C318
"Why are you wandering around here?"
Behemoth's voice towards YuWon was filled with evident enmity.
In reality, he had not liked YuWon from the beginning.
Even in the vote to participate in Ragnarok, he had voted against it.
And this time was no different.
A being resembling the Giant Race filled the field of vision, approaching with a roar like a whale.
Thump, thump-.
"You didn't hear me?"
Although it was unpleasant due to the unfounded hostility, YuWon didn't feel uncomfortable.
They were simply different races.
The enmity came only from that simple reason.
Moreover, Behemoth considering him hostile in that manner was beneficial for YuWon.
"Humans have no place in this Great Heaven Demon War. What I hate the most is when meddlers like you, who have some power, believe that..."
"Is the Great Heaven Demon War so noble?"
"What?"
"That's what I'm saying, why are you so excited about something like that?"
Snap-.
The veins on Behemoth's forehead tensed.
His eyes turned blood-red, and his destructive power vigorously surged from his body in an instant.
'Rank 81, Lord of the Giants, Behemoth.'
He was the biggest headache on the Demon Kings' side.
"It was because of Behemoth." (Odin)
On some occasions, Odin had also contacted the Demons and asked them to stop the Great Heaven Demon War.
At that time, he was taking precautions not only against Foolish Chaos but also against the forces outside the Tower.
But the response he received was not from Diablo.
It was from Behemoth.
He responded to Asgard on behalf of the Demon Kings.
"He thought that the Great Heaven Demon War was the greatest event in the Demon Realm. He thought that fighting and war were the meaning of the Demons' existence, and he considered it absolutely necessary." (Odin)
Hardliners.
They were the faction that held that even in the Demon Realm, they should step forward and sweep the Angels.
Behemoth was the most influential Demon King in that hardliner faction. That was probably why he opposed Ragnarok in the beginning.
"We cannot afford to lose the strength of the Demon Realm in Ragnarok, do you understand what I'm saying?" (Behemoth)
He opposed due to concern that there would be issues in the Great Heaven Demon War.
Of course, ultimately, Ragnarok turned out to be beneficial for the Demon Realm.
The Angels who participated in the Great Heaven Demon War wasted a considerable amount of power, and even the key force, Michael himself, was injured.
"What did you say now? What is the Great Heaven Demon War? Something like that?"
Behemoth had risked his life for the Great Heaven Demon War.
Located behind Diablo and Baal among the Demons, he saw it as his best chance to improve his ranking.
Behemoth had an obsession with the Great Heaven Demon War.
And that obsession had now turned into anger against YuWon.
"How dare you open your mouth...?"
"I request a rank duel."
"A rank duel?"
Behemoth looked at YuWon incredulously.
A rank duel.
It was a common way in the Demon Realm for Demons to establish their hierarchy among themselves, regardless of their position in the ranking.
The rank duel was an ancient tradition in the Demon Realm, which existed long before the Ranking System was introduced with the Tower.
Over time, this culture had become somewhat forgotten in the present.
"How do you know about rank duels?"
Even for Behemoth, who was one of the Demon Kings, that was a culture that was becoming forgotten.
However, YuWon approached Behemoth, requesting a rank duel, as if he had been waiting to put him in his place.
"Is that really important?"
"No, but..."
Behemoth's forehead furrowed.
The rank duel was strictly carried out in a one-on-one fight. And that was different from the image Behemoth had painted earlier.
'This is getting annoying.'
YuWon was a solitary presence in the Demon Realm as a human.
The demons would follow their Demon King's orders, and of course, all demons would become allies in case of conflict.
But if he were to participate in a rank duel, the story would be different.
That meant he could no longer request support from his allies.
'This guy's rank is probably...'
Behemoth's gaze shifted towards the Player Kit he held in his hand.
YuWon's recent ranking came to his mind.
'If I lose here, there would be no greater disgrace than this.'
In case something like that happened.
If that were to happen, it would be a total disgrace to his dignity. Moreover, they were now close to the Great Heaven Demon War, so getting into trouble at a time like this wouldn't be good at all.
As he thought about that, a good excuse suddenly came to him.
"You're a human. Why would I have a rank duel with you?"
The rank duel was exclusive to demons.
And it was unthinkable for a human like YuWon to participate in this event that only demons could take part in.
"You don't have the right. But, how dare you...?"
"I have the right."
"What?"
"I have it too."
Tsssss...
Dark energy began to emanate from YuWon's body.
Behemoth's eyes widened.
"You're a half-demon."
It wasn't much, but what he could sense from YuWon was definitely Demon Energy.
It was an energy that only demons possessed, and YuWon had it.
"How...?"
"It doesn't matter how."
YuWon also knew that the rank duel was an exclusive tradition of demons.
Despite that, YuWon could think about the rank duel because he believed he had some chance of being recognized as a member of the demons.
"Are you going to do it or not?"
At the question of whether he would back down despite that, Behemoth showed a troubled expression.
He could feel the uneasy gazes of the demons around, watching him and YuWon.
Even more...
"Are you afraid?"
