The pressure crashed upon Jock like a wave.

His hands turned sweaty, arms heavy, and back drenched in sweat. He felt like he was suffocating under the weight of it all.

The pressure that Axe was releasing wasn't a joking matter. His speed was just so insane that it gave both mental and physical pressure.

'Wait… I remember a video that I watched a while back. It was just a small ranked match between Kiernan and one of his classmates.

'Was it Rick… no, Ryan?I don't know, but from the video, I could see that he was also insanely fast.

'Maybe not as fast as Axe, but still, really fast—I couldn't see him move at all even with the help of the video.

'I had to slow down the video to catch a glimpse of his movements!

'However, the most important part was that Kiernan managed to defend against his insane speed!'

Jock gritted his teeth, and his right arm itched. He knew what he had to do, and he was ready to face the challenge head-on.

"Heh~"

Axe lowered his stance and strangely put his arms sideways across his chest, almost looking like he was dabbing, but with a much more serious expression on his face.

In that moment, a single bead of sweat fell from Jock's forehead. It fell down and splashed against the red mat underneath them.

At the same moment, Axe bolted forward. His arms swung wildly in front of him. It was like he believed that he was going faster if he kept swinging his arms as if they were propellers.

There were a handful of people in the audience and elsewhere that were able to see Axe's movements.

There were many Martial Masters, and Martial Grandmasters in the audience. This was a tier 1 country after all, so such powerhouses were common.

From the bench, Kiernan was also able to see Axe moving. To him, it was the same as him going at normal walking speed.

However, none of the participating fighters were able to see Axe move, especially not Jock, who was the lowest-ranked fighter here.

In that moment, Jock placed his fist in front of him and prayed for it to be enough, but in that moment, Axe dodged his fist and punched Jock in the face.

Smack!

With a bloody nose, Jock fell backwards and collapsed at the red mat. There was a red mark of a fist on his face.

His eyes had turned red out of anger, and his teeth were bleeding, which was why he wasn't talking except to whimper in pain.

"Whistle~ One point to Axe! With three points, the winner is Axe!"

The referee announced.

"No…"

Cleo covered her mouth in shock and felt deflated like a balloon, as she knew how much Jock wanted to win.

He especially wanted to show the Ok Family Dojo the strength of their dojo, but before he could do it, he sadly lost.

Kiernan left the bench and jumped onto the platform to check on Jock, who was trying his hardest not to cry.

"Good match."

Axe bowed to both Jock and Kiernan. He spent a little longer while bowing to Kiernan and bowed deeper as a sign of respect.

After that, he left to celebrate with his family, who were watching with pride.

"You alright?"

Kiernan asked, then reached out into empty air and pulled out a flask of elixir, but then Jock stopped him.

"I-I don't want it… I failed you, master…"

Jock gritted his teeth and looked away.

"Losing sucks, doesn't it? I have also been in the same position as you. Don't cry. Embrace the defeat like a champ, and next time around, you'll come back stronger."

Kiernan said and offered his hand to Jock.

Jock looked at the hand. It was calloused from years of relentless training. His hand, in comparison, was soft and delicate.

With a whimper and a nod, he grabbed the hand and got pulled back to his feet.

While leaving the platform, the audience clapped after seeing him able to still stand on his own two feet.

At that moment, Jock could see laughter and mocking looks coming from a distance away.

It came from Khan and Weathers, who weren't hiding their laughter, and for a moment, Jock just wanted to look away and keep walking.

However, the words of Kiernan echoed in his ears, and thus, he sharply looked at them and showed a bloody smile.

It was a crazy look.

"…"

Khan and Weathers turned silent.

"Here!"

After they came back to their bench, Cleo gave Jock some tissues to wipe off the blood, and he took them gratefully.

"You did great, Jock. I am not sure whether even I would've been able to defeat Axe. That speed is just crazy to deal with!"

Cleo cheered him on.

"…That speed. Would I have been able to defeat it?"

Jock asked and turned to look at his tall master, who was sitting beside him with arms crossed.

"No, it was impossible."

Kiernan said.

"…"

Jock lowered his head, and for the first time, he actually felt like he was facing an insurmountable mountain.

How in the world could he ever defeat Axe?

"There is no such thing as an impossible opponent. You are still new, and you are in the middle of being born."

Kiernan said.

"…Being born?"

Jock cocked his head in confusion.

"Yes. The early stage of Martial Arts Pathway is called Rebirth in different parts of the world. It's like you are born for a second time.

"I didn't make you participate in this tournament because I believed that you could win. It's a chance to get experience, and now, you've got a goal to strive for."

Kiernan said.

"…Goal."

Jock whispered under his breath and looked towards Axe, who was all smiles with his family, and clenched his hands tight.

"You will win and you will also lose. It is the normal life of a martial artist. My biggest improvements came from losing."

Kiernan said.

"…I understand. One day, I will become so strong that I will never lose."

Jock said with a serious look.

"That's the ultimate goal of martial artists, isn't it?"

Kiernan said with a chuckle and leaned back on the bench.

"I'd like to also be strong enough to never lose."

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