"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Eren asked casually while lighting his Sativa Stick. He and Ivor were standing a safe distance from each other. Layla was standing in the middle, trying to prevent them from dueling at such a crucial time.
Layla had lured Oliver and his forces to the Dark Daniera forest after she made sure everything was in order. She could not allow herself to be chased anymore if she wanted to progress further in the Lazarus Project.
Layla wanted to get rid of Arthur's hounds for good. She and Ivor had to clash with his force multiple times at this point. And every time they had to run away after taking a bunch of guys out.
Thus, she sent a message to Eren and decided to retaliate. She was given no other choice by Arthur and his lackeys after all.
But right when things had started to align for her, the two boys decided to duel with each other. There were so many things that could go wrong if they carried on with their activities. Especially when one of them gets injured.
Ivor ignored Layla's warnings as well. He looked straight at Eren before commenting.
"Yes. I want to see how much you've progressed. I wouldn't be content otherwise."
Ivor clenched his fists as he felt Eren's presence up close. He felt like a calm ocean to him. However, the undercurrents under that ocean's surface were telling him he was more than he let on.
Ivor thought that Eren would be shocked by his advancement into the liquid stage of Adept rank. Something he had achieved after fighting Oliver's forces for so long. However, the tables were turned and it was him that was bewildered by Eren's progress instead.
Ivor felt like all his accomplishments had become mundane events for the man in front of him. He wasn't angry or jealous of Eren for progressing ahead of him. But he was hungry– hungry for the same things Eren had achieved.
Ivor also knew that he might not win a fight against Eren despite all the Trump cards he had. Still, he wanted to know where he stood as a ranker in front of the anomaly in front of him.
One had to say that Ivor was very ambitious. Despite his image as an angry young man, he was a very calculative ranker. He didn't run away from the fact that Eren had proven himself better than him. He acknowledged the truth right away and wanted to overcome Eren and his achievements.
Eren could feel what was going on inside Ivor's head. He chuckled a bit before commenting.
"Sometimes not knowing things is not always a bad thing, my man. The unknown can be scary. But what if knowing about the unknown discourages you from taking action?"
Eren asked Ivor another question while enjoying his smoke. To onlookers who did not know about Eren, he would come across as someone arrogant with that statement. But Ivor knew better.
Ivor knew Eren wanted to test his resolve. He shook his head before speaking up.
"I am not one of those who can get demotivated after seeing the hardships that lie ahead, Eren. I want you to attack me with everything you got."
Ivor clenched his fists and made a few crackling noises. A set of two daggers appeared in his hands as he started channeling his mana through them. Several bolts of lightning started manifesting around him as he prepared himself to duel with Eren.
"It's not the same Ivor Osan you met in LA, Eren. And yet, the core that makes me Ivor Osan is still the same.
I have changed a lot. And yet, I'm still the same brash and arrogant Ivor I have always been. The only difference right now is that I am aware of my sin. And this very awareness makes me embrace the duality of my change and unchanged."
Lightning vines started blooming around Ivor as they started to grow on his limbs. He was no longer clad in lightning but instead wore it on him like his clothes.
Ivor looked at both Eren and Layla before stating his resolve as clearly as he could.
"I understand I'm asking for a favor from you by making you do this, Eren. I know the time and place are not right for us to do this. I may be killed in the duel if you go full-throttle on me. I already know all that.
AND YET, I WANT TO DO THIS. If I have to pay the price for my arrogance, so be it. If I get skewered by Lady Eliza for this, so be it. I am a man who lives in the moment. And right now, I want to live this moment to the fullest.
When I asked if you would fight me, it was not because I was certain that I would win or because I thought I was better than you. I don't think along those lines when it comes to you anymore.
I asked that because this duel might jeopardize Lady Eliza's plans. A duel such as this could be viewed as defying a Sage. So after presenting every aspect of this duel to you, I ask you once again.
Do you dare to duel with me?"
Eren listened to what Ivor had to say to him. He chuckled before his elemental manifestations appeared around him.
Eren's aura suddenly took a drastic turn as he decided to take Ivor up on his offer to fight using his full strength. This was Ivor's sincere wish and the butcher decided to honor it.
Ivor felt like the man in front of him had suddenly turned into someone he hadn't seen or met. There appeared a palpable bloodlust in the air as Eren's soul sense spread forth. The atmosphere started feeling charged and heavy as Eren decided to hold nothing back against Ivor.
Eren's eyes shone and his presence grew more dreadful. One would have to wonder if Eren had been replaced by someone completely different by the complete shift in his aura. They would also wonder how he was able to hide something like this under a carefully crafted veil.
Ivor felt goosebumps on his skin as Eren's soul sense washed over him. It took sheer willpower from his end to stick to the challenge he had issued to Eren. Gulping, he thought to himself.
'This…. This is the real deal... Osan Woods' Butcher!'
