âReally. What was that? It wasnât Golanâs movement. It shouldnât be!â
âLord Nehyor, please calm down. The others will gather here soon.â
âDonât you think itâs strange? That wasnât right.â
âLord Nehyor, while we are away from the battlefield, this is still Demon King Tralzardâs territory. It will be very dangerous if the enemy notices us. Do you want to fight the Demon Kingâs army here?â
âThatâs true, butâŚâ
Nehyorâs voice became less high-pitched as he calmed down.
They were currently within a forest that was quite far from the place they had fought Golan.
His Adjutant had brought him here after he had been badly wounded by Golanâs sword.
âI wonder when Golan started to change. It was at some point during the fight with the Ghost GeneralâŚâ
His movements have improved visibly.
And that was strange.
Strength and speed of movement was affected by the amount of mana that flowed through your muscles.
That was why Vampires, who appeared to be small on the outside, were able to have monstrous strength within.
But those movements shouldnât have been possible with Golanâs mana level.
âGolan sometimes does the most amusing things, but I donât like it when my predictions turn out to be wrong. In fact, I wanted to eliminate him this time, as he was an uncertainty⌠What should I do if it ruins my planâŚâ
âAbout that, Lord Nehyor. If things continue like this, you will have to reconsider your plan.â
âHuh? Why is that?â\n
âThat wound, Lord Nehyor. You are currently using an immense amount of mana to heal that wound.â
âThatâs true, but I could have this healed by tomorrow if I try hard enough.â
âIf you do, your mana will still be low. And if you fight, the wound will likely resurface. You will be exposing your weakness to the enemy. More importantly, itâs possible that the âsecretâ will get out.â
âAhh, you might be right about that.â
Aside from the healing ability that all Vampires had, Nehyor had the special ability, âTranscend Recovery.â
If it was something like just reattaching a severed arm, the normal healing ability would be enough.
But in Nehyorâs case, he was able to use mana to heal what would have been a mortal wound.
In fact, Nehyor had once used this ability to return after practically being turned into dust.
However, as he had used too much mana in order to recover, he did not have enough to maintain his existence.
And so he used his life force instead.
He had used the life force of the long-living Vampires, and finallyâhe was able to return in the form of a child.
Nehyor did not have much longer to live. Less than a hundred years.
He had already lived for so long.
There was only one way he could extend his life now.
And that was to evolve into an Elder Vampire.
Thatâs why he became the subordinate of Lesser Demon King Melvis, the only person in this world who had succeeded in becoming an Elder Vampire. He was searching for a way, but it felt like his life might run out first.
In a panic, Nehyor ignored the possibility of others becoming suspicious, and searched boldly until he found Melvisâs journal. \nMelvis had started writing it when he was just a Vampire, and he had continued to write it after becoming an Elder Vampire.
In that case, the secret must be inside of it.
And so Nehyor had made a gamble.
And he had won.
What you needed in order to become an Elder Vampire, it was a magic stone from a Demon Kingâthe Orb of Control, and a life stone from a resident of the Celestial World.
But as of now, Nehyor was not confident that he could beat any of the eight Great Demon Kings.
And so he had no choice but to target a newly made Demon King. Of course, things would not move that conveniently for him.
And so he had to move things himself. Causing wars and destruction so that a new Demon King would be born.
And now, that plan was being threatened.
âYes, I canât have others know about my âTranscend Recovery.ââ
âThey will connect it to the previous incident. You are someone who is supposed to have died already. If they know, you will not be able to escape again.â
âThatâs right⌠But, maybe if itâs just a little?â
âCan you really beat a Demon King without going all out?â
âHmm. No.â
âIn that case, it might be best to postpone your plan. Even I can tell that your mana has been greatly reduced.
He could not argue with that.
âUgh. Damn you, Golan. I curse you.â
\nHowever, there were a number of brave heroes who had cut off the heads of the Deepsea Dragon in the past.
The heads did regrow after some time, but that was not particularly unusual in the Demon World.
The important part was what they did with the severed head.
The bones were incredibly strong, and were used as materials for weapons and armor.
The only thing Nehyor had heard from Farneze, was that she had made a gift out of the âDeepsea Dragon Sword.â
And so Nehyor had assumed that it was made from the neckbone.
After all, no hero had succeeded in cutting off the tail up until now.
âThe tail was much too hard.
Nehyor had once fought against someone who used a weapon made of the bones of a Deepsea Dragon.
And it had felt completely different compared to this time.
With great weapons, the wielder had to draw out the power that slept within.
But even with that considered, it was too different this time.
He had been cleaved into two so easily.
It would not have been possible with an ordinary Deepsea Dragon Sword. He knew that.