Without giving Nero a moment of respite, Lucas rushed at his kneeling figure with his spear pointed at the fallen swordsman.
However, Nero was already up on his feet in the next second. Before Lucas could back down or even think to change his approach, Nero advanced at him.
Realizing he couldn't avoid a head-on confrontation with the protagonist anymore, Lucas once again readied himself to cross blades with Nero.
In the blink of an eye, Nero blurred out in thin air and reappeared right in front of Lucas.
Lucas could only widen his eyes as Nero clutched his sword in the reverse grip, and attempted to bash the pommel of his sword into the young Morningstar's solar plexus with enough force to destroy a small boulder.
However, if the torturous months of rigorous training with Leo had taught one thing to Lucas, it was that protecting his solar plexus takes priority above all else, as it houses his mana core.