Ran

Language:

English

Red-Demon Army Commander

Abyss
Hamel

Full Name

Ran

Race

Demon

Role

Red-Demon Army Commander

Location

Burning Village, Halls of Water

Voice Actors

장민혁 Jang Min-Hyeok

“

It has already been placed into the hands of the water priestess... Time is on my side.

~ Ran

”

Description

The 2nd Squad Commander of the Red-Demon Army who invaded Hamel. He has captured the Water Priestess and has obtained the Water Seal from Avalanche.

History

Betrayal

Ran was once a demon serving under the Red-Demon Lord Stirbargen. After the disappearance of the Demon King, he among others believed the inaction of the Four Demon Lords in this period to be wasteful. A void was left for someone to rule with absolute authority, and this contributing to him allying with Barkat to institute a new regime, resulting in him betraying Stirbargen. Due to this betrayal, Stirbargen was sealed in the subspace of the Demon World.

The Demon Commander

Sometime during the invasion of Fahrmann, Ran came across Aren, who had departed from Isshin to serve in the capital, and decided to possess him. Ran, now in control of Aren's body, then planned to attack Elrios, setting his sights on the Moon El.

Attack on Isshin

Ran, hoping to take the Moon El for the demon army, went to the village of Isshin, Aren's hometown. His demon forces were powerful and the village burned to the ground. Ara did her best to defend her village but the oncoming demon forces forced her and the other Haans further back until Ara was the only one left. Hurrying to the sanctuary, she confronted Ran and Victor. Ran went off to search for the Moon El while Victor attacked Ara. Cornered and without any hope of surviving, the floor crumbled beneath her and she found herself in an ancient sanctuary and saw a shadow. Ara looked up and got a good look at the figure, only to realize that she was face to face with her brother Aren. Ran, realizing the girl had some connection to the body he was possessing, had little sympathy for her and was ready to strike her down, but as he did so the remnants of Aren prevented him. The opening allowed Ara to fuse with Eun and was able to escape Isshin with her life. Ran's mission to obtain the Moon El was a success.

Master of the Crimson Eye

Noting his plans had been set back due to Ara's interference, he continued to search for the girl in his quest to kill her, therefore ridding one of the remaining grips for Aren. While contemplating on Aren's resistance, he ran into the Demon Lord Stirbargen. Ran states he did not recognize him at first given his new childish appearance, however claims he no longer has any loyalty to him. Stirbargen notices Ran appears to be proud of his betrayal but then states he no longer cares about his throne. He tells Ran of a bet he made with Eun, and that Ran is not to harm Ara in fear of his life as Stirbargen quickly surrounds him with spikes of demon energy. He tell him that he will make another bet once they all converge before parting ways.

Demon Invasion of Hamel

Under an allegiance with Scar, Ran's next course of action was to take the Water Priestess Sasha, the Water Seal from Hamel, and the Senace Principality. The demon invasion in Hamel set much of the country in ruins except the capital city of Hamel. Ran attacked the Temple of Frozen Water and corrupted the Priest Avalanche. Ran was able to successfully captured Sasha, but his duty had not been complete. Despite having the Water Priestess in captivity, he still required the Water Seal. Ran persuaded the Duke of Hamel Rod Ross by promising unimaginable power if he were to aid him in corrupting Hamel's White Colossus Helputt and retrieving the Water Seal.

Chapter 13: Secrets of the Temple

In the El Search Party's quest to aid Rod Ross and obtain the Water Seal, they discovered that Avalanche had been hiding the sacred artifact in his scepter. After hearing this, Ran struck Avalanche, killing him and took the Water Seal for himself. After the El Search Party found Ran at the end of the Halls of Water, Ran had already finished his job. Chung fought Ran but Ara finally caught up with her brother and defended him. Using this opportunity, Ran fled away from Hamel and made his way to Sander, where he informed Karis to embark on her plans.

Return to the Demon Realm

After Karis's defeat in Sander, Ran has come upon the knowledge that the Black-Eyed Army had changed the plan of the Invasion of Elrios. No longer pursuing the prophecy like Ran had planned, the Earl of Shadow abandoned the Demon Army and returned back to the Demon Realm.

Seeking out Barkat, he inadvertently came upon a member of Henir's Order, but was surprised them the Seed of Life was used, preventing him from pursuing further. Using the Mystic Stones extracted from Shadow Vein, Ran eventually regained enough of his own strength. Tracking down the member of Henir's Order, he managed to claim the Seed of Life for himself. Intrigued by the device, he conducted research on it and the vacant shell of the Moon El and devised his own plan to harness the power of the Abyss through the Seed of Life.

