Joey, who had stopped for a few moments, took a deep breath and began attacking again, this time more desperately, as nothing had worked so far.
Swish!
Just as the strike he had thrown was about to reach Max's chest, Max finally made his move—but this time, he was faster than before. In an instant, he extended his right hand and delivered a quick punch to his opponent's shoulder.
To everyone's surprise, the match didn't end with Max's victory just because he landed a hit. Instead, after that single strike, Max launched a brutal assault, combining different types of techniques. Joey, who was desperately trying to defend himself, didn't know what to do.
"How is he so fast?"
The scene left the audience astonished. Why, if Max was this fast, hadn't he used this style of Karate from the start?
For Max, the answer was simple—it was because he couldn't control the strength required to score a point, so he usually held back his attacks.
But this time, he didn't want to hold back. He wanted to prove that he was unbeatable in this tournament and show everyone that he hadn't made it this far just to pick flowers in a spring field.
By looking at Joey's face, it was evident that Max's style was vastly superior to his. When Joey thought they were at least evenly matched, it turned out that wasn't the case at all.
"I deserve this as much as anyone else!" Joey shouted furiously.
"It's mine..." Max thought as he continued attacking Joey, who did everything he could to retreat.
The moment Max let go of all restraints in the fight, he fully revealed the emotions he had been holding inside. From his perspective, no one in this tournament had a greater hunger for victory than he did. No one could compare.
Beyond childish tantrums over a misunderstanding that could have been resolved peacefully with the right words, Max wasn't here to criticize. He was here for one reason alone—to win and bring the tournament trophy home.
"No one deserves it more than me!"
Consumed by his desires before the match ended, Max unleashed a flurry of rapid attacks that overwhelmed Joey's already exhausted defenses.
Faced with Joey's desperate counterattacks, Max remained unfazed. Without hesitation, he feinted with his left hand and finished the fight with a spinning kick that successfully struck his opponent's chest.
Boom!
The audience watched as Joey's body was sent flying backward by Max's powerful kick. Unable to do anything else, Joey's figure finally collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
"Point! Winner!"
"Yes! Excellent!" Johnny clenched his fists at Max's victory, celebrating in silence, overwhelmed by the emotions of the match.
"Max, that was brilliant!" As Max walked back toward his dojo, Devon, who was a few meters away, shouted enthusiastically while clapping.
"This tournament is mine!" Max raised his fist toward Devon, who supported him without caring about the people around them.
More than anything, Max's performance today had been nothing short of incredible. What everyone had just witnessed wasn't Karate—it was his own style, focused on Kung Fu. This was the martial art Max had been learning abroad from the very beginning.
Even after winning countless tournaments, Max had never showcased all his combined skills until now. That was why these fights were giving him valuable experience for the future.
As he stepped out of the applauding crowd, Max looked at Johnny, who smiled at him and said, "We're in the semifinals now. Aren't I your most incredible student?"
Johnny ruffled Max's hair and said, "I'm sure Miss Devon is more incredible. Don't let this get to your head—sit down and rest."
Seeing Johnny, who was usually expressionless, now showing emotion, Max felt even happier to have such an amazing mentor by his side.
The next match would be Jack versus Ryan, but it was likely to be delayed to give Jack more time to rest and recover.