"Mana. I'm talking about your bullshit mana control."
Mark couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed this earlier. Hercules was a behemoth with defenses that were impossible to penetrate, but after the fight they just had, Mark realized that this was really all there was to it. There was nothing that Hercules had in terms of mana control.
Hercules was using his mana in such a sloppy and pointless way that Mark initially thought there was some form of trick behind it. Was Hercules trying to lure Mark in, or was Hercules just making it seem like he was sloppy so that Mark would not notice that Hercules was doing something else? But that was not it at all. Hercules was not even trying to preserve his mana.
Hercules was just throwing it around like water!
This made Mark realize that Hercules had never actually learned mana control before, and it made sense. Hercules was blessed by Zeus to have superhuman strength, but that does not mean that Hercules ever had to learn to control that strength. He must have been born with perfect or near-perfect control, so he didn't need to do anything with his mana to make it work for him.
But this game is outside of the rules of the gods. The mana that is coursing through Hercules now is obeying the rules of the game, and if Hercules does not use it well, it depletes like crazy!
Hercules was stunned when he heard Mark say that he wasn't controlling his mana. Hercules was a proud man, and he hated being looked down on by anyone, and worst of all if Hercules was being looked down on by someone like Mark who was basically still a child to Hercules! Hercules shouted angrily!
"Shut your mouth, boy, or I will shut it for you! I have perfect control—"
[User has applied mana to his legs]
Phwoosh!
Mark suddenly appeared beside Hercules at a speed that was higher than before! Mark grabbed Hercules by the face and spoke with that grin still on his face.
Enjoy exclusive adventures from m-v l'-NovelFire
"So, did you see that coming with your perfect control?"
BOOM!
Mark slammed Hercules' head into the ground and Hercules was stunned as he watched Mark raise his feet. What was that speed!? Hercules was sure that Mark was not that fast before! How come Mark could suddenly move this fast!?
Mark put his hand forward and Hercules was suddenly assaulted with a feeling of dread that was telling him to dodge like his life depended on it! He was going to die!
Hercules didn't know how to explain the feeling, all Hercules knew was that if he did not dodge at that moment, he was going to lose this fight. But what could he do now!? Hercules was already at full sprint and it was impossible for him to change directions when using this skill! Hercules was moving too fast for him to be able to change directions!
The world seemed to be going in slow motion as Hercules felt something against his back!
Mark was right. Hercules didn't know how to control mana or how to properly preserve it in a fight. Hercules has never had to deal with mana before. He was not a magician like Merlin who knew how to properly utilize mana in the middle of battle. Hercules just used mana like a brute, forcing it out of his body to use it in any way that he wanted.
All of this added to the restrictions that the game placed on all the servants. it was obvious that Hercules was at a major disadvantage against someone like Mark who had almost perfect mana control.
And that was what allowed Mark to do what he was about to do without worrying about Hercules figuring it out. If Hercules was not even capable of measuring his own mana capacity, then there was no way Hercules would know that Mark had been preserving his mana like crazy since the start of the fight!
A mark on Hercules' chest glowed with a dull black light before Mark's voice reached his ears.
"Void Slash: Lightning."
Bzzt!
Slash!
Spurt!
Boom!
The buildings in the area suddenly started to crumble as the void slash traveled past Hercules and slammed into them, splitting all of the buildings in two and making them collapse under their weight.
Hercules became aware of the fact that he was falling. Hercules blinked his eyes in surprise as he felt himself getting closer to the ground, and he wondered what was going on. Hercules had been running just a moment ago, so why was he going down all of a sudden?
'Ah, I see. I already lost.'