After landing his first quick kick, Max returned to his position, coldly watching Silva, who stood up while holding his cheek and glaring at Max resentfully.
Blood dripped from Silva's nose, a clear sign that the kick he had received was anything but weak.
"Let me see!" The referee didn't resume the fight until Silva showed him his cheek. After noticing it was just a red mark accompanied by a bit of blood, the referee nodded and prepared to restart the match.
Max ignored the hostile looks directed at him. His expression wasn't the friendliest, but he assumed that everyone put on a fierce front to intimidate their opponent or appear more ruthless.
Having easily resolved the first exchange, Max's gaze shifted to an older man standing behind Silva, smiling faintly. At that moment, Silva also noticed Robert's gaze. Determined not to be shaken by his opponent's remarkable skills, Silva readied himself as the fight restarted.
"Fight!"
Silva shot Max a discreet look before slowly closing the distance between them.
"You've got this, Max! Finish him!" Devon cheered from behind, clenching her fists in excitement as she shouted words of encouragement.
Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Max started assessing the distance between himself and Silva, slowly inching closer while analyzing his opponent's movements.
Knowing that his speed was his greatest asset, Max wasn't about to waste any opportunity to attack where it would benefit him most in this fight.
At one point, both fighters lunged and began trading blows, each aiming to cause as much damage as possible.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Before the fight, Silva had thought he could beat Max without going all out, but as the match progressed, it became painfully clear that his skills were far inferior. A sense of helplessness crept in.
Seconds into the fight, the audience fell silent, unwilling to blink as they waited to see what would happen next. They watched as Silva's fist collided with Max's guard while Max shifted his hands, trying to find a pattern in Silva's attacks.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of heavy blows landing on Max's arms echoed in the otherwise quiet arena. However, in one decisive moment, Max anticipated Silva's next move and countered with a low attack, sending Silva sprawling to the ground—just outside the allowed perimeter.
"Are you out?"
Silva gritted his teeth, knowing there was no way he could beat Max under any circumstances.
Being on the ground, faced with Max's mercy, only made Silva feel humiliated.
"I surrender…" Silva swallowed his pride and conceded.
Hearing this, Max turned around. The audience, which had once doubted Max's strength, now remained silent before erupting into applause.
As Silva got to his feet amidst the crowd's cheers, he called out to Max, who was walking back to his spot. "Hey, I learned a lot from this fight!"
Max stopped, turned slightly, and glanced at Silva, who was still rising to his feet. He gave a slight nod before turning away again. Seizing the moment, Silva rushed toward him.
Devon, overjoyed by Max's victory, was about to talk to Miguel about the bets when she noticed Silva moving toward Max.
What's going on?
The same question crossed the minds of many. The fight was over, so why was Silva attacking Max from behind?
"Max, behind you!"
Seeing everyone's alarmed expressions, Max's instincts kicked in. As he turned to the side, he saw Silva charging toward him.
"What the hell?!"
Max noticed the crowd behind Silva roaring with anger. Time seemed to slow as Max grasped what was happening. Fury surged within him—how dare someone attack from behind, especially in a competition?
"Bastard…"
Before Silva could strike, Ryan appeared and, without hesitation, landed a punch square on Silva's nose, knocking him to the ground.
Crack!
"Oooohhhh!"
The audience roared with approval as they watched Ryan deliver justice to the dishonorable competitor who had tried to attack Max from behind.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Let him go!"
After a few more punches, Ryan was pulled away by Max and a few referees.
"No mercy for an arrogant idiot," Ryan spat.
"I get it, man," Max said with a smirk, glancing at Silva, who was still sprawled on the arena floor.