"Hello? My name is Lloyd, and I am about to capture you," he grinned, observing the elemental king flinch in shock. Despite his ghostly appearance, Lloyd detected the flustered look on his face.
Well, no surprise there.
Pantalasa's worried expression made sense. After all, he would have anticipated Javier's strikes to be the same gentle pats he received from other swordmasters in the past. The king couldn't have imagined Javier would beat him into a pulp with his aura.
It must have hurt. The pain would've been something he never experienced before then. I mean, it's coming from the aura of a grandmaster.
Lloyd's prediction that Javier's aura would be effective against the elemental king was spot on. It left the elemental in complete panic. That allowed Lloyd to move closer and capture him.
A few seconds is all I need.
Grab! Lloyd put more strength into his aura-charged hands and opened the skill window, swiftly activating the optional skill of his choice before the king could wrench himself free. He recited the widely accepted statement of "you snooze, you lose" to himself. His grip on the elemental became tighter.
Ding Dong.
[The Asrahan Core Technique Skill Option ⑤: Supercharge has been activated.]
[You are absorbing a large amount of mana from surroundings at random.]
From that moment on…
Hmph.
Lloyd's eyes closed on their own before he was barely able to reaffirm his decision, his consciousness quickly fading away like a patient going under anesthesia. In the next moment, an animalistic instinct awoke inside him.
Ziiing...
The three circle chords in his heart revved up, gradually increasing in intensity. At first, they moved like a gentle spring breeze before slowly creating stronger gusts of winds and transforming into a violent storm.
Ziiing!
They went rampant, preying on everything around it, including the elemental king who was stuck by his side.
Fwoosh!
Eek!
Pantalasa, the elemental king, was initially shocked into silence. His mind blanked out from the absurd situation he was in like a video game player who got cheated, a student who showed up at the incorrect test room, or a white collar employee who got caught bad-mouthing his boss. The only thought that occupied his mind was that he was finished. Doomed. He could only gape and helplessly flail his arms as he struggled in vain to shove Lloyd away.
This human just won't budge...!
Pantalasa couldn't push Lloyd away. The harder he tried to push him away, the stronger the human's grip on him became.
Fwoosh!
Ack…!
Meanwhile, Lloyd was absorbing large amounts of mana with every passing second. Of course, it was not just from Pantalasa. He sucked in everything possible within a 22-foot radius, including rocks, snow, ice, moss, and snowflakes. He didn't miss anything and absorbed mana from all his surrounding sources until they were sucked dry. However, Pantalasa was the biggest victim of his absorption.
Argh!!!!
Elementals were made of pure mana, so they did not have a physical form. Instead, their bodies were like a container made of mana that held more mana inside it. These spiritual beings starkly contrasted against humans and zombies, whose bodies acted like a separate container for the mana they held. So, Lloyd's Supercharge could drain all the mana the elemental was made of and also held inside him, making it the most brutal skill Pantalasa could face.
How is it possible for a human to do this?!
Pantalasa could not believe that a mere human had such a violent ability to absorb mana. Once he got over his shock, he felt a sense of crisis.
I-I'll really die at this rate!
His heart pounded even though he didn't have one. A prickling sense of urgency stabbed the king across his entire body like thousands of needles. None of this was an exaggeration.
He is going to suck me dry of mana, but how can I stop him? I can't. I would do something if I had a physical form... I would try to endure against him if I did, but...
Unfortunately, he was made of mana, so there was no way for him to fight. He was completely powerless, and his feeling of impending doom was heightened by the fact that he had no idea when this violent absorption of mana would come to an end.
I can't continue to stay still. It'll really be the end of me if I do.
In the worst-case scenario, his entire existence could be erased. That wasn't something he wanted. It was time for him to take action.
I have to run away!
If fighting back was impossible, the second-best option was to escape. He jumped into action right away.
To avoid being absorbed into the vortex of mana and free myself from him... Hmph!!!
Boom! Pantalasa consolidated his mana and mixed it with some icy air before creating an explosion. His actions resulted in a small storm between himself and Lloyd, pushing the human away. However, his attempt failed. Lloyd's grip on him seemed to loosen for a moment but quickly returned. Grab!
Eek?
Pantalasa's eyes widened as he realized Lloyd's grasp had tightened. The man was in a trance with only one aim in mind, which was to never let go of the bastard in his grip.
H-How is this happening?!
Lloyd's persistence against the blizzard and resolve to defeat him terrified Pantalasa. He had no idea the former would have so much determination, and the situation worsened when another human joined to interrupt his escape.
Ouch!
Wham! Just then, Pantalasa felt a hard blow on the back of his head and inadvertently staggered. He instantly knew who was behind this.
It's the silver-haired knight!
It was the silver-haired knight who had ruthlessly battered him earlier. The human was now swinging his aura-charged sword toward him.
Bam! Crash! Bam!
