"You just have to score one point, and it's our victory regardless of whether you lose or win the match," Devon said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Antoni nodded and stepped onto the platform. Meanwhile, Dash, who was watching from below, shook his head. "If Jack goes all out from the beginning, it'll be challenging for Antoni to win even with just one point."
Devon understood this, but there were still possibilities. "Even if he loses three points to zero, we can win based on the time we scored the points. He just needs to endure longer than Kim did, and this will be our victory."
However, both knew it would be very difficult for the current Antoni, who, although good, wasn't good enough to defeat a serious Jack.
The referee looked at the competitors and nodded, extending his hands straight up. "Look at me, bow."
"Look at each other, bow!"
Antoni and Jack exchanged greetings, and then the referee initiated the match.
"Fight!"
Antoni, prepared to endure whatever it took to win, dodged Jack's first attack. However, at that moment, he felt a burst coming from the lower part of his body.
"Damn monsters!" Antoni knew that Jack was very similar to Dash, bringing back unpleasant memories.
Dodging Jack's initial attack, a sense of helplessness erupted from the depths of Antoni's subconscious. However, he was not someone easily swayed by negative thoughts. Just as he was attacked, he counterattacked, unleashing punches at Jack, who skillfully evaded them.
Pum!
But just when he believed he had control of the fight, a loud sound echoed as a powerful hook punch connected with Antoni's stomach, causing him to kneel to the ground.
"Hoo..." Jack stepped back, watching as Antoni took the direct hit.
"Point!" the referee shouted.
Antoni couldn't perceive that punch, so he didn't even brace himself, making it more forceful than any other he had received.
"Come on, get up!" Hawk shouted from outside the arena, very agitated, that Antoni would lose the fight in such a way. He knew Antoni wasn't weak; he had fought against him, so it would be a shame for him to lose now.
"Can you continue?" the referee asked as he prepared to count, determining if Antoni could continue or if he would surrender.
But before the referee could continue the count, Antoni got up and looked at Jack, who was waiting. "I can continue; I'm fine."
Resisting the pain, Antoni stood up and pretended to be okay. He couldn't give up after promising to be a good substitute for Dash in this match.
Truth be told, he had never returned to martial arts, but at Mr. Santiago's insistence, he made up a story to be a good stand-in for Dash in this tournament.
He did this because he owed Dash; he wanted to repay that debt for causing him harm in that tournament and believed this was the perfect opportunity to do so.
"All right, ready? Fight!" the referee shouted immediately after.
"Now!"
Jack originally wanted to win the fight with an initial exchange of blows, but failing to do so made him more nervous. He increased his intensity.
Pum! Pum! Pum!
After exchanging some blows, it seemed that Jack had the upper hand. However, not many were sure of that.
As they traded blows, Jack lost track of time but knew he had to endure as much as he could to win the match through the overall point count.
Moreover, after this short period, the crowd realized they were witnessing a true battle between incredible martial artists with different fighting styles.
At that moment, Antoni knew he had to take the initiative. However, as soon as he took a step forward, Jack turned and delivered a straight kick that pierced Antoni's defense.
"Point!"
Witnessing this, Antoni despaired, but he still returned to his place. He took a deep breath, unsure of how long he had to endure, but he knew it had to be a long time, or they would lose the match because of him.
"I must be faster..."
"Ready? Fight!" the referee shouted, restarting the match.
Antoni looked coldly at Jack before glancing at some parts of his body that were easier to hit. He knew that no matter what he tried, he couldn't defeat Jack, who wasn't holding back.
After their previous exchange of blows, he knew he had no chance, so he could only try to endure as much as possible against a very strong Jack.
Pum!
Jack attacked with a straight punch, delivered a kick that was blocked by Antoni, and then countered with punches. Jack stepped back.
The moment Antoni stopped hitting continuously, Jack, who was on the edge of the platform, smiled strangely as he initiated a counterattack.
Seizing an opportunity, Jack didn't waste it. Jumping, he kicked Antoni's shoulder, making a clean impact.
"Point, winner!" the referee shouted, giving the victory to Jack.
At that moment, everyone fell silent because no one knew exactly who had won.
"Now what?" Devon asked, looking at the result of the fight without showing any expression.
Dash, who also hadn't kept track of time, said, "I guess they'll determine the winner based on the seconds in which the points were scored in each match."