The first thought that crossed my mind when I caught the behemoth with my naked eye was "It's huge.

　If the behemoth I saw in my soul-eating memory is one, then this behemoth must be about ten in size. If I were to use an analogy, it would be King Behemoth, the king of giant beasts.

　The Hydra that we fought in the forest of Titis was also quite large, but it was nothing compared to the behemoth in front of me.

　The sight of such a huge body trampling the sandy soil in the moonlight is truly fantastic, but in reality, the sight that I saw was nothing short of a child's nightmare.

　The behemoth itself has an elegant body that combines the gravity of a rhinoceros and the bravery of a lion. However, it was the monsters of the desert that gathered around its body that took away much of its dignity and grandeur.

　The way they moved in waves on the behemoths reminded me of maggots attached to a dead animal, or of army ants that would otherwise have attacked their prey.

　In fact, at first I thought it was a starving monster fighting a behemoth. However, that idea was denied when the demons came towards me at the same time as the behemoth roared.

　Apparently, the behemoth and the swarm of demons have a sort of symbiotic relationship. The demons feed on the flesh and blood of the behemoths to stave off their hunger. In return, they protect the behemoths when they are in danger, and so on.

　The answer to the question I asked when I crushed the demon horde earlier - how could such a large number of demons survive in the desert where food was scarce - was right in front of me.


'Once we get rid of the behemoths, we'll have to take care of these guys too.


　It's not that difficult. A couple of ice mallets (hoofsticks) would be enough to put it away. Using that technique would make it impossible to eat the souls, but this is not an option. It would be bad if we lost the behemoths and the hungry demons attacked Belka and the oases around the country. We should nip this danger in the bud before it happens.

　By the way, if the behemoths know what I'm thinking now, they will be very angry. After all, I've already beaten the behemoths who call themselves the bearers of order. If I were in their shoes, I'd be angry.

　The simple fact is, however, that I've never perceived the illusory species in front of me as a hindrance or a threat. This is especially true since I caught sight of it with my naked eye.

　It is true that this behemoth is large. The fact that it's big means it's a weapon in and of itself. If they were to step on those castle-like legs, they would be crushed to a pulp, regardless of their strength.

　They are also not to be underestimated in terms of defense. The muscles and flabby flesh, which were much thicker than the Belka's ramparts, would themselves serve as a defensive wall, preventing any attack. Even if you attacked them with siege weapons, the behemoth's massive body would surely not budge.

　Again, it is true that behemoths are large. It is a big and troublesome opponent - but there is a limit to what it can do.

　They're too big, these illusions.

　One of the fairy tales my mother once told me was about a protagonist who was born the size of a finger and set out on a journey to become a hatter, slaying demons and fulfilling his dreams. That protagonist used his small size to enter the body of a demon and kill it from within his body.

　After seeing the behemoth in the memory of Soul Eater, here, I was warming up to this as a battle strategy against the behemoth. And once I saw the King of the Giant Beasts (King Behemoth), I was sure of success. Therefore, I feel neither fear nor threat against this enemy.


'If there was any chance of victory for you, it was until you unleashed the first blow.


　If the behemoth had been at maximum power from the beginning, yet converging its power to the extreme and releasing a breath of stars (breath), I wouldn't be standing here. At least I wasn't unharmed.

　With that thought in mind, I kicked in the air to close in on the behemoth.

　Behemoth's mouth, which had been opened by his earlier roar, is still not fully closed. And its reaction to the approaching behemoth is also slow. This is probably another flaw in its size.

　Fortunately, the behemoth's head was almost devoid of demons, so I was able to easily enter its mouth. As you might have guessed, the demons in this area were probably blown away by the aftermath of the breaths they were showering on me.

　As soon as it entered my mouth, a sweltering stench and slippery moisture enveloped my body. My vision was filled with countless teeth, a huge tongue swirling like a leech, and flesh, flesh, flesh that repeatedly contracted in an eerie manner. All of them were stained with the color of blood.

　It was a bizarre, or perhaps I should say ugly, scene of utter horror. It would be wrong of me to complain about it, since I jumped into it myself.

