The decisive point awarded to Dash sparked celebration from everyone, including those who had expected him to lose honorably.
"Tell me, what would happen if I hit the wound on your face?" Marcus asked as he raised his fists.
"You'd just hit me, of course you would if you could," Dash replied as he positioned himself at the other end of the mat.
Those words snapped Marcus out of a dreamy feeling that he could still win the fight. His gaze turned cold as he awaited the referee to initiate the match.
"Marcus, today I'll show you how brutal I can be, and then you'll understand that if it weren't for the wound that has limited me for a long time, you'd already be on the ground."
Dash's muscles tensed, his gaze focused, and his guard showed more aggression than ever. The position was the true Northern Dragon combat stance, which was more Kung Fu than Karate, but at this point, no one could discern the difference.
Marcus mocked Dash's ridiculous fighting stance, but as he took a step forward, he didn't know how to attack him, let alone anticipate how he would be attacked.
"Nonsense!"
At one point, Marcus took a step forward and attacked with a kick to the side, which was immediately blocked by Dash's left leg. In an instant, Dash forcefully struck a specific muscle of his opponent.
Witnessing this scene, many in the audience, unfamiliar with Karate, believed Dash's stance was magnificent, something seen only in overrated martial arts movies.
Auge!
Dash forcefully hit a specific point, planning to break down Marcus's defenses before targeting the real objective, which was to inflict damage.
Having landed the first blow, Dash prepared to defend himself, but at that moment, a second attack targeted his right shoulder.
This blow would obviously score a point, but Marcus dodged it by taking it on the underside of his shoulder.
To everyone's surprise, Dash's guard was extremely effective. How was it that no one so far had been able to decipher the trajectory of his blows?
Even Marcus's confident demeanor changed from one moment to another. He could slowly feel his muscles numbing, and it became increasingly difficult to keep up with Dash's pace. And in this instance, he finally showed fear on his face.
"You're not unique; there are stronger men, and right now, you're facing a kid."
Dash looked at Marcus, who had stopped advancing, his expression filled with confusion, surprising everyone. As he uttered those words, Dash advanced forcefully and began an offensive so rapid that it left his opponent unsure of what to do.
Zas!
Faced with Dash's sudden speed, never before demonstrated, everyone stood up and widened their eyes to see if any of those blows landed on Marcus.
"His blows aren't targeting the points; he's completely breaking down Marcus's defense..." Daniel murmured, looking bewildered.
Daniel and many connoisseurs didn't know why Dash wanted to show this level of combat just now, but what was confusion for them was a message for Frederick, Dash's father.
"Look, Dad, I'm ready for the tournament in China."
Observing the great skills demonstrated by an eleven-year-old, everyone who was here just to watch a few women's fights were overwhelmed.
Dash wasn't punching the air; each of his blows was directed at Marcus's defenses, which were becoming increasingly challenging to maintain.
"He never had a rival in this preparation tournament!" Devon exclaimed, absolutely proud of where Dash stood in martial arts.
Facing Marcus's desperate final counterattack, Dash remained calm as the motion of his hands suddenly shifted to the defensive.
At the moment he counterattacked, Marcus's arm strangely dropped down, while a violent punch came from the front again.
Thud!
The audience watched as Dash's punch clearly hit Marcus's chest, sending him flying backward out of the arena bounds, and ultimately falling to the ground, completely defeated.
An absolute silence dominated the grand venue. No one could have imagined that Marcus, who seemed to be at a considerable advantage, would be so cleanly defeated by someone smaller than him.
"Well, that's what you should have done from the beginning," Mr. Kim clenched his fists at the offspring of his teachings.
"Point, winner!"
"Yes!"
"The champion of the male division, Dash Hale!" shouted the presenter, handing him his trophy immediately.
"It was amazing!" Devon climbed onto the mat and embraced Dash, thrilled that he had won the competition that even they doubted they could win.
"This is our prize!" Dash said as he held the winner's trophy.
At this moment, Dash felt an incredible emotion in his chest. All the hard work he had put in had truly led him to a clean championship victory. He had just discovered that his skills were something more than talented; now, he had no doubts about going far in the China tournament and was even sure he could take the first place.
"Now it's my turn!" Devon stopped hugging Dash and looked at Sam with an unbroken fighting spirit.
"Well done, Dash!" Mr. Kim said as he approached.
"All of this is thanks to your teachings, Mr. Kim!" Dash said as he handed the trophy to Mr. Kim, who was one of the most crucial figures in his journey to this point.