! That's the only way!"

Everyone watched stunned within the canopy, they had never once seen their general act in such a way, even in the most intense of war meetings, he had never once crumbled nor lost his composure. He was always ten steps ahead of everyone else, if anything, this was further proof to them of how certain he was of victory. 

Once he noticed the gazes of shock, Cade calmed himself down and once again leaned back in his seat with narrowed eyes, his gray brows once again furrowed as he stroked his beard. 

As he was thinking, the announcer continued on with his praises and words of victory… And in the midst of it all, the supreme general's face lit up in realization, his eyes widened, and a surge of what could only be described as subdued rage overcame him as he abruptly stood out of his seat and looked over below. 

"Moby Kane! As the winner of this entire tournament, would you like to give us and all the people watching at home your final comments and closing words? What is it that you would like the world to know as you now stand victorious?" The announcer leaned in closer and asked a confidently smiling Moby who immediately nodded.

"Yes! Of course! I'd be honoured to! What I— "

"OBJECTION!!" Suddenly, a loud, authoritative voice rang, echoing to all ends of space… From boisterous, Immediately, the crowd was silenced, left sweating as their heads snapped to where the sound emerged, such was its power. 

"S— Supreme general?" Few muttered, yet all thought within their minds.

"With my power as supreme general of the military and overseer of this tournament! I hereby have you disqualified!"

'Disqualified!?' The crowd gasped, yet before they could speak they choked over their own words from such astounding pressure. 

Most in the crowd were gasping for air, and some forgot how to breathe altogether. Yet, despite that, even as the target of such force, Moby stood his ground, no, he owned it with confidence, completely unmoved. In fact, some could have sworn he even looked smug. 

"Supreme General sir! Excuse my rudeness, but what mistake have I committed to be the bearer of such harshness!"

"Don't you dare fool me boy! I know what you did! You had marked my grandson for teleportation, yet the match had yet to even begin! That is clear cheating! And as such, you will not only be disqualified, but also severely disciplined to dare pull off such a stunt!"

"Me? Cheating? I would never!" Moby raised his hands. "Little for me to argue with the supreme general himself! But even if that were to be the case. Where in the rules does it state that what you described is against it?"

"What!?" The supreme general retorted. 

"You heard me! State to me where in the rule book does it say that I'm not allowed to set up traps or tactics until the referee starts the match?"

"..."

"Hey, boss, should I keep running the cameras? This is looking bad…" One man from the side nervously stuttered. 

"Shut off the cameras!? YOU CRAZY!? We've just struck gold! Keep rolling like your life depends on it! I'll walk on your corpse and continue to do it myself if you pass out! UNDERSTOOD!?"

"Y-yes sir…"

"..."

"Hmmmm…? Nothing? Still thinking?" Moby placed his hands on his right cheek like he was pondering deeply. "You know why you can't tell me? It's because no such rule exists! I've carefully read the entire rule book from cover to cover many times over, yet nowhere does it state such a thing! In fact! I am far from the only one to employ such tactics! As long as your opponent doesn't pick up on it, you're free to do so!!"

"S-such! Such disrespect! How dare you speak to your supreme superior in such a way!" Veins pulsated out of the supreme general's skin, the rage he had held back before seemed to be on full display, forcing some spectators on their knees, yet there Moby was with that same expression as before. 

"With all due respect sir, you may indeed be my superior. Yet, even if you are, does that not give me the ability to stand up for myself!? Here you were ready to threaten me with cruel punishment and disqualification over something completely vague and made up, this is the least I could do! I am far from the only person to employ this legal tactic, yet you single me out. Why would that be…?"

"..."

"Don't answer that! That's a rhetorical question! The answer is clear! You're clearly biased towards your grandson!"

That was the thought on everyone's mind, yet none had the audacity to speak it out loud, and even through all that happened, they never expected Moby to keep going under such a deadly glare.

"And to that, I can't blame you. How could you not be? He's family after all. However, sometimes one must distance themselves from relatives and loved ones in the pursuit of being objective. Still, second place in such a tournament is no small feat, it could have gone either way! Your grandson was extremely formidable, far more than the imagination. I greatly look forward to our next encounter! And I truly hope that maybe, we could call ourselves friends someday…"

"..."

"I…I've calmed myself… And…  I apologize for anything I could have said or done, I truly do... I am completely willing to relinquish my victory to him now, but would such a victory be satisfying to him? Would he want it or even stand for such an empty triumph? That's something to think about..."

"..."

"A few minutes ago… Very narrowly, it could have been me in his position now, that is something I have been thinking about ever since it all ended. You should not be saddened! Nor should you be angry! I completely understand, and I appreciate having a supreme general with a big heart! Someone who truly cares! And for that, I am thankful! truly, thank you, supreme general Cade Walker!"

*Clap* … … … *Clap* … … *Clap* …  *Clap* Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*

Swiftly, the previously muted crowd went wild, clapping and cheering even more than before, praising the supreme general. A reignited flame by a single match dropped into a field of grass spreading like wildfire, and that match was none other than Moby's passionate speech.

More than before, the supreme general was left utterly speechless. Sweat dripped from his every pour and his eyes could not stop from shaking. 

'What's going on… How… How could this boy bring this crowd up from the dead like some sort of necromancer… Impossible… They're so passionate, even I couldn't do such a thing, yet this measly little boy…' 

His mind spun round and round, looking for an escape, yet he found himself choking over every word that he wanted to utter— all led to a dead-end… He was completely cornered, bested in something he thought he had mastered. 

If he pushed on despite it all, he would be labelled as harsh and tyrannical, and his appeal with the masses would plummet. And, on the other hand, if he were to accept and try to damage control, it would prove all of Moby's words and claims as factual, and his grandson would remain the loser.

All moves led to checkmate… 

Faced with such an ultimatum, he had to make a move… And out of both moves, he chose the lesser of two evils…

"Huh… huh huh huh…" The supreme general's face relaxed, and his expression went into soft laughter— his aura was immediately dispelled in the wind, diluting as if it were never even there.

  "Apologies boy! I should be the one thanking you for your kindness! The crowd as well! Such bright talent indeed! Thank you for looking at things through my lens as well! Not many people could actually do such a thing during stressful times! I suppose the realization that my little grandson is no longer undefeated really had me acting abnormally! I guess I should look forward to him now having a new rival!" He laughed heartily. "Young Moby Kane! Winner of this tournament! How could I ever make it up to you after what I've done?"

"Sir!" Moby smiled, saluted and deeply bowed. "You grace me with such words! I dare not ask for any reward! After all, as you said, I have already won myself a new rival! What more can I truly ask for?"