Lancer didn't know why the creature could absorb the energy produced by the death of Elder Dragons, nor did he know why it chose to do so. The only thing he knew was that this beautiful and dangerous dragon had displayed hostility toward him, and his choice was self-evident.
The moment he sensed the opponent's killing intent, Lancer struck without hesitation.
The blue dragon, looking like a literal work of art, initially didn't seem to think much of Lancer, who was far smaller than itself. But the moment Lancer closed the distance, it undoubtedly regretted its arrogance.
The terrifying killing intent contained within the surging blood aura caused the dragon to daze for a split second. The Elder Dragon energy gathering around it also stagnated for an instant, and that momentary lapse cost it the initiative.
「Hidden Technique · Fishman Triple Thrust」
Lancer had recently grown less fond of using the skills provided by the System. It wasn't because the skills were flawed, but because he preferred to wield his spear with his own will.
While these skills were powerful, no matter how hard Lancer worked, things that weren't his would never truly belong to him. Just like this move—no matter how much he practiced or imitated it, he would never match the Fishmen who struggled on the line between life and death every day.
High-level combat is often decided by a split-second opening. These moves, while powerful, naturally left openings that caused Lancer to gradually distance himself from them.
However, there was a prerequisite for that————the opponent had to be capable of catching his opening.
The massive blue dragon had clearly never fought a human before, nor had it ever fought a creature of Lancer's size. Usually, creatures of his stature would be frozen in fear just by looking at it.
Its lack of experience was Lancer's best opportunity.
As for giving up his advantage to duel the creature fairly?
Lancer had a tendency to become a battle maniac lately, but he certainly wasn't a masochist. Why should he give up his advantage? Why didn't the opponent just shrink a bit?
Furthermore, using this move now wasn't just for its high damage. As Lancer's strength increased, these moves—which lacked fixed damage and relied on the user's own power and agility—became even more potent. His primary goal, however, was to try and master them through real combat.
There was no need to use such moves against weak enemies; he wouldn't learn anything from them.
Against powerful foes, as mentioned, the openings were too obvious, and the gaps between strikes could lead to his downfall.
But this opponent—powerful enough to give him a massive sense of crisis, yet inexperienced enough to overlook his flaws—was the perfect "whetstone"!
Lancer's movement speed was already terrifying. At full sprint, an ordinary person couldn't even see his silhouette. But when using the 'Hidden Technique · Fishman Triple Thrust,' both his speed and power were further enhanced by the unique exertion method, albeit at the cost of excessive muscle strain.
He was, after all, a normal human and not a collection of data; the "stamina" consumed was reflected in his muscles.
He would release a skill and then maneuver, striking again once his muscles had relaxed.
Despite being a "Dragon of Dragons" that had absorbed the power of countless Elder Dragons, under Lancer's control, it was like a headless fly—snapping and clawing everywhere but unable to touch him.
Amidst its angry roars, it pounded the ground. The surroundings, once like a fairytale mirror-world, had long been reduced to ruins by its frantic attacks.
Yet, it still couldn't touch Lancer.
Lancer loved the saying, "I'll show you I can kill even a God," but to him, "As long as an enemy can be killed, he will never give up."
The enemy is stronger than him?
It doesn't matter, as long as he doesn't get hit.
The enemy is faster than him?
It doesn't matter, as long as he can catch up for a short burst to attack.
The enemy's defense is terrifying?
It doesn't matter. As long as he can deal damage—even a tiny amount—constant dripping wears away the stone.
The enemy's vitality is overflowing?
It doesn't matter. If one thrust isn't enough, then two. If two aren't enough, then three. As long as it's a living creature, it can be killed!
Even the blue dragon at the top of the ecosystem felt an emotion called "fear" for the first time under Lancer's frenzied assault.
Whoosh~!
It flapped its wings violently. This time, after taking off, it didn't launch an attack at Lancer but flew straight upward.
'The guy is trying to escape!'
Lancer, focused entirely, instantly sensed the opponent's intent.
'It's time to settle this.'
His eyes narrowed, and his legs coiled. Lancer became like a spring, waiting for the final moment of explosion.
Just as the dragon prepared to escape at all costs, Lancer's narrowed eyes snapped open————The moment is now!
BANG!!
With a roar, two small craters appeared in the ground, and his silhouette instantly appeared in mid-air. But————it wasn't enough!
Thwack!
Kicking off the right wall, he gained upward lift again.
Every time his momentum waned, he would adjust his body toward a wall and kick off it, detonating the power within his body to gain a new point of leverage.
This "extravagant" use of force granted him terrifying speed, briefly even exceeding the flight speed of the blue dragon.
The blue dragon, fleeing upward, never expected a figure to appear from below. By the time it noticed, it was too late.
"ROAARR!!"
A deterrent roar sent the red scarf around the neck of the rapidly approaching Lancer whipping about, but he and the spear in his hand remained rock-steady. Only as they drew close did it hear Lancer's voice.
"Thanks for the help, and goodbye————「Hidden Technique · Sure-Kill ———— Gáe Bolg」!"
The first thrust struck the wing. The second thrust struck the core in the chest. The third thrust struck the forehead.
The "Fishman Triple Thrust" feature that Lancer valued most was its "Luck" reversal. Lancer naturally couldn't learn that specific supernatural trait, but he interpreted it in his own way!
Find the flaw in the enemy's body, then strike it—that hit is guaranteed to be a "Critical Hit"!
Luck that has a 99% chance of failure? Then just turn it into 100%!
This was Lancer's way of changing his own "Luck"!
He never gambled on luck; in his eyes, there was only 100%!
"ROAARR!!"
Amidst the creature's wail of agony, the two of them—Lancer standing on the dragon's forehead with his spear gripped in both hands—fell toward the ground like a beautiful comet descending from the night sky...