Chapter 866: Flowing

Chapter 866: Chapter 866: Flowing

Damon had managed to recover from the daze relatively quickly, thanks in part to his Recovery Boost. By the time he settled onto his stool, his vision had cleared, and the dizziness that troubled him moments earlier was already fading.

He took the bottle Victor handed him and drank several gulps.

"What happened out there, Damon?" Victor asked, crouching in front of him. "Come on, you need to keep your head in the match."

Damon lowered the bottle.

Honestly, he didn’t have a proper explanation. He had been caught completely off guard. One moment, he was reading Anton’s movements and avoiding his combinations, and the next, he was staring at the canvas.

Was it arrogance? Or was he too focused on weaving through Anton’s attacks?

Perhaps it was both.

He had gotten a little too comfortable with his defensive abilities, especially after making Anton miss so many times. Somewhere along the way, he had forgotten that his opponent was a double champion for a reason.

Victor seemed to notice his expression.

"Listen to me, son. This is the test. You’ve dominated plenty of fighters, but you can’t expect every fight to go your way. Sometimes, you’re going to get hit. Sometimes, things won’t go according to plan."

He placed a hand on Damon’s shoulder.

"But that doesn’t mean you’ve lost. You felt his power, and now you know what he’s capable of. Don’t let that one punch get into your head. You’re still the better fighter."

Damon looked at him.

"He’s not invincible. You can beat him. You’ve already shown that you’re capable of controlling this fight. So get your head back in the game and finish what you came here to do."

Victor gave his shoulder a final squeeze.

"Now go out there and remind him why you’re the champion."

Damon chuckled, a familiar confidence slowly returning to his face.

"Alright, alright. I get it."

Meanwhile, in the opposite corner, Anton was receiving a very different kind of encouragement, though the message was remarkably similar.

The referee soon approached, signaling for both corners to clear the cage.

"Fighters, get ready!"

The stools were pulled away as both men rose to their feet. Damon rolled his shoulders and raised his guard, taking one final look across the cage.

Anton was already waiting.

The referee checked that both fighters were ready before stepping away.

BEEEEEP!

The third round began, and both men moved toward the centre of the cage.

Damon kept his eyes on Anton. The Russian looked considerably more confident after the previous round, having finally managed to hurt the undefeated champion. There was little doubt that he intended to do it again.

Anton opened with a jab followed by a right cross, but Damon moved off the centre line and answered with a quick combination: a jab to the face, a short right to the body, then a left hook upstairs.

The final punch slipped past Anton’s guard and connected with his cheek.

"OHH! Beautiful combination from Damon!" Demian exclaimed.

Jon nodded. "That’s one of his greatest strengths. Look at how little movement preceded that left hook. Anton barely had time to recognise it."

Damon’s Invisible Punch Technique was particularly effective when incorporated into combinations. By minimising unnecessary movement and optimising his punching mechanics, he could deliver strikes with very little warning, making them incredibly difficult to read.

Anton raised his guard and moved backward, but Damon followed with another jab before changing levels and driving a right hand toward his ribs. Anton brought his elbow down to defend, only for a short left hook to slip around his guard and catch him on the cheek.

The crowd roared.

Anton responded with a heavy right hand, forcing Damon to move away before following with a low kick. Damon checked it, and the two circled briefly before Anton stepped forward again.

Damon slipped the opening jab, blocked the cross and attempted to counter with a left hook. Anton ducked underneath and closed the distance, wrapping his arms around Damon’s upper body.

"Here we go! Anton is looking to work in close!" Demian shouted.

Damon positioned his arms inside, fighting for underhooks as Anton attempted to turn him toward the cage. The Russian pressed his forehead against Damon’s jaw and drove a knee toward his thigh.

Damon absorbed it before answering with a short knee to the body. After a brief struggle for position, he managed to reverse their positions, pressing Anton against the cage instead.

"Nice work from Damon! He’s managed to turn things around!"

Anton maintained his grip, looking for another opportunity to attack, but Damon eventually created enough separation to return to striking distance.

The Russian immediately came forward with a jab, right cross and left hook. Damon blocked the first, slipped the second and rolled beneath the third before answering with a right hand to the body.

He followed with a quick uppercut.

THUD!

Anton took the shot on his chin but remained upright. Damon continued with a left hook and a straight right, the latter slipping through his guard and connecting cleanly.

"WHAT A COMBINATION!" Demian shouted.

"That’s the problem with Damon! His punches are incredibly difficult to read when he starts putting combinations together. You defend one, and the next is already coming!"

Anton wasn’t going to let him dictate the entire exchange. He stepped forward with a powerful right hand, followed by a left hook and another right. Damon avoided the first two, but the final punch caught his guard with enough force to push him backward.

He couldn’t afford to let Anton build momentum again.

Damon adjusted his stance, keeping his eyes fixed on the Russian as he pressed forward with another barrage. He slipped the jab, tilted away from the right hand and rolled beneath the left hook before avoiding a short right hook.

Anton continued attacking, determined to find another opening like the one that had put Damon on the canvas.

Damon carefully managed the distance, watching the slightest changes in his opponent’s shoulders and hips. He couldn’t afford to get caught by another counter like that.

He needed to see everything.

Then something changed.

Anton stepped forward with another combination. Damon slipped the jab and moved away from the straight right, but as the Russian’s shoulder rotated and his fist came forward, the movement suddenly seemed different.

The punch appeared to slow down.

Not completely, but enough for Damon to notice every detail: the rotation of Anton’s shoulder, the movement of his elbow and the trajectory of his fist.

Damon’s eyes widened slightly.

’Oh?’

A small smirk formed on his face.

’Finally.’

Flow State Trigger.

It had activated.

’God, this ability is frustrating.’

He couldn’t simply turn it on whenever he wanted. It wasn’t something he could summon by concentrating harder or deciding that he needed it. It required a particular level of focus, physical strain and danger before it would activate.

And even then, there was no guarantee.

He remembered the previous round, when Anton had caught him completely off guard. Despite the danger he had been in, the ability hadn’t activated in time to save him.

’Last time, you decided not to show up. Now you want to make an appearance?’

Anton had no idea what had changed. From his perspective, Damon was still standing in front of him, watching his punch approach.

But Damon had already shifted his head, allowing the fist to pass beside his cheek. He stepped forward before Anton could retract his arm and drove a short right hand into his ribs.

THUD!

A left hook followed upstairs. Anton managed to raise his guard, but the impact still forced him backward.

"OHH! WHAT A COUNTER!" Demian shouted.

Jon leaned forward. "Did you see that? Damon avoided the punch and immediately returned fire! That’s the kind of timing you expect from someone at his level!"

Damon pressed forward with a jab followed by a right cross that slipped between Anton’s gloves. A left hook came immediately afterward, catching the Russian as he attempted to move away.

Anton tried to respond with a counter, but Damon had already moved off the centre line.

’I understand it now.’

Everything felt different. His reactions were sharper, his movements more precise, and he could recognise Anton’s intentions before the attacks fully developed.

Anton stepped forward again, attempting to force another exchange, but Damon met him with a quick combination. A jab occupied the guard, a short right went to the body, and an uppercut followed through the middle.

The last punch connected cleanly.

Anton stumbled backward.

"ANTON IS IN TROUBLE!" Demian exclaimed.

But the Russian champion wasn’t finished.