Chapter 5934

Haley Swain was feeling somewhat confused at that moment. It was his first time competing in a women’s event as a woman. Although he had studied the top contenders in the women’s bracket beforehand, particularly the number one seed, Aurora, he found during the final match that the overall skill level of the women's group was significantly lower than that of the men's group. Consequently, he began to look down on Aurora, thinking she was not a serious challenge. Previously, he had analyzed the performance data of the top male and female athletes in the 100-meter dash. The leading male athletes clocked in around ten seconds, while the top female athletes were in the ten to eleven-second range. He considered himself equivalent to someone in the ten-and-a-half-second range among the men. Although he might not qualify for the finals in the men's division, he felt confident about winning the championship in the women’s division. However, he was taken aback when Aurora quickly overpowered him in their match, rendering his skills and strategies ineffective. Her true strength was far beyond what he had anticipated. Just as he was grappling with his frustration, Aurora had already assessed his weaknesses and realized that his actual combat skills were inferior to hers. As a result, she abandoned her previous caution and began to take the initiative. Aurora felt a sense of dissatisfaction towards Haley Swain. She believed it was unfair for the event's organizing committee to allow such a so-called transgender athlete to compete in the women's category. In her eyes, he didn't appear to be a genuine transgender competitor but merely someone exploiting a loophole for an advantage, which fueled her resistance. Especially infuriating was Haley Swain’s arrogant demeanor, which conveyed an attitude of "I've gamed the rules, and you can't challenge me, while I enjoy your contempt." This made her increasingly frustrated. Now that Aurora had grasped the real level of her opponent, she began to alter her tactics. As Aurora approached him with a more aggressive intent, Haley Swain recognized her strategic shift. Before he could determine a proper counter, Aurora unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks. He quickly realized that Aurora’s punching speed far exceeded his ability to defend effectively, leaving him somewhat overwhelmed. Aurora attacked from both sides, throwing out four rapid punches each time. Haley Swain could only manage two or three deflections with his arms, inevitably leaving him open to one or two strikes. Fortunately, as Aurora threw her swift punches, she had to minimize her arm swings to maintain speed, reducing the power behind each blow. Thus, while the punches came fast, they were considerably less forceful. For Haley Swain, who had a male physique, blocking the strikes was still feasible. Yet, even blocking the punches didn’t alleviate the embarrassment and irritation that came with being repeatedly struck. Since entering the women’s competition, he had faced all challenges and dominated his opponents without allowing anyone the chance to genuinely hurt him. The fact that he was being bested by a girl in the finals filled him with rage. Nonetheless, despite his anger, he understood that his strength was not on par with Aurora's; a hasty counterattack would only provide her an opportunity for a significant hit. Nevertheless, remaining on the defensive was not a viable long-term solution. Constantly being hit, even without severe injuries, would cause him to lose points rapidly. Even if he escaped with no major injuries by the end of the match, he was at risk of losing solely on the score. At that moment, Haley Swain was preoccupied with a single thought: how to turn the tables. Suddenly, he noticed the way Aurora's proud chest moved as she swung her fists. An idea sparked in his mind. He disregarded the hits he was taking and directly aimed a punch at Aurora’s chest.

Usually, during a normal match, if an opponent attacked her chest, Aurora would make standard tactical assessments. If the opponent's strength was not imposing and she sensed she could inflict more damage, she'd typically avoid defending. After all, her opponents were usually genuine female athletes, and physical contact in sensitive areas wasn't often considered outside the strategies of the game. However, today’s scenario was clearly different. No matter how vehemently Haley Swain claimed to be transgender and insisted that his mental state aligned with being a woman, in Aurora's eyes, he was unmistakably a man. Consequently, when he suddenly attacked her chest, her instincts kicked in, making her forget it was a competition. In that moment, her innate femininity compelled her to instinctively cover her chest as if confronted by a lewd aggressor. It mattered little that her chest was shielded; her entire face was now exposed to his next move. Haley Swain had anticipated this scenario. Aware that Aurora's skills would make it difficult to land a blow to her chest directly, he recognized that if he timed it right—causing Aurora to focus on defending her chest— he would seize the chance for a counterattack. In her anger and panic, Aurora couldn't think clearly. As she prepared to protest to the referee while shielding her chest, she was blindsided by Haley Swain’s punch to her face. With a resounding impact, Aurora absorbed a heavy hit. Just as she had struck Haley Swain, the force of Haley’s punch hit her squarely, sending a sharp pain through her face. The impact caused her to feel dazed, and she tasted blood as her nose began to bleed profusely. The spectators witnessed the entire episode, quickly recognizing Haley Swain’s unsportsmanlike conduct, prompting a chorus of boos, whistles, and jeers. Having already turned his face away in anticipation of backlash from his decision to exploit the transgender loophole and participate, Haley Swain cared little about public opinion. All that mattered to him was winning the championship and securing the prize. Thus, he disregarded the crowd's disdain and capitalized on Aurora’s disorientation to deliver another punch. This time he threw a right hook with all his might, even more powerful than before. In an effort to catch Aurora off guard, he focused 70% of his strength on this follow-up punch. He hoped to knock Aurora off balance, hoping she would be severely hurt enough to diminish her combat effectiveness, allowing him the opportunity to counterattack and possibly knock her out in one blow. At that moment, Aurora hadn’t fully grasped the insidious events that had transpired. Seeing Haley Swain’s heavy punch approaching her, Charlie called out to her with his energy: "Aurora! Watch out and dodge!" His voice pierced through to her like a thunderclap, snapping her back to focus. Recognizing Charlie's voice immediately, she didn’t have the luxury of searching for him; she simply reacted. As Haley’s punch barely grazed her left cheek, she deftly swayed to the right just in time, allowing Haley Swain’s punch to only brush against her hair. Realizing Charlie was there supporting her, Aurora’s fighting spirit surged. The insidious nature of Haley Swain’s tactics irritated her further. She refused to let him capitalize on his advantage. When his punch missed the mark, she struck back with all her strength to hit Haley Swain hard in the side. Haley Swain felt an intense pain shoot through his waist, leading to a sudden arch as his legs turned weak. Just as he was about to crumple to the ground, he heard Charlie’s voice again: "Aurora! Don't let him off easy!"