Whoosh!
Ryan quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the glaive.
From this single exchange alone, he realized that there was a huge gap between himself and Lucas in terms of pure weapon technique.
Ryan's saber technique could at most deflect force and create openings through timing, while Lucas could not only deflect an opponent's weapon but immediately turn that deflection into a counterattack.
In pure technique, Lucas was clearly far superior.
If Ryan's saber technique was at the beginner level, then Lucas's glaive technique was already at the intermediate or even advanced level.
Whoosh!
Lucas attacked again.
Ryan hurriedly raised his saber to block.
Clang!
The 2 weapons collided.
Ryan managed to stop the attack, but cold sweat had already appeared on his forehead.
Even though he had tried to overestimate Lucas's technique, he had still underestimated it.
Lucas was definitely the most skilled weapon user Ryan had personally fought so far.
"Such strong technique. Ryan was actually suppressed to this extent."
Beside them, Elias looked on in astonishment as he watched Ryan being completely suppressed by Lucas.
He was well aware of Ryan's saber technique, which was far superior to that of the other students in their class.
Yet even with such skill, Lucas still managed to suppress him completely, leaving him almost entirely on the defensive.
One could only imagine how terrifying Lucas's glaive technique was.
"Your friend is going to lose!"
Claire was not surprised by this scene.
She had seen too many people challenge Lucas only to be easily defeated by him.
Some of them were even top-ranked students from the higher years.
So she wasn't surprised that Ryan was currently in such a miserable situation against Lucas.
To her surprise, Elias shook his head slightly after hearing her words.
"Lose? You underestimate him!"
"Um?"
Claire immediately looked at Elias with a puzzled expression.
"Ryan is one of the strongest people in our class, so beating him won't be easy."
A slight smile appeared on Elias's face.
"Don't be fooled by his current disadvantageous and miserable situation; it's entirely because he's suppressing his strength."
"Suppressed strength?"
"Yes, he probably wanted to hone his saber technique with Lucas, so he deliberately suppressed his strength. A few days ago, when he fought with Damian, the strongest in our class, he was much stronger than he is now."
"Really?"
Claire's beautiful eyebrows curved slightly, and her gaze toward Elias was clearly filled with disbelief.
Just as Elias was about to continue explaining, a change occurred in Ryan, who was in the middle of the battle.
Whoosh!
Ryan's movements remained the same, but his speed suddenly increased.
His saber shot forward far faster than before and met Lucas's glaive head-on.
Clang!
For the first time since the beginning of the spar, Lucas's attack was completely blocked.
Ryan had stopped suppressing his physical ability.
Although Lucas's technique remained superior, Ryan's greater speed and strength allowed him to intercept the glaive before Lucas could fully change his attack.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The 2 exchanged several more attacks.
This time, Lucas's glaive was repeatedly blocked by Ryan, and Ryan even seemed to be gradually gaining the upper hand.
"Your friend is indeed very strong."
Upon seeing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Claire's face.
This was the first time she had met someone around Lucas's age who could suppress him through sheer physical ability despite being inferior in technique.
"But defeating Lucas won't be that simple!"
After her initial surprise, Claire smiled mysteriously.
Although Ryan was very strong after revealing his true strength, she still did not think he had a chance of winning.
Just as Ryan had been hiding something, so too had Lucas.
Based on her understanding of Lucas, this was by no means his strongest technique.
"It's not that simple?"
This time it was Elias's turn to look puzzled.
He had thought that once Ryan stopped suppressing his strength, he would be able to completely suppress Lucas.
But he never expected to hear such words from his cousin.
He really couldn't understand why Claire had so much confidence in Lucas.
Did she truly understand Lucas's glaive technique that well, or was it simply blind admiration?
"Snort."
Noticing her cousin's suspicious gaze, Claire gave a soft snort and said,
"Just watch, he should be using that technique soon!"
After saying that, she ignored Elias completely.
Elias touched his nose, gave a wry smile, and turned his gaze back toward Ryan and Lucas.
This time, he focused more carefully on Lucas.
Only then did he notice something unusual.
Logically speaking, Lucas, who was now being suppressed by Ryan, should have shown some emotion.
Yet Lucas's expression remained calm from beginning to end.
Even when Ryan repeatedly blocked his glaive and began gaining the upper hand, Lucas's expression barely changed.
This was definitely not normal.
Such composure was completely unlike that of someone who believed he was losing.
Moreover, Elias vaguely sensed that the fighting spirit in Lucas's eyes was actually becoming stronger.
"That's what makes it interesting."
Suddenly, Lucas, who had been pushed onto the defensive, spoke.
To Elias, the words seemed inexplicable.
But he didn't remain confused for long.
Almost in the next instant, he understood.
Whoosh!
Lucas suddenly changed his technique.
His glaive thrust forward.
The speed wasn't noticeably faster than before.
Yet Ryan's expression changed drastically.
He had clearly moved his saber to intercept the attack, but Lucas's glaive somehow slipped directly through the opening in his defense.
For an instant, it was almost as if the weapon Ryan had tried to block was merely a reflection in water rather than something solid.
Whoosh!
Ryan immediately abandoned his own attack and retreated.
The glaive passed in front of him.
Even though the exchange had happened quickly, cold sweat appeared on Ryan's forehead.
Lucas's attack had not become faster.
Its power had not suddenly increased either.
Yet it had become far more difficult to defend against.
"It actually worked."
Upon seeing this, amazement flashed through Claire's eyes.
Although it wasn't the first time she had seen this technique, she still couldn't help but marvel at it.
She had once watched Lucas defeat a higher-year student whose physical strength was clearly superior to his using this exact technique.
This was why, even after seeing Ryan gain the upper hand through superior physical ability, she had still believed Lucas could win.
"What kind of glaive technique is this?"
Elias's eyes widened.
He couldn't understand what he had just seen.
Ryan's saber had clearly moved to block the attack, yet Lucas's glaive had somehow passed through his defense as though the interception hadn't existed.
At this moment, even Elias couldn't help but doubt Ryan.
Could Ryan really win against such a strange technique?