Leonie's blade was swift and deadly, and Riku had to find a way to close the distance without exposing himself to her attacks.

Riku was forced to become a contortionist each time Leonie threw her blades. Hiding behind the pillars became fruitless and he was now the one on the run.

[Sheeeeing!]

One of the blades clashed with a bullet leaving Riku feeling more hopeless.

Not only couldn’t he close the distance but every shot he fired from this range only resulted in them being deflected.

Riku thought things were bad but things got even worse when Leonie took the initiative and started stepping forward.

Leonie gracefully moved between the pillars, her eyes keenly tracking Riku's movements. She seemed to anticipate his actions, always a step ahead. Riku had to admit, fighting against her was like dancing with the wind itself.

No matter how close he thought he was to actually touching her it was only a fleeting wish.

Riku realizing that if things continued like this he would be the one exhausted and defeated, he decided to act as well.

With a burst of speed, Riku emerged from his hiding spot, his pistols blazing as he fired a rapid succession of shots at Leonie. She deflected the bullets with her blade, her movements fluid and graceful. In response, she lunged forward, her blade slicing through the air with precision.

Riku's fingers danced over the triggers, his shots timed perfectly to keep Leonie at bay.

He utilized the dual pistols' rapid fire capability to create a wall of bullets that forced her to stay on the defensive. The temple ruins echoed with the symphony of gunfire and the ring of metal against metal.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Leonie skillfully parried Riku's shots, her blade moving with astonishing speed and accuracy. She weaved through the barrage of bullets, her movements almost like a dance, each step calculated to avoid getting hit. Riku watched in awe as she closed the distance between them, her blade aiming for his chest.

Reacting quickly, Riku somersaulted backward, firing his pistols while in mid-air. The bullets grazed Leonie's arm, causing her to flinch and lose her balance.

Taking advantage of the opening, Riku landed on his feet and dashed forward, his pistols blazing once again.

Leonie's blade met the bullets in a clash of metal and lead. Riku's pistols allowed him to maintain a rapid pace, firing from various angles and keeping Leonie on her toes. He shifted between shooting and dodging, his movements fluid and coordinated.

With a sharp spin, Riku deflected one of Leonie's strikes using one of his pistols to deflect the attack, creating an opening.

At point blank range Leonie became a little flustered but managed to make it in time to block the muzzle of the pistol. She had already anticipated Riku trying to fire this close.

To her surprise, Riku instantly emptied the entire clip at her sword that were blocking the point blank range attack.

Riku seized the opportunity and moved from shooting to a reverse elbow strike straight to Leonie’s jaw forcing her back.

But before she could recover an empty pistol was already thrown at her face with all of Riku’s strength.

Being hit with a double whammy left Leonie disoriented and dizzy.

Riku smirked seeing her wobble trying her best to hold onto consciousness.

[Bang!]

Instead of a bullet Leonie was hit dead center of her forehead with the other empty pistol.

Instantly she lost control of her feet and buckled over losing her consciousness.

The arena fell into silence as the nanomites completed their dispersion, the ruins of the temple fading away to reveal the concrete floor beneath. Riku looked at Leonie, who had collapsed.

[Winner is Riku! Leonie has been demoted to Rank 511th.]

[Leonie Richard Ranked 497th Vs Riku Sato has been promoted to Rank 497th]

As the announcement echoed through the arena, Riku felt a surge of emotions. He had faced formidable opponents and pushed his limits,

‘... Just one left…’

Riku smiled inwardly feeling that this wasn’t as hard as he thought.

He glanced at the stands, where Dante, Jose, and Nakita were cheering for him once again.

In the crowd from a distance a familiar youth could be seen leaving the arena in a fit of rage.

“You can’t depend on these imbeciles for anything!”

Laath spoke to himself as he stormed out running his hand through his own soft curly hair.

“I’ll take out that brat by myself then!”

The youth in his well worn uniform raised his chin in disdain as he left and whispered under his breath.

“Riku Sato… your days are numbered. That I can assure you.”