Barth frowned deeply.

He understood immediately what Bartley meant.

Being a martial artist himself, he understood the implications of targeting the legs.

He wanted to question the strategy, but the pressure from the crowd's expectations and their disappointed expressions held him back. He felt uneasy.

After a prolonged silence, Barth sighed and approached the ring with determination in his eyes.

Meanwhile, a group of girls in the stands began cheering for him once more.

Barth tried to block them out, concentrating solely on Lilah as he planned his next move.

In the ring, Lilah sensed that her energy was dwindling rapidly.

She understood she needed to finish the fight swiftly now, or it could get messy.

Barth didn't initiate a direct assault. Instead, he feinted repeatedly, obviously scheming something different.

Lilah squinted, attempting to perfectly time her counterattack to bring him down.

But Barth appeared to anticipate her moves and effortlessly dodged her efforts.

Anxiety gripped Lilah as her heart raced and her blood boiled.

In a moment of distraction, she was knocked back by a punch.

Surprised, Lilah swiftly corrected her stance, skidding to the ring's edge.

Her forehead glistened with sweat, her back rigid, barely able to remain upright.

"Mommy!" Jerrold cried out in alarm, starting to dash toward her, but Gerard restrained him.

Gerard cast a concerned look her way, knowing she had to rise on her own.

"You've got this, Lilah!" Xavier yelled, gritting his teeth in encouragement.

"See, I knew she couldn't handle it. How could she ever compete with Barth?" a voice from the crowd jeered.

"Yeah, she's only like this because Barth isn't giving his all."

“What a joke. We thought she was strong, but she's just making a fool of herself."

The murmurs around Lilah swelled into waves of whispers, engulfing her like a tide of disapproval.

Lilah refused to quit as she slowly stood upright.