Lancer was undoubtedly not a talkative person. In fact, his silent killing on the battlefield was a catalyst for his frightening reputation. After all, if a person acts in an overly exaggerated manner, most people will only think of them as a simple murderer. But Lancer silent but efficient killing efficiency was chilling, and the same was true at this time.
Because of Lancer arrival, the blue-haired girl's originally excited expression gradually returned to normal, but at the same time, a fierce fighting intent erupted from her body. This extremely exaggerated fighting intent also greatly surprised Lancer, and at the same time, he crouched lower and lower, trying his best to protect himself behind his shield.
"Ooh ooh ooh!! I never expected a 'challenger' to appear!! This is a very rare sight in the coliseum!! Let me introduce who today's 'challenger' is!! That's right! I think all of you in the audience should have already recognized him! This man in a cloak and silver armor is the colonel of the Imperial Guards, one of The Emperor's personal guards——————Lancer!! He earned the title of 'One Hundred Killer' the first time he went to the border army a year ago! A man who is called 'the devil' in the local language by the foreign races in the west!!"
There was no doubt that Esdeath's provocation was completely unexpected by the host, and Lancer sudden entry was also unexpected. But fortunately, the other party was still 'clever'. Almost as soon as Lancer entered, he picked up the microphone and started 'publicizing'. And luckily, no one paid attention to these 'small details'. Instead, they were excited about the Imperial colonel's appearance. The cheers came one after another, and the entire coliseum was immersed in a sea of cheers.
And it was at this time that the Imperial Emperor walked over to him and took the microphone.
"I have watched today's martial arts tournament with great excitement, and it has even brought back memories of my youth with General Budo. As a reward, I have also granted this girl's request. Her opponent will be my personal guard. However, considering that she has just gone through a battle, let's limit this match to ten minutes, shall we? I believe that both Lord Lancer and this girl will be able to present an excellent battle for everyone!"
The emperor's public speech at a martial arts tournament undoubtedly caused a collective climax among the Imperial citizens below. The fervent atmosphere surged again, and it wasn't until the emperor continuously waved his hand down that it gradually quieted down. He then handed the microphone to the host.
And the host, who took the microphone from the emperor's hand, was bewildered for two seconds before he returned to normal.
"Ahem~! My apologies, everyone. Now, let the combat begin!!"
With his loud shout, the battle officially began, and the scene of the two sides confronting each other in the arena was not completely unexpected by everyone, given the 'precedent' before.
However, Lancer, who was holding a lance, didn't think so.
There was no doubt that the opponent's 'provocation' before had made the emperor a bit unhappy, which was why he had Lancer come down to 'show off a bit'. But now, he also seemed to have realized that he couldn't be sure that Lancer would definitely win, so he simply gave Lancer a way out.
Although he didn't know Lancer specific strength (they hadn't seen each other in a year), seeing Lancer holding a shield, it was clear that he was very good at defense. As long as Lancer could defend without any flaws, then he could manipulate public opinion afterward, with statements like 'the Imperial colonel was unwilling to make a move on a girl and insisted on defending without retaliating' or 'the enemy was exhausted to death without him even lifting a finger'.
There was no doubt that the other party's plan was very good, but Lancer had a feeling that he was being underestimated.
He hadn't heard the opponent's name clearly on the platform before because the introduction was already over, and the host had been referring to the other party as the 'foreign race girl'. So Lancer couldn't be sure, but looking at the blue-haired girl who was still a bit young, he was almost certain of her identity: Esdeath.
This girl, who seemed to be about the same age as Najenda... or even younger, was the extremely conflicted 'queen' in the original work.
She herself had a reputation in the military that was no less than that of General Budo, but at the same time, Lancer hated her twisted personality.
He couldn't understand the idea of a strong person abusing the weak.
But no matter what the other party's personality was, at least she hadn't reached her peak yet, and what about Lancer? Not only did he have a Teigu, but the fighting on the battlefield for that year was not fake. The reason he had returned to the Imperial Capital was because he had gained 'confidence'.
If Esdeath was still moving toward her peak at this time, then Lancer was already standing at the top of a mountain, looking down at the other party.
"Bang~!"
Amidst everyone's unbelievable gazes, Lancer forcefully thrust the shield in his hand into the ground, and at the same time, he unfastened the cloak on his body and placed it directly on the shield.
This sudden action caused the cheers below to surge. At the same time, a 'smile' appeared on Esdeath's face, which had been serious before.
It's just that the future 'queen's' smile was perfect, but there was not a trace of a genuine smile in it. Even her eyes were as cold as the snowy mountains of her hometown.
Almost as soon as Lancer had his posture ready again, the furious Esdeath launched a preemptive attack without hesitation. It wasn't that she was dominated by anger and had lost her self-control; it was because she knew that when dealing with this kind of giant weapon, as long as she got close, victory would be hers.
But would Lancer be so easily taken by her?
"Bang!!"
The huge crashing sound even caused the loud cheers to stop for a moment. Everyone looked in disbelief at the torn-up ground and Lancer, who was holding a lance and wearing a strange mask. The specially treated ground had actually been hit with a deep pit with a radius of over 3 meters that spread out from Lancer strike. And Esdeath herself had to stop for a moment because of the uneven ground in front of her.
But Lancer, who had the upper hand, wouldn't just let his opponent go.
"Huff~!"
Lancer, who was holding the lance with both hands and standing sideways, forcefully pushed his hand forward, and the lance in his hand, carrying the force of the wind and thunder, thrust toward Esdeath. And Esdeath, who had to regain her posture after the previous strike, also hurriedly swung her sword to block.
But the moment their weapons clashed, her face changed drastically.
"Crack~!"
"Bang~!!"
The longsword in her hand immediately broke, and she herself was sent flying!
"Ooh ooh ooh!!"
Cheers immediately erupted from all around, but what was surprising was that Lancer didn't pursue?
The bewildered onlookers attributed this to 'Lancer chivalry', but what was the reality?
Lancer previous strike was not a real attack. His lance didn't even have the feel of hitting the enemy. The reason Esdeath was sent flying was her own 'doing'; she had dodged it in advance!
There was no doubt that although she looked disheveled at this time, in reality, she wasn't seriously injured, and Lancer also noticed the 'whip' that had appeared in her hand at some point. There was no doubt that Esdeath hadn't given up because of a temporary setback!