I could feel my links to the traps break as I entered the crypt. Well, that was expected. That is why I had taken the risk of raising the barrier in the first place. I would never have been able to control those traps from here.

  Well, the barrier of the fire altar doesn't exactly stop the enemy from entering the place. The barrier allows for the free flow of mana. The only thing that it does is stop them from channeling Inside the place. They can cycle their mana internally, but they certainly cannot cast any magic within it.

  That is why the crypt was so hard to hold in the first place. The enemy will be able to channel their mana to strengthen their body. They outnumber the mayfires three to one. Even with the Mayfire's ability to cast magic, it was still a pretty even fight.

  The Mayfires might have been able to cast their fire magic within the place, but I can't do anything like that. I can only use my vital mana to strengthen myself. Thankfully, that is all I am capable of without formations, so it is no real loss for me.

  Even as I am thinking this the enemy forces have begun to enter into the barrier. It looks like the bandits have been taking the traps head-on. Their injuries are enough to debilitate them. Well, I might have used most of the traps to kill the warrior, but there are still enough traps to hold them back for a bit. None of them are of the fire element so there is nothing too destructive here. Nobody is going to be dying from a trap.

  There are two bandits, one that had fallen into a lightning trap. The other must have been hit with an earth trap. The man is covered in sand as if he has been hit by a stream of sand.

  Well, I charge into them, my sword flashing. My sword enters into their throat. I can feel their vital mana drain as it dissipates into the air. Even my blood mana is not safe from the effects of this barrier. Well, it should similarly affect the enemy's mana.

  Right now the goal is to keep the enemy as busy as possible for now. I won't be able to fight all fifty of them, but I will at least be able to hold them back for a bit. Every minute the enemy delayed is a minute that the mayfires have gained. It means that they are going to be that closer to reaching the safe place.

  If the snake is waiting for all the traps to be triggered, then he won't be coming in for a few minutes now. Until then though I will need to take care of whoever enters into the place.

  (After about five minutes.)

  Well, I have already killed seven people that have entered into the barrier. Most of them were the victims of multiple traps. That is why they were so easy to kill. I could not gather anybody's vital mana so I don't have blood mana to support me.

  If my guesses are correct, the traps should have been depleted by now in the main tunnel. (There were not that many left to begin with.) The snake will be able to enter the place. That should normally have been my cue to run away. I want to try fighting the man once though. In here the man would certainly be a bit easier to fight.

  I have managed to kill three of them till now. Who knows, my streak of luck might just sustain for the fourth kill. The captain will be entering the place, of that I am sure of.

  Vampires normally are pretty cowardly creatures. The captain will be entering this place though. The reason for that is simple. This is the only way in which the barrier can be destroyed quickly.

  The mana control barrier is very unique that way. It does not stop the flow of enemy mana like other barriers tend to. The man can keep flinging his spells into the barrier from the outside. The only thing that he will be doing is to waste more time trying to overload the barrier.

  The only way to break a mana control barrier is to stuff it full of mana. Once the barrier has been overloaded it will destroy itself. The best way to do this is to enter into the barrier and keep emitting mana. That means that the snake will have to enter this place and stay here.

  Even entering the place, he won't be able to destroy the barrier quickly. There is going to be a time during which the barrier will still affect the man.

  If I can kill him in that time, I will be able to preserve the barrier. While the barrier will be destroyed anyways it will happen a few hours later. The few extra hours that it gives will be enough for the Mayfires to win a decisive victory over the Necromancers.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I also need to confirm a couple of things, which is why I am taking this risk. As I am recording all this, the massive burst of blood mana has begun to move I think.

  It is hard to tell with this barrier. Well, my thoughts are confirmed as the man finally enters the place. He has a couple of his underlings with him, though they do end up staying back.

  "Well, I would have thought that you would have come here with more of your underlings.", I speak to the man.

  He is wielding a sword as well. though I don't think the man knows how to use it. He is holding it in the completely wrong stance.

  "Well, my control over my underlings is quite tense at this moment.", he speaks. "After all, I am not as intimidating as a few of my fellows. I could kill them as easily, of course. It is just hard for me to control my magic. I can't kill them all before they outlive their usefulness now."

