Protector blocked rarely and traded blows most of the time. Blades cut his flesh, staves bludgeoned his skin, and maces broke his bones. Yet he bit back for every hit he took, sometimes literally.

Whenever an Upyr came too close, either willingly or pushed forward by the crowd, Protector’s maw opened and swallowed a good chunk of their bodies. It restored the reserves of his Life Eater bloodline ability and sustained the illusion of his immortality.

No matter if a vital organ was pierced or a limb bent into many unnatural angles, it healed faster than a Fae, and Ryman kept on fighting like it never happened. Each time he traded blows, he would come out of it weakened, but an Upyr would come out of it dead.

Fear and the dwindling numbers of Orpal’s soldiers made his enemies retreat instead of advance, worried about their own survival more than killing their common enemy. The Upyrs soon lost any semblance of teamwork, allowing Protector to focus solely on those closest to him.

“Please, Stop!” One of the few remaining Upyrs had landed a lucky shot that had turned the Skoll’s head into mush. “I surrender!”

’I don’t care!’ Protector’s flesh and bone rebuilt themselves so fast that it looked more like time reversal than regeneration.

He returned the favor to the Upyr, but the Minotaur had no healing abilities, so his head remained crushed and the Emperor Beast fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood.