Golan had called this mana absorption, âMana Eater.â
And while it looked a little different, it was essentially the same technique that Lesser High King Yamato used.
âSo Golan really did evolve into something close to King Yamato.â
Very little was known about King Yamatoâs early days.
All the stories about him were of after he became a Lesser High King.
This was because no one from that time was still alive.
âAfter all, it was a very long time ago.â
As I thought about this, the situation changed.
Nehyor moved back and started unleashing magic.
âHow is this, Golan? Having trouble?â
Nehyor said with a triumphant voice. But to me, it seemed like he was getting ahead of himself.
Vampires had high physical ability.
And they also had many skills.
Some of them were incredibly useful, like being able to fly and heal.
However, they also had weaknesses.
In Nehyorâs case, it was endurance.
He was not as tough as someone like Golan.
And while Vampires had so many tricks up their sleeves, none were very strong when the mana had to be distributed to all of them.
With Nehyor, he would not have that much mana left to use for magic attacks.
In other words, the reason that he hadnât used them earlier, was not because he was saving them. It was because they werenât that powerful.
And from what I could see, it was clearly the case.
Vampires were high-rankers, but his magic attacks were what youâd expect from a mid-ranker.
âWell, letâs see what it does to Golan.â
Golan was good at dodging magic attacks.
One clean hit would be enough to kill an Ogre. And so he had to be good at it.
And since Golan had evolved from an Ogre, that weakness would have likely stayed with him.
ââŠBut, he is dealing with them with his inherent toughness.â
Golan was dodging them while slowly moving forwards. However, some of them did hit him.
And every time, he took damage somewhere on his body. But he succeeded in getting closer.
ââŠSo, he can absorb magic as well.â
He dodged, blocked, and occasionally absorbed Nehyorâs magic attacks.
And it seemed like he was getting better every time he absorbed it. Like he was learning as he fought.
ââŠHmm?â
Perhaps he did not want Golan to get close. Nehyor stopped shooting and jumped backâŠbut that was when Golan targeted him.
He had gotten close so quickly. And he grabbed Nehyorâs arm and held him there.
âHeâs fast when he needs to be. I might have missed it had I not been watching closely.â
However, what was he going to do now?
While Golanâs arms would certainly be stronger, Nehyor was a Vampire.
They could be monstrously strong out of nowhere.
âSnap.
Nehyorâs arm broke.
Golan quickly let go and grabbed the other arm, which he also broke.
He moved from one target to the next after that. As he strangled the neck, he snapped Nehyorâs flailing legs.
âHe is always full of surprises.â
It was as if he knew which direction Nehyor would try to run, and he was always a step ahead.
Nehyor must be furious.
When he thought he had run away, he learned that he had been led there all along.
And then he was caught and strangled.
And when he tried to free himself, his limbs were snapped.
âWhile he can heal his bones quickly, how many times can he continue to do it⊠But if he doesnât heal them, then he will never be able to catch up, as more bones will be broken.â
It was rather horrifying to watch.
He must have foreseen this battle against Nehyor, and been practicing.
In fact, I could tell that Nehyorâs mana level had decreased greatly by this point.
âThat will happen if your neck is snapped that many times.
I had lost count as to how many times his arms and legs were broken.
Now that he was caught, he would not be able to get away.
He would be strangled and broken until Golan let him go.
But if his mana fell any lower, would he even be able to heal himself in an instant?
ââŠHmm? What is this?â
The mana surrounding Nehyor had decreased. He had to use it in order to heal. And he had also used it when attacking Golan with magicâŠ
âBut even still, it seems to be falling faster than it should?â
I was careless.
I thought that I was watching them closely, but I had missed something.
âSo Golan has been absorbing Nehyorâs mana ever since he grabbed him!â
Thatâs why Nehyor was so desperate to get away.
And Golan prevented it by breaking his bones over and over again.
Broken bones were nothing to Nehyor.
