Alex saw that Ivar was angry, and his face instantly turned pale. He quickly began to smooth things over:

"Mr. Ivar, I'm sorry. Please, calm down! My brother here speaks rather impolitely..."

Alex didn't want to get into a confrontation with Ivar. While explaining, he desperately tried to signal Ed with his eyes.

He wanted to tell Ed, Ivar is not someone to mess with!

However, Ed didn't even look at him.

Ivar, likewise, ignored Alex's words. He lifted his head and laughed loudly:

"Hahaha, I never expected that my reputation would sink to such a low point!"

He fixed his gaze on Ed, as if looking at a dead - man. Then he raised his chin and asked:

"Even your captain is nothing but an ant beneath my feet, and you dare to show off in front of me?"

"Kid, are you new to the industry? Do you even know who I am?"

hough there was a smirk on Ivar's lips, there was no real warmth in his smile.

Instead, it made everyone around him, including his own teammates, feel a chilling coldness in the air!

Killing intent!

Ivar, in his anger, exuded a chilling killing intent!

Clearly, Ivar was beyond angry! Everyone around them shuddered in fear!

But Ed seemed completely unaffected. He furrowed his brows and asked, puzzled:

"Who the hell cares who you are? I told you to leave, don't you understand?"

"Or do you really want to steal my stuff?"

In an instant, everyone around exploded. Alex was so shocked that he blurted out nothing.

He had been trying to smooth things over, but now he shut his mouth, realizing that nothing he said would matter anymore.

Outside in the stands, the audience was in an uproar.

"This young guy is too arrogant, he dares to provoke Ivar!?"

"He's a fearless rookie, of all people, he chooses to offend Ivar?!"

"I've never seen anyone so eager for death, what an idiot!"

The spectators gloated, and some of Ivar's fans sneered at Ed, eagerly hoping that Ivar would step in and teach him a hard lesson.

However, other spectators commented:

"It looks like Ivar's group really wants to steal the spoils! Their intentions here aren't pure!"

"I agree. Ivar may be powerful, but his personality is far from good."

"Well, I can only say that this young man is too naïve. The outside world doesn't care about reason; it's all about strength."

Uncle Du's family was in a state of turmoil, unable to process what was happening.

Uncle Du was losing his composure, clutching the armrest of the chair tightly:

"This is bad! Mr. Ed, why did he have to step up now?! Ivar is a dangerous man!"

Viktor and Iris were also panicking. Through their experiences over the past few days, they had learned just how formidable Ivar really was!

Iris's eyelashes were trembling. "How dare he do this? Doesn't he have any judgment?"

At a time like this, even giving up the spoils would be better than this!

Ivar was indeed unreasonable, but stepping up like this would only lead to loss. The weak can't protect anything!

She couldn't even imagine what would happen to Ed if Ivar decided to strike him!

And things were indeed heading toward the worst-case scenario.

After Ed's words, the teammates behind Ivar couldn't hold back anymore and drew their swords:

"Damn it! How dare you speak to our captain like that?!"

Just as they were about to move forward, Ivar yelled:

"Everyone, stay where you are! Don't move!"

He slowly raised his darkened face, showing no interest in talking anymore—only killing intent!

The young man who struck fear into all of Dorey City, the rising star Ivar, had made his appearance.

"No one has ever insulted me to my face like this, kid, you're the first."

"Today, I'll teach you what real fighting is. I'll personally deal with you."

Alex and the other teammates beside Ed felt a deep sense of despair, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"We're done for. There's no coming back from this. Ivar specifically wants to face off against Ed," Alex's face was pale with dread.

Lucas also muttered, "Damn it, with Ivar's strength, just one hit and even ten of Ed would be dead. Why did that kid provoke him?!"

According to the rules, no one was allowed to kill another competitor, but crippling someone was fair - game. Alex and Lucas both thought Ed was about to be crippled.

But they couldn't stop it. In fact, they were even retreating, trying to distance themselves to avoid drawing Ivar's anger onto themselves.

Even Alex, the team leader, didn't dare to intervene. But Thomas stepped forward, lowering his voice with a concerned look in his eyes: "Ed, brother, just run. I'll hold him off for a bit!"

Ed was a bit surprised. He didn't expect Thomas to still stand by his side at this moment.

He hadn't realized just how much influence Ivar had. Even Alex and the others had been terrified into this state.

It seemed Ivar's reputation was no joke.

