Rica tensed her leg muscles, confidence radiating from her. "I'm just getting started. Don't underestimate a goblin, human."

  She jumped up into the air and came down with a flying kick at Akumu.

  Akumu raised her aura reinforced arm, intercepting Rica's kick. "You may be fast, but I'm not about to go down so easily."

  Rica landed on her feet, a smirk on her face. "Oh, you underestimate me, human. I've got more tricks up my sleeve."

  She then spun around, aiming an axe kick at Akumu's chin with her other leg.

  Akumu reacted quickly, raising her other arm to block the incoming kick. "You're tenacious, I'll give you that. But you'll have to do better than that.”

  Rica smirked, her confidence unwavering. "Oh, honey, I'm just getting started. You ain't seen nothing yet."

  She then jumped backwards and charged at Akumu, aiming a low kick at her legs.

  Akumu jumped over the low kick, her footwork precise. "Nice try, but I'm not that easily tripped up.”

  Rica smirked. "Heh, I was just testing the waters. But now..."

  She then unleashed a rapid succession of kicks and jabs, a flurry of attacks aimed at different parts of Akumu's body.

  Akumu skillfully dodged and blocked the barrage of kicks and jabs, her agility and reflexes at their peak. "You're fast, I'll give you that. But you're not the only one who can move quickly.”

  Rica grinned, her confidence undeterred. "Nah, I never said I was the fastest. I'm just the most unpredictable one."

  She then switched to a series of high kicks, aiming for Akumu's head and chest.

  Akumu raised her arms to defend, her focus on absorbing the impact. "Unpredictable, huh? Well, let's see how unpredictable you can get.”

  Rica smirked, her eyes glinting with determination. "You ain't seen nothing yet, human. I've got tricks up my sleeve you've never even dreamed of."

  She then leaped into the air, spun around several times and aimed a barrage of high-powered high kicks from multiple directions.

  Akumu's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected attack. "Whoa...! How did you...?!"

  Akumu managed to dodge most of the kicks, but a few landed, creating bruises all over her body.

  Rica landed on her feet with a smirk, watching as the impact of her attacks took effect. "Heh, you didn't expect that, did you? I'm full of surprises, kid.”

  Akumu grunted, her body bearing the marks of Rica's kicks. "Yeah, seems like it. But don't think you've got me just yet. I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve, too.”

  Rica smirked, her confidence unfazed. "Oh, I'm sure you do. But can you keep up? I'm just getting warmed up.”

  Akumu laughed, her eyes narrowing. "Don't worry, I'm about to have some big fun now. Let's see what else you've got."

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  Akumu conjured her scythe again and swung it at Rica rapidly, the scythe nothing more than a blur with the sheer speed of the swings.

  Rica's eyes widened, her agility and reflexes kicked into high gear to dodge the sudden onslaught of scythe slashes. "Whoa! What the...?!”

  Akumu smirked, her attacks not letting up for a second. "What's the matter? Can't keep up with the speed? I told ya I was gonna have fun, and I'm having lots of fun.”

  Rica gritted her teeth, sweat rolling down her face as she desperately dodged and weaved through the relentless barrage of scythe slashes. "Y-You're fast... But I won't yield!”

  Akumu chuckled, her scythe slashes growing even more fierce and precise. "You better not. Otherwise it'll be a short match.”

  Rica grunted, her muscles straining with the effort to keep dodging. "Ugh... You're relentless....”

  Akumu cackled wildly, her attacks not letting up for a second. "I could keep this up all day, little goblin.”

  Rica panted heavily, exhaustion starting to set in as she tried her best to keep dodging. "You... You're tiring me out…”

  Akumu kept swinging her scythe on one hand now, using the other to wipe the sweat from her forehead before using both hands again, her scythe slashes becoming even quicker and more precise. "That's the idea, goblin. I'll tire you out and then finish you off.”

  Rica's breath was ragged and tired, her movements growing slower as her energy waned. "H-How... Are you... So fast?”

  Akumu smirked, her attacks relentless and precise. "I hail from a family of elite assassins, y'know.”

  Rica panted heavily, her body soaked in sweat. "O-Of course... You're just a...prodigy....aren't you...?”

  Akumu chuckled, her attacks not showing the slightest sign of fatigue. "That's right. I've been trained since birth. And I'm gonna bring all of my training to bear against you.”

  Rica let out a deep sigh, her movements getting slower and more sluggish until dodging every swing became impossible, with her now getting slashed several times in a row, leaving her with several gashes.

  Akumu stepped back, giving Rica a moment to catch her breath, but her expression showed no sympathy. "Had enough yet, goblin?”

  Rica groaned, her breathing ragged and labored. "Y-Yeah... I think...I'm tapped out…”

  Akumu smirked slightly, the corners of her mouth curling upwards. "You fought well, I'll give you that.”

  Rica fell on her back, her chest heaving from exhaustion. "Ugh... Yeah... You were just...on another level..."

  Marco performed a countdown starting from ten, counting every second Rica spent on her back.

  "9...8...7..."

  Rica tried to get up, but found that her body was too weak to do so.

  "6...5...4..."

  Rica grunted, her body refusing to cooperate.

  "3...2...1... You're out! Rica is unable to fight, so our winner is…AKUMU XEROSI!!!!" Marco declared, signaling the end of the match as one of the medics rushed to heal the heavily injured Rica, who struggled to get up.

  Back in Celeste's suite, the girls cheered for Akumu, impressed by her performance.

  "That was incredible… She did much better than Akari," Yuki said with a smirk.

  Nika grinned, her eyes glued to the arena. "Akumu was unstoppable! That speed and precision were something else.”

  Alice nodded in agreement, her awe evident in her expression. "Yeah, she made short work of Rica. And those scythe moves...she's really skilled."

  "Damn right she is," Rachel chimed. "You saw how she was swinging that huge thing with one hand just to wipe sweat from her face? She was just showin' off!”

  The girls chuckled, enjoying their friend's success.

  Yuki smirked, adding a touch of sarcasm. "Well, she is from a family of elite assassins. Showmanship comes with the territory, I guess.”

  Nika nodded, her eyes still fixed on the arena. "Definitely. And not just that. She's strong and strategic. She knew how to wear Rica out and then go in for the final blows.”

  "Exactly," Rachel chimed in. "She took advantage of Rica's weaknesses and exploited them. It was like watching a chess match unfold before our eyes. This tournament is so hype, it's ridiculous. I wonder who's gonna be in the next round.”

  Yuki tapped her chin, her anticipation building. "Yeah, it's wild. I can't wait to see what the next match will bring. There are so many talented combatants in the lineup.”

  Nika nodded, her eyes wide with excitement. "Absolutely. Each contestant has their unique fighting style and strategy. It'll be interesting to see who advances and how they use their abilities against each other.”

  Rachel replied, "Right? It's like watching a living, breathing fighting game unfold right in front of us. I'm curious about the different Void Magic abilities each competitor brings to the arena. The next match just can't begin quick enough.”