- NO CHOICE

The instant Leonel's greeting fell, so too did his spear.

Mikael's expression changed, reacting quickly. He was a veteran of battle after all. And, as far as he was concerned, Leonel challenging him on foot while he sat atop his horse was one of the most foolish decisions he could have ever made.

Mikael pulled at his reins, pulling a massive hammer from his back and using the momentum of his horse reeling back and stamping down to swing with all his might.

But, as though he had seen through Mikael's ploy from the very beginning, the trajectory of Leonel's spear had already shifted, its long, flexible body snapping in the air at a flick of his wrist and shooting through to the steed's falling throat like a meteor.

With how things were now, the momentum of the horse's stomp would only help Leonel sheer apart its throat. In fact, its current situation was no different to have jumped into the air for an attack despite the fact its back hooves were still on the ground. There was no way for it to change its trajectory.

However, even Leonel was surprised by the result.

"Sturdy."

As though enveloped by a holy light, man and beast accepted a pillar of blessings from above.

In that instant, Leonel's spear reached the black steed's throat, prepared to sheer it apart completely. But, what he actually found was a sturdy steel wall.

Leonel's brows shut up. With swift steps he retreated. holds © this.

The heavy swing of Mikael's hammer left his hair whipping about, his clothes even threatening to shatter beneath the wind pressure alone. The shave had been so close that Leonel could see the hammer's body pass a mere centimeter from the tip of his nose.

Leonel didn't panic. He felt that that was at best a temporary invulnerability. There was no way an ability could so casually block such a strong strike from him. The issue wasn't just how strong his strike had been, but also the quality of his weapon.

There was no way for a Quasi Bronze weapon to be so easily dealt with by a barrier. The most logical explanation that this was a temporary matter. The amount of energy it would take to sustain such a thing would be too great.

And, Leonel was exactly right. He analyzed the situation perfectly.

The instant Mikael's swing missed, he had already shot forward again, pressing forward knowing that such a heavy weapon couldn't be recovered so easily.

The follow through of Mikael's swing didn't throw him off balance, but he was definitely in no position to attack right this second.

In that split moment, Leonel's spear struck out a dozen times in the blink of an eyes, an explosion of [Meteoric Impact]'s raining down on the steed and Mikael.

As though crimson roses were blooming in skies, they opened up a current of red and black, covering the duo whole.

It looked as though no one could survive such a thing, but Leonel still explosively retreated the moment he finished. And, it was exactly at that moment that Mikael and his steed leapt out from the flames, flames licking at their armor but ultimately leaving them unscatched.

Mikael raised his hammer to the sky, roaring with all his might. For a moment, it seemed as though his mighty shout would collapse the sparse forest around them.

All around him, his men were falling like flies. He couldn't do anything about the archers sniping them down even though he had crossed to the other side of the river, nor could he do anything about the surging army pincering them from the back, at least not directly. But, that didn't mean that he would take this lying down.

"I am a Titled Knight of His Majesty Alexandre the Apex! I am Mikael the Sturdy! I have Legs of Iron! Arms of Steel! And a Heart of Stone! My defenses are Eternal!"

Mikael's army roared to match his words. "ETERNAL!"

Shimmering pillars of light descended upon the whole army. Each and every man seemed to gain immunity for a moment. Some used it as an opportunity to charge across the river, others turned back, facing the enemies toward their back line.

Leonel's eyes narrowed. 'It seems that though the invulnerability was indeed temporary, I underestimated the buff to their defense.'

Leonel couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This buff from just a single Title Knight under Alexandre was already enough to put his Metal Body to shame. What a fascinating ability indeed. If this was what the Sturdy title could do, what exactly did Apex do?

Leonel didn't realize it, but for some reason he was eager to see.

Dodging swiftly backward, Leonel nimbly leapt out of the way of Mikael's swinging hammer. The Titled Knight left absolute devastation in his wake, chasing after Leonel with an undying fervor.

Every time Leonel's spear snaked outward, making contact, he would barely pierce a centimeter or two of flesh, resulting in what was nothing more than superficial wounds to a man and beast so powerful.

The worst part was that Sturdy seemed to have an exceptionally high Elemental resistance. Even with a perfectly timed [Meteoric Impact], the damage was nothing more than a bit of charred skin.

Leonel had a feeling that this wasn't just about the sturdy ability, but was definitely related to the armors Mikael and his horse were wearing. He had been intrigued by it ever since he saw that fat man at Rollan and Elise's home. But, apparently, that had been nothing more than the tip of the iceberg.

Golden lights enveloped Leonel's body as he shifted from side to side. He slid with ease through the forest, and though the trees were as much as ten meters apart most of the time, Mikael was clearly not having as easy a time. For people moving as fast as the two of them, what was a ten meter distance worth? It felt like he was forced to circle around another every exchange.

However, Leonel likewise was making no headway. And, judging by Mikael's current battle style, he wasn't worried about a time limit for his ability either.

'… I guess there's no other choice…'