Although the two of them were using 'wooden spears', the battle between them was not 'simple'. Both Lancer and Cu Chulainn possessed physical qualities far exceeding those of normal people. Even ordinary branches in their hands were enough to unleash terrifying destructive power, let alone the training spears specially made by the Queen of the Land of Shadows that they were holding.
"Huff~ huff~"
"Bang~ clap~!"
The sound of the wooden spears cutting through the air and the sound of their weapons clashing had almost never stopped since the match began. It seemed 'evenly matched', but in reality the gap between them was very obvious. Even with Cu Chulainn's deliberate control of his strength, Lancer was suppressed and pushed back. Especially when facing Cu Chulainn's thrusts, Lancer had a very difficult time dodging. Within a few minutes of the start, Lancer side and shoulder had been grazed several times.
Although he wasn't injured because it was a training spear, the burning sensation in the parts that were hit or grazed made him deeply realize one thing — if they were using real weapons, he would have already been defeated.
Although Lancer had not been without bitter struggles and suppression until now, at those times the opponents he faced were of a crushing nature, such as the unreasonable defense and strength of SS Ghouls, or when Esdeath fell into a berserk or even atavistic state because of her Teigu. But now it was different.
Thrusts were dodged, spear swings were blocked. No matter how he attacked, the opponent would block it, but when facing the opponent's attacks, he was almost helpless.
This difficult situation began to make his heart irritable, and it was at this moment that Cu Chulainn, who had just retracted his spear, suddenly paused.
Did he let him go?
No! The opponent was using his full power!
"Whoosh~!"
The sound of the long spear piercing the air almost made the hairs on Lancer body stand up. Facing this attack aimed directly at his brow, Lancer even felt that he couldn't block it.
Is he going to lose?
No! Can't lose!!
The long spear held in a forward grip by Lancer was suddenly thrust towards Cu Chulainn, its target the opponent's chest.
"Rip~"
Although Lancer had already turned his head away in advance, it was still not enough against an expert like Cu Chulainn. The wooden spear finally grazed past his sideburns, taking away a lock of his hair, but Lancer counterattack did not hit Cu Chulainn, only forcing him to withdraw his hand first.
Cu Chulainn, who had taken a step back, once again assumed his stance, while the panting Lancer stared at him with a look of stubbornness.
First he arrived at a strange place, walked for an unknown distance, and then was brought here by the opponent. He watched a strange woman dance with a spear and then was stunned for a day. To be honest, Lancer was almost completely confused. He didn't even know if the so-called 'welfare dungeon' was really a welfare.
But he knew that this was probably a test for him. If he failed the test, then all the other thoughts were probably unnecessary.
Can't lose! Can't lose!! I absolutely can't lose!!!
Before, because he was cautious and chose a defensive counterattack tactic, the final result was that he was suppressed by the opponent and couldn't counterattack at all. So Lancer decided to take the initiative to attack!
That's right! Take the initiative to attack!
Although he was completely suppressed when defending, even a preemptive attack would probably not have any results. But the problem was, if he didn't attack preemptively, would he just continue to maintain this ugly situation? Rather than silently waiting for defeat, Lancer would rather become that final brilliant firework after an outburst!
Even if it was fleeting, he wanted to release his own brilliance!
It was obvious that Lancer sudden change made even Cu Chulainn hesitate. After all, from the beginning, Lancer had been mainly on the defensive. Although he was suppressed, he had always maintained a defensive counterattack, trying to delay, looking for the enemy's flaws, and then winning with one strike. Cu Chulainn thought that Lancer would always stick to this tactic, but he didn't expect that with just one retraction of his spear, the opponent would launch a preemptive attack.
"Clap~ clap~ clap~"
A denser sound of clashing than before rang out in the courtyard, and the serious expression on Cu Chulainn's face gradually disappeared, replaced by an unconcealable excitement.
As a Lancer, Cu Chulainn naturally knew that Lancer outburst at this time was being done by overdrawing his body. As expected, as long as he withstood this wave, the opponent would break down on his own. This was the most sensible choice, but —
Who was he? Cu Chulainn! How could he back down in front of his Junior Brother!
Without hesitation, he thrust out his spear, even though he had lost the initiative!
Although he was temporarily suppressed because he had lost the initiative, Cu Chulainn was very much enjoying this feeling. Almost every time he sparred with his master, he was crushed. Although his friend was also strong, perhaps because of their familiarity, their battles always lacked passion. But now, this 'Junior Brother', although still a bit young, it was precisely because of this that he could often give him some 'surprises', and this was what excited him the most!
But compared to the excited Cu Chulainn, Lancer on the other side was not happy at all, because no matter how he attacked, he was suppressed by the opponent.
'Thrust' 'Triple Thrust' 'Charged Strike'
The three skills that he had already trained to MAX should, by all accounts, not be suppressed all the time, even if they couldn't defeat Cu Chulainn, since the opponent was deliberately controlling his strength and physical qualities.
Where is it? Where is the wrong place?!
The long spear was handed out and was dodged past Cu Chulainn's neck. Lancer once again retracted his spear and made two more consecutive strikes. One was dodged, and the other was parried by the opponent's spear.
Undoubtedly, the 'Triple Thrust' failed again. At this time, he had used up his strength and had to retract his spear, but for some reason, the stunning strike in his mind reappeared.
On the other side, Cu Chulainn, who had gotten used to Lancer 'routine', also closed in when he saw Lancer retract his spear. But at this moment, the long spear that should have been retracted was somehow thrust diagonally from under his armpit.
'What's going on?! Didn't he just use up his strength?!'
This sudden change instantly threw the rhythm that Cu Chulainn had gradually mastered into chaos.
"Bang~!"
A crisp sound louder than before, the long spear in Lancer hand was directly sent flying, and he himself was sent flying as well.
And Lancer himself lay sprawled on the grass, muttering something.
At the same time, Cu Chulainn, who had struck the blow, had a face full of embarrassment. Especially when he saw Lancer strange reaction, he even wondered if he had used too much force and knocked the other person silly?
"Hey hey! Are you okay? I accidentally used my full strength just now! Hey!!"
No matter what the other person said, Lancer ignored him, because when he thrust out that strike, he noticed his strange change. When he opened his attribute panel, his skills had indeed changed. The three basic skills that originally showed 'MAX' had disappeared, replaced by 'Spear Basic Combat Skills LV MAX' and 'Spear Advanced Combat Skills LV 1'.
Besides being excited, he was even more curious as to why he would suddenly have this strange change. In the end, the only special thing was probably that fleeting glimpse in his mind, right?
And at this moment, a shadow suddenly appeared above his head, and then a pair of long legs wrapped in purple stockings appeared in front of him.