Back to his full strength, he eventually separated himself from Aren. With little use for the Dream Demons and the rest of the Red-Demon Army, Ran departed the land alone in pursuit of the Abyss to enact his plan to harness its power for himself and become the Lord of the Abyss.

Chapter 59: King of Abyss

Ran found the Abyss and delved into its deepest sanctum where he found the source of its power, its Heart Core. Using his modified Seed of Life, Ran allowed the device to absorb the immense demonic energy radiating from the core.

During Ran's descent he took notice of Vasili, who traveled ahead of the El Search Party. Upon the Demon opening the door to the core, Ran unleased a powerful mass of demonic energy upon the Dream Demon, causing him to go mad.

Some time later, the El Search Party saved Vasili and with his help opened the way into the core. Ran was quick to notice their arrival, even noticing the eye of his former master. In good spirits, the demon general did not wish to rush into combat, willing to provide them the mercy of cordiality before their demise. He answered questions they must've had, starting with the original motivation for the overthrow the of the Four Lords and believing demon were incapable of cooperation, needing to be subjugated. Chung became fed up with the pleasantries and did not hesitate to make his move and attack. His move was soon assisted by Ara. Others join and a battle commenced.

Whist Ran contended his battle with a portion of the El Search Party, the remainder sought to foil his plan unnoticed. Noah attempted to go for the Seed of Life and managed to strike it, causing some damage before Ran took noticed and warded the boy away. Elsword attempts to dissuade Ran from using the Seed of Life, but the demon had seen its use first hand already and was ready to revel in its power. Before Noah could deliver an additional strike, Ran took the Seed of Life and fused with it, transforming himself into a beast imbued with the distortion of Henir and the Abyss.

Rose asks about the Seed of Life, which he reveals how he came upon such a device before unleashing his newfound power against them. Lu want to know what Ran's endgame is. Ran believed without a true ruler, the Demon Realm could not be whole, and he wishes to enact a new order, though the power of the Abyss. Tir retorts at Ran's proclamation, passionately protesting him unfit to be compared to the Demon King. Ran was surprised by his former master's uncharacteristic outburst, but sees the Demon King as a relic of a bygone era and plans to stake his rule with absolute force.

Aren soon made his appearance in the Abyss to give aid. Ran was surprised to see his former vessel after he'd already set him free. Ran comments how Aren was particularly resilient and that if they'd remained fused for much longer their souls would've become attached. Separating themselves, leaving Arena in a state between human and demon he calls a Cambion. While Aren distracted Ran, the others managed to destroy the Heart Core of the Abyss setting the Abyss on the path of collapse.

Chapter 60: Collapsing Abyss

Ran gives chase to the El Search Party who flee as the Abyss begin to collapse in on itself. As he gave chase, the instability of his Seed of Life and the Abyss caused his form to perpetually mutate and deteriorate to the point he was no longer capable to speech. As he approached the upper portions of the Abyss, the Abyss Worshippers began to swarm Ran and dragged him back into the depths to become the new core as the mouth of the abyss closes.

Gallery

Ran in Hamel.
Ran in Abyss.
Mutated Ran after absorbing the Seed of Life
Mutated Ran after absorbing the Seed of Life (evolved)
Ara, Aren, Eun, and Ran.
Ran as seen in Elsword: El Lady
Ran Concept Art.
Ran in Hall of Water.
Ara's tutorial panel.

Trivia

Ran's real appearance looks strikingly similar to how Aren looked while possessed by him, implying Ran slowly converts the people he possesses into a form that resembles him. As a result, the dark skin, red eyes and horns gained by Aren while possessed are specifically a result of Ran, not due to becoming a half-demon, as they all go away slowly after he leaves Aren's body.
Despite his intent to kill Ara, Ran is quick to flee from Hamel after Ara shows up to defend her brother's body, likely in fear of being killed by Stirbargen for upsetting the bet should he attempt to harm her.
Ran's sclera, be it his real form or while possessing Aren, are inconsistently displayed as either white, as seen in his real form, the artwork for him while possessing Aren, Ara's tutorial and the webcomic Shadow of the Silver Moon, or black, as seen on Aren's still demonic right eye, his in-game model while possessing Aren, and in the anime.
- Oddly, in Ara's tutorial, artwork of Ran also depicts him without horns. This is not reflected in the in-game model also present in her tutorial.
Ran wrote the skill note Binding Shadows, Shadow Spear Technique, True Moonlight Slash, and Restraint Energy Management.

Alternative Names

Server	Name	Translation
South Korea	란	Ran
Japan	ラン	Ran
China (Simplified Chinese)	兰	Ran
Germany	Graf Belmez	Count Belmez
Spain	Conde Belmey	Count Belmez
France	Comte Belmez	Count Belmez