Double Leo Duo vs. Riyao

Before the fight even started, Riyao sneezed again.

Achoo!

He rubbed his nose hard, narrowed his eyes, and glanced at Gray and Leo opposite him.

"Oh, so you dare to curse!"

Gray and Leo didn't want to talk anymore. They looked at each other and sighed at the same time.

Don't you know whether you insulted them or not?

Leo decided to stop wasting time, pushed off with his feet, and charged forward.

Before Riyao transforms, let's quickly unleash our attacks, otherwise, once it switches forms, we'll have even less of a chance to fight.

[Lion Brilliance]

Leo's entire body glowed, golden light bursting from every inch of his skin, instantly filling the entire cave with a wide-ranging burst of intense light.

Riyao raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare, squinting as the light stung them.

"This guy's light is really bright."

[Regulus]

Leo imbued his hands with the Regulus, golden light condensing on his fists as he lunged forward, launching a fierce attack on Riyao.

As Celestial Spirit who has lived for countless years, Leo's fighting skills are far superior to Riyao's.

His punches were delivered at tricky angles, each strike hitting Riyao's joints, wrists, elbows, and shoulders with pinpoint accuracy.

This left Riyao unable to exert its full strength, and every attempt to counterattack was interrupted, putting it at a disadvantage for a time.

Gray clasped his hands together, magic gathering in his palms, to provide cover for Leo from a distance.

[Ice-Make - Rain of Pear Blossoms]

A large number of tiny ice needles shot out from Gray's palm, blocking Riyao's retreat.

"Fine, you're using the moves I taught you against me? That's going too far."

While parrying Leo's punches, Riyao also had time to make sarcastic remarks.

"Hehe, this is just for you to check the results."

Gray smirked and added another batch of ice needles.

[Life Mimicry - Celestial Spirit]

Riyao's magic erupted, and her long golden hair gradually turned pink, changing color in the blink of an eye.

His pupils turned a deep blue, and stars seemed to shimmer within them, as if a starry sky were twinkling deep within his pupils.

Gray's heart tightened, and his palms began to sweat.

Riyao stomped his foot.

The ground instantly cracked open, and waves of earth surged up, spreading outwards from the feet of the Riyao, causing the entire cave floor to churn.

Leo jumped backward several times, his body flipping in the air, dodging the impact of the earth wave.

[Ice-Make - Ice Geyser]

Gray pressed his hands to the ground, channeling frost magic into the earth, and a wave of ice erupted from the ground, colliding with the earth wave.

Boom!

Ice and earth collided in the air, kicking up a thick cloud of dust that obscured visibility.

The Lion King's Radiance

Using the smoke and dust as cover, Leo circled behind Riyao, his feet moving silently. His right hand blazed with light, golden rays coalescing into a giant lion's head on his fist, which roared.

He punched Riyao in the back.

Bang!

Riyao's body shattered, its fragments scattered all over the ground.

Leo paused, looking down at the fragments on the ground. These fragments were stone, not flesh and blood.

"Not good!"

In that moment of distraction, Riyao appeared beside him.

One kick.

A solid kick landed on Leo's side, Leo flying and crashing into the cave wall. The wall shook, and pebbles rained down.

Riyao wanted to unleash the Stone Ridge to continue attacking Leo, but the ground had already begun to rise.

Gray wasn't about to give him that chance.

[Ice-Make - Small Throwing Knife]

A dozen or so ice throwing knives shot towards Riyao, their blades tumbling in the air and emitting a sharp whistling sound.

Riyao positioned the stone ridge in front of him, which rose from the ground to block his path. All the throwing knives were embedded in the ridge with a series of sharp, cracking sounds.

"Leo!"

"They're here!"

Gray drew his sword and charged forward, the Tang sword taking shape in his hand, its blade gleaming coldly.

Leo broke free from the wall, shook his head, and rushed after him.

The two, positioned on the left and right, coordinated perfectly and engaged in close combat.

Both of them felt that the Riyao form offered a greater chance of close-quarters combat.

"You guys are so mean."

Riyao grinned.

[Hundred Battles Spell Formula]

Riyao's speed increased to a whole new level, his body weaving between the two, punching Leo away and smashing his fist into Leo's crossed arms, sending him flying.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gray slashed at Riyao's body with his sword.

The ice skate sliced into Riyao's side.

"We got it!"

Gray's eyes lit up.

Riyao retreated lightly, his body sliding off the blade as if he had shed a layer of skin.

What was frozen was only the layer of stone formed by the Riyao on its body. The stone layer covered the surface of its skin, and the ice blade only struck this outer shell, without harming the body itself.

"What?"

Gray's pupils contracted.

Riyao emanated green light from his hands as he lunged forward, grabbed Gray, and began a brutal attack.

"Ora ora ora..."

Punches rained down on Gray, the punches so fast they were almost invisible. Gray was knocked off his feet and his body trembled violently in mid-air.

"That bastard's punch was way too heavy!"

Gray gritted his teeth; this bittersweet feeling was unbearable, leaving him stuck in a rut.

Leo propped himself up, panting heavily, and mobilized his magic power to the maximum.

He unleashed a massive lion-like beam of light, the golden energy roaring and crushing towards the Riyao.

Riyao grabbed Gray to shield him from the attack.

"Oops!"

Leo's pupils contracted, and he quickly dispersed his attack. The golden light exploded in mid-air, dissipating into starlight.

Before he could even catch his breath, Riyao threw Gray toward Leo.

Bang!

Leo was hit and stumbled, the two of them collided and rolled several times.

Riyao, riding on waves of earth, arrived in front of them and began to brutally beat them both.

"If you can't even put up a fight, then this is where you'll end up!"

Riyao's fists rained down like raindrops, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Gray gritted his teeth and grabbed Riyao's arm, magic surging from his palm and freezing it.

"Still using that trick? It's useless."

"Yeah?"

Chains extended from the ice on Riyao's arm and wrapped around him.

That wasn't all; the ice blocks scattered throughout the cave all shot towards the Riyao.

Gray held onto Riyao tightly, and the two of them were frozen in ice.

"Leo!"

Leo responded and threw a punch at Riyao.

Unfortunately, several stone ridges emerged from the ground, blocking Leo's fist and sending Gray flying.

[Celestial Spirit Gravitation]

Riyao manipulates gravity to force the two to the ground.

Gray and Leo lay on the ground, their bones creaking, struggling even to lift their heads.

Gray gritted his teeth and raised his head, veins bulging on his forehead, his face covered in sweat.

There's no way to win this game; the skill gap is just too big.

That bastard Riyao clearly hasn't used his full strength yet; he's just playing along with us.

Riyao squatted down and poked Leo's forehead.

"Alright, you've passed."

Gray opened his mouth slightly, then froze.

"Ah?"

Riyao seemed to read his mind and grinned.

"He was still able to launch an effective attack after I beat him up; he's qualified."

"What, you bunch of S-Class Mage trainees actually think you can defeat a current S-Class Mage?"

Gray, having exhausted his strength, lay limply on the ground, his face pressed against the earth, and let out a long breath.

"You bastard, at least remove gravity!"

"Sorry, haha..."

Riyao scratched his head, his apology completely insincere.