Suddenly, Diablo, who seemed to have come out of somewhere, approached Behemoth from a corner of the demon group and growled at him.
"You're embarrassing yourself, Behemoth."
"Diablo..."
Behemoth clenched his teeth.
Although he tried to appear indifferent, Behemoth didn't have that much patience.
'Are you insinuating that you sent this guy to push me?'
What could they have been discussing inside that makeshift headquarters?
Behemoth thought that perhaps YuWon and Diablo were plotting something to drive him out.
If not, they wouldn't have worked together so well.
'The advantage is on their side.'
In the presence of many demons, YuWon showed the Demon Energy he possessed.
Though incomplete, that meant YuWon had the power of demons.
An ambiguous situation.
However, in that situation, Diablo, the King of the Demon Realm, spoke words that seemed to approve the rank duel.
With this, YuWon also gained the right to compete in the rank duel.
"Damn it."
He didn't like it.
This fight would only bring him losses.
And considering the opponent's rank, there was no guarantee he could win.
'Diablo, you bastard...'
Behemoth's gaze shifted to Diablo, who was feigning innocence.
Diablo was surprised to see that gaze and asked why he was looking at him like that, but Behemoth didn't even like that expression.
'I understand what you're thinking. But you're wrong.'
Behemoth looked back at YuWon and shouted.
"Everyone back up two kilometers in all directions!"
"Two kilometers?"
"Perhaps..."
"Perhaps what? Hurry up and run!"
"Why? What's going on?"
"Because Behemoth-nim..."
The demons grew agitated.
Among the demons who were watching the fight with interested eyes, some also caused disturbances and fled.
And the common feature of those people was one.
They had seen Behemoth's true form at some point, they were former demons.
"I accept the challenge."
Behemoth, who radiated intense energy towards YuWon, looked at Diablo, who seemed interested up close.
'I'm going to completely stomp on the game you've set up.'
And so, Behemoth accepted this rank duel.
[Rank duel begins]
[Defeat Behemoth, who holds the third position in the Demon Ranking]
[If you win, you will be recognized by the demons]
[Results will affect your ranking]
The demons seemed to have their own ranking system.
As time passed, a Classification Administration Office was established, and the rankings became a measure of power and authority, losing their original meaning. Nevertheless, rankings were still rankings.
Especially for the demons, hierarchy was crucial.
At this moment, YuWon was not recognized as one of them, but if he defeated Behemoth, the story would change.
'I'll also break Behemoth while I'm at it.'
Crack, crunch...
YuWon looked at Behemoth, who started swelling in front of his eyes in real-time.
Behemoth grew rapidly, as if his body were a balloon.
In an instant, his body became gigantic.
YuWon lifted his head and saw Behemoth's figure, which had become as huge as a structure.
But that wasn't all.
Gugu, gugugu...
Behemoth kept growing endlessly.
Bigger than a Giant.
The 2-kilometer distance was merely a minimal distance.
Even at this moment, the demons did their best to keep away from Behemoth's movements.
'Behemoth, the largest living creature with the size of a small island.'
Not the strongest, but the largest.
That nickname was given to him due to his enormous size.
Kung...
Behemoth's legs made the ground tremble.
From the nostrils of Behemoth, who had returned to his original form, hot breath came out.
Fiery red pupils. Long horns extending from one to two.
It was like the appearance of a massive bull.
From his body large enough to cover the entire surroundings, a magic as vast as his size emanated.
This living creature could destroy a city with a single move, and that claim turned out to be true.
"You're really so damn big."
YuWon was slightly surprised by the size, which was even larger than expected.
Behemoth.
Although he had only heard about it before, it was the first time YuWon saw its true form.
-It's too late to regret now.
Grrrr-.
From between its open teeth, a bestial roar came out.
Its imposing presence was overwhelming, making it challenging to face even for those larger than Surt or Gigäntes.
Indeed, most people would surrender and be afraid to fight Behemoth in this form.
"Regret?"
However, YuWon laughed at Behemoth's appearance.
"Just because of your size?"
Precisely, his position in the ranking proved that fact.
With a similar size, Behemoth ranked below Baal, not to mention Diablo.
YuWon felt relieved to see that the size was all there was to it.
"That means, apart from your size, you have nothing else to show."
-Arrogant words...
Fzzt-.
Behemoth raised its head, feeling the energy emanating from above.
The sky above its own height.
And suddenly, there was a thick, dark cloud above it.
'Why are there clouds here?'
It was only natural to be curious.
This was the world ruled by the Heavens.
Originally, clouds couldn't exist in a world that exists above the clouds.
"Unless your only belief is your size..."
Fzzt, crack-.
A tremendous energy filled the cloud.
Until Behemoth became a being of gigantic size.
YuWon was not known for his good behavior, so he was unwilling to patiently wait for the undoubtedly not short amount of time.
"In the end, one crumbles before an even greater force."
Swoosh-.
YuWon raised his hand upwards.
A small ring, perfectly sized for his pinky finger, glimmered on his finger.
And at that moment...
Crack-!
The ring covering his finger turned into a lightning bolt.
Tags:
LWTG (Novel)