Morpheus couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "Tell me, how did you learn about this Dark Tournament?"
Saeko replied, "Not long ago, while I was taking down a monster, it mentioned the existence of the Dark Tournament. That's why I want to participate in it."
Morpheus let out a thoughtful hum. "So, you're here to get my approval."
Saeko nodded. "That's part of it, but I have another purpose as well."
"What's that?"
"I want to invite you, my lord, to join the Dark Tournament with me."
"???"
Honestly, Saeko's suggestion caught him completely off guard.
To Morpheus, the Dark Tournament seemed far too low-tier.
In the original Yu Yu Hakusho storyline, the strongest contender in the Dark Tournament was Toguro, the big bad boss. But as the story progressed, it became clear that Toguro, who had pushed Yusuke Urameshi to the brink and seemed nearly invincible, was merely a B-class devil.
Above Toguro were A-class demons, and even S-class demons beyond that.
A B-class demon like Toguro? Hardly worth mentioning.
And Morpheus? He didn't even bat an eye at S-class demons anymore.
Participating in the Dark Tournament now would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
Morpheus wasn't that bored.
He shook his head and said, "I'm not interested in such a low-level competition. If you want to join, I'll allow it, but I'll pass."
Saeko responded, "Could I borrow a few people from you, my lord? The Dark Tournament requires team registration, and I can't enter alone."
Morpheus had no issue with that and agreed readily. "Sure, go ahead."
"Oh? Sounds like you're talking about something interesting."
At that moment, Hitomi Kisugi slid into a seat between Saeko and Morpheus.
"Miss Saeko, care to tell me what this Dark Tournament is all about?" Hitomi's eyes gleamed as she looked at Saeko.
Saeko nodded. She knew Hitomi was also one of Morpheus's followers, so there was no need to keep it a secret.
Besides, she needed teammates, and if Hitomi was interested, she might make a good addition to the team.
Saeko explained, "I don't know much about it myself. Most of what I know comes from what I heard from that monster."
"All I know is that the Dark Tournament has a long history and is held every three years."
"The winner of the tournament can make a single request to the organizers."
"And the organizers will do everything in their power to fulfill that request."
Hitomi couldn't help but interject, "Is that so? Why does it feel like the organizers are running some kind of charity?"
Morpheus's eyes widened at her words. Hold on, something wasn't right. This didn't sound like the Dark Tournament he knew.
The Dark Tournament he was familiar with was organized by Sakyo and Toguro.
It didn't have some grand, storied history, nor was it held every three years.
So, was this Dark Tournament a different thing altogether from the one he knew?
Had he jumped to conclusions?
Or had the origins of the Dark Tournament changed in this stitched-together crossover world?
It was like if the Blacklight Virus had been created by the Umbrella Corporation—absurd, but somehow plausible.
Saeko's words piqued Morpheus's interest in the Dark Tournament.
He spoke up proactively, "Since you two don't know much about this Dark Tournament, why not find someone who does?"
Hitomi asked, "Do you know someone who's familiar with it, my lord?"
"I think so," Morpheus said, rubbing his chin. "If it's her, she should know something."
About half an hour later, Kotoko Iwanaga pushed open the café door and walked in.
As the Goddess of Wisdom for yokai, Morpheus was confident that Kotoko Iwanaga would know something about the Dark Tournament.
Even if she didn't, she'd likely know a yokai who did.
If the Dark Tournament was indeed held every three years and involved demons and superhumans, there was no way Kotoko, as the yokai's Goddess of Wisdom, wouldn't know about it.
As it turned out, Morpheus's guess was spot-on.
When Kotoko learned that Morpheus had called her about the Dark Tournament, she nodded instinctively.
"I do know quite a bit about the tournament. After all, it's closely tied to the previous Goddess of Wisdom."
Morpheus's curiosity was now fully ignited.
"Interesting. Tell me, what's the connection to the previous Goddess of Wisdom?"
Kotoko nodded and began, "The Dark Tournament's origins actually stem from conflicts among yokai."
"The previous Goddess of Wisdom protected many yokai. Some of them had caused a lot of trouble before receiving her protection."
"To shield those yokai, my predecessor had to fight off the troublemakers time and again."
"Word of her existence spread, and soon, some battle-hungry yokai sought her out, wanting to challenge her."
That made sense.
There were plenty of yokai who thrived on combat.
Some would come running at the mere rumor of a strong opponent.
Prime examples included Shuten-douji, Ibaraki-douji, and Tsuchigumo.
Kotoko continued, "My predecessor grew tired of these constant challenges, so she came up with a solution."
"Fighting was fine, but the loser had to obey one command from the winner."
"The battle-hungry yokai, eager for a good fight, agreed readily."
"As a result, more and more yokai lost to my predecessor."
"She then used those defeated yokai to fend off the real troublemakers."
"But as time went on, word of her strength spread, and fewer yokai came to cause trouble."
"The fights dwindled."
"The yokai who stayed by her side grew restless. Some left, while others stayed, hoping to challenge her again."
"So, my predecessor made a deal with them: they'd fight at set intervals."
"And from that, the prototype of the Dark Tournament was born."
***
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