URBAN VILLAIN SYSTEM-Chapter 39: Get Up... Lover Boy!

"BOOM"

After Tony’s second punch landed, the entire Sky Arena fell into a silence... so deep it felt like a funeral.

Thousands of eyes were fixed on a single scene— Edward Smith, Ninth Prince of the Imperial Family, staggering like a broken puppet, blood trailing from his lips, a tooth lying somewhere on the arena floor like a silent witness to his humiliation.

Then—

The silence shattered.

"What... what did I just see?!"

"That was a Grandmaster!!!"

"He didn’t even use life force!!!"

"That’s impossible... that’s completely impossible!!!"

The crowd erupted into chaos, voices rising in disbelief, confusion, and a growing sense of fear. Just moments ago, they had been mocking Tony, calling him useless, laughing at his arrogance. Now, those same people were stepping back unconsciously, their eyes no longer filled with ridicule—but caution.

Because something was wrong... Very wrong.

***

Lily Frost stood near the edge of the ring, her gaze locked onto Tony, her usual calm completely shaken. She had prepared herself to intervene, had already calculated how to stop Edward’s strike, but what she had just witnessed overturned everything she thought she knew.

"No life energy... no technique... nothing," she murmured under her breath, her brows furrowed deeply. "Then how...?"

Beside her, Julie remained frozen, her usual sharp tongue gone silent. Her eyes moved from Edward’s broken stance to Tony’s relaxed figure again and again, as if trying to reconcile two completely different realities.

"This... this isn’t normal," Julie whispered, her voice tight. "Even if he trained his body... this level... this speed... this power..."

There was no explanation.

***

Far away, inside the Clark family estate, a massive screen displayed the live broadcast.

And chaos erupted there as well.

"What is he doing?!"

"That idiot... how is he still standing?!"

"No... how is Edward the one getting beaten?!"

Several elders stood up from their seats, unable to remain calm as the scene unfolded before them.

But among them—

Three figures remained seated... The Third Elder, The Seventh Elder and Kevin Clark.

Their expressions were Ugly... Twisted.

Disbelief mixed with anger, their earlier anticipation collapsing into something far darker.

"This... this shouldn’t be happening," Kevin muttered, his fists tightening, his nails digging into his palms. "He’s supposed to lose... he has to lose..."

The Third Elder’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don’t panic," he said coldly. "It’s just the beginning. Edward hasn’t used his full strength yet."

But even as he said that— He knew... Something had already gone wrong.

***

Inside the Frost family estate, the reaction was completely different.

Shock... Silence... And calculation.

The elders watched closely, their eyes sharp, analyzing every movement Tony made. The casual nature of his strikes, the lack of visible effort— it didn’t bring comfort... It brought unease.

"Is he... hiding his cultivation?" one elder asked slowly. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Another shook his head. "No. There’s no energy fluctuation at all."

Then what?

The question remained unanswered.

***

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial palace...

The atmosphere was suffocating.

Emperor Jamie Smith stood in front of the screen, his expression darker than anyone had ever seen. The veins on his hand bulged slightly as he clenched his fist behind his back.

"...Pathetic," he muttered.

Beside him, Queen Sophie’s face had lost its usual elegance, replaced by cold anger.

"This is your son?" she said sharply. "This is the prince you sent to represent the Imperial family?"

On the screen— Edward staggered again. ’Bleeding... Broken... Humiliated...’

Jamie’s eyes burned. "He’s disgracing us," he said, his voice low but filled with fury. "In front of everyone."

Sophie covered her face. "If this continues, we won’t just lose face... we’ll lose influence."

The two fell silent. Watching... Waiting. For something— To turn the situation around.

***

Back in the arena— Tony stood calmly.

Edward struggled on the ground, his hands trembling as he tried to push himself up. His vision blurred, his breathing uneven, his body refusing to respond the way it should.

Tony took a step forward... Then another... Until he stood directly in front of him.

"Get up," Tony said.

Edward’s fingers twitched. He tried... Failed. His body collapsed again.

The crowd watched in silence.

Tony tilted his head slightly.

"That’s it...?" he asked, his voice filled with disappointment. "This is the man who came all the way here to fight for love?"

A few people swallowed nervously.

Those words— Cut deeper than the punches.

Tony crouched slightly, his gaze lowering to Edward’s level.

"I thought you came here to prove something," he continued. "To show everyone how much you care about Lily Frost."

A pause.

"Is this how you prove it?" Tony asked with a mocking look.

Edward gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with humiliation and rage.

"Stand up," Tony said again, his tone colder now. "A lover should at least be able to stand on his own feet."

No response... No movement... Just trembling.

"...Pathetic." Tony said loudly with a disdain.

All the crowd watched Tony like a villain who is toying with his pray.

Suddenly, Tony lifted his leg and kicked.

’Thud!!!’

Edward’s body rolled across the arena floor like a ragdoll.

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

"What is he doing?!"

"He’s crossing the line!!!"

"That’s not a duel anymore!!!"

But Tony didn’t stop... He walked forward again.

"Get up," he said again.

Another kick... Thud!!!

Edward coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth.

Tony’s voice remained calm. "You came here shouting about love," he said. "Where is it now?"

Another kick.

"Fight."

Another.

"Prove it."

Another.

"Or was it all just noise?"

Each word landed with the strike. Each sentence broke something deeper.

The crowd’s reaction shifted from shock— To unease... Even fear.

Julie clenched her fists. "This is too much..." she whispered.

Lily’s gaze hardened, her body tensing slightly. She was about to step forward as insulting Edward is nothing but humiliating the Imperial family in public.

But just then, an overwhelming presence appeared above the sky arena. Her aura is so strong that the air itself seemed to freeze.

Everyone felt it.

Tony was completely stopped like a statue... His leg remained suspended mid-motion, ready to deliver another kick to Edward’s face.

Tony’s expression shifted slightly for the first time. Not fear... But awareness.

Above the Sky Ring—

A woman stood floating with absolute authority. Her presence alone suppressed the entire arena.

Without raising her voice... Without releasing visible energy... She snapped her fingers.

A soft sound... Yet it echoed like thunder.

The crowd fell into absolute silence as they stared at the glowing figure in the sky.