Realizing that the three adventurers he was currently fighting were not a bunch of fools who relied solely on speed and brute strength, Vincent halted his assault. He leaped backward several meters, putting a safe distance between himself and the reach of his opponents' deadly formation.
"Hahaha."
The General laughed. It was not a laugh of mockery or arrogance, but of pure satisfaction at having found worthy opponents.
He was thoroughly enjoying their battle.
"You truly deserve the title of a Rank S party." Vincent praised in a sincere tone, though he remained on high alert. "Your teamwork, situational awareness, and combat intuition are truly extraordinary. You cover each other's blind spots flawlessly."
"I warned that arrogant emperor from the very beginning!" Idai, the man wielding the massive axe, shot back confidently. "Never underestimate our capabilities!"
"Is that so?" Vincent's voice instantly dropped to a low murmur, yet it could be heard clearly in the ears of the three adventurers. "But..."
Bzzztt...
Vincent's figure vanished from where he stood. His speed this time far surpassed his movements at the start of the battle. He did not target the axe-wielding man or the shield-wielding man at all.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of the party's unarmed fighter.
"Your guard is wide open!"
With blinding speed and extreme precision, Vincent thrust his black-and-gold spear straight toward the fighter's chest. There was no time for the man to evade the rapid strike.
However, Idai, York, and even the fighter who was the target of the lethal thrust remained completely calm. Not a single one of them panicked, even as the blade of the General's spear stopped a mere millimeter from its target's heart.
Clang!
The spear Vincent had thrust with full force and maximum speed was forcefully halted. The sharp tip of the blade merely pressed against the surface of the fighter's body, utterly unable to pierce it.
The impact sent sparks flying.
Vincent was taken aback by the man's physical durability, which his spear could not penetrate. It was as if he were trying to pierce a thick, solid block of steel.
"Did you think that I, the one fighting on the front lines without any weapons, would die so easily?" the fighter hissed. A cynical smirk etched itself onto his face. "I am the possessor of the [Iron Man] blessing, a blessing that allows me to manipulate my entire body to become as hard as steel."
"No wonder your kick earlier was so incredibly powerful."
"Don't you dare think he's your only opponent here, General!" Idai shouted, already lunging forward and cleaving through the air.
The appearance of the axe-wielding man had now changed. A crimson aura enveloped his entire body, undulating fiercely like scorching steam.
It was the physical manifestation of his maximum capabilities. The mana density surrounding him skyrocketed, making the axe in his hands look like a bloodthirsty slaughtering weapon.
Idai's movements could no longer be easily read. His speed surged to three times its previous pace. He swung the massive axe as if it were a weightless wooden sword.
Swish...
Vincent managed to evade the opening strike by tilting his body, allowing the axe to merely cleave the air where he had been standing a second prior.
Even though his attack missed, Idai did not stop. He launched another assault on the General.
With his strength and speed drastically enhanced, the man moved with extreme agility. He could match the General's speed and continuously closed the distance between them.
"Don't think you can keep running from me!"
The moment Idai managed to overtake Vincent's speed, he immediately raised his axe high, then brought it crashing down in a devastatingly powerful vertical strike.
Clang!
Vincent could not evade. He raised the shaft of his spear horizontally with both hands, blocking the incoming axe strike.
The collision of the two heavy weapons created a shockwave that swept across the lobby area. The vertical strike unleashed by Idai was so forceful that the General's body was pushed slightly downward, forcing both of his feet to slam heavily against the floor.
Crack!
Crash!
The floor supporting Vincent's footing could not withstand the compressive pressure of the impact. The ground shattered to pieces, creating a small crater beneath his feet.
However, Vincent did not remain passive. Gritting his teeth and utilizing his immense physical strength, he pushed back against the pressure with a violent heave.
That powerful repulsion forcefully shoved Idai's body several meters backward.
Yet, Idai shot forward once more, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks. He swung his axe from various angles in rapid succession, affording the General no room to even catch his breath.
This time, he truly pressured Vincent. The rhythm of the battle had been completely seized by the axe-wielding man.
The General was forced back, compelled to adopt a defensive stance. He continuously maneuvered his spear to parry, deflect, and block every axe slash threatening his life.
"This is the true combat power of the [Battle Axe] blessing!" Idai roared as he relentlessly battered his opponent. "How much longer can your hands withstand my attacks, General?! You will die by my hands!"
Despite being pushed to the brink and constantly driven back, Vincent felt absolutely no panic. What he was experiencing right now was the exact opposite. He felt incredibly thrilled.
As the possessor of the [Flash Spear] blessing, this intense, high-speed combat and the continuous clash of weapons presented a massive advantage for Vincent.
Every parry, twirl, and shift of the spear he executed within his defensive rhythm generated a massive amount of friction in the air. That constant friction slowly but surely caused his body temperature, his spear, and the surrounding air to turn warm, bordering on scorching hot.
The heatwave altered the structure of the air around their battle arena into a natural conduction pathway. The ionized air created a conductive zone highly charged with static electricity, an artificial magnetic field that would automatically attract and guide flashes of lightning to manifest with maximum speed and terrifying destructive power.
Vincent continued to block and parry the barrage of axe strikes raining down like a tempest, allowing his opponent to feel as if he had the upper hand. However, his sharp gaze never left the movements of the man relentlessly attacking him for even a single second.
Now, the area inside the guild lobby had been completely transformed into his domain, a dense conduction zone where flashes of lightning could strike wildly without the slightest hindrance.
While continuously maneuvering his spear to block the axe strikes aiming for his life, Vincent held his defense, biding his time for the perfect moment to launch a counterattack against the Rank S party.