Brown had been locked in the penalty room, and the security guards wouldn't dare let him out until the match was over. Good grief, that old man really had a temper!
The fight resumed, but Jason Luo was now without his coach. The referee, however, finally realized the gravity of the situation. Holding up the shoe in his hand, he sternly warned Tutkason not to foul again—or face a severe penalty.
Tutkason glanced at the shoe and nodded silently. He knew full well that the referee was fuming with nowhere to vent his anger. If he lost his temper and issued a punishment, it wouldn't be light. Better to behave.
But without clinching, Tutkason genuinely had no good way to deal with Jason Luo's offense. Jason's Strength was now formidable. After receiving the bonus attributes from his victory over Carl, his overall power had risen sharply. Aside from slightly weaker Punch Speed and superb evasions, he had no real flaws left at the amateur level.
Under those circumstances, Tutkason's explosive counterpunching lost much of its effectiveness, putting him at a clear disadvantage!
As the match went on, Jason's rhythm grew smoother and more aggressive. Tutkason was forced into full defense, barely holding on and occasionally throwing a punch just to avoid being judged unable to fight back and losing by default.
Too much time had been wasted in the second round—first by clinching delays, then by Brown's outburst. That left Jason with little time to finish things. He launched two furious offensives, but Tutkason managed to hold out until the bell.
"Ding!" The bell rang. Jason immediately stopped his assault, but Tutkason couldn't pull his punch back in time—a front-hand jab landed on Jason's face. Normally, this was no big deal. Such things happened often in matches; as long as it wasn't deliberate, it was considered part of the fight.
Yet Jason felt something was wrong. It had only been a simple jab, not powerful at all, but it hurt more than it should have. Even through the gloves, it felt like being hit by a bare fist—hard and sharp...
Was it just his imagination?
Jason shook his head. Probably. Everything had felt normal before. Tutkason hadn't changed gloves, so maybe the punch had just landed awkwardly on a bone—that must've been it.
Back in the rest area, only Raul remained. "It's fine, Jason. They won't dare do anything serious to Coach Brown. At worst, he'll pay a fine later. Just focus on the match. Next round, you can knock that kid out for sure. Just be careful—knock him down, but don't seriously hurt him. His father's a billionaire. If you injure him badly, we'll be in big trouble..."
Jason understood—this was no exaggeration. Getting on the wrong side of a billionaire with hundreds of billions in assets was no small matter.
Still, since the man's son had entered the tournament, beating him fairly was perfectly legitimate. Besides, this was America—not the UAE.
Without a coach, Raul couldn't offer much tactical support, but Jason had already seized the initiative. Finishing the fight shouldn't be a problem.
The crowd also believed victory was within reach. Cheers erupted from every direction:
"Go, Wonder Kid! Finish it in the next round!"
"Go Jason Luo! Into the semifinals!"
"Semifinals! Semifinals! Jason Luo's the strongest!"
Amidst the roaring crowd, the bell rang again—round three had begun. Everyone was waiting for the moment Jason would deliver the knockout. The momentum was entirely on his side.
Jason was just as confident. The moment the round started, he charged forward again—otherwise, Tutkason would just retreat into the corner as usual.
Closing the gap in a few steps, Jason unleashed a barrage of powerful punches. Tutkason turtled up in a tight defense, throwing only a few perfunctory counterpunches.
Then came two jabs. Jason didn't even bother dodging, pressing his attack.
But the moment they landed, his face exploded with pain. Those ordinary jabs felt like sledgehammers. Two dark purple bruises appeared instantly, and the searing sting brought tears to his eyes.
Damn it!
What the hell was that!?
Jason could tell something was seriously wrong.
Even bare fists didn't hurt like this. What the hell was going on!?
But in the middle of the ring, there was no time to think. After those two punches, Tutkason suddenly noticed Jason's offense falter. Seeing an opening, he immediately burst into a counterattack. Jason's vision blurred from the tears—he was caught off guard and took heavy damage!
Under Tutkason's rapid barrage, Jason tried to block and dodge but still took several hits. A powerful hook slammed into the top of his head—it felt like getting clubbed. His mind went blank. Then a straight punch smashed into his nose, blood spurting instantly.
Finally, a body hook drove deep into his abdomen. The impact felt like being rammed by a speeding car. Pain surged through him, and Jason crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach...
"Whoa!"
The entire arena froze. What was that? He'd been dominating all match, yet one counter and he was down?
Could Tutkason have been holding back all along? That didn't make sense.
Many veteran spectators knew Tutkason well—his rear-hand punch was strong, sure, but not that strong. Jason hadn't been beaten up this badly even in his fight against Carl!
Jason lay on the mat, writhing in pain, unable to comprehend what had just happened. How had Tutkason's punches suddenly become so damn hard?
When those blows landed, it was like being smashed by iron. That one to the head—he swore it almost cracked his skull!
"Ding. Severe damage detected during official match. Conditions for Unyielding Body met. Unyielding Body automatically activated. All attributes increased…"
In the next instant, Unyielding Body triggered. The agony in his abdomen rapidly subsided. Though his stamina and clarity returned, waves of pain still pulsed through his head and gut.
This time, the referee rushed over briskly, immediately beginning the count. "One! Two!..."
Jason slammed his fist against the canvas in anger. No matter what, he couldn't lose this match!
With so many supporters watching, with Brown locked up because of him, and the media waiting to mock his failure—he couldn't let them have that satisfaction!
Thinking of this, Jason gritted his teeth, forced away the pain, and shot to his feet.
The referee had only reached five. Seeing Jason standing, he said nothing more and signaled for the fight to continue.
This time, Tutkason sensed an opening. He charged in with a fierce assault. The audience tensed, afraid Jason might not withstand another barrage so soon after being knocked down.
But Jason's body was holding strong. He activated his Footwork, sidestepping and weaving to avoid Tutkason's blows while firing back with quick counterpunches.
Yet Tutkason fought with reckless ferocity, meeting Jason head-on. Even with Jason's attributes boosted by 15%, his body couldn't endure the pounding of those iron fists!
Not just his head—even his arms and torso couldn't take it. Each blow left a swelling bruise, dark and purple.
Another rear-hand straight came crashing toward him. Jason couldn't dodge in time and raised his arm to block—but the impact sent a jolt of pain so sharp it made him grit his teeth and pull his arm back by reflex. The next punch came instantly, and Jason, retreating, couldn't escape.
This one landed dead-center on his forehead, splitting the skin open!
Jason's head snapped back, and he dropped onto the mat again...
The crowd was stunned. Less than a minute into the third round, Jason had been knocked down twice in a row. Things looked dire.
Raul was panicking too. Seeing blood streaming down Jason's forehead, he paced in circles. Brown was gone, and even the white towel had been taken away. Raul shouted desperately, "Jason! Don't push yourself! If you can't go on, quit! Don't risk it!"
Jason's vision blurred from the impact, his mind spinning—but only one thought remained:
He absolutely could not lose this fight. Not here. Not now.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser