Leo knew deep down in his balls that he did not have the necessary strength left in his body to beat these opponents.
Hence when they began preparing their most powerful spells against him, Leo knew that he had to use his most desperate gamble yet to survive, because he did not wish to throw the towel just yet.
"Come on stupid body…. Co-operate just a tad bit more" he mumbled, as he clasped his hands together and used every last bit of MP that he had left to use his strongest spell [ Mirror World ].
By now, Leo had already used every other move in his arsenal.
He had used Vanish, Shadowbind, Kill Strike and even his dagger weapons mastery to his limits.
He had exhausted all of his smoke bombs and was down to the last 5 daggers on his belt before he ran out of them too.
The only thing he had not yet used was [ Mirror World ], because he wanted to save it from the world as a trump card, however, staring at the face of definite defeat, he decided to use it anyhow.
4 clones….
That was the limit of how many he could summon, before his mana capacity tanked.
However, in this situation even 4 clones were enough as the sudden appearance of 4 clones threw his opponents in a disarray.
"What? He still had a trump card left even after all that?" Said an astonished ranker, however, the others around him did not seem to care.
"Finish him–" said a mage class ranker, as he unleashed his most powerful spell [Earthen Bullets] against Leo and his clones.
The others followed too, sending several long ranged attacks against all of Leo's clones and his real body, in what was their hasty attempt to end this fight.
*Kaboom*
*Kaboom*
*Kaboom*
Explosions rang all across the field, creating a wave of dust and smoke that temporarily reduced visibility to almost nothing.
For a brief second, everything seemed to stand still, the silence of the aftermath hanging thick in the air.
Then, as the dust slowly began to settle, it became clear that out of the five figures resembling Leo, only two remained standing. The others had seemingly perished in the relentless onslaught, their forms vanishing in the haze of destruction.
The 31 rankers, realizing their momentary victory, paused. But the two remaining Leo-looking figures moved with a deadly purpose, closing the distance between them and their opponents.
At that moment, what had initially seemed like an overwhelming mismatch in favor of the rankers quickly turned into a deadly and dangerous close-quarters fight.
Leo and his clone moved in perfect synchronization, fighting back-to-back as a unit. Each held two daggers, and together they slashed, parried, and counterattacked with ruthless precision.
They covered each other's weaknesses instinctively, a seamless flow of defense and offense. Every time a ranker lunged, one of the Leos would sidestep, creating an opening for the other to strike.
"Fuck, both opponents have a physical form, the fake one is not an illusion–" a ranker noted, as after observing both for a while, he could not determine which one of them was fake? As his observations sent shockwaves through the remaining rankers.
Panic began to spread amongst the rankers as they came to terms with an unsettling truth: the clones were not mere illusions as they had believed. This was something entirely new…. something that hadn't been seen in the game world before.
TheBoss had always been known for his unorthodox abilities, but this was beyond anything they had imagined.
"How is this possible?!" one of the rankers shouted, his voice tinged with fear as another comrade fell to Leo's relentless assault. "Which one is the real one?!"
There was no way to tell. Both Leo and his clone fought with equal speed, equal skill, and equal determination. For the first time in the battle, the rankers hesitated, unsure of who to target, as it wasn't just about defeating a powerful opponent anymore—this was something that shouldn't exist.
The high-stakes nature of the fight grew even more dangerous as the rankers desperately tried to regroup and mount a coordinated attack. But it was too late. Leo and his clone, feeding off each other's movements, tore through their ranks, cutting them down one by one. The fight became a blur of steel, blood, and raw power as daggers flashed through the air with deadly precision.
As the battle raged on, the number of rankers dwindled rapidly. What had started as 31 fierce competitors was soon reduced to just three.
The final trio, bruised, battered, and exhausted, stood their ground, their weapons raised, ready for what they knew would be their last stand.
In a desperate attempt, the three rankers coordinated their strikes, unleashing everything they had left, and thankfully for them they managed to take down the clone, stabbing it through the chest, watching as it crumbled under the pressure.
At first, the clone's form wavered and then it vanished completely in a poof of dark smoke, leaving behind the real Leo—or so they thought.
The last remaining Leo, now critically injured, still fought with ferocious intensity.
His HP dropped dangerously low, a mere 1%, as he managed to take down two of the remaining rankers with vicious, calculated strikes, however, at this point his stamina also dropped down to 1% alongside his HP, making his movements stop to a near grinding halt.
Only one opponent remained now: a lone swordsman.
He stood firm, his eyes locked onto Leo, the weight of the entire tournament now resting on this final moment.
Leo, barely able to stand, summoned every last bit of strength for one final attack. His movements were slower now, his body faltering under the strain, but his determination remained unshaken, as with a swift movement, he lunged at the swordsman, his daggers aimed for the heart.
But the swordsman was ready.
At the very last second, the swordsman dodged to the side, avoiding Leo's strike by mere inches, as with a fluid motion, he countered, thrusting his sword directly into Leo's chest, piercing his heart.
For a split second, everything went still. The two combatants stood locked in place, the swordsman's blade buried deep in Leo's body.
Then, with a soft exhale, Leo collapsed to the ground, his body fading into a black smoke as the swordsman smiled happily.
The second Rankers' Tournament had come to an end, and in the most epic showdown possible, the swordsman stood victorious in a photo finish, leaving the audience in stunned silence.
However, although everyone thought it was over, it wasn't….