And so, with little else to occupy him, Hiei turned his focus to the Tear Gem.
Staring at the stone, his heart gradually found calm.
He began to think of the mother who birthed him and the homeland he came from, his purpose shifting from vengeance to seeking out the Ice Kingdom.
But as he moved from the northeastern region of the Demon World's thirteenth layer, where he'd made a name for himself, to other territories, he encountered an unprecedented foe and carelessly lost the Tear Gem that hung around his neck.
Unable to forgive himself for such a lapse, Hiei chose to sacrifice his demon energy and endure pain a thousand times worse than a blade through flesh. He sought out the Demon World surgeon Shigure to implant the Jagan Eye.
The cost was steep: a portion of his life, the inability to ever reunite with his sister.
All for the sake of reclaiming the Tear Gem.
Reduced to his weakest state, Hiei received Shigure's aid, learning swordsmanship for self-defense.
Using the Jagan Eye, he located the Ice Kingdom and found his mother's grave in the wilderness outside the city. He learned that Rui had taken her own life after his banishment and that his sister Yukina had gone missing years before.
Abandoning his revenge against the fearful Ice Maidens, Hiei left the Ice Kingdom, his new goal to find Yukina.
But Yukina, within a barrier, was invisible to the Jagan Eye, and the lost Tear Gem remained untraceable.
Fruitless in the Demon World, Hiei's weakened state allowed him to slip into the Human World.
There, he became friends with Yusuke Urameshi, KuRaama, and others.
Interestingly, KuRaama's past was not unlike Hiei's—similar, yet distinct.
KuRaama's true identity was the A-Class demon thief, the Fox Demon KuRaama, notorious in the Demon World.
Both were A-Class demons, both thieves—how could they not be alike?
Unlike the lone wolf Hiei, however, KuRaama once led a band of thieves in the Demon World, including a then-second-in-command Yomi, with ambitions of founding a nation.
Centuries ago, KuRaama hired an assassin to blind Yomi.
Later, pursued by the Spirit World's Special Defense Force, he fled to the Human World, merging with the embryo in Shiori Minamino's womb.
His human name became Shuichi Minamino.
Growing up as Shuichi, KuRaama planned to leave home once his powers returned, but his mother's love softened him, instilling human emotions.
Now, he was far weaker than his former self.
Ironically, Yomi, the one he'd once tried to kill, had risen to become an S-Class demon.
Life was unpredictable like that.
But enough digression.
Back to the match.
Hiei took the stage and wasted no time, unleashing his ultimate technique.
Dragon of the Darkness Flame!!!
A surge of demon energy erupted from him, his right arm releasing a roaring black dragon that charged toward Medusa with ferocious intensity.
Hiei knew full well that if Medusa removed her blindfold, he'd lose.
He couldn't withstand her Mystic Eyes of Petrification.
The only way to defeat her was to strike before she could unveil them.
And Medusa was no pushover, so Hiei went all-in with his strongest move from the start.
Facing the oncoming black dragon, Medusa didn't hesitate, releasing her Noble Phantasm.
A big move? As if she didn't have one too.
Bellerophon.
In an instant, Medusa summoned a Phantasmal Pegasus, mounting it and charging toward the incoming dragon.
A torrent of magical energy shattered the dragon in a flash, then slammed into Hiei.
Boom!
Hiei was sent flying, crashing into the arena wall with a thud and falling unconscious.
Having already sacrificed much of his demon energy, forcibly using the Dragon of the Darkness Flame caused severe backlash.
Then, taking a direct hit from Medusa was a miracle he survived at all—only because she'd shown mercy.
Otherwise, Hiei would be dead.
After defeating him, Medusa stood silently in the arena.
As KuRaama prepared to step up, he saw her remove her blindfold and froze.
Well… damn.
She was about to use her Mystic Eyes of Petrification. How could he fight that?
Stepping into the arena now would be suicide.
He was no longer the mighty Fox Demon KuRaama but a mere human, far weaker than his peak.
He couldn't withstand Medusa's eyes.
Genkai sighed. "Just forfeit."
There was no choice. Medusa's Mystic Eyes of Petrification were too overpowering. Without strong resistance, no one could withstand them.
KuRaama nodded reluctantly, conceding.
Genkai followed suit, also forfeiting.
She, too, couldn't resist Medusa's eyes. Entering the arena would mean instant petrification—no way to fight.
They had to give up.
And so, Morpheus's Team Extraterrestrial advanced to the semifinals.
They were the last team to secure a spot in the final four.
Just as everyone expected the semifinal matches to be even more intense, the outcome was unexpectedly lackluster.
The reason was simple.
The semifinals pitted the Team Extraterrestrial against the Team Heroics, and the Team Ryozanpaku against the Team Shinso.
Upon seeing the matchups, Morpheus immediately had the Team Extraterrestrial forfeit.
He was here to enjoy the spectacle, not to settle scores with the Team Heroics.
There was no need for that.
So, he chose to withdraw.
The Team Heroics advanced to the finals with ease.
What Morpheus hadn't expected was that the Team Ryozanpaku would also forfeit, allowing the Team Shinso to advance directly to the finals.
Thus, the semifinals ended in a bizarrely anticlimactic fashion.
Many were left dumbfounded.
The Team Extraterrestrial's forfeiture made sense—they were allied with the Team Heroics, so it was understandable.
But why did the Team Ryozanpaku give up?
Hayato Furinji was equally helpless. Aside from Evangeline, the Team Shinso consisted of children.
How could a group of martial arts masters bring themselves to bully kids?
Even if they beat the children, they couldn't defeat Evangeline, a centuries-old True Ancestor.
So, they chose to forfeit, preserving some dignity.
Otherwise, defeating a bunch of kids only to get thrashed by Evangeline would be the real embarrassment—mocked for only being able to pick on children.
And so, the semifinals concluded in this muddled way.
All that remained was the final.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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