After getting Brian's approval, the two of them exited the house.

The cold moonlight fell on them, first serving as a harsh reminder of what awaited them!

"My god, how can it be this cold?" Brian instantly scrunched up his face, his teeth chattering slightly.

Only after a moment did he start to adapt, slowly regaining his composure.

Even as a Black Iron-level mid-tier Hunter, the moonlight made him feel this uncomfortable. Although he could endure it better than an ordinary person, staying in the moonlight for too long would eventually wear him down!

"I thought this competition wouldn't last until nightfall. If I had known, I should've brought a Night cloak!" Brian muttered, realizing that so many unexpected things had happened.

At this point, after killing Ed, he had already given up hope on the high-level spiritual treasure and the B-level ghost spirit.

All he cared about now was escaping and surviving, making it back alive.

Meanwhile, Brown, filled with excitement, didn't let the coldness of the moonlight dampen his fighting spirit. "Soon, I'll have my revenge!"

The two of them activated their hunter's senses and began tracking Ed's aura. It didn't take long before they pinpointed his location within the small barrier.

Finally, they found Ed at the ruins of the old wooden house.

Ed was sitting cross-legged on the ground, about ten meters from the cellar, using the moonlight for meditation.

To Ed's surprise, the speed of his meditation had increased here, his progress advancing faster, and the Moonstone's runes had reached 32.

"Ed, your time is up!"

Suddenly, Brown's voice rang out. Upon seeing Ed, he immediately became energized, his blood boiling with excitement.

He was ready to face Ed with his best condition!

He would defeat Ed with his own hands and kill him, chopping him into pieces to avenge the scar across his face. Brown was convinced he could do it.

However, Brian suddenly noticed something that made him frown. He couldn't help but wonder, "Why isn't this guy trying to hide from the moonlight? Why is he sitting here?"

After hearing Brown's taunt, Ed slowly rose from the ground.

Before Brian could fully figure it out, Brown's voice rang out again:

"Don't blame me for not caring about our friendship!"

"Once you're in this world, you must accept the rules of this world! The law of the jungle: the strong survive, and the strong are king!"

Brown delivered what he thought was a cool speech before killing his enemy.

In his imagination, the enemy should have looked terrified after hearing his words, but instead, Ed remained calm and composed, a chilling calmness that sent a shiver down his spine.

Originally, Ed was going to seek out these two, but unexpectedly, they came after him, intending to kill him!

"Friendship? I never had any friendship with you two."

"You're just Karot's lackeys, bullying other students every day. Pathetic followers."

"And after coming to this world, you've become dogs for the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association. Seems like, no matter where you are, you're just as pitiful."

As he spoke, Ed felt his blood begin to boil, his excitement rising. He was ready to clean up these two trash.

But Brown didn't care about what Ed was saying. "You're at the end of your life. If you kneel and beg for mercy, maybe we'll spare you."

"But you... will never learn to bow down. So die here in this world!"

With that, Brown, holding his steel sword, swung at Ed viciously under the moonlight.

Unlike the last time on stage, Brown didn't make any careless moves. He didn't hold back at all. His body shot forward like an arrow, every part of him exerting force.

All of his strength gathered in the steel sword, aimed directly at Ed's body!

Ed stood still, not moving. Brian, as expected, didn't act either, watching the two fight.

"See? My swordsmanship now, after all my hard training, I can't lose to you!" Brown shouted. His fighting skills had indeed improved significantly.

But Ed didn't even draw his sword to counter. He simply used his footwork, like a ghost, dodging the attack with a side-step.

"Swish!"

The first strike missed.

Brown was startled. His swordsmanship was flawless, and he had mentally rehearsed the move many times, yet Ed still dodged it.

After a brief moment of confusion, Brown quickly shook it off and roared, "Try dodging again!"

The second, more powerful strike came down, and since the two were closer now, it seemed almost impossible for Ed to avoid it.

But Brian, having seen the first attack miss, grew anxious. He watched the second round of the fight more carefully.

"Swish!"

Ed's body moved like a fish dodging an attack in water, so agile. Once again, the sword slid past him as he evaded!

Brown laughed loudly. "Ha! Don't think you're so proud just because you dodged that one. It was intentional! You fell right into my trap!"

