When I caught sight of Behemoth with my naked eye, the first thought that crossed my mind was “huge”.

If I compare the Behemoth I saw in Soul Eater’s memory to one, this Behemoth looks like ten. If I had to put it in words, it would be something like the King of the Beast to King of Behemoth.

The Hydra I fought in Titis Forest was also quite large, but it was incomparable to the Behemoth in front of me.

The sight of such a huge body illuminated by the moonlight and stomping on the sandy ground was truly fantastic – or so I would like to say, but the reality that met my eyes was something that would make even a child’s nightmare pale in comparison.

Behemoth itself had a graceful body that combined the solidity of a rhino and the bravery of a lion. But the desert monsters that were flocking to its body were ruining both its solidity and its bravery.

The way they moved in waves on top of Behemoth reminded me of maggots clinging to an animal carcass or army ants attacking their prey.

To tell the truth, at first I thought that the hungry monsters were fighting with Behemoth. But when they came at me along with Behemoth’s roar, that idea was denied.

Apparently, Behemoth and the horde of monsters had some kind of symbiotic relationship. The monsters ate Behemoth’s flesh and blood to stave off their hunger. In return, they protected Behemoth when danger approached.

The answer to my earlier question – how such a large number of monsters could survive in a desert with little food – was right in front of me.

“If we kill Behemoth, we’ll have to deal with these guys too.”

It wasn’t a difficult matter. Two or three hits of Ice Hammer would do the trick. I wouldn’t be able to eat their souls if I used that technique, but that couldn’t be helped. It would be the worst if the hungry monsters attacked Berka or the oases around here after losing Behemoth. It was better to nip the danger in the bud.

By the way, if Behemoth knew what I was thinking right now, it would surely be furious. After all, I was already feeling like I had defeated Behemoth, who claimed to be a bearer of order. I would be angry too if I were in its position.

But as a simple fact, I didn’t recognize the mythical creature in front of me as an obstacle or a threat. Especially after seeing it with my naked eye.

This Behemoth is indeed big. Being big is a weapon in itself. If you get stepped on by those legs that remind you of a castle, you’ll be flattened regardless of how much Kei you have.

And it’s not to be underestimated on the defensive side either. The muscles and fat that are much thicker than Berka’s walls act as a barrier to block attacks. Even if you attack it with siege weapons, Behemoth’s huge body won’t budge.

I repeat, Behemoth is indeed big. It’s a big and troublesome opponent – but there’s a limit to everything.

It’s too big, this mythical creature.

A long time ago, I heard a fairy tale from my mother about a protagonist who was born the size of a finger and set out on a journey to become a warrior, defeating ogres and fulfilling his dream. He used his smallness to get inside the ogre’s body and beat it up from the inside.

Ever since I saw Behemoth in Soul Eater’s memory, I had been warming up this idea as a strategy against Behemoth. And when I confirmed the appearance of the King of the Beasts, King Behemoth, I was sure of success. That’s why I didn’t feel any fear or threat towards this enemy.

“If you had any chance of winning, it was until you fired your first shot.”

If Behemoth had fired its Star Breath at full power and with maximum convergence from the start, I wouldn’t be standing here. At least not unscathed.

I thought that as I kicked the air and approached Behemoth.

Behemoth still hadn’t closed its mouth that it had opened with its earlier roar. And its reaction to me coming closer was slow. This was also a drawback of being too big.

Fortunately, there were hardly any monsters on Behemoth’s head, so I was able to enter its mouth easily. I guess the monsters around here were blown away by the aftermath of the Breath they had showered me with.

As soon as I entered its mouth, a choking stench and a slimy humidity enveloped my body. What I saw in my vision were countless jagged teeth, a huge tongue that wriggled like a leech, and flesh, flesh, flesh that contracted creepily. They were all stained with blood.

Should I call it strange or grotesque, it was a very horrible sight. Well, I can’t complain since I jumped in myself.

I suddenly thought, maybe this creepy contraction is part of the regeneration process. The flesh inside the mouth that was burned by the high heat of the previous Breath is trying to heal with the magic power of the mythical creature – that would explain why everything is stained with blood.

As I ran through the cave-like mouth, Behemoth seemed to sense my aim and roared again. But it sounded different from the first roar. It was a voice that mixed anger, discomfort, and astonishment. There might have been a hint of a scream as well.

The huge tongue came at me, trying to expel the foreign object that had entered its mouth. I slashed at it several times, but it didn’t seem to have much effect because of its large volume. If I let my guard down for a moment, I would be crushed by the tongue.

I had no choice but to change my target. Instead of the tongue, I stabbed my soul equipment between the teeth. I didn’t forget to gouge out the wound by moving the blade around. Doing what you wouldn’t want done to yourself is the basics of combat.

But unfortunately, this didn’t have much effect either. Judging from the fact that it had been feeding its body to the monsters, Behemoth either had no sense of pain or was extremely dull to it.

Come to think of it, Hydra seemed to have a similar tendency.

In that case, I should prioritize entering its body. Dodging the tongue that was trying to spit me out from its mouth, I moved on further.

It didn’t matter whether it had a sense of pain or not, if I directly gouged out its organs and took its life. If it didn’t die even after gouging out its organs, I would just keep slashing at it with my soul equipment until I ate up its soul.

The life force of a mythical creature was powerful, but not immortal. I knew that better than anyone else, having killed Hydra.

◆◆◆

-Aaaaaaaah!

Behemoth was confused. It was astonished. It was furious. It let out a roar that shook the heavens and the earth, with all of that in it.

It felt an unpleasant sensation that it had never felt before.

It was not the first time that an enemy had entered its body. It had been spIrits or fairies, but all of their attempts had failed. Of course. What could a winged insect do to a lion’s body?

Behemoth was greedy, a personification of gluttony. The world’s principle for devouring the enemies of order.

It had bitten, swallowed, and annihilated fairies possessed by demons. The result would not change even if the opponent was a spirit possessed by a dragon. The spirit that jumped into its mouth had chosen death for itself – or so it should have been.

-Stop, stop, stop!

The enemy’s movements did not stop. It ran through Behemoth’s body, slashing, stabbing, and sweeping it in all directions.

Unable to bear the discomfort that rose from the depths of its chest, Behemoth involuntarily opened its mouth. Then, a jet of reddish-black liquid spewed out, creating a rainbow of stench and pollution in the desert night.

The liquid that was scattered on the desert with a splashy and filthy sound was a mixture of Behemoth’s blood and body fluids. Some of the monsters flocked to it for water and nutrients.

After that, shocks continued to pop inside its body, and Behemoth shuddered. The discomfort that tormented its whole body was reaching a level that even a mythical creature could not endure.

It would perish at this rate. Driven by a conviction beyond intuition, Behemoth roared.

-How foolish! How foolish! Do you understand the meaning of your actions, human!

That cry might have reached the enemy inside its body. Because right after that, its organs were stirred up one after another as if to mock Behemoth.

A pain that awakened its worn-out sense of pain pierced through Behemoth’s entire body.

Its body bounced, its posture collapsed. Behemoth rolled over on its side. A shock that shook the walls of Berka far away ran through the desert.

Many of the monsters that were stuck to the side that fell were crushed and died, but it had no time to mourn them. Because of its huge body, Behemoth had a hard time getting up once it lost its balance. It was too busy groaning and struggling.

Besides, even if it could stand up, it would probably fall down again soon. The enemy inside its body had already grasped Behemoth’s heart – the source of its life – within reach.