[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/271031448755109888/452429537993818112/AchBanner.png[/img]
[h2]’Lancer Prime’[/h2]
[h3][i]Crash Site, Einzbern Forest[/i][/h3][/center]

[i]’Got it.’[/i]

He replied to the order from the mental link as an afterthought, too lost in the midst of battle to care. Normally, he would have been annoyed, but his mood soared sky-high, given the circumstances.

“An endurance type, huh? Guess this could take very long at this rate.” Lancer Prime joked still, even as his spear seemingly failed to completely take the enemy’s hand as he had intended.

Just as he had surmised, the armor worn by the black swordsman before him was, while not on the level of his own, still a treasured artifact that offered the one who wore it a measure of ‘invincibility’, though he had yet to determine the full extent of it. It had not entirely blocked attack, judging by the dropped blade, but between it and the abilities of his opponent, it had certainly been reduced enough to not to completely disable his hand.

Annoying, but informative nonetheless. He would not have been so rushed to cover his head and neck with the shield if it was a characteristic of his ‘body’, so that ruled out some other individuals that were closer in nature to Lancer Prime.

“I see you have me at a disadvantage, Saber — I guess such is the curse of being so famous. Can’t say I’ve figured you out just yet, though.” The smirk that wormed its way into his face clearly gave away the true implication behind the statement.

What did it matter if he knew? He would not shy away from combat just because his weakness had been discovered by the enemy. He angled his body slightly — only turned slightly sideways, just a touch shy of facing Saber completely head-on.

The grip his enemy had on his spear was not something he could break — Saber had displayed the skill [i]Mana Burst[/i], and his natural Strength was first-class. Wasting time attempting to wrest it away from his grip was not the answer, so he did the next most natural thing.

[center]“Hold onto this for me for just a second, will you?”[/center]

He let go.

It was stupid — He had just made an attack to disable Saber’s sword, and now he was forfeiting the advantage just like that?!

Of course not. To begin with, he was not some one-trick-pony that could only do a single thing — though he had not been (would never be) a match for that great hero of his land, Lancer Prime was still a natural-born warrior that had studied under the great sage, and had absorbed all the knowledge Chiron had to impart to the point of becoming his second-best pupil.

His ‘talents’ did not lie in ‘spearmanship’ alone. They lied in ‘all the skills necessary for a hero’. And that included. . .

[center][i]”Identify the opponent’s weakness, advance, and then be sure to crush it. That is—” [/i][/center]

—The core, right, Teacher? 

Without wasting an instant, Lancer Prime surged forward to meet Saber, knees bent slightly, his eyes darting toward the shield that sought to smash against his head — he ducked, minutely, as his now freed hands moved toward his enemy. 

One sought to grip the opponent’s arm, the other sped toward Saber’s abdomen. Without wasting any time, he shifted once more, rotating and — 

[center][i]”Remember that you are not limited to your muscles alone. Invite the opponents themselves to fail.”[/i][/center]

Using the momentum Saber had put into his blow against him, in conjunction with his legs, arms and back to execute the [i]picture-perfect[/i] throw and then, once Saber was on the ground, he would follow up with a lightning-quick punch to the unprotected face, seeking to interrupt the flow of action Rider had commenced wholesale— 

[center][i]”Most importantly, never let anyone else dictate the terms of the engagement, Achilles.”[/i][/center]

—And he would use all he had learned to achieve it. 

[i]Pankration.[/i] — the hand-to-hand combat art his teacher had passed down to him, invented by his senior disciple alongside the slayer of the Minotaur, the two men that had already been legends by the time Lancer Prime — Achilles —  was just a boy.

Furthermore, Lancer Prime was also one of those rare great heroes that displayed the Skill, [i]Bravery[/i] at the highest Rank, an attribute he shared with [i]that man[/i]. If Saber sought to challenge him in hand to hand, he would be sure to rise to the occasion. 

Of course, his enemy’s specs and abilities were still noteworthy even without the added defense of the armor, but he thought it would grant him enough of a window to retrieve his weapon and create some distance.

Most likely, he would obey his Master and leave. It was still too early and there were far from enough witnesses to the duel to kill such a magnificent enemy — it would be a shame.

In that regard, this was the childish streak of the great sprinter showing itself once more — he would spare an enemy solely because it would be more dramatic to face him later.

[@Cu Chulainn] [@Phonic]