A reason that prevented Gehrman from attacking.
The reason was simple .. rooted in a passing conversation he had once shared with a certain man.
In the distant past... during the era of conflict, when Nameless was still alive.
Gehrman had once sat alongside a peculiar individual .. a strange man whose entire body was forged from black metal, as though he himself were a living weapon.
A unique vessel, one of Namelessâs most deranged creations... the most durable vessel of all.
His features were rough and unrefined, yet the one who inhabited it was mad ... utterly unhinged.
On one occasion, he and Gehrman exchanged stories about a curious subject...
The way they had died.
It was an intriguing discussion, one that brought together the Number One of the Shadow Sect .. Gehrman,
and Number Two, the Master of Martial Arts, Alexander Rybak.
"Youâre incredible, Gehrman," Alexander said, leaning against the table they were seated around.
"Your final opponent was the Demon King himself .. no one else."
The place bore no resemblance to Earth in any way.
Its sky was a deep, crimson red.
Alexander Rybak swayed slightly as he drank greedily from an unfamiliar beverage, complaining each time that he no longer enjoyed it the way he once had with his original body .. which had already died.
"Oh... you want to know how I lost my life?" Alexander said as he took another drink.
"Itâs not an exciting story. Not a grand ending either.
My opponent wasnât the Demon King, nor the Ten Seats... not even the Dukes of Hell."
"Pathetic, isnât it?"
Alexander hadnât looked pleased speaking about itânot in the slightest.
"I lost my life defending the land where I was born from a demonic invasion," he continued.
"I was holding my own .. Iâm not weak, as you know. Everything was going well... until he appeared."
Alexander frowned, his expression turning grave.
"He was a masked demon. Iâd never heard of him before. I knew nothing about him.
He fought me on equal footing, and I had to draw out everything I had just to gain the upper hand."
"But it all ended the moment he used his ability."
"It was cursed... a stain upon my history."
Alexander Rybak hated talking about it.
That battle was the greatest blemish of his life .. because he had lost without even understanding how.
After his death, Alexander forgot everything that happened from the moment his opponent activated that power.
In other words ..
Alexander Rybak, the great warrior capable of overpowering several of the Seven Great Powers,
had died without ever knowing how he was killed.
And that shame followed him forever.
"He looks unassuming... but heâs extremely dangerous," Alexander warned.
"He wears a smiling mask and black clothes. His aura is average at bestâbut a monster lurks behind that mask."
"Iâve never seen you speak so highly of someone before," Gehrman replied, surprised.
Alexanderâs tone hardened.
"Gehrman... be careful if you ever face him.
My instincts tell me that demon is hiding something truly horrifying."
Those words lingered in Gehrmanâs memory for a very long time.
Eventually, the Great War eruptedâand endedâwithout that demon ever appearing again.
So thoroughly, in fact, that Gehrman eventually forgot him entirely.
But now ..
Back in the present, Gehrman remained on high alert.
No matter how long he stared at Amon, he couldnât help but recall Alexander Rybakâs warning.
Amon remained silent, analyzing Gehrman just as closely as Gehrman analyzed him.
The silence didnât last long.
"Did one of your comrades tell you about me?"
Gehrmanâs eyes narrowed instantly upon hearing that .. confirming Amonâs suspicions.
"That explains your excessive caution," Amon said calmly.
"A pity... it would have been wonderful if youâd attacked recklessly so we could end this immediately."
Casually, Amon raised both hands and began clapping .. without any warning.
"You made the correct decision, Saint. My name is Amon .. Host of Nightmares, and Eleventh-Rank High Demon."
"Everyone Iâve faced so far underestimated me the moment they learned my rank."
"They all died by my hand .. without being able to do anything at all."
"Tell me, Saint..."
Suddenly, Gehrmanâs body shuddered violently as Amonâs voice whispered beside his ear.
"...will you be the exception?"
Before he even realized it ..
Amon was already standing behind him.
Gehrman moved instantly, retreating at maximum speed.
"...!"
In that moment, Gehrman lost his composure .. and completely lost the initiative.
âHow did he slip behind me?!â
Gehrman hadnât seen him. Hadnât felt him.
Amon had possessed the perfect opportunity to strike a fatal blowâbut deliberately chose not to.
This was a disaster.
"Since the dawn of time, Iâve refused to ascend in rank," Amon said indifferently as Gehrman distanced himself, shaken.
"I chose to remain at Rank Elevenâbecause it is the gate to the Top Ten High Demons."
"This way, no weak demon could ever enter the upper ranks.
Anyone who wished to pass had to go through me."
"That is how the Top Ten remained a true measure of power .. free of mediocrity."
"But today..."
"The Tenth is dead. The Fourth has fallen."
"Which makes me wonder... did any of it matter at all?"
"Our fatherâthe Demon Kingâdivided us, his sons, into two missions."
"My elder brother was tasked with dealing with the Great Ones and that strange continent that appeared from nowhereâbecause they are the greatest threat."
"As for me, I was ordered to handle the remnants of the Shadow Sect and Nameless .. the second priority."
"I believed Wesker would be enough."
"But he disappointed me."
Amon delivered this information to Gehrman as though it were meaningless.
Yet with every word, Gehrmanâs expression darkened further .. because he had realized something crucial.
"Youâre telling me... the brother you mentioned isâ"
"My name is Amon," he said calmly.
"The younger brother of the Red Moon, Crimsonâthe one you call the First of the High-Ranking Demons."
Amon revealed his true identity.
The situation worsened instantly.
The brother of a monster... would naturally be a monster himself.
"Forgive me, Saint," Amon said coldly.
"Iâm in a poor mood today .. so letâs finish this quickly."
The moment he finished speaking ..
Amon vanished again, reappearing behind Gehrman with the same terrifying speed.