"Whoa!" exclaimed Grognard, staring up at the demon king's enormous mass. "Is he really that big?"

"Yes," replied the demon king, "he is."

"I wonder if I can beat him?" ponders Grognard.

The demon king laughed heartily. "No, you can't beat him. Not without magic, anyway."

Grognard's mouth hangs agape in shock. "But... I thought you said he couldn't be defeated without magic."

"That was a joke," explained the demon king. "I've never seen anything like him, either. This guy's huge!"

"Why did you decide to host a tournament in the first place?" wondered Grognard. "It sounds like a lot of work."

"Oh, no," replied the demon king. "I enjoy tournaments immensely. It gives me a chance to test my strength against other powerful creatures from distant lands."

The demon king points at Grognard. "For example, do you think you could defeat me?"

"Huh?" replied Grognard, surprised. "Um..."

"Don't worry," said the demon king. "I'm not intending to attack you. Just relax and have fun."

The demon king takes a step forward, and Grognard backs away nervously. The crowd begins cheering excitedly as they watch their champion battle the demon king.

"I'm not afraid of you," said Grognard confidently. That little power of yours can't hurt me!"

The demon king laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "Not only are you weak and pathetic, but you're also a coward! You're nothing more than a wimp."

Grognard burst into laughter, delighted by his adversary's words. "Ha! You're right! I am a coward! I'm terrified of you!"

The demon king glares at him menacingly. "I don't think so!" he exclaims, raising his massive fists. "Prepare yourself to be humiliated, wimp!"

"Wait!" cried Grognard, leaping between them. "Let's talk this out! We can settle this peacefully!"

The demon king raises his fist again, ready to strike Grognard down, but the crowd erupts in cheers.

"Don't listen to him!" shouted the demon king. "He's just trying to trick you!"

The crowd roars with laughter at this remark, and Grognard frowns. He knows that he is being mocked, but he has no idea why.

"I'm not lying," said the demon king. "If you want to win my tournament, you need to fight me! Come ahead and try your luck."

"Fine!" declared Grognard, turning away. "I'll fight you."

The demon king smirks at this. "Good!" he says. "I look forward to humiliating you in front of everyone!"

Grognard looks back at the demon king and grins. "Maybe I can teach you a lesson about humility."

"Ha!" laughed the demon king. "You'd better hope so, little boy, because I'm not afraid to make you pay for calling me a coward!"

The demon king prepares himself for combat, lifting his huge arms high above his head.

Grognard's eyes grow wide with fear as he watches the demon king prepare for battle. He tries to back away, but he can't move. The only way to escape is to fight the demon king directly.

"Bring it on!" said Grognard defiantly.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

The demon king swings his fists down at Grognard, who jumps out of the way and narrowly avoids getting hit. The crowd roars with joy as Grognard dodges another swing, but he doesn't manage to dodge the next one. The demon king hits him square in the chest, sending Grognard flying backwards through the air.

The ogre crashed into the wall behind him, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

The demon king sneers at his fallen opponent and clenches his fists once again.

"Fight, little boy!" he shouted. "You're going to be humiliated in front of everyone!"

Grognard rises to his feet and rushes toward the demon king. He reaches his hands out and grabs hold of his ankles, but the demon king kicks him in the chest and sends him reeling backwards.

The crowd explodes in cheers as Grognard lands hard on the ground and lies motionless. The demon king laughed and taunted him. "See? You're no match for me! I'm determined to crush you under my mighty boot!"

The demon king raises his foot and prepares to stomp on Grognard, when suddenly he stops and lowers his leg.

The crowd gasped in shock.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" asked the demon king. "Can a loser actually become a winner?"

The crowd burst into wild cheers as the demon king bends down and picks up Grognard, effortlessly carrying him over to a nearby table.

He sets Grognard on the table and congratulates him on the head. "There," he said. "Now you're safe. Don't worry. Everything will be okay."

Grognard opens his eyes and sits up at the table. He notices a strange white substance dripping from the demon king's fingers.

"What is that?" he wondered aloud.

The crowd roars in delight as the demon king places his hand on the table and lets the white liquid drip onto Grognard's face.

"What are you doing?" asked Grognard, confused. "Stop it!"

The demon king drops his hand and moves away from Grognard. He turned to face the crowd, holding his thumb up. "A brand-new champion has been crowned!" he announced. "And with this victory, I claim dominion over this world!"

The crowd erupts in cheers and applause as the demon king lifts his arms into the air.