　It occurred to me that this eerie contraction might be part of the regeneration process. The flesh in the mouth, which was burned by the high heat of the previous breath, is trying to recover with the magical power of the illusory species - if you think of it that way, it explains the color of blood in the area.

　I'm sure you'll be able to see that the behemoths have sensed our aim and barked again as they ran deeper into the cavernous mouth. However, it sounded different from the first roar. His voice was a complex blend of rage, displeasure, astonishment and such. There might have been a slight tinge of scream as well.

　The behemoth's massive tongue loomed over him as he tried to eliminate the foreign object that had entered his mouth. I slashed at it a few times in response, but the volume was too large and didn't seem to be working very well. If I'm not careful even a little bit, I'm going to be crushed by the tongue.

　I was forced to change my target. I decided to stick the heart-suit between my teeth instead of my tongue. I also remember to gouge the wound by moving the blade with a gulp. It is the basis of combat to do what you don't want to do if you are hit.

　But unfortunately, this one wasn't very effective either. Judging from the fact that he was feeding his own body to the demons, Behemoth may not have a sense of pain, or if it does, it may be extremely dull.

　Looking back, it seems that Hydra had that tendency as well.

　If that is the case, the priority here should be to invade the body. I dodge the tongue that tries to pry this one out of my mouth, while I continue onward.

　It's not a problem if you gouge the internal organs directly and reap the life, pain or not. If it doesn't die by gouging its organs, it can cut it down with its mind-dress and eat its soul until it dies.

　The life force of the illusory species is powerful, but they are not immortal. I, who defeated Hydra, knew that more than anyone else.　


◆◆◆



　--Ahahahahahahahahahaha!


　The behemoth was confused. He was astonished. He was furious. With all of that, he released a roar that shook the heavens and earth.

　An uncomfortable feeling, never felt before, swept over Behemoth.

　This wasn't the first time he'd had an enemy enter his body. The other party could be a spiritual chief or a fairy, but both attempts were unsuccessful. It was only natural. What could be done when a featherworm had entered the body of a lion?

　The behemoth is covetousness, binge eating incarnate. The world's reason for eating the enemies of order.

　He has chewed, swallowed, and annihilated demon-infused fairies in the past. The result is the same even if the opponent has been replaced by a dragon inhabiting spirit chief. It's the same as the one who jumped into the mouth and chose to die on its own - even though it was supposed to.


　--The only thing that could have been done was to stop it.


　The enemy has not stopped moving. It continues to advance, slashing, stabbing, and cleaving inside the body of the behemoths in all directions, uncontrolled and unattended.

　Behemoth, unable to bear the discomfort coming from deep within his chest, involuntarily opens his mouth. Then the reddish-black liquid was spewed out like a fountain, and a rainbow of stench and filth covered the desert night.

　It was a mixture of the behemoth's blood and bodily fluids that made a stinking sound and spattered across the desert. Some of the demons swarmed to it for moisture and nourishment.

　After that, the behemoth's body shook as the shock continued to bounce around inside it. The discomfort that tormented my entire body was becoming unbearable, even for my illusions.

　If this is the case, we will perish. The behemoth barked, driven by a certainty beyond premonition.


　--Foolishness!　Foolishness!　Do you understand the meaning of your deeds, Primate!


　The scream may have reached the enemy inside the body. Immediately afterwards, his internal organs were stirred up as if to taunt him.

　The pain was so intense that it awakened the worn-out senses of pain, and penetrated through the entire body of the behemoth.

　His body jumped and he lost his stance. The behemoth rolled over as it was. A shock so great that it shook the walls of Belka in the distance ran through the desert.

　Many of the demons that were attached to the side of the fallen side died underneath, but there was already no time to lash out at them. Behemoths are so huge that once they lose their stance, it's not easy to get back up. Grunting and struggling was all he could do.

　But even if he could have gotten up, he would have fallen again in a heartbeat. The enemy in his body had already caught the behemoth's heart - the source of its life - between his fingers.