Wild Speculation #3421:

So, an Ascian is a spirit that can inhabit any body they choose as a vessel, yeah?

So, what if it chooses an inanimate object as a vessel. Or an interconnected city?

“Zeus” == Master Control Program from Tron, and is running the city, possibly going HAL.

Arena battles to the death because hey, death releases aether and a city’s gotta eat!