Chapter 176

○ Nehyor – Wild Hunt

“Really. What was that? It wasn’t Golan’s movement. It shouldn’t be!”
“Lord Nehyor, please calm down. The others will gather here soon.”

“Don’t you think it’s strange? That wasn’t right.”

“Lord Nehyor, while we are away from the battlefield, this is still Demon King Tralzard’s territory. It will be very dangerous if the enemy notices us. Do you want to fight the Demon King’s army here?”

“That’s true, but…”

Nehyor’s 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 Golan’s sword.

“I wonder when Golan started to change. It was at some point during the fight with the Ghost General…”

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 shouldn’t have been possible with Golan’s mana level.

“Golan sometimes does the most amusing things, but I don’t 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 plan…”

“About that, Lord Nehyor. If things continue like this, you will have to reconsider your plan.”

“Huh? Why is that?”
“That wound, Lord Nehyor. You are currently using an immense amount of mana to heal that wound.”

“That’s true, but I could have this healed by tomorrow if I try hard enough.”

“If 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, it’s possible that the ‘secret’ will get out.”

“Ahh, you might be right about that.”

Aside from the healing ability that all Vampires had, Nehyor had the special ability, ‘Transcend Recovery.’
If it was something like just reattaching a severed arm, the normal healing ability would be enough.

But in Nehyor’s 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 finally–he 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.

That’s 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 Melvis’s journal.

Melvis 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 King—the 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.

“Yes, I can’t have others know about my ‘Transcend Recovery.’”

“They 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.”

“That’s right… But, maybe if it’s just a little?”
“Can you really beat a Demon King without going all out?”

“Hmm. No.”

“In 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.

“Ugh. Damn you, Golan. I curse you.”

“Still, I cannot understand how he was able to cut a Vampire in half in one stroke.”
“Exactly. He was cheating.”

“Is he really an Ogre?”

“He definitely is. His mana has gone up a lot, but he’s still an Ogre. I wouldn’t get that wrong. But Golan…he uses some strange moves… And yes, that sword!”

“What about the sword?”

“General Farneze tricked me! It really is a Deepsea Dragon Sword! But it’s using the tailbone!”

“The tailbone of a Deepsea Dragon? Do you mean that dragon with multiple heads? Shouldn’t it be the neck bone?”

“Yes. She didn’t tell me that it was something that rare! Melvis must have killed it… No, even he wouldn’t have been able to do it. He must have just cut off its tail. But I don’t know how.”

“Cut off its tail… He must have been very powerful.”

“He’s an Elder Vampire. Damn it! I’ve been had. Of course, Golan would become stronger if he has such a sword.”

It was no wonder that Nehyor was so angry.
Deepsea Dragons usually lived at the very bottom of the Demon World sea.

They would sometimes come out and attack if there was prey near the surface.
It could be someone swimming or a ship.

They had multiple heads which could attack simultaneously.
No one knew just how big they were, but it was at least dozens of kilometers in length.

In the first place, it could easily sink ships with just the head that stuck out of the water.

However, 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 ‘Deepsea Dragon Sword.’

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.

—The 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.

And so Nehyor was angry.
His plans…would have to be greatly delayed.

Next Chapter

Makai Hongi