Red Hare's self-sacrificing strike! Its sturdy four hooves kicked hard against the glacier, launching it skyward with enough force to shatter the ice. The floating ice beneath its feet sank dramatically into the river, lending it momentum as the steed, like a blazing cannonball, slammed at Leonidas's back with all its strength!
Locked in a struggle with Lu Bu, Leonidas had no strength to break away!
No, he had tried to break away, but Lu Bu's powerful wrist pinned his shoulder down while his right hand pressed the painted halberd against Leonidas's spear, using its crescent blade to lock it in place!
Although Lu Bu's strength was only Rank B after leaving Red Hare, he held the advantage of higher ground and had caught Leonidas off guard with a deliberate ambush, forcibly delaying him for a moment.
It did not need to be long. At Red Hare's speed, a two-second opening was enough.
"Damn it!"
Leonidas knew how dangerous it was too. If that steed charged him from behind... At the thought, he felt a jolt of electricity shoot up his spine.
Absolutely not!
Leonidas gritted his teeth. Ignoring the unstable floating ice beneath his feet, he let out a roar. The thick muscles of his powerful arms, exposed beyond his cuirass, bulged into hard, solid contours. He hurled Lu Bu into the air with all his strength, then stomped down fiercely. The ice tilted sharply, and Leonidas, as though standing amid a stormy sea, lost his footing. He could only barely leap up, raising his spear before himself to forcibly block Red Hare's attack.
But it was already too late. Red Hare's body had already crashed into him.
It was pain so intense that his body seemed to lose all sensation.
It was neither sharp nor scorching. His first sensation was numbness, a dull paralysis as though his body had gone senseless.
His ears became utterly silent. He could hear nothing—not the wind, not the clash of weapons, not the sound of flesh being struck. Great sounds were silent; the thunderous boom caused by that heavy blow had, for a moment, stolen his hearing!
His body flew backward as it absorbed the force. Leonidas could only feel the gale raging behind him and the pain of his body heat being rapidly stripped away. The howling wind reached his ears but could not properly reach his brain. His hair scattered wildly, chestnut strands constantly sweeping into his vision and blurring it.
Cold.
Terribly cold.
That was what Leonidas thought.
How long had passed? Perhaps a minute. Perhaps only thirty seconds. Or perhaps five minutes.
He had lost all sense of time.
Red Hare was extraordinarily fast, capable of crossing three hundred meters in almost a single breath. At that speed, coupled with Red Hare's mass and magical energy, the impact it produced nearly rivaled the release of a Noble Phantasm's True Name. Shaken by that immense kinetic force, Leonidas felt as if his body no longer belonged to him. He could only be passively sent flying.
Only then did he begin to feel a burning pain spread through his body, as if he had a fever.
Meanwhile, the instant Red Hare sent Leonidas flying, Lu Bu reached out in midair and seized Red Hare's reins, swiftly swinging himself back onto the horse. Red Hare snorted in midair, and visibly, enormous magical energy instantly erupted from Lu Bu's previously weakened body.
For example, it was like a cup of water becoming a waterfall the moment Lu Bu mounted it.
This was Lu Fengxian's Noble Phantasm.
Among Men, Lu Bu; Among Horses, Red Hare.
It was a Chinese saying.
Having descended as a Rider, his Noble Phantasm was naturally Red Hare, his mount.
However, Red Hare was not some legendary divine beast or vicious monster. Even with its True Name released, it could not simply attack an enemy outright. Forget Anti-Army or Anti-Fortress—it was difficult even as an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm.
Yet this Noble Phantasm was absolutely not useless.
Its ability was exactly as its name implied: Among Men, Lu Bu; Among Horses, Red Hare.
It was not Red Hare or Lu Bu himself that had become the Noble Phantasm.
What had become a Noble Phantasm was the harmony between man and horse.
Lu Bu, manifested on the Chinese mainland, possessed immense fame. Under the subtle influence of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, nearly everyone acknowledged that Lu Bu and Red Hare were a match made by heaven.
Therefore... this Noble Phantasm was a rare Anti-Self Noble Phantasm. So long as Lu Bu rode Red Hare, all his abilities received powerful reinforcement. Even the Mad Enhancement skill of the Berserker class could not compare.
In truth, Lu Bu's own abilities were not outstanding. His Strength was only B, his Endurance only A, and his Agility merely B. After all, Tohsaka Mina's magecraft was limited. A casually acquired catalyst, a hastily arranged summoning circle, accidentally missing the point when the Leyline was most active—such things all affected a Heroic Spirit's parameters.
But on the Chinese mainland, with the powerful reinforcement of his fame, Lu Bu became an outstanding Heroic Spirit with Strength A, Endurance A+, and Agility A. And when Lu Bu mounted Red Hare, the impression all Chinese people held of him became the strongest reinforcement. The bond between man and horse became the most powerful enhancement effect. What appeared before everyone then was the strongest cavalryman, with Strength, Endurance, and Agility all at A+++, nearly at the limit.
Rather than saying Red Hare was the Noble Phantasm, it would be more accurate to say that the Noble Phantasm was every person living on the Chinese mainland's understanding of Lu Bu and Red Hare. The united recognition of countless people allowed the Servant, who had been heavily restricted by his Master, to ride once more under the name Flying General.