However, Ed couldn't help but laugh at Thomas's words. Having him try to hold Ivar off would probably not even delay the situation for a second.

He turned around and patted Thomas on the shoulder: "Big brother Thomas, this is a small matter. Go back and pick up all the Red Poison Ant corpses on the ground. Don't leave a single one behind."

Thomas was stunned, but before he could react, Ed gently pushed him aside, sending him several steps back.

Then, Ed turned to face Ivar, his voice calm and unhurried: "You want to fight? Fine, let's go."

Ivar sneered. At this moment, what concerned him wasn't defeating Ed. In fact, the idea of defeating Ed wasn't even worth his attention.

Right now, he only wanted to regain his lost face!

After all, they were under the recording stone.

"Kid, you've got some guts. I'll let you make the first move!" Ivar said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Ed raised an eyebrow. Was this guy still pretending?

"Is that so? Fine then."

With that, Ed swung his sword through the air. The moment he began the motion, all the memories of the sword training he had done over the past few days surged into his mind!

His already sharp swordsmanship became even more refined.

In an instant, he swung the sword toward Ivar, the speed so fast it was like a flash of light, impossible for the naked eye to follow!

Ivar stood there with his hands behind his back, his eyes not even on Ed. Instead, he glanced at the recording stone.

"This angle, perfect for capturing me! It'll record my stance beautifully!"

Why did he let Ed take the first move? Because of his confidence—extreme confidence in his own abilities!

He didn't even bother drawing his sword. He was sure he could dodge Ed's strike the moment it landed, then instantly draw his own sword and deliver a counterattack.

With a quick upward slash, he would cripple Ed's hands!

The battle would end in one swift, graceful move! There would be no hesitation, no messiness. In that moment, all the spectators watching the match would erupt into cheers for him!

His reputation in all of Dorey City would soar once again!

But very quickly, Ivar realized things were not going as he had imagined.

Because Ed's strike was too fast!

Whoosh!!

No one noticed when Ed made his move. All they heard was a sharp, cutting sound of air splitting!

Boom!

Ivar's chestplate exploded with a flurry of blood, and Ed's sword struck him squarely in the chest.

It was that simple, that straightforward!

Ivar's expensive armor was torn apart like paper.

The blow left a long gash, and blood splattered everywhere!

"Ah!"

Ivar's eyes bulged, and his body was sent staggering backward from the immense force of the strike!

"What!?" His eyes widened, his mind reeling in shock.

Why hadn't he seen the sword coming? Why hadn't he been able to react in time before the blow landed on him?

He touched his chest where the wound was, and his mind went numb as he felt bone.

"One strike broke my armor and left a wound down to the bone!?"

Ivar's mind went into a daze, and even more shocking was the reaction of his teammates behind him.

"How is that possible!? Why was the captain pushed back!?"

"Wait a minute, did any of you see that kid's move just now?" one of them asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

Immediately, the others fell silent, because none of them had seen Ed's move clearly. If Ed was just a young rookie, there was no way they would have missed it.

So, there was only one conclusion: Ed was not a rookie; he was skilled!

"But even if we couldn't see it clearly, the captain surely saw it! The captain's strength is so powerful!"

"I think the captain was probably looking elsewhere and didn't pay attention just now!"

At this moment, Ivar stood up from the ground. He too thought that maybe he had been distracted by the recording stone, which caused him to miss Ed's move earlier.

But now, he would concentrate all his attention.

Ivar, while enduring the pain, smiled and tried to cover up his earlier mistake:

"Kid, I got a bit distracted earlier. I didn't expect your swordsmanship to have some skill. I told you I'd let you make the first move, but now it's my turn."

"Remember, things are about to get much harder for you!"

With that, Ivar reached out his hand, ready to draw his steel sword.

But Ed moved again, swinging his sword straight toward him!

Whoosh!

Once again, the strike was lightning-fast, the blade almost impossible to catch with the naked eye!

Ivar concentrated all his attention, and this time he barely managed to see the trajectory of the sword. His heart sank in horror:

"What? No way! His sword is actually that fast!?"

He asked himself, deep down, if he could strike as fast as that.

The next moment, he came to a conclusion: he couldn't!

This kid in front of him—just how strong was he? His swordsmanship was even beyond Ivar's own?

But one thing was certain: Ivar realized he would need to give it his all if he wanted to avoid this strike!

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