"Fly, I’ll kill you!"

  Seeing his Totem Armament warrior gear destroyed, Skaar could no longer restrain his emotions. His eyes were nearly bursting out of their sockets as he charged at Fly, his face contorted with rage.

  His ferocity made it look as if he were facing the arch-nemesis who had murdered his own father.

  "Are you sure about that?" Fly glanced coldly at Skaar, taking a single step forward. An aura of terrifying killing intent erupted from his body.

  "Urgh..." Skaar let out a low whimper. He could no longer hold his ground; his body went limp, and he tumbled directly out of the arena bounds—landing just outside the deep pit where the stage once stood.

  Referee Carlos quickly signaled to the security staff to take the exhausted Skaar back to the contestant rest area.

  In the rules of the Freshman Invitational, there was indeed a clause prohibiting further attacks on a contestant who had already surrendered.

  Fly’s actions just now had certainly pushed the boundaries.

  However...

  Carlos looked at Skaar as he was being carried off the field.

  If Skaar chose to proactively provoke and attack Fly, then Fly’s retaliation could be justified as self-defense.

  In that case, Skaar only had himself to blame for any further losses.

  This Freshman Invitational had already far exceeded everyone's expectations, and there were already too many casualties.

  These contestants were the future hope of Star City’s Martial Studies field.

  Whether anyone was wounded or crippled, it was a massive loss. That included...

  Carlos frowned as he pondered.

  It even included Gareth, who had openly violated the rules. Although Carlos detested his actions just as much, he had to admit that Gareth was indeed a rare talent in terms of martial prowess.

  Thinking of this, Carlos looked back at Fly.

  This kid’s talent and abilities were truly outstanding, but his methods were also genuinely ruthless!

  While Gareth, in a way, got exactly what he deserved, Fly’s adaptability and sheer nerve were far beyond what an ordinary high school student should possess.

  He acted like a cunning old fox who had been practicing martial arts for decades.

  Carlos shook his head, caught between admiration and helplessness.

  How could he know that Fly was no ordinary student, but a transmigrator who had lived for two lifetimes?

  "Just look at that performance... This Fly Ansel really has limitless potential!"

  Carlos wasn't the only one marveling.

  In the contestant rest area for Merit Academy, Hugh sat in his chair, having meticulously observed the entire battle. When he saw Fly strike and shatter that wand the very moment Skaar announced his surrender, his mind felt like it had been hit by a thunderclap.

  "Ruthless!"

  "Fly really shows no mercy to those who cross him," Hugh praised from the bottom of his heart.

  "Thank God I chose to forfeit. Otherwise, who knows what kind of state Fly would have beaten me into? That would have been miserable," a teammate from Merit Academy muttered beside him, his heart still thumping with lingering fear.

  "Damn! Is this really Star City High’s number one genius? The guy is a total freak! Who can even beat him now?" another Merit Academy contestant chimed in.

  "If I were Gideon King, I’d just forfeit and surrender right now. Losing is one thing, but getting wounded or crippled by Fly is just not worth it," the first teammate continued.

  The cowardice and relief of the other two stood in stark contrast to Hugh’s admiration.

  "You think Fly would really be that cruel to you?" Hugh turned around, his voice low and heavy as he addressed the two.

  Hugh was the absolute elite of Merit Academy, holding immense prestige among the freshmen, so the others didn't dare talk back once he spoke. He was the most spirited and the truest martial artist among all the contestants from their school.

  When the others faced difficulties, they either shrunk back or gave up; only he dared to face the challenge head-on. It was precisely this courage and grit that gave him a level of strength far above his peers. After all, with his talent, he should have been at Star City High; he only ended up at Merit Academy because of a personal choice.

  In their previous battle, Fly had spared him, choosing not to use his most brutal methods. In fact, ever since they first met, Fly’s attitude toward him hadn't been bad—friendly, even. Hugh felt a sense of mutual respect coming from Fly, as if they were two of a kind.

  "Fly is by no means a mindless brute—at least not to me. That bunch from Ironpeak Academy, however, absolutely requires extreme measures," Hugh said firmly. "As for you two, you should learn from Fly’s edge. If a Beast Warrior only knows how to retreat and hide when faced with a challenge, they will never make progress."

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  Hugh paused for a moment before continuing, "One of the main reasons I stepped onto that stage knowing I would lose was to show you that a Beast Warrior must have grit! You must dare to do what others fear, and fight for what others dare not!"

  The other two contestants from Merit Academy looked at each other, their earlier sense of relief instantly replaced by a hollow feeling of disappointment in themselves.

  He was right. What was there to be happy about? They were the chosen representatives of their school, yet they had shied away from battle out of fear, only to congratulate themselves later for escaping unscathed. This was not how a Beast Warrior should conduct themselves.

  To dare to fight—that is the very foundation of the martial spirit! Without it, a warrior is no longer a warrior.

  For a moment, the atmosphere in the Merit Academy rest area dropped to a freezing point.

  On the other side...

  Skaar had been forcibly dragged back to the Ironpeak Academy rest area by security.

  Once back, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the angrier he became, the more he fixated on it.

  His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was soaked with sweat.

  "Let me go! Let me go!" he started shouting again.

  The moment the security guards loosened their grip, he tried to bolt out of the rest area, intent on finding Fly to demand an explanation.

  But then...

  A stinging heat exploded across his face. Gideon King had swung his hand and delivered a brutal blow.

  The bone-chilling pain instantly snapped him back to his senses.

  "Uh... Why?"

