CHAPTER 1614: CHAPTER 358: SO-CALLED COMPOST

The light of the celestial lantern is as bright as Chaoyang and as cool as the full moon.

The towering figure, tall as mountains, becomes evident in this brightness, revealing its true form.

In overall outline, it resembles a silver-backed gorilla walking on the ground, except its two forearms are bulkier than those of a gorilla. The ends of its forearms are not short, stubby fingers, but rather thick and heavy claws like plowshares, pressed into the barren sand. The tips of the claws seem to be coated with a layer of matte material that conceals their sheen, yet they exude a chilling coldness.

Brown-black long hair covers its entire body, as if draped in a heavy cloak, with only the face and shoulders revealing coarse, thick skin. Bone-like protrusions grow from its elbows and shoulder blades, though they appear to have been broken, leaving conspicuous stumps.

Its expression is hidden beneath layers of wrinkled skin, its eyes small, only showing two faint red glimmers. This explains why only when it raises its head and stretches the skin on its face can it display those terrifying, awe-inspiring eyes.

At this moment, it keeps its mouth shut, the sharp teeth of its lower jaw resembling traps set by hunters, enclosing its thick lips. Two upwards-curving tusks protrude from the corners of its mouth, resembling the ancient beast mammoth’s teeth.

"Behemoth."

"Among the primal demons, one of the most powerful bloodlines, called the devil’s henchman, Satan’s doorman, the guardian of hell, symbolizing darkness and evil, a monster that can support the earth... It doesn’t belong to Witch Demon or Sea demon, but it prefers eating humans more than those two demons."

"Yes, eating humans, including but not limited to commoners, wizards, alien envoys, otherworldly guests, and so on. It seems no creature is disliked by it. Its worst record was during a Passover celebration when it devoured an entire small city of living beings in one go, not even sparing the dogs... It even ate a follower of an Outer God and a few freshly fallen Witch Demons."

"So when First University dispatched a Hunting team to capture it, other demons pretended not to see, and those great beings from the deeps of the starry sky even lent a hand, helping the university to restrain its brothers, sisters, and distant kin."

Silent Souls stood on the tower belonging to the Moon Council, introducing the giant exposed under the celestial lantern’s illumination to other Upper House Members, mainly the youngest and least experienced, Su Shi Jun.

"Behemoth," the witch holding the law book mused, "This name sounds familiar... I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before."

Even though several layers of Defensive Magic Array separated her from the distant Giant Beast, her fox race instincts warned her, making the few tails behind her freeze stiff, lacking the previous leisurely sway.

"Behemoth is just a title. Its real name may only be known to itself."

Unknowingly, Duke Milton had pulled out a Burgundy cup, its contents swirling with thick, amber light. He came over enthusiastically, "Just like Augustus as the president of Blood Comrades, Behemoth belongs to the most powerful existence of the Behemoth clan."

"So it’s a member of the Behemoth clan!" William Tapott realized, leaping onto the parapet with an outward lean, seemingly wanting a clearer view, "I’ve always heard the elders speak of the king of beasts, never thought it would look like this. Are we going to fight such a monster? Truly exciting!"

"Good luck to you," Milton sneered incessantly, "You, a wolf cub who hasn’t even broken through the Great Wizard Level, challenging the top Great Wizard Level Behemoth... Admirable courage."

"But it’s better than some bat that only drinks cat urine," William unyieldingly retorted.

"Luck is like magic power, limited in this world." Seeing the two council members about to tear into each other before the witch, Silent Souls hastily interjected, "Our luck is good, no need to face that monster directly... Our good luck means bad luck for the opposite side... Even the moon is aiding us."

"What does this have to do with the moon?" Su Shi Jun inquired curiously.

"Today is the sixth of June on the White Ding Calendar, the month of Sivan in the Hebrew Calendar," Silent Souls calculated on her fingers to confirm:

"To be precise, today is September 14, 5769 in the Hebrew Calendar... According to the information collected by the council earlier, Behemoth’s spirit, including magic power, only reaches its yearly peak during the Summer Solstice in April in the Hebrew Calendar, roaring and howling, making its voice resonate throughout the universe, even Giant Dragons would be weak and succumb to its intimidation."

"But you just said it’s now September in the Hebrew Calendar," Su Shi Jun realized, "It’s practically one of the months furthest from April... Does that mean Behemoth will weaken during this period?"

"It may appear relatively lethargic," Silent Souls cautiously made an analogy, "like a bear in hibernation season. But even if it is lethargic, a bear is still a bear, not threatened by a bat or hunting dog."

Milton Karen held his wine glass, suddenly finding the amber light unappealing.

"The school should have dealt with those unruly prisoners in the Black Prison sooner," he stood behind the empty wall of the tower, surveying the surroundings, his gaze falling on the dark boundary beyond the celestial lantern’s coverage, and sighed deeply:

"... Just like those wild Blood Race members, leaving them unchecked will eventually bring huge trouble. Just like now, demons outside the Black Prison are eyeing ambitiously, and those inside are also eager to try."

Silent Souls smiled slightly.

"Demons can’t be completely eradicated." It paused, thinking of a new metaphor: "Demons are like weeds, even if burned to ashes this winter, after a period of warmth, they’ll crawl out from hell with new species. The only way to thoroughly deal with them is composting."

"Composting?" The curious eyes of several Upper House Members simultaneously turned to Silent Souls.

Even Gongsun Bing, who kept silent standing on the tower’s edge, slightly twitched his ear.

"Composting," Silent Souls gestured around, "The Black Prison is like a warehouse, piling demons inside for the Xuanhuang Wood’s fertilizer."

"Ugh," Milton Karen held the Burgundy glass in one hand and pinched his nose with the other, looking as if he was about to vomit, "Are we now standing in Xuanhuang Wood’s poop pile, fighting a heap of dung?"

Su Shi Jun listened to this horrible comparison, her face slightly pale.

"It’s not that bad." Silent Souls took Milton’s wine glass, gently patting his back, "Human excrement, night sand, moon sand, white lilac, five spirit fat... We use these materials when mixing magic potions... Wizards deal with poop daily, you just need a nice name for it."