As if he was used to something like that, Artheim made his body spin, and when he got the chance, he punched the ground. While his hand was touching it, his speed decreased almost instantly. However, Luke wouldn’t let things go his way, so he charged while using Stinger. In the end, Artheim reacted on time to grab the Blade with his other hand, but it didn’t stop it. Not to mention, it began to cut his hand. That was kind of freaky, so Luke didn’t have any other choice but to retreat a little. However, he soon returned and moved forward.

Luke pulled his sword away, and then he used Heavy Strike. Against someone that troublesome, he would need to use all his cards. Luke focused on speed and attacked many times. While Artheim blocked all of them, he still could feel his endurance decreasing as the wounds increased in size. Fortunately, he stopped moving just at the right time and punched the space in front of him. Luke blocked the blast with his sword, but he still was punched backwater for dozens of meters, and that gave the enemy the chance to recover. Luke clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he soon forgot about it. He didn’t have time to waste like that.

When Luke charged again, Artheim put his feet on the ground and strengthened his stance. So, when Luke’s katana almost pierced his neck, he grabbed it with all his might and tried to break it. As for Luke, he let go of his sword and used Fury Punches alongside Heavy strike. Even before he could do what he wanted, Artheim saw his endurance reaching dangerous levels and his health decreasing as well. In the end, he just threw the sword toward Luke’s left eye and forced him to stop. Once that happened, Artheim began to move in the opposite direction. He knew that the debuff wouldn’t work for long, after all.

"A strategic retreat, huh... how annoying," Luke said and then chased the enemy.

To make sure that the effects of the debuff wouldn’t end, Luke threw some earth spears toward Artheim while using Heavy Strike, but he easily dodged them. He even dodged the ones that Luke threw by activating Weapon Manipulation. It was because of the distance between them... Luke was certain that he was faster now, but Artheim could increase his speed by kicking the ground with all his might. As a result of that, he could cross hundreds of meters in a single instant while leaving craters on the places he stepped...

In the end, as soon as he felt that the effects of the debuff had ended, Artheim stopped running and prepared to face Luke. That hadn’t been wise, though. Thinking that Luke only had a single weapon now that their status was more or less equal, Artheim was blown away when he used Stinger and Stunning Blow. The combined attacks pushed him backward for dozens of meters, but he still didn’t move his feet from the ground. He used his arm to block the strike, and the blade pierced quite deeply, but the wound closed in a matter of seconds. Even if he had made himself as strong physically as that guy, there was still that healing speed, which was insane.

"Small wounds won’t do it... I have to cut him down as fast as possible as well," Luke thought. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

After thinking for a short while, Luke came up with a decent plan, at least in his head seemed decent. So, he decided to put it into action. He dashed and then used Stinger, and when the enemy punched the air to get him, an explosion happened when both attacks collided. However, Luke ignored the wounds that he got and jumped over the curtain of dust, and then he used Stinger again.

Luke fell and moved toward the enemy in a diagonal, and since the enemy didn’t think he would get rid of his footing, he was caught off guard and grabbed the weapon with the Palm of both hands. The attack was that much weaker, after all. Still, Luke used Stinger, again, again, and again. Until he began to push the enemy backward. Artheim’s hands were getting wounded and dirt with blood, and thanks to that, they lost their powerful grip a bit. Luke used that chance to use Stinger alongside Heavy Strike several times in a row. Artheim didn’t have time to respond to that, and he eventually was forced to let go of the katana, and then it pierced his left shoulder. Luke tried to push the sword down and cut the enemy’s heart but then got kicked in the stomach and sent flying in the opposite direction.

Luke soon fell and then charged at the enemy again, but then he was forced to stop when a powerful blast flew toward him. He moved to the side with all his might, and then a mountain nearby had its peak destroyed.

Artheim was finally fighting seriously, and while that first attack sent shivers down Luke’s spine, he smirked in the end. He pushed the enemy to do that much, so he achieved almost all his goals. He just had to kill him next.

Still, attacking the enemy was hard since Artheim kept firing those mountain-destroying punches one after the other. He could only sidestep in order to dodge them. There was no other, at least normal, option. Luke still had his last card, but that definitely would reveal his powers to the enemy, so he could use it only once.

Luke was running out of time due to the usage of his mana, so he had to make a choice... In the end, he decided to keep his last card hidden and used all of his remaining mana on his katana before he charged toward the red giant. As if he had liked the challenge, Artheim smiled. That was a contest of guts and brute strength that he liked.