Max had struck Alex with that deliberate blow, ignoring the consequences. But, unknowingly, it had played a crucial role in his favor.
"Tell me, how does it feel to fight with half your vision?" Max asked, raising his fists.
"Shut up!" Alex, bleeding just like Max, was desperate to end the fight quickly, sensing he could lose.
"Then come at me," Max said, positioning himself at the other end of the combat arena.
Those words snapped Alex out of his fleeting illusion of victory. His gaze turned cold as he waited for the referee to restart the fight.
"Alex, today I'll show you how brutal I can be. Then you'll understand the difference between us."
Max's muscles tensed, his focus sharpened, and his stance grew more aggressive than ever. His posture merged all his martial arts techniques into one seamless form, making it impossible for anyone to identify its components.
Alex sneered at Max's "ridiculous" combat stance, but as he took a step forward, uncertainty crept in. He couldn't figure out how to attack Max or predict how he might be countered.
"Nonsense!"
At one point, Alex lunged forward with a kick to Max's side. It was instantly blocked by Max's left leg, and in a split second, Max struck a precise muscle on Alex's body.
This scene left much of the audience, unfamiliar with the nuances of martial arts, awestruck. They thought Max's stance was remarkable, like something straight out of an overhyped martial arts movie.
Bam!
Max delivered a powerful strike to a specific point, intending to wear down Alex's defenses before targeting his true objective: inflicting real damage.
After landing the first blow, Alex braced himself to defend, but a second attack quickly followed, this time aimed at his right shoulder.
That hit could have scored a clear point, but Alex evaded it by taking the impact on the lower part of his shoulder.
To everyone's surprise, Max's stance was incredibly effective. How had no one deciphered the trajectory of his strikes yet?
Even Alex's confident demeanor shifted in an instant. He could feel his muscles gradually stiffening, making it harder to keep up with Max's rhythm.
For the first time, fear appeared on Alex's face.
"You're not unique. There are stronger men out there, and right now, you're facing someone who can still grow even stronger," Max said, his eyes locked onto Alex, who had stopped advancing. Alex's expression was one of complete confusion, much to everyone's astonishment.
As Max spoke, he surged forward, launching an offensive so swift that Alex didn't know how to react.
"Sss..."
At Max's sudden burst of speed, which he had never displayed before, the crowd rose to their feet, their eyes wide open, trying to catch whether any of his strikes landed on Alex.
"His strikes aren't aiming for points; he's dismantling Alex's defense entirely," Ryan murmured, his face filled with confusion.
Ryan and other martial arts experts couldn't understand why Max was showcasing this level of combat now. But what was puzzling to them was a clear message to Robert.
"Look, here's your star fighter."
Crack!
In the final moment, Max landed a spinning kick to Alex's face, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Arghhh!"
Max's roar, combined with his bloodied appearance, sent the crowd into a frenzy. They had been waiting for a fight like this.
Meanwhile, Miguel, who had been watching intently, thought, "I want to be that cool too."
Devon, standing nearby, couldn't hold back her excitement and screamed in joy at seeing her friend claim victory.
But ultimately, Alex got back on his feet.
Max, standing with his back to his opponent, furrowed his brow. Before the referee could intervene, he turned around and unleashed a rapid combination of elbows, punches, and kicks, leaving Alex no chance to resist.
In an instant, Alex was knocked out, and Max was declared the winner of the night.