Such effortless dominance! The crowd fell silent as hundreds of pairs of eyes fixed on Lilah.

Awe and disbelief.. as if they had witnessed a phantom materialize before them.

Nothing like this had ever happened in the history of the competition.

Briseis, brimming with excitement, bolted toward the ring, eager to dissect every one of Lilah's moves.

God damn it! How could Lilah be so powerful? She hadn't seen her train in ages. How could she have improved so rapidly? Briseis' mind was racing.

Lilah, however, seemed unfazed by the audience.

Her gaze was locked on Karol, who was sprawled on the floor, having been kicked away twice already by her swift, precise kicks.

"Again!" she commanded, her voice as soft and effortless as her movements.

She was treating it like some afternoon training.

Karol felt like she could go mad.

This couldn't be real. She had dedicated endless hours to her training, even seeking guidance from a renowned master. How could she be bested so easily by Lilah?

Refusing to accept defeat, Karol staggered to her feet.

Her face, now swollen and lacking that earlier confidence she had, painted a stark contrast to Lilah's composed demeanor.

Lilah stood still with her immaculate hair, a picture of unruffled elegance.

"I'm not done yet!" Karol muttered through clenched teeth. Her pride was stinging.

Determined to turn the tide, she feigned an attack, hoping to catch Lilah off guard.

As she closed in, she aimed an elbow at Lilah's shoulder, planning to pin her down with her legs the moment she hit the floor.

She poured every ounce of her strength into the attack this time.

But Lilah remained unfazed, still looking bored as if she hadn't noticed the elbow flying toward her.

At the last moment, she sidestepped the blow with a graceful twist.

She countered with a light sweep at Karol's leg.

Karol felt a sharp pain shoot through her leg, and before she could catch herself, she crashed to the floor, her arm numb and useless.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, like a collective wince at her agony.

This was sheer brutality, a mismatch so glaring that calling it a competition seemed absurd.