11 Battle for Glory! Mura vs. Behemoth, Part 1

It was a sleepless night for many fans, anticipating the chance to witness their favorite combatants battle it out. Mura and Lilith also had trouble finding rest, but it was due to the dread that awaited them. They had previously witnessed the true strength of Behemoth, a seemingly unstoppable monster. Lilith tossed and turned, trying to snuff out any anxiety that quelled within. Mura's mind however was racked trying to figure out a strategy.

—He showed us that grisly display on purpose, but why? Behemoth must have the utmost confidence that he'll win this tournament. His unique ability is turning his skin into metal… And when he changes into that demonic form, he gets bigger and his body develops plates, like an armadillo.

He thought about possible weaknesses Behemoth could have from the footage he could remember, running over mock scenarios in his head until he eventually passed out from exhaustion.

The day of the finals had begun. Every seat inside the Zoroaster Memorial Stadium was sold out and citizens eagerly squirmed in their chairs waiting for the match to start. As Mura and Lilith walked into the waiting room, they passed Dagon Jinn sitting in a makeup chair while assistants applied his foundation. He sipped a glass of brandy, speaking to the helpers with a much less jovial and enthusiastic tone.

—Just like a true celebrity, all smiles in front of the camera and an insufferable dick backstage.

Mura went over the idea he had formulated earlier in his head, one that could possibly save their asses. It was a risky gamble, but it was all or nothing at this point. He had already clued Lilith in on this plot and all they could hope for was that it played out to perfection.

When the time came to enter the arena, Mura and Lilith wordlessly prepared for battle. There was nothing to say, for their fear had turned into determination. A determination to survive and win.

Mura grabbed his spear after handing Lilith something he picked out earlier from the weapons cache. He nodded to her with a smile as she returned the gesture.

"Good luck out there, Mura."

"You too."

With a fist bump, they fused together in a brilliant flash. Mura walked out into the arena, being received like a war hero returning home. Everyone cheered for him, some even holding up signs that had his name or image on them. He smirked, not about to let Behemoth intimidate him.

"And here he is, folks! The second finalist in this wonderful tournament of ours, Mura and Lilith! And whoa-ho, looks like they're already fused together and ready for action!"

Mura spun his spear and pointed it at the audience, causing boisterous applause to erupt from the stadium. In the opposite corner of the battlefield, Behemoth sat on the ground looking up at Mura. He had already been announced and was just treating the field that so many had died on in the past as his personal boudoir.

"About time you arrived, Mura! Pretty rude, making a man wait so long to kill you. I'm dying of eagerness over here!" Behemoth spat out with a chuckle, taking his time to stand up.

His nonchalant attitude just pissed Mura off even more. He grit his teeth, glaring at the murderer while his veins pulsed with white energy. Behemoth whistled for Suzu, who was waiting alongside him. He gripped the top of her head with one hand, causing a yellow flash of light to emit as they fused together. Mura shielded his eyes from the glare and when he uncovered them, Behemoth stood proudly cracking his knuckles. His veins were glowing with a golden hue, like Mura had seen on the television yesterday.

"Do the contestants have any final words to each other before the battle begins? I should remind you both that unlike the previous matches, forfeiting is prohibited here. We wouldn't want to deprive anyone of their entertainment, now would we?" Dagon Jinn said with a laugh while motioning the audience to join in.

"I have nothing to say to this killer. We just want to beat him and win, nothing else," Mura stated coldly.

Behemoth raised an eyebrow, bearing his pristine white teeth that shined like a predator's.

"Well I have something to say, Jinn. Mura here is right, I am a killer. It's all I've ever known. It's what I do best. I simply joined this whole song and dance routine because winning would clear me of all my bounties. Getting paid a cool million for murdering all you idiots is just icing on the cake!"

Behemoth laughed maniacally while the crowd applauded feverishly. Mura just brushed aside his opponent's bravado. He had his plan and knew it would work, he just had to place his trust in Lilith to carry out her end.

"Well if that's all… Let's get this thing started! The finals are officially underway, it's shoooooowtime!" Dagon Jinn yelled as the gong echoed in the background.

Mura sped off running at Behemoth, trying to hit him before he could transform. Ferocity burned in his inverted eyes, shining as he reared his arm back to thrust his spear through Behemoth's heart. Behemoth leapt backwards, narrowly missing the sharpened tip aiming to kill.

This man was different than the rest. Before, Mura had fought his opponents with the intention to simply win. He wished to use his intellect to outsmart others and simply move on to the next round. These people knew what they had signed up for, just as he did. If they happened to die, it would be an unfortunate event that Mura would rather not partake in. But Behemoth was a cold-blooded psychopath that enjoyed killing. The world would be better without him in it.

