"Hoo..." Dash was obviously hurt as he felt pain, but by ignoring it and focusing only on this last fight before achieving the glory he sought for the first time in his life, he kept pushing forward.
Keeping his wounded area protected, Dash observed Marcus's movements as he approached discreetly, intending to gauge his distance.
"Now!"
While everyone watched the fighters sizing each other up, they began to move, and briefly, discreet blows started to be exchanged.
Being able to reach the final signifies how strong they are in combat, but Dash, who was here for something more than just talent, didn't plan to hold back even if it meant leaving his wound unprotected.
Marcus was the first to take the initiative to be more aggressive. His facial expression was absolutely brutal as he leaped toward Dash with a front kick to his chest.
Facing a direct attack with such force, Dash let out a shout and countered using his right hand. But since his blow was blocked, he decided to again keep his distance and devise a proper route to advance.
"Much faster, I must be more aggressive..." Dash instantly reached Marcus's side and began unleashing a flurry of blows that completely overwhelmed his opponent.
While being suppressed by the fierce barrage of attacks, Marcus frowned slightly as he found it impossible to advance. He aligned his hands and, like a straight spear, skillfully maneuvered between Dash's attacks, attempting to strike his face.
Seeing a punch approaching and it being too dangerous, Dash dropped his body backward to avoid the attack. As soon as his body touched the ground, he sprung up like a coil. Without giving Marcus the chance to counter, Dash struck his stomach—not as forcefully as he wanted, but enough to win the first exchange.
"Point!"
"You're faster than I thought. You just got lucky this time!" Marcus said as he returned to his position, raising his guard again. Due to the movements of his head, a line of blood started to trickle down Dash's cheek.
But no one would stop this fight; now that they were fighting, the competition that many had dreamed of achieving in their lives was at stake, and no one was willing to interfere.
"Ready? Fight!" As soon as the referee started the match, Dash quickly advanced, not giving Marcus a break to think about how to defeat him.
On the platform above the mat, two figures intertwined as they vigorously fought, exchanging attack techniques and appropriate defenses to prolong the battle. With the help of their speed, both looked impressive as they dodged blows.
"Sam, who do you think will win?" Daniel looked at the incredible battle unfolding and asked his daughter, wanting to know her answer.
"It's hard to say..."
Sam hesitated a lot to give a clear answer to her father's question. Dash had clearly dominated all the fights until he was unexpectedly and illegally attacked by an opponent, resulting in his disqualification. Still, that didn't guarantee Dash winning the competition as he still had to defeat Marcus, and that wouldn't be an easy task.
Although Marcus didn't seem very formidable in his previous fights, he was one of the finalists, so his Karate should have something good. If that's the case, Dash's victory would be in jeopardy.
Because of that, it was quite challenging to determine who would be the winner. Still, due to all the things that had happened and how Dash never gave up, most hoped he would win.
While they spoke, the battle on the mat was gradually intensifying towards a climax. Punches and kicks were dodged, while others were blocked, causing a series of sounds that everyone could hear.
This skilled interpretation of skills lasted until Marcus was able to land a spinning kick to Dash's side, scoring a point.
"Point!"
Dash, without showing emotions, returned to his place and lowered his guard. Now, he left his head wound uncovered, returning to the stance he had always taken before.
"Fight!"
As the fight resumed, Marcus was very exhausted from the intense battle, but Dash seemed better prepared in terms of endurance, which began to play heavily against him.
"Finish it, Dash, you can do it!" Devon shouted very excitedly for the battle that Dash was fighting with all his skills.
The sudden voice that entered Dash's ears made him anticipate Marcus's attack. His style dictated waiting for the attack to return it twice as strong.
"I got you!"
Dash, who saw Marcus approaching head-on, had the opportunity to launch a kick known as a back kick. It was a famous spinning side kick that aimed to break through the opponent's defenses and hit them with force.
When Dash launched that kick, Marcus, who wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible, was hit, causing him to fall to his knees.
"Point, two to one!"
"Yes, that's how it's done!" Many of those who supported Dash and wanted to see him victorious shouted.