The audience was left speechless.
Darian collapsed onto his back, gasping for air, trying to recover his breath. Frank immediately stepped in to carry Arthur out of the arena.
"Well, now I'm screwed..." muttered Elio, unusually uneasy and clearly not his usual self.
"No kidding. He's strong… but look at him. He's in a pathetic state," said Jason, pointing at Darian, who was barely holding himself together.
"You don't get it… something happened during the fight. They both advanced to Rank 2. That's why Darian was completely overwhelmed for a while — Arthur reached Rank 2 before him. Darian only caught up after. Even if he's injured now, I could get completely destroyed if I face him," Elio explained, thinking hard about how to survive what was coming. Despite his nerves, he stepped into the arena.
Darian didn't get up right away. He stayed on the ground, trying to recover every ounce of strength he could. But Frank was relentless and forced him to stand, giving him barely a moment's rest.
"He's going too far… he could've given him at least ten seconds to recover," said Lisa, clearly upset.
"Yeah, I don't get it either…" added Clarck.
Clément, as usual, stayed silent. In his eyes, anything that made things harder for his son was good for his development — within certain limits, of course.
"Alright. Get into position," Frank ordered.
The two boys slowly took their stances. Then Frank gave the signal.
"I need to finish this as fast as possible," thought Darian.
"I need to drag this out and buy time," Elio told himself.
Darian rushed at Elio. He threw a heavy body punch that Elio barely blocked, sending him flying several meters backward. Without losing momentum, Darian charged again, unleashing a flurry of punches — hooks, jabs, body shots. Elio took hit after hit, unable to retaliate. He tried to protect himself as best as he could, but it wasn't enough. Blood trickled from his lips. In a desperate move, Elio dropped to the ground voluntarily, forcing Darian to pause his attacks.
He couldn't do that too often — the referee might penalize him — but it was necessary right now. Darian, stepping back, began to truly feel his body giving out.
"You can't run forever, bastard," Darian growled through clenched teeth, furious at Elio's delaying tactics, which he found cowardly and dishonorable.
"Don't worry, I know I'm catching up to your level now," said Elio confidently, getting back up. Indeed, fighting a Rank 2 while still being Rank 1 was hell, but it pushed Elio to evolve at a rapid pace. Darian understood that, and it put him on high alert — he had to end it now.
The fight resumed. Darian began targeting Elio's head with powerful kicks, but his fatigue slowed him. Elio, though still Rank 1, managed to dodge or absorb the hits better. He couldn't counterattack, but he was surviving — for now.
Each kick hit harder than the last. Elio remained in danger, but then, suddenly — he blocked one kick, deflected it, and countered with a clean right hook to Darian's jaw. The crowd gasped.
Elio was on the verge of breaking through.
Sensing the danger, Darian grabbed Elio's arm and twisted it brutally, ready to dislocate his shoulder — a harsh and dirty move, but effective.
At that exact moment, a hand grabbed Darian's wrist and stopped him cold.
"You only use your legs in combat. Your last move was a low kick. You're Rank 2, fighting a Rank 1. That last strike? Absolutely disgraceful," said Frank, who had stepped in to halt the fight.
Darian looked at him, wide-eyed and shocked. Lisa and Clarck were just as stunned. Frank had never stopped fights even under worse conditions before — why now?
Even Clément found the decision absurd, but since the fight involved his son, he chose not to speak, worried that others might accuse him of favoritism.
Frank separated them and ordered the match to resume.
Darian, now visibly struggling, pushed forward again. He had no choice.
Elio, battered and bruised, stood tall, breathing hard, but something in his eyes had changed — clarity, focus... power.
And then it happened.
In the middle of the fight, a subtle pulse of energy burst from within him. A wave of raw force swept across the arena like a silent explosion. Everyone watching felt it — even the air seemed to shift.
Elio had just advanced to Rank 2.
Darian froze, stunned. The audience stood in silence, mouths agape. Even Frank narrowed his eyes.
Without a word, Elio lunged forward.
He moved faster, hit harder. Darian tried to block — but his arms were too slow. His mind too tired. Elio landed a heavy jab, then a knee to the chest, knocking Darian off balance.
A final spinning kick crashed into Darian's shoulder, throwing him to the ground.
Silence.
Frank approached slowly. Darian wasn't unconscious, but he couldn't get up.
"The match is over," Frank declared.
The crowd erupted.
No one had expected Elio to win — not like this. Not against someone already Rank 2. But he had done it.
Lisa blinked in disbelief. "He… he really beat Darian."