"Onslaught!" Behemoth yelled, not taking any more chances. He wanted to kill Mura as fast as possible and knew the longer the fight would last, the more time Mura would have to adapt. Both men were in a race to the death.

"Dammit!" Mura cursed, retreating slightly to collect his thoughts.

Behemoth grinned as his now metallic skin glimmered in the sunlight. Mura cast his spear away, with it now being useless against the steel flesh. Despite this, Mura now had the chance to test his hunch.

Mura kept his distance as Behemoth began to gain momentum, steadily racing towards him. His footsteps were heavy thuds, like massive cannons strapped to his legs.

—So his Tamashi Genkai increases his defense, but also impacts his speed and weight as I thought. It also looks like only the flesh is affected, no other organs are.

As Mura correctly summarized, Behemoth's teeth, hair and eyes were unaffected by the steel. He couldn't really use that to any effect right at the moment, but it would be important for later.

—I just need to hope my next hunch is also correct. As far as magic goes, I only know the Jigadō spells Gleam and Renewal. At least I can heal myself if anything happens; it's a good thing it can restore damaged clothing too.

Behemoth lunged aimlessly at Mura as he darted around. His extra weight and durable skin was pretty handy at not only defending, but making certain his punches packed some extra power.

"Look at the kid go! Mura dodges Behemoth's attacks like a veteran boxer, it's incredible!" Dagon exclaimed in delight.

"Shut the hell up, you prissy asshole! Only give your soapbox commentary when I'm the one who's winning!" Behemoth shouted upwards at the levitating orator.

That moment of distraction was what Mura was looking for.

"Jigadō Number Fifty Four: Gleam!" Mura yelled towards Behemoth, catching his attention as a ball of molten fire collided with Behemoth's face.

Behemoth shut his eyes, protecting them from any harm as his steel face glowed a fiery orange from the heat. Some of his hair was set flame, but Behemoth didn't care whatsoever. His black pupils narrowed and he screamed in fury, rushing a punch towards Mura in a surprising burst of speed.

Behemoth nearly missed, clipping Mura's shoulder as his body hurled past him like a cannonball. Mura grasped his shoulder which stung from the pain. It felt like being struck by a missile.

"Don't get sloppy, Mura! He's using his momentum to carry himself through the air faster," Lilith spoke within Mura's mind.

Mura nodded, he couldn't afford to underestimate this guy. He wouldn't be easy to trick like Orobas, so the same tactic wouldn't work again. Mura prepared himself for when Behemoth got off the ground to turn and face him once more.

"Here's another for you! Gleam! Gleam! Gleam!" Mura shouted, casting one fireball after another.

He hurled them at Behemoth's face once more, not doing any other damage than making the once heated steel face turn a scorching-hot white. Behemoth laughed, touching his face painlessly to demonstrate the futility of Mura's spells.

"You're so damn weak, Mura! It looks like your little Gleam spells aren't worth shit against the impenetrable might of my Onslaught!"

"That's because those weren't meant to hurt you, moron." Mura said, quickly unfusing from Lilith.

The audience gasped in surprise as the two separated to reveal Mura's trump card.

"What is this?! Mura unfused with Lilith! Wait… that object in Lilith's hand… It can't be, is that why they were fused together from the start?" Dagon exclaimed, speaking the thoughts of the entire arena aloud.

In Lilith's hands was an impressively sized war hammer. Just big enough for Lilith to keep on her person so that she could smuggle it inside Mura's soul along with herself. If she could bring her clothing into his soul with her, why not a decent weapon or two?

"This however… This will crack that smug expression off your metallic face!" Mura shouted, grabbing the hammer and rushing towards Behemoth.

Behemoth was too in shock to register what was going on or what he should do next. Mura however had a big, smoldering target to strike. Behemoth tried to ready a punch to counter, but with the strength of every muscle he could muster in his arms, Mura swung the hammer into Behemoth's face like a blacksmith.

White and orange sparks flew from Behemoth's face as a large fissure was left in the glowing metal of his face, right along the left side of his face. Stunned and gasping in pain, Behemoth clutched his face as blood spurted from the large crack in his metal skin, causing smoke to rise from the liquid meeting hot steel.

"You mustn't have realized, but metal expands and becomes soft once enough heat has been applied to it. I was hoping to take you out with that one shot, but at least I know now that you aren't as invincible as you'd like to think."

Behemoth spit out blood and fragments of a broken molar onto the dirt. He glared violently at Mura as his heated skin returned to normal, slightly blackened from hardened blood around the wound.

"Smart one, aren't ya, Mura… Guess I'll just have to switch to Plan B…