Free Web NovelChapter 154: Chapter 154 Ashley Taking Action 7
But no matter what he tried, it was useless.
Ashley saw through every attack, every feint, and every attempt to bait her into making a mistake. It was as if she could read him like an open book. Whenever he struck, she would either evade at the last second or intercept the attack before launching a vicious counter of her own.
And unlike him, her punches actually hurt.
A sharp hook snapped his head to the side. Before he could recover, another punch slammed into his jaw, nearly making him bite his tongue. The force sent him staggering backward, his vision swimming as he struggled to keep his footing.
The crowd erupted into cheers and laughter at the champion’s miserable state.
Humiliated and increasingly desperate, he suddenly raised a hand to stop the fight.
"Referee!"
As soon as the official looked his way, he pointed an accusing finger at Ashley.
"She’s cheating!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, sounding every bit like the sore loser he was. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Despite how ridiculous the accusation sounded, the referee still stepped forward to perform a proper inspection. freeweɓnøvel.com
Ashley simply shrugged and raised both hands into the air, allowing the official to examine them without resistance. There was nothing to find. Unlike most fighters, she hadn’t even wrapped her fists with cotton cloth or hand wraps, leaving nowhere to conceal any foreign object, let alone brass knuckles.
After a thorough check, the referee found nothing suspicious.
Ashley wasn’t surprised.
In truth, she had barely been trying.
Throughout the match, she had relied almost entirely on her hands and footwork, rarely bothering to use kicks. From her perspective, the reigning champion simply wasn’t worth the effort. After observing him for a few minutes, she had already figured out his limits. His techniques were crude, his combinations repetitive, and his openings glaringly obvious.
If he hadn’t relied on dirty tricks and intimidation to secure his victories, Ashley doubted he would have been capable of standing on this stage at all, much less defending a championship title.
Because of that, she didn’t even consider him an equal.
To her, this wasn’t a serious fight.
It was little more than a one-sided lesson.
"No! That’s impossible!" the reigning champion shouted. "She has to be using brass knuckles! How else could her punches hurt this much?"
Unwilling to accept reality, he repeatedly urged the referee to inspect Ashley again. The more he spoke, the more outrageous his demands became. At one point, he even hinted that a more thorough search should be conducted, implying that Ashley might be hiding something beneath her clothes.
The crowd immediately frowned at the suggestion.
The accusation was absurd.
Ashley was wearing a simple top and skirt, neither of which had pockets or any place where a weapon could realistically be concealed. In fact, the outfit was one of the reasons she had barely used her legs throughout the match. Wearing a skirt made high kicks inconvenient, so she had relied almost entirely on her hands and footwork.
Anyone with functioning eyes could see that.
Yet the champion continued to insist on a pat-down.
At this point, it was obvious that finding a weapon was no longer his real objective. Deep down, he already knew the referee wouldn’t discover anything. What he truly wanted was to humiliate Ashley in front of the entire arena.
Since he couldn’t defeat her physically, he wanted to damage her reputation instead.
It was a petty, malicious attempt to drag her down with him now that he was losing so miserably.
The champion smirked smugly, convinced that he had found a way to put Ashley in an awkward position.
Unfortunately for him, Ashley immediately saw through his intentions.
Her eyes narrowed slightly before a slow, sardonic smile spread across her lips.
"Oh?" she said, tilting her head innocently. "Why are you making such a fuss? You only got hit a few times by a woman, and you’re already falling apart?"
A few snickers rippled through the crowd.
Ashley ignored them and continued mercilessly.
"Honestly, you’re acting so delicate that even I can’t compete with you. One moment you’re crying about your leg, the next you’re accusing me of cheating. At this rate, I’m starting to wonder who’s actually the fragile one here."
The laughter around the arena grew louder.
The champion’s face instantly turned red.
"You... you—!"
He pointed a trembling finger at her, so furious that he could barely form a coherent sentence.
Ashley merely raised an eyebrow.
"What?" she asked with a faint smile. "Can’t handle a little criticism?"
"There is no problem with her," the referee stated firmly. "If you don’t want to continue the fight, then admit defeat. Don’t try to drag out the match or use baseless accusations to get your opponent disqualified."
The reigning champion’s expression darkened at the warning.
The referee had only spoken so decisively because he had just received instructions from above. The arena management had made it clear that no preferential treatment was to be shown, even to the reigning champion.
He was expected to officiate fairly and impartially, which meant he couldn’t simply obey every demand the champion made or allow himself to be led around by the nose.
There was also another reason.
Earlier that day, the underground arena had suffered significant losses because of Drake’s unexpected victory. Now another upset seemed to be unfolding before their eyes. Almost nobody had placed their bets on Ashley. To most spectators, the outcome had seemed obvious from the start.
If Ashley actually pulled off a victory, the arena would keep the vast majority of the wagers placed on the reigning champion. Not only would that help recover some of the money lost earlier, but it might even leave them with a respectable profit by the end of the night.
With direct orders from management and the arena’s financial interests leaning in Ashley’s favor, there was little incentive left to continue shielding the reigning champion from the consequences of his own actions.
Without further ado, the referee forced the reigning champion back into the fight against Ashley. Knowing exactly what he intended to do, Ashley abandoned her slow, methodical torment and went on the offensive.
In a blur of motion, she appeared in front of him before he could even open his mouth to whine again. Her fists exploded into action, raining down a relentless barrage of punches aimed at his face, nose, and eyes.
One devastating blow shattered through his defenses, sending several molars flying from his mouth along with his mouthguard. Yet Ashley showed no intention of stopping.
She drove her knee into his abdomen with brutal force, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing him onto his knees. Before he could recover, another vicious kick slammed into his face, snapping his head backward. Then, as if by accident, she stepped heavily on his already injured leg.
The sickening crunch that followed made it clear there was nothing accidental about it.
Ashley had no intention of letting him leave the arena, as he could easily hurt another fighter again with his dirty tricks. After witnessing the merciless way he had treated his opponents, she was determined to ensure he paid the price and wouldn’t leave this place crippled.