Golan could break as many as he likes. As long as Nehyor could get away.
Like that, he was trying to heal faster than Golan could keep up with, so that he could escape.
âThat is whatâs happening.â
I finally realized what Golan was doing.
He would occasionally let go of Nehyor entirely.
As if he wanted to make it easier for Nehyor to escape.
And so Nehyor would heal his bones and try to move away.
But strangely, he couldnât.
If he tried to go up, he was pulled back down. If we went to the right, he was spun around and slammed to the ground.
And if he tried to go in to attack instead, he was pushed into the ground.
âItâs like a puzzle.â
And every time, Golan absorbed mana from him.
By the time the two were separated again, Golanâs mana had swelled up considerably.
âYouâve really done it, Golan.â
Nehyor said as he panted. Golan laughed.
âAh, I have to thank you. Now I can use this.â
Golan unsheathed the Deepsea Dragon Sword that was on his back.
âReally? While you may have mana again, I doubt your strength will return.â
Nehyor said mockingly. Golanâs only answer was âSuper Arm Strengthen.â
âArm Strengthenâ was a special ability that Ogres had.
And so this must be an enhanced version.
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There was suddenly a palpable tension between them.
Nehyor was more cautious than ever.
And it was affecting those around them.
The onlookers gulped as they watched over the two.
Golan was the first to move.
I couldnât help but mutter, âwhy?â
If you were staring at each other like this, moving first meant giving the other person the opportunity to deal with you.
It wouldnât matter if you could move at a speed that they couldnât follow, but what reason did Golan have?
Golan held the sword with his right hand and attacked the air directly behind him.
âHuh!?â
âHuh!?â
âWhat!?
It wasnât just Nehyor, but everyone else was stunned.
What was Golan attacking? All their eyes moved to the spot.
But there was nothing there.
âBuuuunnn!
With a stronger momentum this time, Golan attacked the empty area behind him once again, and as he stumbled forward, the sword accelerated even more.
âWhaaat!!â
With Golan in the center, the blade swung, making a full circle around him, and then slashing through the neck of Nehyor, who had moved in to attack. And like that, Nehyorâs head went flying.
âPaaan!
It was a brilliant attack.
Nehyorâs head spun as it flew high into the air.
âSecret technique, âBackhand Slash.ââ
Golan said the mysterious name. It was likely a special ability of his.
Now that it had lost its head, Nehyorâs body slowly fell to the ground.
âWhatâŠGolan won?â
When it had been announced, I had felt that the chances of him winning were slim.
After all, this was the leader of the Wild Hunt.
Nehyor was a veteran who had killed many Lesser Demon Kings in a short amount of time.
Surely Golan would not be capable of winning.
And then I watched them fight, and it was clear that Golan was not at his best.
âYet he still wonâŠâ
It was hard to believe.
Golan leaned on his sword as if it was a staff.
Yes, he was clearly not well.
âNow, itâs over.â
And then he stabbed Nehyorâs heart with his sword.
It was only then that Golan smiled.
âŠBut then, Nehyorâs head fell down from the sky and bit into Golanâs neck.
âWoah!?â
Golan cried out and tore Nehyorâs head off and threw him onto the ground.
But that wasnât enough for him. And he stomped on it until it was completely crushed.
ââŠ.UhâŠâ
âGolan, what is it?â
He immediately fell to his knees and tried to support himself with one arm, but failed. He collapsed on the ground.
âGolan!?â
I ran towards him.
Not just me. The others did as well.
When we sat him up, I saw that Golanâs neck had become black.
âHeâs been poisoned.â
Vampires were able to transform the mana in their bodies and create poison.
However, it would also eat away at their own bodies. So most did not use it.
Thatâs how terrible a special ability it was. But Nehyor must have been creating it, even as he fought Golan.
So that even if he died, he could take Golan with him.
âGolan. Stay strong!â
I calledâŠbut there was no answer.
I continued to talk, but it was no use. He would not reply.