  He stared blankly at Gideon, his voice a mix of desperate courage and cowering fear as he growled softly.

  Usually, he was terrified of Gideon, but in this moment, he had clearly lost his mind.

  "You useless trash!" Gideon roared. "Since you’re so 'brave' now, why didn't you charge in earlier and let Fly cut you in half?"

  Gideon hadn't actually expected much from Skaar, but he felt that since he had given him such a powerful Beast Totem and top-tier Totem Armament gear, Skaar should have at least worn down Fly’s stamina a bit to give Gideon an advantage in the final duel.

  But this idiot had done the opposite. Not only did he fail to exhaust Fly, but he even got his incredibly expensive Totem Armament destroyed. And to top it off, after all that shouting about going back in for a rematch, the guy had collapsed in terror just because Fly raised his sickle.

  What a paper tiger! All bark and no bite!

  If Skaar was going to be an idiot, why didn't he just charge Fly and force him to strike?

  If that had happened, Gideon could have used his connections to pressure the referee panel and get Fly disqualified with a red card.

  That would have handed the victory to Ironpeak Academy on a silver platter.

  But now...

  He had to face Fly when the guy was still practically at full strength!

  "Total waste of space!"

  Gideon’s rage boiled over, and he couldn't stop himself from delivering another vicious slap to Skaar.

  "Ah!"

  Skaar let out a scream as he was sent stumbling back. He tripped over a chair behind him and went down head-first. Blood began to seep from his forehead, and he looked up at Gideon with eyes full of pure terror.

  "Gideon..." Ms. Liana, the team-leading teacher, saw this and quickly stepped in to try and smooth things over.

  "Student Skaar worked very hard. He even used his final trump card."

  "It’s just that Fly’s strength far exceeded our expectations..."

  Liana hadn't even finished her sentence before Gideon cut her off with a venomous glare.

  Fly is strong?

  Do you think I don't fucking know Fly is strong?

  "What I wanted was for them to weaken him so I could be certain of victory in the final round!" Gideon fumed internally. They were already up three-to-one; they had a massive advantage. After all the resources and effort he’d spent nurturing Gareth and Skaar, they were supposed to at least deplete his greatest enemy a little, right?

  But they didn't!

  Not in the slightest!

  And what was even more infuriating...

  Because of Gareth’s antics, the reputation of Ironpeak Academy had turned into a total dumpster fire!

  If he opened any short-video app right now and searched for any post tagged with "Ironpeak Academy," the comment section would be a non-stop wall of insults and hate.

  If they could smoothly win the championship, he could hold a press conference afterward and pull a clean break from Gareth to save some face.

  After all, victory can bury a multitude of sins.

  But now...

  Fly was so strong it didn't even make sense.

  If Gideon lost, Ironpeak Academy would be permanently nailed to a pillar of shame. It would take years to recover, and he himself would probably become a laughingstock and a meme on the internet for a long time...

  No!

  I won't let that happen!

  Gideon King gritted his teeth and clenched his fists until they turned white. He knew he had to do something to save this disaster.

  "Well..." Liana felt herself getting backed into a corner.

  In the face of such a situation, the inexperienced teacher didn't know what to do.

  "Never mind..." Gideon shook his head. "Go contact the referees for me. Have them look into the fact that Fly went out of bounds underground while dodging that explosion."

  This was an idea that had just flashed into Gideon’s mind.

  To avoid the self-destruction of thousands of Spectral Wasps, hadn't Fly left the vertical boundary of the arena while underground?

  He would seize on that technicality. He’d have his mother work with the city leaders to pressure the tournament committee.

  If it worked, great; if not, it would at least rattle Fly’s mental state and give Gideon a slight edge in the upcoming duel.

  "Also, tell the committee we aren't waiting for the arena to be repaired. Just throw a giant steel cover over that hole and we’ll continue the match," Gideon added.

  His intention with this move was obvious: he was going to neutralize Fly’s burrowing skill.

  You like digging holes? Fine, the arena is now a steel plate over a bottomless abyss. Even if you break through the steel, there’s no dirt for cover; your opponent will be able to lock onto you instantly.

  This would turn a tunnel war into an aerial battle.

  Based on all the data they’d collected, Fly had never attempted aerial combat. At the very least, it wouldn't be his comfort zone. Forcing an opponent out of their comfort zone—that was real strategy.

  In Gideon King’s eyes, this Freshman Invitational was a game of chess.

  Normally, a player's own strength was paramount.

  But sometimes, victory is won off the board.

  Black cat, white cat—as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat.

  Any method that achieved the desired result was fair game; there was no need to fret over trivialities.

  The process didn't matter; he only cared about the result. If you succeed, people will naturally help you sugarcoat the story. As long as he could limit Fly’s burrowing and apply some external pressure, Gideon believed the victory would still be his.

  "Go, now!" Gideon ordered Liana.

  "Ah, yes!" Liana nodded hurriedly and rushed out of the rest area.

  Once she was gone, Gideon turned a look of pure loathing toward Skaar and walked quickly over to him.

  "You useless piece of shit, making me resort to such dishonorable tactics!"

  "Trash! Moron! Is this how you repay my investment in you?"

  Gideon screamed as he began to kick Skaar violently in the head. Before long, Skaar was covered in blood.

  The security guards who had brought Skaar back felt their skin crawl at the sight, but under the weight of Gideon’s power and influence, no one dared to step in and stop him.

  Inside the Ironpeak Academy rest area, the screaming and the sound of blows continued, and Skaar’s blood didn't stop flowing.