Frank didn’t drop his guard, but he still had a hard time following Luke when he charged toward him. Luke launched a rain of punches and he could only move his arms and block his vitals. The flesh of his arms was being ripped apart thanks to claws that Luke was using, but he still ignored all that and the pain. Once again, Luke confirmed that Frank obtained a lot of experience in the last year if he could do that. Luke would jump and pull the hair of the enemy’s head if they tried to attack him like that.

"It can’t be helped..." Frank said and then used magic to increase his speed.

In the next moment, Frank began to dodge Luke’s attacks with ease, he was faster than the wind and more brutal than lightning since he also delivered a counter whenever Luke missed. After just five punches, Luke stumbled. Frank used that chance to grab and smash his neck, but then he jumped backward when he suddenly saw Luke moving his arms as if he was trying to counterattack. In the end, Frank frowned since Luke stopped soon after, and only after several seconds he woke up from his stupor. He probably had reacted following his instincts instead of for some other reason... Luke clicked his tongue in annoyance when he realized what happened. He knew that things wouldn’t be easy, but in the end, Frank surpassed all of his expectations.

"Shit, he can buff his speed and probably his other parameters... It must be at a level even higher than Shalia’s," Luke thought since his mind cleared a little.

Letting the blood rush to his head might work a little, but it will leave him wide open for that kind of counterattack. Luke knew that attacking Frank without a proper plan would be stupid, and he was regretting that a little bit now. Still, he could come up with a plan in the middle of the battle, it wasn’t like that never happened before. He just needed some more intel regarding the enemy’s fighting style.

In any case, Frank moved to attack Luke and he used all his buffs as well. While they weren’t doing much now, he assumed that they would level up quite fast while facing someone that strong. Regardless, Luke predicted a kick on his stomach and moved his arms to block it. While he succeeded, the bones of his arms cracked a little bit while he was pushed backward. He was reminded why feels people in martial arts are crazy enough to try to block a kick with their arms. That was pretty much insanity. Even just a few kicks would be enough to split bones in two easily.

Before Luke could stop, Frank attacked again and this time he tried to hit Luke’s back with his knee. In the end, Luke dodged that by using Checkpoint. While he returned to his starting point, Luke wondered if his focus could make him heal from a damaged spine. It wasn’t a good idea to test it, though. Regardless, things were improving for him as well, he just needed to endure for a while longer.

The skill Strength Support has leveled up.

You obtained 05 status points.

The skill Speed Support has leveled up.

You obtained 05 status points.

...

As expected, the spells were leveling up fast, so Luke decided to buy some time in order to get some more status points. When Frank charged at him again, he welcomed him by making some Earth bullers fall on his hand and then he used weapon Augmentation. The impact of the attacks slowed and also left some wounds on his arms.

For a moment, Frank stopped to check them... That kind of power, and so fast... It surprised him more than a little bit. While Frank hesitated, Luke made more Earth bullets appear on his hands. Their firepower was quite big since they were sturdy and heavier, and because the skill damage was determined to his strength.

Luke didn’t want to rely on Weapon Augmentation, but since he wasn’t using it to finish off the enemy, he felt that it was fine. Regardless, Frank tried to approach while sidestepping, but much to his surprise, Luke kept hitting him and prevented him from approaching. He was supposed to be faster, at least two times and yet, Luke somehow could predict his moves and react to them. Even Luke was a bit surprised, but in the end, it was only natural. There wasn’t anyone on Earth who had more experience at fighting enemies much stronger or faster than him, after all.

"You are not half bad, I can see why Wivern planned to use you," Frank said.

Once again, Luke felt his vision getting cloudy, but in the end, after a deep breath, he got his cool back. There was no point in falling for the enemy’s obvious taunts. Regardless, Frank sighed in disappointment and dashed toward Luke. However, he did in a straight line and when Luke fired the bullets, they stopped midway. Before he could understand what had happened, he got punched in the stomach.

"Fucking Mana Shield..." Luke thought while was sent flying to the distance.

He didn’t know if Frank canceled the spell or not when he attacked, but either way. Surpassing that defense will be hard. It seemed that Frank had confidence in his mana pool, after all. Considering that he didn’t use any weapons or offensive magic, it was pretty clear that he used his mana only for support.

Frank charged again and this time, Luke had a sudden wave of inspiration. He didn’t even had planned to do that, Luke just reacted without thinking. He used Mana Manipulation and increased the output of Speed Suport many times, it was what Rina could do, but she never explained how she could increase the output of the skill beyond its limits. Nevertheless, Luke saw Frank approaching clearly and his Mana Shield disappearing in the moment of the attack.