Chris was surprised to see the eighth challenger stand up after taking both his blows head-on, especially the kick. Even if it didn’t knock him out since it was a body blow aimed at his ribs, it should still be painful or debilitating enough to keep the eighth challenger on the floor.

It was even more surprising to see the eighth challenger’s face not even contorted in pain. He winced as he stood up and furrowed his brows. So, it was obvious he was feeling the kick, but the determination of before was still there. It might even have been sharpened by the pain.

However, the eighth challenger was already having trouble standing. Chris doubted he could last much longer and stepped forward to put him out of his misery.

Surprisingly enough, the eighth challenger managed to react in time.

Since one side was left undefended, Chris had planned to land a knockout blow straight to the eighth challenger’s jaw. The eighth challenger couldn’t move his arm too high due to the damage from Chris’ kick, and he wouldn’t be able to block the blow as he had done with Chris’ first punch.

And since the pain made it hard for him to move, the eighth challenger also wouldn’t be able to dodge the strike very well. Not that he could have evaded Chris’ seemingly lightning-quick strike even if he was uninjured.

The only thing he could do in the time it took for Chris to punch was to move his head.

The eighth challenger turned his head slightly as he lowered it and received Chris’ punch with his forehead.

His neck wasn’t strong enough, and his head shot back like a cannonball. But it bounced and returned to an upright position, despite the pain shooting down his neck and spine.

The eighth challenger still stood and remained conscious after taking three of Chris’ attacks. As long as they ignored the fourth challenger, who Chris had intentionally kept alive and conscious, the eighth challenger had lasted the longest so far.

The eighth challenger had endured three times as many hits as most other challengers. Of course, that was because the others had lost in a single exchange.

But it was still impressive, and the crowd liked it. The spectators weren’t at the same level of excitement as they had been when Chris defeated and executed the first three challengers, but they were getting there.

Chris shook his hand slightly to get rid of the faint ache that set in after he punched straight at one of the hardest places on the human body with one of the more fragile parts on his own. Not only that, but he had also struck with a bad angle. So most of the force behind the blow affected his fingers.

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But after shaking his hand slightly, most of the aftereffects of the failed punch were gone.

The eighth challenger smiled as blood dripped down from the split skin on his forehead.

Just for the sake of it, Chris struck out with another punch. This time, he targeted the eighth challenger’s defended side.

The eighth challenger gritted his teeth and blocked the punch with his arm. He had been able to use both arms to brace against the previous attack toward his arms and disperse the power. But this time, all the force behind Chris’ punch was concentrated on a single forearm.

The eighth challenger also couldn’t step back to redirect the force due to the pain in his ribs.

With a nigh-inaudible crack, the eighth challenger’s forearm cracked.

However, the eighth challenger didn’t have time to feel the pain before Chris’ other hand came flying toward his face.

The eighth challenger reacted instinctively and mimicked his previous moments as he lowered his head and received the fist with his forehead again. Both fighters did better this time.

Chris was slightly ready for it and managed to strike the challenger’s forehead with his knuckles instead of the middle of his fingers. And the eighth challenger was prepared for the force and managed to keep his head from snapping back.

However, the sharpness of Chris’ knuckles dug into his forehead and, combined with the recently broken forearm, filled the eighth challenger past the brim with pain. His vision grew spotty, and his already unsteady legs made it even harder for him to keep his balance intact.

The eighth challenger swayed like grass in the wind.

However, he remained on his feet and still had one hand raised as his guard.

The eighth challenger’s perseverance and force of will were the only things keeping him standing. But that alone wasn’t enough to defend against Chris tapping his shoulder and pushing him to the ground.

The eighth challenger helplessly fell to the ground with a soft thump. With that, his arm relaxed and finally fell down to his side. He lost consciousness. But his eyes were open, his jaws and fists were clenched, and his feet twitched as if trying to help him keep his balance.

The eighth challenger was by far the one who had put up the best fight against Chris, even if he had only defended. And he had shown more determination than anyone else.

As a way of respecting the eighth challenger, Chris didn’t toss him off of the ring as he had done with the others. He picked him up and carried him to the edge, where he planned to gently drop him off to one of the challengers or Dennis.

The other challengers stood there ready to catch him. The eighth challenger had both shown incredible determination and helped the remaining challengers tire Chris out. That much was enough for them to be more than willing to help him get some better treatment.

However, Chris stopped before he could hand over the eighth challenger. At first, the others didn’t understand what he was doing. Their first thought was that he was stalling to get more time to rest. But then they realized.

Chris stopped because he sensed the eighth challenger moving.

“Not… Yet….”