Gripping one end of the Fangtian Halberd, Leonidas held his body suspended in midair with one hand like a high-level gymnast. It was an incredibly difficult maneuver, requiring not only immense arm strength but also exceptional balance.
This was the greatest weakness of long-shafted weapons. The sharp spear blade only occupied a small section; once an enemy closed inside its attack range, things became troublesome. As a Heroic Spirit of the spear, Leonidas naturally understood the shortcomings of spear-type weapons well.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Bu might have chosen to release his halberd and let him fall from there. A galloping warhorse carried terrifying momentum. Once someone fell from the saddle, their flesh-and-blood body would be utterly unable to withstand the immense impact, and they would inevitably be crushed into pulp by the hard ground.
However... his opponent was a Servant.
Even if Lu Bu threw him down, he would not die. Instead, Lu Bu would lose his handy weapon, and the one forced into a dead end would be himself.
Lu Bu did not dare casually let go of his favored weapon. Against lesser foes, perhaps it would not matter; even barehanded, Lu Bu did not believe he would lose to them.
But the bold warrior before him was clearly not someone he could deal with easily.
Having figured this out, Lu Bu let out a tiger-like roar. He raised the halberd with his right hand, passed it beneath his ribs, and braced it under his arm. With his A+++ rank Monstrous Strength, holding an adult man suspended in midair was easy enough.
Leonidas had anticipated this. Supporting himself on the halberd with one hand and maintaining his posture, he suddenly lashed out with a flying kick at Lu Fengxian's forehead.
Only the tall Leonidas could pull off such a technique. The Fangtian Halberd, designed for mounted combat, was simply too long; someone shorter would not even be able to reach Lu Bu with their foot.
Lu Fengxian did not hesitate. Though he had arrived in this world carrying only a Fangtian Halberd due to his fame, that did not mean he had no other weapons.
For example...
His armor.
His free left hand shot upward, and the steel vambrace protecting his wrist swiftly intercepted Leonidas's kick!
Thud!
The sound of metal striking metal!
Lu Bu felt his wrist go numb, followed immediately by a burning pain. The last time he had felt this way was when he fought that black-bearded fierce general, Zhang Yide. That man had also been a powerhouse of extraordinary brute strength!
Leonidas's first kick missed, and his body swiftly twisted as he kicked again. Lu Bu knew better than to block it. Against Leonidas's strength, if they kept trading blows head-on, he might truly expose an opening!
Lu Fengxian immediately twisted his wrist, seized Leonidas's ankle, and then shoved hard toward the ground!
Both possessed strength above A rank, and Lu Bu was even slightly stronger than Leonidas. With a full-force shove, he forcibly drove Leonidas's body downward!
From afar, it looked as if a gigantic muscular tumor had grown from Lu Bu's Fangtian Halberd!
Lu Bu was overjoyed. He quickly lowered the Fangtian Halberd and dragged Leonidas toward the icy surface, intending to impale him!
But Leonidas was no fool. Knowing Lu Bu wanted to throw him down, he ignored the pain and stomped his left foot onto the halberd's crescent guard. With a hiss, the sharp iron halberd pierced through his foot. Yet because of that, he stood atop the halberd once more. His left hand took the chance to grab farther upward, and with a turn of his body, he actually moved even closer to Lu Bu!
He revealed an inscrutable smile and thrust his short sword at Lu Bu with his right hand!
Lu Bu hurriedly raised his wrist, using the metal of his bracer to intercept the silver arc slashing toward his face as he resisted Leonidas's attack with all his strength!
Amid deafening clashes, Leonidas drew closer and closer. His left hand had already gripped the middle of the halberd. With a fierce exertion, he clenched the halberd in his palm and yanked it behind himself. With a furious roar, he used the force to hurl himself at Lu Bu!
Lu Bu's halberd was suddenly yanked, twisting his body sharply and breaking his balance. Leonidas lunged in as well, while the long halberd, gripped by Leonidas, could not be brought back to defend!
A grave crisis!
Suddenly, Lu Bu smiled.
As though his scheme had succeeded, unable to suppress the wild joy in his heart, Lu Bu laughed.
As the greatest fierce general of the Three Kingdoms, could Lu Bu possibly have failed to consider that someone might seize his weapon?
