Kotoko Iwanaga nodded, affirming Morpheus's question.
"The Dark Tournament is a high-level competition. Ordinary yokai don't qualify to participate. To ensure the tournament's spectacle and quality, all registered teams must undergo an assessment."
"If you pass, you can compete. If you fail, you're out."
"Normally, the assessment takes a week to complete."
"But due to my special status, someone will come to evaluate you within three days."
Morpheus clicked his tongue, surprised that entering a tournament was so complicated.
But since Saeko wanted to participate, he didn't dwell on it.
"An assessment, huh? Fine, I'll wait for them."
Saeko glanced at Morpheus gratefully and couldn't help but say, "I'm sorry, my lord. This assessment is an insult to someone of your stature."
For someone of Morpheus's caliber, being subjected to an evaluation was nothing short of humiliating.
In that moment, Saeko even considered withdrawing from the so-called tournament.
How dare they assess her lord? Were they even worthy?
Morpheus waved it off. "It's fine. I'm curious about the tournament myself. I'll go check it out. Who knows, maybe I can find you a few more teammates."
Saeko couldn't help but give a wry smile.
She hadn't expected Morpheus to join the tournament with such a motive.
But it didn't seem like a bad idea.
…
In the blink of an eye, a day passed.
Morpheus informed Karna and Medusa about the Dark Tournament, and both agreed to join, expressing their willingness to participate alongside him.
When word spread, most of Morpheus's followers grew intrigued by the mysterious Dark Tournament.
Many wanted to join the competition.
Especially Nobunaga, the chaos-loving troublemaker, who relentlessly pestered Morpheus for a spot on the team.
Unfortunately, the roster was already set, and no amount of Nobunaga's nagging could change that.
However, Kotoko pointed out that each team could have one reserve member, who could step in if a main member had to withdraw for any reason.
Since Nobunaga was being such a pest, Morpheus gave her the reserve spot.
As for the others, they formed a second team, which Kotoko registered for the Dark Tournament as well.
Thus, Morpheus's side formed two teams in total.
The first was the Team Extraterrestrial, consisting of Morpheus, Saeko, Hitomi, Karna, and Medusa.
The reserve member was Nobunaga.
The second was the Team Heroics, led by Medea, with members Martha, Raikou, Miko, and Hana.
They had no reserve member.
In truth, Miko and Hana weren't particularly interested in the Dark Tournament. They were just filling out the roster to form a team.
With Medea, Martha, and Raikou's strength, it was unlikely Miko or Hana would need to fight.
The afternoon after submitting the registration, the assessors came for Morpheus's group.
At the time, Morpheus was strolling along the street.
He was eating ice cream and humming a tune.
Suddenly, a barrier enveloped him, encompassing the entire street.
Morpheus looked around and realized the barrier contained only him—no one else.
Then, a red-haired man in a suit and mask descended from the sky.
The man radiated intense demonic aura, barely concealed.
"Good afternoon, Captain Morpheus of the Team Extraterrestrial."
"I am an assessor for the Dark Tournament, here to evaluate whether you're qualified to participate."
The masked man's voice was cold, carrying a hint of menace.
Morpheus, unfazed, took a bite of his ice cream and asked, "Oh? And how do you plan to assess me?"
The masked man snapped his fingers, the crisp sound echoing in the void.
In the next moment, the scenery around them transformed dramatically.
The bustling street became a dilapidated ruin.
It was still the same street, but now it was in shambles, littered with broken walls and debris, exuding an apocalyptic desolation.
What surprised Morpheus even more was the sky—it was blood-red, steeped in an aura of gloom, decay, ferocity, and despair.
Under the influence of such intense negative emotions, countless evil spirits and monsters had spawned here.
The masked man said, "Captain Morpheus, this is your assessment ground. Since ancient times, this place has had many names: the Otherworld, Cursed Wasteland, Shadow Realm, and so on."
"Your task is to survive here for three hours or find a way to leave within that time."
"If you fail, I'll come to retrieve you in three hours."
"Captain Morpheus, please don't die."
With that, the masked man vanished before Morpheus's eyes.
Morpheus didn't bother chasing him. The man's little trick was transparent to him.
If he wanted, he could leave this place anytime.
But he didn't.
Because he was genuinely intrigued by this place.
So, this was the Cursed Wasteland.
A world inhabited by evil spirits and impurities, a dumping ground for humanity's negative emotions, constantly spawning countless malevolent entities—a place entangled with humans for millennia.
It didn't seem half bad.
Morpheus considered whether to use his powers to purify this place and absorb it, thereby strengthening his Light Dimension.
Doing so would undoubtedly elevate his power to another level.
But after some hesitation, he abandoned the idea.
This place was too steeped in negative energy. Absorbing it might taint his Light Dimension.
If it negatively affected his Light Dimension, that would be a disaster.
So, Morpheus would rather forgo the tempting idea than risk consuming this cesspool of negative emotions.
It'd be no different from eating garbage—he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Though he wouldn't absorb it, he could still purify the place and gain some power in the process.
Morpheus raised his hand, and countless magic circles unfurled in the sky, layering over one another until they covered the entire Cursed Wasteland.
Then, he snapped his fingers.
With a sharp snap, an endless barrage of Light Arrows rained down like a torrential storm, blanketing every corner and every inch of the Cursed Wasteland.
In that moment, countless impurities and evil spirits were obliterated by Morpheus's attack, purified by the Light Arrows until they ceased to exist.
As the evil spirits perished, an infinite number of glowing particles emerged, rushing toward Morpheus.
***
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