10 Blood and Steel, Part 2

It was a few minutes after their talk that Lilith's stomach began to growl. Mura got up, fixing them some dinner from the new trays of food that was left out from when they had been fighting. He got Lilith some Korean-styled barbecue. The meat, made from the famous beef on the Isles of Letho, was luxuriously seared to perfection. Despite being home to pirates and sea raiders, they raised some damn good cattle.

"The match is gonna start soon, we just gotta wait through a few more commercials." Mura said, handing her a plate with a mountain of delicacies placed on top. She graciously accepted and began stuffing her face like it was from heaven itself.

After swallowing with a loud gulp, Lilith shot Mura a scowl.

"Wait just a second! You can't expect me to tell you my life story and not return the favor! Story, now!" She demanded.

Mura chuckled, nodding to her request. She still had the personality of a teenager it seemed.

"Alright, so… Let's see here." Mura pondered, taking a sip of foamy ale from a wooden flagon before continuing.

"So, lemme just say that I can easily identify with your situation."

Lilith looked at him quizzically. "How so?"

"I also don't know where my true place is. I'm an orphan, always have been."

"You don't have a mom or dad?"

"Well, I must have at some point. But now? Nope."

"Geez… That must really suck." Lilith said softly.

"Hey, it's okay. The thing that actually sucks is being left on the streets as a baby. A band of thieves led by this demon named Belial found me and took me in. They raised me; taught me how to fight, survive and steal."

Lilith looked at him wide-eyed. "That's horrible!"

"It was and is still. He wasn't the best father, but I proved good at the life of a criminal. Never even had a bounty in my life, no one ever caught me."

Mura paused to take another drink.

"Still, in Belial's outfit we all have to tithe a percentage of our earnings to him. In return he keeps us safe, fed and so on. I guess I proved to be better than the others… Raked in more cash than anyone else, even people that've been working the gig since day one."

"Well… That's a good thing, right? Did you get a promotion?" Lilith asked innocently.

"Nah, sadly not. Instead, Belial basically enslaved me. I wanted to leave the band, go out on my own and live an honest life. To him though, that would mean giving up his biggest source of revenue."

"What a freaking asshole! I'll kill him." Lilith replied angrily.

Mura laughed loudly, making sure not to spill his drink on accident.

"Nah, you can't. I considered it many time… But his men far outnumber me and they can hold a grudge better than anyone. They'd find me eventually."

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

"Well… the real reason I'm in this place is because if I give Belial half the reward from winning, I'll be free," Mura said, his voice trailing off slightly.

"Then we gotta win the tournament even more now! I-I can help too, especially after you called me your… best friend and stuff." Lilith said, her mind still reflecting on the kindness Mura had given.

—I can't afford to lose this, not when we're this close. Belial better not up the amount again after this. If he does… I just might kill the man.

He exhaled, rubbing the back of his head. The match was starting now and they had already talked over most of the introduction.

"Hey, let's watch the match before getting some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow" Mura said as Lilith nodded in agreement.

They looked up at the television, showing the arena from above as Behemoth and another demon stood in their respective sides of the field. Behemoth had already fused with Suzu it seemed, as his veins was glowing through his muscular physique. They shined brilliantly, pressed tightly against his tanned skin. The glowing yellow veins almost resembled electrical wires cracking with electricity, making the fierce man look all the more intimidating.

"On one side we have the ferocious Behemoth! Convicted of two murders and seven counts of assault, he had a hefty bounty of thirty-thousand sols! His Thrall, Suzu Belloch has a lesser bounty of ten-thousand sols for attempted murder!" Dagon Jinn narrated, reading off his cue cards. He had been drinking backstage and just wanted to go home at this point, his throat was already sore from the shouting.

"Annnnnnd on the other side! The knight-errant all the way from the small town of Sacarotte, Haagenti and his Thrall Howe!"

Haagenti stood proudly with slicked back hair. He must be talented to have made it to the semi-finals. His Thrall was a black dog with blue eyes, barking loudly before fusing with his master. Haagenti's veins shined a slight blue, producing a rapier and standing to attention as Behemoth smiled.

The match begun and immediately Haagenti rushed at Behemoth, which soon proved to be his first mistake.

"Onslaught!" Behemoth roared, pounding his fists which caused his rippling physique to shift shape and texture before the audience's eyes. The skin over his entire body had turned into steel.

"Holy moly, folks! Talk about an eye-opener! It seems that Behemoth has activated his Tamashi Genkai! For those out of the loop, that's a special magical ability unique only to one individual! Behemoth's Tamashi Genkai, apparently named Onslaught, allows him to shift his skin into a dense metal!" Dagon commented through the microphone.

Before he could stop his thrust, Haagenti's rapier collided with Behemoth's skin and shattered into several pieces. It didn't even make a dent in the giant's metallic flesh. Unarmed, Haagenti looked up in fear as Behemoth laughed and backhanded the man across the field.

Mura gasped audibly. This power, a Tamashi Genkai. He knew that everyone possessed one, but only those heavily trained could tap into theirs and use it. Most people go throughout their entire life not even knowing what one is. What made a Tamashi Genkai even more dangerous was that you didn't even need to be fused with a Thrall to use it.

Behemoth pointed at the flying video cameras as Haagenti stumbled to regain his footing, suffering from several broken ribs and bleeding from his mouth.

"Watch in awe, folks! If you thought that was something else, wait until you see this!" Behemoth declared with a laugh that chilled Mura's blood, even through the television.

"Behemoth has more? So far this is less than a semifinal match and more of a cakewalk for our contestant!" Dagon wondered aloud.

Behemoth concentrated, causing his metallic skin to crack and shift as he began screaming in fury. He was transforming before everyone's eyes.

"Dear lords, is this what I think it is?! Could Behemoth possibly be showing us he possesses not only a Tamashi Genkai, but a Primal Release as well?"

—Primal Release? What the hell is that?

Mura looked over at Lilith, her eyes glued to the screen in horror. He turned back to see what she was staring at and then reality hit him like a ton of bricks. What Mura saw next didn't even seem like it was reality, but more of a twisted nightmare.

Behemoth did indeed undergo a Primal Release, transforming into the true manifestation of his demonic essence. He no longer resembled anything human, but truly looked like the devils human depicted in art and folklore long ago.

He stood nearly four and a half meters high, with the physique of a deformed ape. Behemoth's limbs were the size of tree trunks, layered with several organic steel-like plates that served as natural armor. Steel covered bones erupted from his shoulders. Between his shoulders was a head resembling that of a tarantula; with six eyes and two tusks on his lower mandible. All along his scalp and chest was a long, thick dirty-blonde mane of hair.

Haagenti stood no chance. He tried to run away, already having soiled himself in fear. Behemoth rushed at him with a monstrous roar, faster than his size would have one believe.

"Stop please, I forfe— "

He impaled Haagenti on his tusks before he could surrender, lifting the squirming man into the air as blood poured from his wounds. With a laugh that could only be described as pure evil, Behemoth slid Haagenti off his tusks and with both of his massive hands, tore the man in two.

Behemoth stood proudly with each half of Haagenti in his grip, shaking them triumphantly as entrails and blood flowed freely from the corpse.

"With a gory, horrific finish Behemoth has won! Tomorrow afternoon begins the final match of this year's Zoroaster Tournament, Mura versus Behe—"

Mura had already switched off the television. Lilith was shaking, her eyes still on the blank screen. Just like that, Mura's hopes of seeing victory died alongside Behemoth's desecrated opponent.