"The Lord is not here because he believes this matter can be resolved peacefully. The Blade Monarch is the successor to the Essence Lord of Destruction. It was through his sacrifice that we won the last war against the chaotic void beings. His throne is now vacant, and this is his successor. You mustn't kill him," Zen said gravely.
"Well, he should have thought of that before leading a squad of gods to stop us. Did he think the direct and most beloved creation of Origin was that weak? You, more than anyone, should know this, Zen. After all, you are the Essence of Order." Leviathan said, tightening his grip on the Blade Monarch's throat. The Blade Monarch struggled to free himself.
Leviathan continued, "Besides, this is the guy you want to take over the seat of destruction? You must be crazy. Even while toying with him, I still had the upper hand. How could this junk become the next Essence of Destruction?"
The Blade Monarch's face reddened with rage. "What are you talking about? I had the upper hand until—" Before he could finish, a powerful aura overwhelmed him, rendering him immobile. It felt as though he was submerged in a vat of lead. He looked up to see a pair of blood-red eyes staring back at him.
"Until what?" Leviathan asked with amusement, flashing a set of pristine white teeth. The Blade Monarch's heart went cold, but he was momentarily relieved when another voice interjected.
"Leviathan, enough, or else..." Zen said, summoning a spear into his hands. "We'll have to see who's more adept with a spear," Zen finished.
Leviathan's cold eyes warmed with excitement, sparkling like a child receiving the best gift. "Really? A battle just for killing this punk? This is awesome! I guess he's not so useless after all," Leviathan said eagerly.
"Don't do it!" Zen shouted, rushing toward Leviathan.
"It's already too late," Leviathan said as his other claw reached for the Blade Monarch's throat. Time seemed to slow for the Blade Monarch as he saw the claw coming and Zen running, realizing his impending doom. 'It's over. I'm dead!' he thought.
But just as all seemed lost...
"LEVIATHAN!" a deep, dignified voice, both soothing and sweet, commanded. The voice caused everyone, except Zen, to relax involuntarily and enter a trance.
While Leviathan was momentarily stunned, Zen kicked the Blade Monarch away from Leviathan's grasp and engaged him in battle. As Leviathan regained clarity, he saw a pure white spear moving toward him. He counterattacked with his pitch-black spear, which had appeared in his hands.
Boom!
The shockwave from the explosion jolted everyone from their trance. Zen's four companions quickly looked at each other, nodded, and engaged the other Primordials in fierce combat.
Behemoth faced two opponents: a man in a pure white robe and a woman in a pitch-black robe. The man, a heavy fighter like Behemoth, wielded two greatswords and grew stronger with the light energy gathering around him. His partner, wielding a dark energy dagger, occasionally struck Behemoth, weakening him with each stab. Although Behemoth's body was tough, the poison-like effect from the dagger still took its toll.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Behemoth maintained a wide smile as he fought. Eventually, he managed to distance himself from his foes. Observing them holding hands, he remarked, "You do realize you're in a battle, not on a date, right?"
Unperturbed, they raised their hands, causing light and darkness to converge into a ball with the symbol of Yin and Yang, though it appeared unstable.
Behemoth's smile froze. "You've got to be kidding me."
"No, we're not!" said the man.
"Your time is up, Behemoth!" the woman declared.
"And now..." the man continued.
"...under our jurisdiction..." the woman added.
"...you will be punished!" they finished together as they released the ball, sending it hurtling toward Behemoth with blinding speed.
With a wry smile, Behemoth said, "Well, I'm screwed," and braced himself with his greatswords.
Boom!
Space collapsed as Behemoth was engulfed in the explosion.
"Finally rid of him," said the woman.
"I know. He was the most annoying of them all," the man agreed.
"Let's go help the others. I don't think Zen needs our help," the woman suggested.
"You're right. Let's go," the man agreed. But as they turned to leave...
"Where do you think you're going? You don't think it's that easy to kill a Primordial!" a voice announced.
Turning around, as the collapsed space repaired, a battered Behemoth was revealed, missing his arms, his legs twisted, and a large hole in his chest. But instead of showing pain...
"Hahaha, I'm the most annoying of us three? You guys are harsh with your words. Not many people have the guts to say that," Behemoth said, grinning widely. "But you're better than I gave you credit for. I seriously underestimated the power of the Essence Lords, didn't I? Hahaha."
He examined his body and said, "From your attacks, you must be the Essences of Light and Darkness."
"Yes, we are the Leaders of the Origin Pavilion, Essences of Origin, or you could say, the other halves of Origin. I'm the Essence Lord of Light, and she is the Essence Lord of Darkness," the man explained.
"You really showed me who's boss, so let me show you the extent of my power... the limitless strength of a true Primordial!" Behemoth declared, his eyes glowing brightly. His legs straightened, new arms grew from his shoulders, and the hole in his chest closed up rapidly. He also grew smaller and younger until he appeared about thirteen years old. His two greatswords merged into a long sword, and rough, majestic scales covered his body, leaving only his head exposed. He also grew a pair of mighty antlers.
"In case you didn't know, not only am I a Primordial, but also a Sword Immortal," Behemoth said with a wide grin, causing the Essence Lords to watch stupefied as he transformed.
"Now then, let's go for round two," Behemoth said in a youthfulvoice, standing tall and pointing his sword with arrogance. The Essence Lords, wary of his newfound strength, rushed at him with caution, but the outcome would not be the same as before.