Moreover, though both enhanced personal combat power, Among Men, Lu Bu; Among Horses, Red Hare was still different from Mad Enhancement. The greatest difference was that Mad Enhancement strengthened combat ability by stripping away reason. At Mad Enhancement EX, one was basically incapable of thought.
But
Lu Bu was different.
Not only were all his abilities reinforced, he also retained his reason. The strongest cavalryman who had ridden across the Chinese mainland and left behind tales of his valor during the turbulent end of the Han dynasty still possessed his incomparably refined mounted combat techniques.
Terrifying indeed.
That was why, despite Lu Bu's immense strength, Leonidas could contend with him and even throw him aside after he dismounted. It was also why Lu Bu would never willingly get off Red Hare.
The powerful enhancement of man and horse as one existed only while he was mounted. Once Lu Bu dismounted and lost the Noble Phantasm's reinforcement, he simply could not fight Leonidas, who only grew stronger as he was injured.
However, after their coordinated fourfold attack, Lu Bu mounted his beloved horse once more. With all his abilities reinforced, Lu Bu felt magical energy surging through every blood vessel, powerful energy so dense it seemed almost tangible to the naked eye.
Don't blame me, warrior. For people like us, fighting with everything we have is the greatest pleasure, isn't it?
Therefore... carry that joy of battle with you and die! Die on the battlefield you love!
Lu Bu chuckled softly. Suddenly, he felt his mood boiling along with the torrent of magical energy.
How long had it been since he had felt this fired up?
Lu Bu could not remember. As his fame had spread, there had been fewer and fewer enemies able to stand alongside him, fewer and fewer willing to confront him head-on. Even when there were, they always came at him in groups...
Really... I don't know what this Holy Grail thing is, but... being able to ride across the battlefield again—this feels damn good!
He spurred his warhorse onward, refusing to let a single chance slip away. The Flying General, man and horse as one, charged at Leonidas in midair.
For such an outstanding warrior, showing mercy would be far too disrespectful. Fighting with everything he had, killing, conquering, crushing, trampling... that was the proper way to pay tribute to a valiant warrior.
One crimson cloak flew backward, while one crimson rider pursued it wildly. The gleaming silver painted halberd dragged a frigid trail of light through the night sky.
He was about to catch up!
As Red Hare rose and fell at high speed, constantly leaping across the glacier, Lu Bu rejoiced inwardly. Borrowing the force of his charge, he thrust the painted halberd forward as far as he could. Unfortunately, Red Hare's impact had been too powerful. Before being struck, Leonidas had jumped in advance, and his entire body had been sent flying. Propelled by that tremendous force, he had briefly moved even faster than Red Hare! Lu Bu had pursued him for more than ten seconds before finally catching up!
Suddenly, Leonidas, who had been sent flying, raised his head!
Beneath the disheveled crimson cloak was a pair of resolute eyes that refused to yield! It was a strange expression, blending fury and reason.
The corner of his mouth rose.
It was a smile.
A completely fearless smile, clean and pure.
This man! Could he be—
The moment Lu Bu saw that look in his eyes, he knew this big man had not given up fighting!
He—he was definitely looking for a chance to turn things around!
What—what was he planning to do?!
Could it be?! Was he going to pull some trick right under Lu Bu's nose again?!
Considering what he had done before, Lu Bu did not dare underestimate this big man's intelligence.
He definitely had some scheme in mind!
Leonidas spun around in midair. His crimson cloak whipped through the air with a sharp tearing sound as his powerful legs kicked with all their strength at a piece of floating ice within reach beneath him!
Thud! One end of the ice took the force, and naturally, according to the laws of physics, the other end along the diagonal rose high into the air!
Before Lu Bu, a wall of pure white ice rapidly rose up, cutting off his attack route!
A shield!
The Spartan, proficient in the art of the shield, had turned the ice beneath his landing point into a massive wall-shield!
Even after being caught off guard and sent flying, Leonidas had not let his fighting spirit cloud his mind. Even as he flew backward, he had continued watching the terrain around him!
With that full-force kick, the shield of ice spun out. Accompanied by the crashing sound of the river being broken apart, the ice shield, spraying countless droplets, protected Leonidas's body!
At the same time, it blocked Lu Bu's line of sight!
Lu Bu understood best how deadly it was to have one's vision cut off! He had used this very method to ambush Leonidas once before!
If he recklessly charged forward, the most likely outcome would be a spear thrust from Leonidas as he burst through the ice!
Tch!
Lu Bu clicked his tongue in displeasure. What a tenacious opponent... In all fairness, it was the first time Lu Bu had encountered such a stubborn enemy.
However...
"Aren't there plenty of ways to break it?!"
Lu Bu laughed wildly. No communication was needed. Their perfect coordination allowed Red Hare to instantly understand Lu Bu's intent, and its sturdy four hooves stepped onto the raised back side of the ice wall!
If he wanted to raise an ice wall... then Lu Bu only needed to push along the direction of its movement to flip the ice over three hundred and sixty degrees!
Then it would not be Lu Bu whose vision was blocked. Leonidas would be crushed into the river beneath the ice!
"The battle has turned around, Lancer!!"
Splash!
The only response was the heavy sound of the ice falling into the water, along with crimson blood slowly spreading through the river.
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