...…

"That was a good try! Let's do it one more time!" said Arthur provokingly while resting his spear on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, the members of the Predators Adventurer Team were currently looking at him solemnly. They knew that this guy in front of them was a total monster just like Leonard, but they didn't expect that he was strong enough to nullify their combined attacks with simple movements.

The strength that he had shown earlier when dealing with the 'Cougar Brothers' already shocked them. But after seeing the flawless spearmanship that he used to repel all of their attacks, they were sure that dealing with him was going to be trickier than Leonard.

'Unlike Simba who always wants to face his opponents head-on, this guy seemed to be an expert of counterattacks,' thought Kuma to himself after recalling what just happened.

"This guy both has strength and techniques! Be extra careful with your moves," he said, warning his party members.

Boom!

And while his team members were nodding their heads, they suddenly heard a loud explosion coming from the place where Arthur sent Shere flying.

Bang!

Then they saw Shere land a few distances away from Arthur with a loud sound which also created a cloud of dust upon landing.

"Don't you dare forget about me yet!" he said aggressively while walking out of the cloud of dust with slow yet powerful footsteps.

Seeing that, Arthur started grinning from ear to ear before holding his spear with both of his hands and assuming a battle stance. "Good! So, should we start from the top?"

...

Meanwhile, the battle on the other side had yet to start.

Leonard refused to move for a moment as he chose to wait for his opponents the make their moves first.

Earlier he was restraining himself to go all-out since he needed to reserve some of his strength to be ready when the worst possible scenario arose. And that was based on the fact that they still needed to be on guard against Mammon who was now hiding in the dark after escaping the collapse of the floating castle.

They had to be always ready in case they were suddenly ambushed by such a notorious assassin who was infamous for hunting even some of the fearless experts of the virtual world.

Seeing that Leonard was still hesitating whether to attack or not, the 'Twin Claws' decided to initiate the attack; especially that they were itching to fight since the moment they arrived. "Since you are not willing to attack first, then let us take the pleasure of doing so."

Swoosh! Swoosh!

After that, they simultaneously disappeared from their respective spots before reappearing on each of Leonard's sides while maintaining a running pose. Each of them was wielding their weapons as they circled around their opponent.

Given their appearances, the two of them really looked like a pair of jaguars cornering their prey.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Then suddenly pounced at him at the same time.

The one wielding a spear lunged forward while thrusting his weapon alongside his movements. On the other hand, the guy with dual-daggers coordinated with his teammate by also sprinting forward but with a slightly delayed timing.

Clang!

Their speed was quite fast and was able to arrive at Leonard in an instant. But despite them having instantaneous speed, their attacks still failed to hit their target as his battle-axes were already lying in wait to block their attacks.

And despite the tricky timing that the dual-wielding guy did, Leonard was still able to calmly respond with them.

"Looks like you two are getting rusty. Show me how much you improved since the last time we've met," said Leonard sneeringly before stomping on the ground in a powerful manner.

Bang!

A shockwave from his stomp pushed the Twin Claws away but they seemed to be expecting that move, so they were able to escape from it unharmed.

Meanwhile, the hooded figure who seemed to be not planning to move earlier finally joined the battle.

"It has been a while, Simba! Sorry for the late greeting," he said as he appeared in front of Leonard while also brandishing a huge hammer at the same time.

Seeing that, Leonard quickly put his guards up by raising both of his battle-axes and crossing them in front of his shoulders while bracing himself from impact.

Bang!

A deafening sound was immediately created upon impact but the surrounding air seemed to become dead still right after the collision.

Boom!

And right after being silent for a second, a very strong gust of wind created a chaotic ripple in the surrounding air, making it hard for everyone to move.

On the other hand, Leonard and the hooded guy were still maintaining the positions that they had since the collision of their weapons.

"What's wrong, Simba? You seem to be holding your strength a little too much. This is really unlike you!" said the hooded guy, trying to provoke Leonard.

"Tsk!"

But Leonard just clicked his tongue as a response, not letting himself get agitated. He then took a quick glance at Sildra who was still trying to break away from Archimedes.

Noticing that Leonard dared to divert his attention from him, the hooded guy felt insulted. "Don't look down on us, Simba! We're much different from before."

He then put more strength on both of his arms, forcing his hammer to push Leonard to the side.

Bang!

Leonard tried to hold his ground but he was caught off-guard by the amount of force that was trying to push him. And due to him failing to withstand that force, he was sent sliding towards his right while maintaining his balance.

"Tsk! Shin Bro asked me to keep an eye on that guy but I guess I can no longer divide my focus on too many places," muttered Leonard to himself while rolling his shoulders to relieve its stiffness.

"If that is the case, then let's wrap this up as soon as possible," he added while turning his head towards the hooded guy and Twin Claws. "Alright, I'll take you on seriously now just like what you want-…"

He trailed his words for a couple of moments as he tightened his grip over his battle-axes before continuing. "But make sure to prepare your *ssess to get kicked in exchange."

Bang!

Then he suddenly disappeared from his current position before reappearing behind the hooded guy while brandishing his battle-axes. "But first, let me return your greeting, Valten!"

Seeing Leonard's sudden appearance, the hooded guy who was named Valten, immediately raised his war hammer over his head and blocked the falling blades with the long handle of his weapon.

Bang!

Crack!

Valten greeted his teeth as he tried to withstand the heavy force that was pressing on him. And while he was trying to prevent himself from being crushed by that force, the ground beneath his feet sank quite deeply while some spider cracks started to spread from it.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Valten was about to get buried on the ground by Leonard when the Twin Claws suddenly appeared and came to rescue him.

Leonard took a quick glance at each of them before letting go of his battle-axes while jumping up in the air. And right before he got hit by the incoming attacks, he suddenly twisted his body in the air and dodged the blades of his opponent's weapons with a very small margin.

While he was spinning midair, Leonard extended both of his arms in the air and caught the shaft of the spear and arm of his other opponent, before borrowing the momentum of his spin to throw the Twin Claws away.

And as he was falling towards the ground, he suddenly re-grabbed his battle-axes before using the momentum of his spin once again to smash his weapons at Valten for another time.

Bang!

The entire process happened a little too fast which was why his opponents didn't have enough time to react.

But at the very least, Valten survived that attack despite himself being buried on the ground. And right after relieving the force that he got from the previous attack, he quickly focused a lot of strength on his legs before forcing them to jump upwards.

Boom!

A lot of debris flew in every direction as he flew up from the ground. But while he was up in the air, a shadow was suddenly cast upon him, indicating that someone was above him.

Valten didn't need to raise his head to know who it was. All he needed to do was to tighten his grip over his war hammer before swinging it with all of his strength while spin-rolling in the air.

Boom!

The collision created yet another explosion that also sent a powerful shockwave at the same time.

Bang!

Meanwhile, Valten was instantly sent back to the ground right after the collision but he was able to land on his feet this time as a deep crater was formed upon his landing.

On the other hand, Leonard landed a few distances away from him before walking out of the cloud of dust.

At the same time, the Twin Claws suddenly appeared a few meters on each of his sides, forming a triangle formation alongside Valten as they surrounded Leonard from three sides.

Leonard swept his gaze on them for a moment, taking a look at their solemn faces before saying. "Where is that eagerness that you are showing earlier? Don't tell me you're now having a mouse running in your chest?"

...