Aso Koji scratched his head and laughed. "Buddy, you here to crack jokes? First time I've seen someone volunteer to get their ass kicked."
The whole crowd burst out laughing.
Ivan just calmly flipped them all the middle finger.
"Sorry, not talking about any one of you in particular. Any of you can come up for a 1v1. After all, every single one of you is garbage."
The second those words left his mouth, the entire hall exploded with rage. A couple of the hot-headed pricks looked ready to storm the ring and punch his lights out.
"Fuck you! Aso, beat the shit out of him!"
"Too fucking cocky! Aso, get down here. I'll take this match!"
Yuji and his crew stood there completely stunned. If they'd known this French asshole could pull aggro like a pro, they never would've let him step up.
"Perfect. I can't wait to start," Aso growled from the center of the ring, chest heaving. He looked like he wanted to grind Ivan's bones between his back teeth.
Seeing them all so pissed off only made Ivan grin wider.
And that grin? Pure fucking insult.
Aso didn't even wait for the referee to call the start. He swung his wooden sword straight at Ivan's head, the blade whistling through the air. The crowd's eyes went wide, everyone dying to see the satisfying smack.
"Too slow, Aso-san. Did you skip breakfast or what?"
To Ivan the guy moved like he was underwater. He could already read the angle and power of every swing before it even started.
Ivan took two quick steps back. Aso's sword tip sliced through the air just an inch from his chest.
Crack!
"Arg!" The next second Ivan's blade slammed down hard on the back of Aso's hand, right on the tendons. The pain made Aso yelp like a bitch and instinctively clutch his swelling hand.
"You're not much either. Thinking that my so-called seniors are all this pathetic… honestly blows my fucking mind."
That's how a real strong guy does it. You don't just beat the weak. You humiliate them.
Aso Koji tried the same shit Ivan had been doing, throwing out a mocking line every time he landed a hit.
But he couldn't even touch him.
He knew Ivan was deliberately pissing him off, so he fought to keep his cool. Still, he couldn't keep up with the pace. He couldn't even see Ivan's sword moves clearly anymore.
After just a few exchanges, Aso was already drenched in sweat, breathing like a dying dog, while Ivan looked like he was out for a casual Sunday stroll in Paris.
The entire hall had gone dead silent. Every pair of eyes was wide with shock. None of them had ever seen anyone toy with Aso Koji like this. Their whole fucking worldview was cracking apart right in front of them.
"Way too weak, Aso-kun~"
Aso was curled up on the floor in pain, but since Ivan had never gone for the hand holding the sword, he still clutched the wooden blade tightly.
"Fuck you! I'll kill you!"
Aso's eyes caught the doubtful stares from the crowd below. Something in him snapped. He suddenly lunged up, eyes bloodshot, and swung straight at Ivan's crotch.
That spot had zero protection. No one ever aimed there in normal matches.
A bunch of people gasped out loud. Down below, Yuji and the others shouted in panic.
"Ivan! Watch out for the cheap shot!"
But Ivan had seen that desperate dog move coming from a mile away. One sharp crack and he knocked Aso's sword flying out of his grip. At the same time, the tip of Ivan's own blade stopped dead right against Aso's throat.
The referee finally snapped out of it and rushed in to pull them apart.
Aso just stood there frozen, eyes blank, still not processing what the hell had happened.
"Still daydreaming? Match is over," Ivan said casually.
"No way… It's impossible… You… you…" Aso couldn't even spit out the word "cheated." He forced out a lame excuse instead. "If I hadn't already used up all my stamina fighting Yuji earlier, there's no fucking way I would've lost to you."
Seeing Aso Koji still stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, Ivan turned straight to the pack of third-years and sneered.
"Garbage is garbage. Always gotta make excuses. If you're that butthurt, why don't you all come at me together? C'mon, let's run the fade!"
Then he grinned and flipped them the middle finger again.
"You piece of shit! Don't think we're scared of you!"
The nonstop insults finally pushed them over the edge. They grabbed their swords and charged up onto the ring at Ivan.
"What's the matter? Can't handle losing?"
Ivan gave his wooden sword a lazy flick, sending a clean flourish through the air. Truth was, these pathetic clowns weren't even worth his time.
Smack! smack! bang! bang!
A chorus of pained yells rang out. The guys who had looked so tough seconds ago were now clutching their right hands and howling like bitches.
Yuji stood there frozen, mouth hanging open. Suddenly Ivan's earlier words echoed in his head.
"I trained for a while. It's a pretty decent sport."
"Trained for a while my ass. Ivan's level is good enough to represent the school at nationals."
While Yuji was still spacing out, Ivan hopped down from the ring and slapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, you think I can apply for iron sword training? This wooden shit feels way too light."
Yuji snapped back to reality, face flushed red with excitement. He nodded so fast he looked like a damn woodpecker.
"No problem at all! You're gonna be famous, man. I guarantee the whole school will know about you by tomorrow. That was insane. You might not win nationals, but in the regional tournament you'd definitely place top few."
Everyone around them was now staring at Ivan with straight-up fanatical eyes.
Some even had a hint of worship in their gaze.
"You're hyping me up too much," Ivan waved his hand dismissively. "I only know a little about kendo."
Beating those idiots had nothing to do with real sword skill.
"No, I'm serious. Even the captain couldn't take down that many people in such a short time."
The high schoolers had an almost obsessive admiration for strength.
At this point, Ivan had basically become an idol among the kendo club members.
He wasn't used to that kind of attention at all. He quickly pushed his way out of the crowd, then, with Yuji's help, successfully applied for a steel practice sword for daily training.
Walking through the streets of Tokyo, Ivan had a long, black-wrapped object slung across his back. The slight curve of his lips made it obvious he was in a good mood.
No wonder Homelander wanted the entire world to worship him. Being admired like that… it hit different.
Still, Ivan didn't stay lost in that feeling for long.
He never forgot what he was after.
To become a true ultimate lifeform.
Everything else was temporary. Only power and truth lasted.
The sky grew darker.
Ivan deliberately took the more deserted streets, the kind of places people avoided.
From what he remembered, the parasites preferred hunting isolated humans in quiet areas.
Rustle…
Under the moonlight, a crooked-necked shadow stretched out behind him on the pavement.