  As he speaks, he swings that sword of his. The blood mana leaves that sword of his like a wave. I have to jump to the side as the blood mana leaves a gash in the ground next to me. If I were to be hit by that, my situation wouldn't be good for me.

  The barrier is affecting his blood mana, but it has begun to struggle already. Yeah, the barrier is not going to be lasting for too long. The blood mana being stuffed into the place is the final straw to shatter this barrier.

  "You have to be thankful that I don't know any blood magic.", he speaks. I realize that he is taunting me. "Otherwise you would be dead already."

  As he speaks, another wave of blood mana hits me. I am barely able to block at it as I hit the wall behind me. If it had hit, it would have bisected me in half.

  "Well, what vampire does not know blood magic.", I reply. I am trying to be taunting, but I seem to have shattered a rib.

  "you don't know enough about vampires then.", the man speaks tauntingly.

  Well, now is the time for risky tactics. I can't beat the man if he keeps throwing waves of blood mana like this. The only way that I can do that is by getting closer. Thus I charge.

  The vampire did not seem to expect that as he hastily swung his sword at me. I dodge it though the blood mana does end up scraping me. An inch to the left and I would have taken that head on. The first thing I do getting close is to stick my sword into him.

  The man manages to block me with his hand. As my sword enters his hand, I can feel his mana flow into me. For a second it feels like the only thing that exists in the world is pain.

  When I come to, I am against a wall. My chest is throbbing like a burst of pain. A glance and I can see the scratch on my chest. I can feel my vital mana leaking.

  "You managed to beat my allies because none of them were ready for you.", he speaks to me. "I am about as strong as I can be, human. You can't beat me. "

  "How did you pull it off.", I reply. "Isn't there disastrous consequences for overfeeding like you have? You have emptied all of your blood bags."

  "You certainly don't know much about the court, legioner.", the man speaks taunting me. "I won't be sharing much beyond that though. I know of the tricks that your people have. Die in ignorance."

  As I have been speaking to the man, I have also been looking at how to escape the place. I think that I have been too arrogant here. I don't know if I will be surviving this intact.

  I certainly won't be surviving for too long against him. The only way to escape is to my left. The entrance to the burial tunnel is hidden. I am sure that the man knows that it exists just that he doesn't know where.

  I will have to make use of that it looks like. Right now, the man would not be following me if I were to escape. After all, his presence here is necessary. Breaking the barrier is their main priority right now.

  "Well, I know enough about you people.", I speak. I try to taunt him, but I don't think I have achieved it with the pain I am feeling. "There is a limit to how much mana you can absorb. Any more and you will be bursting like a balloon."

  "Well, that might be the case, but the paltry amount of blood mana that you have is not enough to pull it off. You are welcome to try though.", the man replies, swinging his sword at me.

  I am barely able to jump in the direction of the burial path. I almost collapse to the ground. I think that the world is beginning to blur around me as well.

  "A single hit and your blood mana is already in such a state. How did you kill my allies.", he replies, as he swings his sword twice this time.

  I dodge the first one, but the second one hits my left arm. The injury is not serious, but the blood mana leaking out of me is reducing my physical capabilities by a lot. I can already feel my flesh shiver in exhaustion.

  I am pretty close to the burial path now. A single jump and I should be able to make it out of the barrier. Just a bit more and I will be able to escape the barrier. The snake stops attacking me now, as the two soldiers that came with the man are attacking me.

  They are cutting me off from either side as the man swings his sword. I jump like a madman, as the snake swings his sword for the last time. I can feel the blood mana pierce into my leg as I jump into the burial tunnels.

  I quickly get into stance, as I channel all of my mana into the body. I can barely ignore my injuries as the two soldiers appear in the burial ground. I charge at them as they pop out of the tunnel.

  Their surprise at my aggressiveness helps me out as my sword hits the first man decapitating him. Vital mana flows into my sword like a stream. My senses sharpen as the blood mana flows to heal my injuries.

  Well, I not going to be tempting fate any more than this. I begin to run as I disappear through the burial tunnels. It is time for me to go to the safe zone. Let's hope I don't get lost now.