Pantalasa, stuck in Lloyd's grip, was helpless against the series of strikes Javier persistently laid on the back of his head.
Ouch! Ugh! Argh!
Javier made sure each of his blows was as painful as possible and hit the same location over and over again. Pantalasa thought he was about to die from the biting pain in the back of his head while also feeling resentful of the situation at the same time.
Why? How? How is he okay when everything is losing its mana?
Pantalasa couldn't understand. He felt cheated. But it was all because he didn't know anything about the Asrahan Core Technique.
Why?! How is he able to move around and attack me without any issue?!
Javier was an expert in the Asrahan Core Technique, which Pantalasa was unaware of. This meant that Javier had complete control over his mana and could employ all the mana in his possession despite Lloyd's Supercharge Skill. By using the technique, not a single drop of mana was sucked out of his body. This only allowed him to move with more vigor.
Eek! Haaa! Urk!
Crash! Thwack! Clang! Pantalasa's consciousness began to wane as he was hit in the same place over and over again, heightening his sense of urgency along with it.
No... I cannot flee in this current situation. If I continue losing mana and being endlessly attacked like now... Eventually, I will lose all the mana that makes up my existence... And vanish into nothing. I will be helplessly defeated.
Chills rushed down his spine. This was the worst sense of crisis and misery he had ever felt in the range.
What should I do?
Pantalasa fell into deep thought. He drew the following conclusions. It would be the end of him if he made one wrong move from here, and he was running out of time.
In the end, this is all I can do.
Grit! Pantalasa tightly clenched the teeth he didn't have and made a decision.
I'll be killed if I stay still like now anyway... In that case, it's all or nothing.
As soon as he made a decision, the elemental king drew out all the essence of the mana that his existence was composed of. Then, he made the extracted mana condense in the most frigid air he could generate. Lastly, he fused his soul into it.
Bzzt! Instead of going for the obvious attack of setting off an explosion, Pantalasa held out the fused mass of mana with joy and launched it into the absorption path.
If you're so willing to absorb my mana... Then take this one, too!
Boom! The mass of mana entered the mana suction flow. Previously, he had been a victim of the invasion, but now he was the invader.
Let's see if the body of a mere human will be able to accept taking in all of me!
Pantalasa was 100% certain that Lloyd would blow up in a matter of seconds due to the sheer amount of mana he possessed as the elemental king of this giant mountain range.
Hmph! You must have human limitations. Even with your strength and power, you will not be able to process that much extra mana.
It was a simple principle: humans could easily drink more than one gallon of water if they drank it in small portions throughout the day. However, if they took all of it in at once, they would die due to the imbalances created throughout their body, such as in the level of sodium in their blood. They physically couldn't handle such a large amount of water. This was Pantalasa's plan.
Human. How dare you try to absorb my mana bit by bit? You're wrong to think that. See who outwits you?! Pantalasa couldn't stand the human's insolence and wanted to eat him up in pieces. This is my revenge! I'll push an unmanageable amount of mana into you!
Fwoosh! Condensed into a mass of mana essence, Pantalasa invaded Lloyd's body into his hands and flowed through his blood vessels into his heart with the intent of destroying his manaheart. However, Pantalasa was unaware that Lloyd possessed the Heart of Winter, an existence far more powerful than his essence.
Grab!
Eh?
As soon as Pantalasa walked through Lloyd's manaheart's door, he stopped in his tracks after sensing a familiar energy. When he turned around, there was a cold air mass that was much greater in size, strength, and power than him. It smiled and grabbed him by the shoulder.
Pantalasa was taken aback once more. Lloyd was not to be messed around with. The mass of cold air he held inside his heart was the size of a polar region, whereas Pantalasa's was comparable to a mountain range.
What in the world is this?
Pantalasa felt like an elementary schooler fighting a college student, a handsome local man standing between two of the sexiest men in the world, or a used car driver dangerously racing across a highway before watching a Lamborghini speed past him until it disappeared into the distance. However, despite facing the superior version of himself, he did not despair or become intimidated. Instead, he felt a sense of comfort.
It's cozy...
This place he invaded felt like home, but it was significantly colder than the range he had lived in his entire life. Because of this, he disarmed himself against his will and awakened the homebody inside him that had been hiding for tens of thousands of years. It was so comfortable and cozy inside Lloyd that he wanted to relax for just a few tens of thousands of years since he was already here anyway.
I mean, that amount of time for an elemental like me would be the same as what a few hours is to a human.
And just like that, Pantalasa gave into the tempting impulse to settle down and rest inside this human until he died.
Just then, a string of messages appeared in front of Lloyd's eyes.
Ding Dong!
[You have absorbed the Elemental King of the Pantara Range, "Pantalasa."]
[Pantalasa wishes to reside in your manaheart.]
[If you permit him to stay, you will succeed him as "The Elemental King of the Pantara Range."]
