Rein had been intently staring at the unfamiliar Great Knight before him.
So when his opponent charged at high speed, he wasn't the slightest bit afraid. He quickly took down the dark pig-headed hammer from behind and didn't block, but instead swung the Heavy Hammer Furious Strike towards his adversary!
At that moment, the special effect of the heavy weapon, "Weight as Light," played a crucial role!
To the onlookers, it seemed impossible for Rein to block the strike, let alone counterattack with the cumbersome two-handed warhammer!
But Rein's speed was just a notch faster than everyone had estimated!
Faced with Rein's exceedingly swift Heavy Hammer Furious Strike, a sense of alarm surged through Parix. He instantly switched from attacking to blocking, catching the blow with his arm blade reinforced by the source energy.
A trace of surprise flashed in Parix's eyes!
Holding a two-handed warhammer and still such fast speed?
This young man before him, Rein, seemed to have something up his sleeve!
Moreover, within that hammer strike, Parix felt a power seeping through his armor and energy defense, a power that was...
But before he could fully savor Rein's previous strike,
Rein, holding the dark pig-headed hammer, swung out another blow as quick as lightning, moving from right to left!
"Heavy Hammer Sweep!"
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Facing Rein's combo-like fierce counterattacks, Parix spun around while bringing up his arm blade to block once again.
"Clang!!" Sparks flew everywhere!
For a moment, Rein swung more than a dozen hammer strikes in succession, each one mighty and forceful with layers of Shock power. Eventually, Parix had to start expending significant amounts of source energy to withstand this continuous shock damage.
"You're quite responsive, eh? You've already activated your limit-breaking and Transcendent traits.
"A smart move, but how long can you maintain this state?"
It seemed Parix was trying to provoke Rein verbally, causing him to reveal a flaw or hesitation.
Unfortunately, his words had no effect on Rein, whose black warhammer remained as steady and powerful as ever.
Which frustrated Parix quite a bit.
Another head-on collision!
This time, Parix, who had been steadily standing his ground, suddenly took the impact to swiftly retreat more than ten paces.
Even though he had moved out of Rein's warhammer attack range and no longer needed to worry about blocking Rein's hammer, his hands trembled slightly behind his back!
Could this strength be...
"You... you've actually mastered Hammer Skill at a master level!" Parix's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Rein in astonishment.
Unlike Norman, who had just entered the Great Knight stage, Parix had come to realize that Rein's power with the hammer was too strong, surpassing even the proficient level!
You see, among the strong at the Great Knight level, weapon specialization typically just reached proficiency, or at most, a half-step into the master level.
And like Rein, one who had mastered Hammer Skill to such a level was outstanding among Great Knights.
What puzzled Parix was how this young man, Rein, had managed to master his Hammer Skill to such a high level at his young age?
But quickly, before Rein could respond, Parix calmed his surprise. He retreated to a nearby squad leader who was dressed in sturdy attire, picking up the solid metal Kite Shield and the battle axe.
"A young man with great talent. Too bad the game is over!
"You don't think that was all my strength, do you? Now, I'm going to get serious!"
While Parix had retreated, Rein didn't chase him but started to murmur a magic spell...
And as Parix turned to take up his axe and shield, a subtle fluctuation passed around Rein, and something different seemed to stir in the air.
Parix powered up his source energy to its full extent, his body emitting a soft glow, as he charged at Rein once more!
This time, he no longer had the teasing and playful attitude from before. Instead, there was a sincere sense of excitement and eagerness within him.
A rare Hammer Skill genius from the Dragan Empire was about to die by his hand.
The thrill of cutting down a talent was something he hadn't felt in a long time!
"Boom! Clang! Clang!"
The figures of the two moved extremely fast, and even with the streetlights and the lamps in the garden illuminating their surroundings, it was nearly impossible to discern their movements in the dim setting.
All that could be sensed were two blurs of fast-moving mist engaging in relentless combat.
Rein had not chosen to unleash 'Strength Burst' at full power but merely activated about thirty percent to almost even out the power disparity between him and Parix.
Not using his secret techniques was due to the opponent's slightly higher speed. Even if Rein had used all his power, he might have been easily dodged by Parix which would not only waste a significant amount of energy but also reveal his trump card prematurely.
Simply put, the right moment for victory had not yet come.
Although Parix had not gained the upper hand, he was not anxious, as his foundation was solid—he was a Great Knight, and Rein was a Knight, naturally having the superior physical prowess.
Rein was currently able to keep up or defend against his aggressive pace thanks to the combination of full-powered Burst and master-level Hammer Skill.