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After confirming the defeat of Riptide, Eric moved on towards the farthest part of the submarine. With a determined look in his eyes, he resolved to act benevolently in case of failure, necessitating the severance of ties with Shaw.
Despite the fierce battles between Red Devil and the X-Men, they exhibited childishness compared to the intensity between Ivan and Wonder Woman.
The clash between Ivan and Wonder Woman reached an entirely different echelon. Each punch shattered the ground, creating terrifying waves of destruction.
In his effort to gauge his current strength, Ivan intentionally refrained from using his energy absorption ability, aiming to assess the progress of his body.
Satisfied with the test results, Ivan, though slightly inferior to Wonder Woman, exuded confidence in quickly surpassing her energy level to strengthen his body. Not only did his physical abilities improve, but his overall skills demonstrated significant progress. While Wonder Woman had enhanced her strength since their last encounter, Ivan's advancements were far more substantial.
Having assessed his physical condition, Ivan transitioned from direct combat with Wonder Woman to employing Chinese martial arts techniques. When Wonder Woman launched a kick, Ivan adeptly blocked with both hands, leveraging the force to propel himself into the air. As he flipped and descended, his right foot descended forcefully upon Wonder Woman.
Despite raising her hands to block, Wonder Woman's legs sank into the beach under the impact. While managing to hold Ivan's foot, her vulnerability was exploited as Ivan's other foot transformed into a sharp sword, targeting her chest.
In this predicament, Wonder Woman who was immobilized with her legs in the sand, struggled to evade Ivan's follow-up attack, consisting of horizontal punches, straight punches, and side kicks, relentlessly targeted her. Wonder Woman found herself overwhelmed, desperately trying to fend off the onslaught.
However, even in such a critical situation, Wonder Woman still did not use the shield and sword behind her, being proud and arrogant. Although she suffered a loss at Ivan's hands last time, she attributed it not to her lack of strength, but to Ivan's energy-absorbing ability.
Wonder Woman always wanted to fight Ivan upright, studying the weakness of his energy-absorbing ability. She thought Ivan must have physical contact when using his ability, so she specially created a fighting style to avoid direct contact as much as possible during their fights.
This time, Wonder Woman was full of confidence, seeing Ivan's bare hands. She had no weapons either, preferring to fight empty-handed to avoid any unfair advantage, even if it made her unhappy when victorious.
However, the more she fought, the more depressed Wonder Woman became. Despite being stronger than Ivan in terms of strength, speed, and spirituality, she fell behind in actual combat. The disadvantage lay in the other party's use of strange moves, leading her strength away or resulting in failure upon contact.
Ivan pressed and beat Wonder Woman for more than ten minutes. Despite Wonder Woman's powerful body, inevitable injuries occurred, as Ivan specifically targeted the most painful areas, leaving her sore, numb, and extremely uncomfortable.
Finally, Wonder Woman's anger reached its limit. When Ivan's fist attacked again, instead of evading, Wonder Woman chose to use her body to absorb the impact. Enduring the pain, she reached out to grab Ivan's wrists. With her superior strength, she forcefully separated Ivan's hands, pulled him towards her, and delivered a fierce headbutt to his face.
Ivan, realizing something was wrong when his hands were restrained, witnessed a grim smile on Wonder Woman's face before being slapped on the nose. Ivan screamed as various sensations—sour, spicy, numb, salty—erupted simultaneously. The severe pain weakened Ivan, making it hard to resist. Instinctively, he leaned back to avoid Wonder Woman's headbutt, attempting to free his arms by swinging them vigorously. Unfortunately, Wonder Woman held on relentlessly.
As the first wave of pain subsided, Wonder Woman delivered a second, more ruthless headbutt. Ivan, in agony, shed tears, and the listeners couldn't help but feel saddened by his screams.
Observing Ivan's desolate state, Wonder Woman felt a surge of pleasure. After more than ten years of suppressed frustration, she wanted him to pay. The third headbutt followed, and Wonder Woman declared, "It's not over yet. I'll fight you."
Despite the severe pain, Ivan was resolute. When Wonder Woman approached again, he suddenly opened his mouth and bit her nose.
"Ah," Wonder Woman screamed in surprise. Although she managed to break free in time and the injury wasn't serious, the pain mixed with embarrassment left her at a loss for words.
Undeterred, Ivan seized the opportunity. Despite the pain, he shook his arms, loosening them, and then pulled out of Wonder Woman's grip.
"I'm going to kill you" Wonder Woman, fueled by old and new hatred, reached for her sword and shield, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
In a blaze of hatred, Ivan, nursing his injuries, refused to let Wonder Woman off the hook. Seeing her armed, Ivan abandoned an empty-handed response, swiftly grabbing two long knives hidden in his sleeves.
Though Ivan rarely used weapons, he had prepared for this moment. Using his power to absorb the sword's energy, he swung his right-hand knife at Wonder Woman, who blocked with her shield.
The two exerted force simultaneously, each attempting to overpower the other. Initially, Ivan was slightly inferior in strength, but his energy-absorbing ability proved pivotal. After absorbing Wonder Woman's power, he merged it with his own and unleashed a burst, sending Wonder Woman airborne.
Realizing her disadvantage in direct strength competition, Wonder Woman wisely chose not to insist. She stepped back, regrouped, and leaped high, focusing her strength on a targeted sword thrust.
Anticipating that Ivan's energy absorption had limits and took time, Wonder Woman aimed to concentrate power at one point and unleash a sudden burst, exploiting a potential vulnerability in Ivan's ability.
However, Wonder Woman underestimated Ivan's capabilities. Though his energy absorption did have limits, Ivan's breakthrough level far surpassed Shaw's. Years of continuous self-strengthening with special energy elevated him significantly beyond Shaw's capacity. While Wonder Woman hoped to breach Ivan's limits, it was a feat beyond her reach.
Undeterred, Ivan effortlessly intercepted Wonder Woman's sword with one knife, leaving the other free to stab at her chest. Unable to raise her shield in time, Wonder Woman twisted her body to avoid the lethal strike. Ivan seized the opportunity, redirecting the other knife to dislodge Wonder Woman's shield and pursuing her.
Despite losing her weapon, Wonder Woman maintained her composure. She retreated, expertly maneuvering her body, and unleashed her Lasso towards Ivan. Ivan, using both knives, attempted to block the flexible rope, but Wonder Woman skillfully looped it around the intersection of his blades. With a powerful pull, Wonder Woman aimed to unbalance Ivan.
Reacting swiftly, Ivan held onto his knives, resisting being dragged away. The scene unfolded with renewed tension as the two rivals engaged in a strategic battle.
Ivan attempted to use the sharpness of his golden knife to cut the Lasso, but the material proved impervious. Wonder Woman, seizing an opportunity, wrapped the rope around her arm, steadily closing the distance between them. When only a few steps away, she thrust her sword towards Ivan's eyes.
Faced with potential harm to a vulnerable area like his eyes, Ivan felt a genuine threat. Despite the risk, he opted not to release the knives but instead manipulated them like large scissors, trapping Wonder Woman's sword in the middle. The stalemate resumed, with neither gaining an advantage.