Demon Lord's Reincarnation

It was the third day of the tournament and the audience was even more excited than they were yesterday. After watching the battle between Irene and Lara the audience knew that this year's tournament would be like no other. It was just the first match and it was already beyond anyone's expectations. 

...

Hime continued to meditate as she waited for her name to be called. As she was trying to concentrate, she couldn't help but recall that terrifying surge of mana she felt last night. It happened so suddenly and left within half a second, some might have thought it was nothing but one's imagination, but Hime knew that wasn't the case. 

'There was a very sinister aura, that was when I felt that horrifying surge of mana, after that the sinister aura disappeared. There's obviously a connection between the two, but what. Is this perpetrated by those traitors as well?' 

Hime couldn't help but frown remembering those traitors that had left the city. If the other races knew of those traitors' plans the others of her race who hadn't done anything would also be held accountable.

...

On the other side of the arena, Afeus was trying his hardest to stay calm. Unlike the preliminaries, this was the true battle. There was an actual chance of death in this one. Though if Hime actually killed him she would automatically be disqualified. 

'No, I should treat this as a life or death battle. If I make a mistake here I really might die. If my performance turns out to be cowardly and laughable, even if I do survive Kretos might actually kill me.' Afeus tried to gather his resolve as he waited for his name to be called.

...

"Good day ladies and gents! Today marks the third day of the Grand Mage's tournament. I know you people can no longer wait for this to get started, so let's get it on!" Henrietta was full of vigor as she made the announcement. This was the match she wanted to see the most. Afeus was someone Kretos personally trained. She knew quite a bit about Afeus before meeting Kretos, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that in the practical field of magic he was below average. He was only good in the theoretical field of magic and had a bit of knowledge of alchemy. Basically, he was a mage that was unsuited for battle and more suited for research. 

'Let's see how much you improved.' 

"Alright then, We all know the legends of how the demons used to be the strongest of all beings an even match to the mythical dragons of old. Today we shall witness the prowess of a descendant of such a race! On the right side of the ring, hailing from the western desert is the half-demon Hime!"

Hime stood up from her lotus position and jumped into the ring. As she opened her eyes she looked at Afeus like a lion looks at her prey. 

"Now onto the next contestant. Hailing from the Serbek Kingdom, and the biggest dark horse this tournament has ever seen, Afeus!" When the audience heard Afeus was part of the Serbek Kingdom they started cheering even louder than before. It has been a few decades now since someone from the Kingdom reached the Quarter Finals. Knowing that there was such a student in the Kingdom made the citizens excited. 

...

When he heard his name being called Afeus with all his courage was about to step forward, but then the audience burst into cheers. Their cheering made Afeus feel like the ground was shaking, but in truth, it wasn't the ground that was shaking it was his legs. 

The cheering was having the opposite effect on Afeus. He felt an unknown weight pushing down on his shoulders. It was getting a bit harder to step onto the ring. Afeus gritted his teeth as he finally took one step forward. 

'It's now or never!' Afeus step foot onto the stage.

...

"So Sir Layfon what do you think of the participants of this round?" Henrietta asked Layfon who was sitting beside her. 

"Hime being a half-demon has greater physical strength than a normal human, not to mention that demons are known to have a massive supply of mana. Basing on the preliminary match I saw, Hime is a person who doesn't leave anything to chance. On the other hand, Afeus is pretty much out of place in this tournament. I admit he is above average, and I'm not sure if he's hiding a trump card, but based on what I saw of him I'm sorry to say but he won't last in this tournament." 

"Oh, is that so?" Henrietta was quite amused by Layfon's assessment since she also made a similar assessment. But unlike Layfon she was expecting to see something unexpected, after all, Afeus was someone trained by Kretos. 

...

Hearing what Layfon said made Afeus clenched his fist. He already knew that among the participants in this tournament he was the weakest, but saying he has no chance at all made him a bit angry not at Layfon but at himself. He was angry that he was actually agreeing to Layfon's assessment of him. 

"Hey, how about you forfeit the match?" Hime spoke with a bit of sympathy in her voice. She joined this tournament to capture the traitors of their race, so if possible if she could she didn't want to hurt too many unrelated people. 

When Afeus heard what Hime said he looked at her and saw that sympathetic look on her face. Seeing that made Afues bite his lips.

"Each and every one of you keeps on underestimating me. Here and now I will show you that I am not someone that you can just overlook!" Afeus took his stance as all the worry and anxiety he was feeling a while ago was curbed by determination. Seeing Afeus's resolve made Hime sigh. It would seem that words would no longer work on him. 

Hime no longer had a choice, she needed to beat Afeus and if possible beat him without hurting him too much. She could only think this way since the gap in their abilities was clear to see. Hime started to feel the breath of her mana. Seeing as the two contestants were about ready to go Henrietta announced the start of the match with zeal.