Lu Bu himself was a general skilled at disarming opponents. Just as a basketball center would certainly understand the "fighting style" of the opposing center, Lu Bu naturally understood the power of this move and... how to counter it.
With his sinister grin of triumph, Lu Bu's right hand—released the Fangtian Halberd!
He let go!
At the same time, Leonidas, who had launched himself through the air, instantly lost the support coming from Lu Bu!
And Lu Bu himself freed his right hand with that action!
That was right! He had long understood Leonidas's strength, and therefore knew exactly what kind of powerful offensive Leonidas would use! What he had been waiting for was the instant Leonidas closed the distance and hurled himself at him!
His imposing right hand clenched into a fist, delivering a short punch! Fast and vicious, like an iron ball shooting through the air, it targeted the spot beneath Leonidas's ribs, shielded by layers upon layers of muscle armor, from a tricky and terrifying angle!
This was the moment he had been waiting for!
Lu Bu's change of move was unbelievably fast, worthy of A+++ rank Agility. His flying punch drove its fierce power through his gauntlet, becoming a deadly iron hammer that smashed Leonidas's raised chest downward in a single blow!
Immediately afterward, Lu Bu twisted his body sharply. His left hand, which had been guarding his face all along, swept back and hooked the butt of the long halberd, drawing it behind his back. After gathering strength for a breath, he exerted force with his left arm, using the point beneath his ribs as a pivot as the long halberd rapidly traced a huge circle!
Masterful mounted combat technique!
The moment Leonidas saw Lu Bu's posture in midair, he understood everything. Lu Bu intended to use centrifugal force to fling him away! Knowing the danger, Leonidas quickly released his left hand, barely managing to avoid being dragged away by the halberd!
But that created another problem.
A circle was round.
That meant the attack launched from Leonidas's left side would inevitably swing back from his right, attempting to return to Lu Bu's left side! Even after releasing his hand, he still had to deal with the long halberd hurtling back at him!
Leonidas furrowed his brow and focused on the battle. Raising his short sword high in his right hand, ignoring the scorching stab of pain still lingering in his body from Lu Bu's punch, he roared and swung his sword down against Lu Bu's halberd!
Boom!
With the roar of a storm, the full-force clash of the two men unleashed a powerful blast of wind pressure that tore irregular cracks across the frozen lake! Like an ancient turtle-shell divination, it seemed to foretell something!
Both Servants were rare, offense-oriented Servants. Their sword and halberd collided, and the impact of their strength was terrifyingly fierce!
But...
Thud!
That dull sound rang out once more!
Lu Bu had released his Fangtian Halberd again!
Leonidas lost his balance once more!
It was like a tug-of-war: when both sides strained against each other and one side suddenly let go of the rope, the other would inevitably lose balance!
Lu Bu had exploited the instant when sword and halberd clashed and both sides were straining against one another! Once he withdrew his force from the halberd, the unsupported weapon was naturally knocked away by Leonidas's blow!
But Lu Bu had gained a perfect opportunity!
His left hand swept over the horse's mane while his right braced against its back. Using those two points as support, he yanked both legs free from the saddle like a gymnast! His boots, pressed together, resembled a warhammer hurtling through the air!
Leonidas had just knocked away the Fangtian Halberd and was already in the awkward state where his old force had been spent but new force had not yet risen. On top of that, he had changed moves at the last moment, his chest had already suffered Lu Bu's iron-fisted blow, and he was in midair now—at multiple disadvantages, with nowhere to borrow force and nowhere to escape!
Lu Bu's legs struck precisely where his fist had hit before. Merely landing the blow was not enough. The instant his feet felt Leonidas's hard muscles, Lu Bu twisted his body and spun into a flying kick! He sent Leonidas flying like a cannonball!
Red Hare let out an earth-shaking neigh. After two bounds, it was no longer lightning—it was something faster! Almost instantly, Lu Bu's imposing beast-headed helmet appeared at the point where the Fangtian Halberd would land!
The peerless general hooked the long halberd with one foot in midair and flicked it into a stylish flourish. Following the momentum, he flipped back onto the saddle. With a light lift of his toe, the halberd flew steadily into his right hand. It flashed with silver light as he braced his terrifying weapon beneath his ribs once more, proudly lifting his chin with a smug smile!
With such masterful experience in mounted combat, the title of strongest cavalryman was utterly deserved!
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