"With the third strike, I will absolutely take your life!" As he said this, Brown's hand remained in the posture of his second strike, which had been dodged earlier.

Suddenly, he pulled the sword back toward himself. It turned out that the previous strike had been a feint, leaving the sword still with energy but not fully exerting force. It was all meant to trick Ed into dodging.

Now, Ed was in a dead zone for this strike. He couldn't dodge, and Brown put all of his remaining strength into the attack, swinging the sword at him!

"Ed! Aren't you going to draw your sword?!" Brown shouted. Now, the only way Ed might have a chance of surviving was if he drew his sword and fought back!

But Ed acted as if he hadn't heard it.

"Boom!"

Just as this seemingly unavoidable strike was about to hit Ed, he suddenly moved his elbow and struck it directly into Brown's sword arm, causing a dull thud of impact!

"I've seen through all your moves. There's no need to draw my sword."

Ed was an expert in swordsmanship; Brown, who had only been training for a few days, was no match for him. No matter how hard Brown trained, he couldn't catch up.

And every move and technique that Brown executed, Ed could immediately see through because Ed knew how to perform them—he could do them even better, which meant he knew exactly how to counter them.

Brown was being crushed, subjected to a complete dimensional defeat!

With the pain in his chest and his arm locked up, Brown's strike missed Ed completely. Not only that, but he was forced to step back several paces!

"How could this happen?! How could this happen?!" Brown nearly lost his mind. His eyes were burning with rage—he couldn't accept this outcome!

"It's the cold moonlight affecting my power! It must be!" Brown gritted his teeth, still unwilling to accept it. After stepping back, he ignored the pain in his chest from Ed's elbow strike.

With a fierce yell, he charged at Ed again, swinging his sword!

"Die!!"

At the same time, Brian, who had been watching the fight, was already stunned by the previous turn of events.

The first and second strikes that missed could still be explained away by luck or other factors.

But when the third strike missed too, it was clear—it was simply a matter of overwhelming strength difference!

And most importantly, Ed hadn't even drawn his sword!

Going unarmed against Brown, who was wielding a sword, and still being able to handle him like this—what did that mean?

It was a complete crush!

While the moonlight did indeed weaken their abilities and slow their movements, Brown blaming it on the moonlight was just him stubbornly refusing to admit the truth—he was outclassed!

Brian urgently shouted, "Fall back! Brown, don't keep going!!"

But it was too late. Brown had already charged forward, delivering his fourth strike with all his remaining strength, aiming directly for Ed's face!

"I want you dead!" Brown's eyes were bloodshot, and along with the scar on his face, his expression was downright savage.

This time, Ed finally didn't stay unarmed.

But even then, he casually drew his steel sword from his back, and with the momentum of unsheathing it, he swung it toward Brown!

"Crack!!"

Their swords collided fiercely, and the sound of metal shattering echoed through the air. Just like that, Brown's steel sword was destroyed!

It snapped cleanly in two and flew more than ten meters away. Brown himself was sent flying from the impact, crashing to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth!

"Brown!" Brian panicked, rushing over. But as he got closer, he realized just how severe Brown's injuries were!

A massive gash had been slashed across Brown's chest, and blood was pouring out uncontrollably. Without treatment, such an injury would surely be fatal!

But they were inside the ghost spirit's barrier, and the healing potions they had were long gone.

Brian could only watch helplessly as Brown lay there, gravely injured under the moonlight, unable to do anything!

"With trash like you, clearing you out was easy. Is this the result of your few days of training?"

Ed's voice came from not far away, laced with a hint of amusement.

This comment triggered something in Brown. He suddenly flailed on the ground, trying to get up, but couldn't. More blood poured from his mouth, and his life force was rapidly waning!

He was close to death.

In an instant, Brian's anger surged. He turned and glared at Ed, shouting:

"Ed, at least we were once classmates! Fighting with you should have been a sparring match, but you're already trying to take his life!"

"You're completely inhumane! Damn you!"

Upon hearing Brian's words, Ed couldn't hold back and burst out laughing:

"Hahaha, what a moral high ground you're standing on."

"Are you saying that you and your friend can try to kill me, and I'm just supposed to stand here and let you? No retaliation, is that it?"

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