Oliver shot forward like lightning, charging at Vernon while throwing a punch aimed at his opponent's jaw. But Vernon instinctively ducked, dodging the strike.
However, Oliver quickly switched tactics, driving his knee into Vernon's stomach.
THUD!
"Argh!" Vernon clutched his stomach in pain.
Oliver's knee had slammed into his midsection with such force that Vernon coughed up blood. He hadn't been able to dodge since he was already hunched over, making it easy for Oliver to target his abdomen.
Vernon refused to give up, even with all eyes on him. He stood back up, raising both fists confidently.
"Come on, step up," Oliver sneered, wiggling his fingers as he taunted Vernon to make the first move.
Vernon accepted the challenge. He launched a flurry of punches—a jab, hook, cross, and uppercut—but none landed on Oliver.
Oliver effortlessly evaded each strike without losing the mocking expression on his face, as if Vernon's punches were nothing to worry about.
"Are you done yet?" Oliver teased when Vernon suddenly stopped attacking, breathing heavily.
Vernon slowed his footwork, keeping his fists up in front of his face, anticipating Oliver's next move. He had intentionally paused to catch his breath, refilling his lungs after using all his energy in that attack.
"My turn!" Oliver feinted a punch toward Vernon's face, but Vernon jumped back.
'Tsk! How did he read my move?' Oliver cursed inwardly, annoyed that his attempt to bait Vernon had failed.
Then Oliver unleashed a combination of punches, but Vernon managed to block them, though he was clearly struggling and got pushed back.
Both fighters were panting now, sweat pouring off their bodies.
Vernon smirked slyly as his plan to wear down Oliver's stamina started to work.
The blue-eyed fighter threw a jab, which Oliver swatted away, opening up a gap in his defense. Vernon immediately took advantage and aimed a punch at Oliver's face with his left hand.
But Oliver saw it coming. He tilted his head, letting the punch sail past, and then grabbed Vernon's arm, twisting his body and slamming Vernon to the ground.
Vernon's body hit the floor with a sickening thud.
"ARGH!" Vernon roared in pain as his bones felt like they'd shattered. He hadn't expected Oliver to know Judo techniques too.
"Is that all you've got, you idiot?!" Oliver sneered, his wicked grin spreading across his face.
Tian, Tony, and Antonio stood frozen, watching the brutal fight. They wanted to help Vernon, but fear kept them from acting.
They called Oliver The Flash because of his incredible speed and precision. They had often seen his opponents leave the ring in body bags.
'Damn! I had no idea the gap in our strength was this massive! He's nothing like Mico!' Vernon complained silently.
Unfortunately, Vernon no longer had his System Coins to buy an 'Invisible Armor' item to block Oliver's attacks.
He struggled to move his body but found it nearly impossible.
"Where's that killer instinct you had when you challenged me earlier?" Oliver taunted.
The moment reminded Vernon of when Xander had beaten him into a coma, mocking him with each blow. That old pain and rage flared up in his heart.
'No! I can't lose to this bastard!' With every ounce of strength left in him, Vernon forced himself to stand, though he wobbled unsteadily.
Oliver chuckled, mocking him. "I'll give you credit for still being able to stand after my slam."
"Kill him, Oliver!"
"Don't let him life like Colin did!"
Most of the fighters watching were cheering for Oliver, but not Colin. He was studying Vernon closely, wondering if what Muco had said yesterday was true—that Vernon had pretended to lose to protect him. If that was the case, why was Vernon still losing now that he was fighting for himself?
Vernon locked eyes with Oliver, determination burning in his gaze. 'This is my chance to prove myself!'
If he could beat Oliver in front of them, they'd never mock him again.
"Why you so tense? Are you starting to regret your decision to fight me?"
Oliver sighed dramatically, pretending to be disappointed. "I heard a rumor that you pretended to lose so you wouldn't kill Colin. But it looks like that was just nonsense. You really are weak!"
"I did pretend to lose, so I wouldn't kill your weak friend," Vernon shot back with a mocking grin. "How's that? Do you admire my acting skills?"
Vernon knew that Colin was close to Oliver. If he could anger him, Oliver might attack recklessly, giving Vernon an opening to exploit.
Oliver's expression darkened with rage. "You bastard! I'll shut that filthy mouth of yours!"
Oliver charged at Vernon, throwing a flurry of punches, overwhelming Vernon as he struggled to block them.
Frustrated that none of his punches landed, Oliver lashed out with a back kick that struck Vernon's head, sending him flying to the side and crashing into a table, which split in half.
Blood trickled from Vernon's ear, messing with his hearing. He couldn't keep up with Oliver's lightning-fast moves.
'Damn it! I was wrong! He's even stronger when he's angry!' Vernon cursed in his mind.
He hadn't expected Oliver to know more than just boxing—Muay Thai, Judo, and boxing all at once. Was this the strength of a B-ranked fighter? Oliver's skills far exceeded Vernon's expectations. He had to admit the gap between them.
How could he defeat Oliver using only boxing?
As Oliver moved to stomp on him, Vernon rolled to the side, barely avoiding the attack.
Amos, known as *The Annihilator*, watched the fight with a cold expression, but his eyes never left Vernon.
Despite looking like an amateur, Vernon had almost dominated the match.
Vernon winced in pain as the crowd's cheers roared in the cafeteria, making his ears ring and breaking his concentration.
BAM!
Vernon was thrown back when Oliver landed a punch squarely on his forehead.
'Fu*k! When did he get so close?!'
Just a second ago, Oliver had been three meters away, but in the blink of an eye, he was in front of him, smashing his jaw with all his strength.
Vernon was hurled into another fighter's table.
'He's too fast! I can't dodge his punches, even though I can see them coming. What should I do now? He's terrifying!'
"Take back your words before I change my mind about killing you!" Oliver roared in fury.
"Never!" Vernon shot back, his resolve unshaken. "I won't let a demon like you bully my friends!"
'Friends?' Tian, Tony, and Antonio were shocked to hear that. Even though they weren't close, Vernon was willing to risk his life for them, while they hadn't even tried to help him.
Tian clenched his fists, his anger and fighting spirit suddenly igniting. He had almost forgotten why he had signed up for Vagon BootCamp in the first place—to change his miserable fate after being bullied for so long.
'I can't just stand by, because I'm not a COWARD!' Tian sprinted toward Oliver from behind, throwing a punch.
"What is he doing?!" Antonio yelled in shock.
"Is he crazy? Does he want to die?!"
'You must die, you bastard!'
Just as Tian's punch was about to land on Oliver's head, Oliver reflexively spun around, swinging his leg and kicking Tian in the head, sending him flying.
"TIAN!" Tony and Antonio screamed in horror as their friend lay sprawled on the ground, knocked out cold.
"Oh, shit!"
"Who else wants to step up, huh?!" Oliver taunted, glaring at Tony and Antonio.
They shook their heads, terrified.
Oliver turned back to Vernon, who was on the ground, breathing heavily.
Vernon tried to focus, but his head was spinning from Oliver's punch.
"I'm done playing games!" Oliver snapped. "Now, I'm going to show you the results of Colin's training! I'm going to kill you, even if Robinson fires me!"