Chapter 232: Chapter 232: A Special Challenge (Part 9)

The crowd erupted, their excitement clear as Don landed gracefully on the ground.

His eyes remained fixed on Apex, watching closely as the android's body hit the pillar with enough force to shake it.

But despite the massive hit, Apex showed no signs of staying down. As the pillar began to rise, Apex rose with it, still standing tall, its posture as firm as ever.

Don, his confidence surging, decided to take a page from Apex's playbook. With a quick glance at the rising and falling pillars, he jumped onto one of them, using the mechanical platform to launch himself to another.

The crowd watched in awe as Don moved, his jumps becoming faster, gaining momentum with each leap.

Apex's head followed his movements, its glowing smiley face unchanging but its gaze tracking Don's every move. Though Don moved quickly, Apex could follow just fine.

After several leaps, Don felt he had gathered enough speed.

His eyes locked onto Apex as he launched himself from the final pillar, his body moving like a missile through the air, fist pulled back and ready to strike.

He closed the distance between them in an instant.

But Apex wasn't idle. Reacting just in time, the android rolled forward, dodging Don's devastating punch.

**Boom!**

The moment Don's fist connected with the pillar instead of Apex, the entire structure exploded into rubble as a shockwave spreading across the field, sending debris and dust flying in all directions.

Apex, having rolled forward to avoid the blow, paused for a split second to glance back. But before it could fully assess the situation, Don's fist emerged from the thick cloud of dust.

**Boom!**

The punch connected directly with Apex's head, the sound of the impact echoing through the stadium.

The crowd roared in disbelief as Apex's body was sent tumbling out from the dust cloud and across the now-ruined ground.

Its frame crashed into damaged sections of the field, slamming into broken chunks of dirt and exposed mechanical parts.

Finally, it came to a halt as it collided back-first into another rising pillar, its body slumping against it.

The stadium was on fire, the cheers of the crowd reverberating like thunder. Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The first commentator's voice spoke out with excitement. "Incredible! Don's punch just sent Apex flying across the field! Is this it? Could this be the end for the android?"

The second commentator, her eyes still locked on Apex's figure, wasn't so sure. "It's too soon to say. Look! Apex is starting to move again!"

True to her words, Apex's body stirred. Despite the devastating attack, the android slowly began to stand, pushing itself off the pillar.

Its once spotless frame was now covered in dents and scratches, but its glowing smiley face remained unchanged, almost mocking in its persistence.

The camera zoomed in on Apex as it straightened up, its head turning toward Don, who stood at a distance, arms by his side and eyes still sharp.

Don watched as Apex struggled to its feet. The android's once-imposing frame was now riddled with dents and scratches, sparks flying intermittently from the damaged sections of its legs.

Despite its attempts to stand, its legs buckled under its own weight, clearly unable to bear the strain any longer.

'It's really tenacious,'

Don thought, narrowing his eyes as he flexed his wrist and fingers to shake off the ache from the exchange.

Apex was still moving, but it was obvious to anyone watching that it was nearing its limit.

High above the field, Dr. Gadget sighed and shook his head, his eyes focused on the battered machine below.

'That boy's punches must have truly incredible force to bring Apex to this point,'

he observed. From his vantage point, Dr. Gadget could see the full extent of the damage—internal and external.

The reverberating force from Don's powerful strikes caused significant internal damage to the android's systems.

'It's his win,'

Dr. Gadget thought, though part of him had already known that after the last few exchanges.

He shifted his gaze from Apex to Don, who stood calmly, still observing the android. Don's expression showed no signs of arrogance, but he did look curious. There was a hint of pride in his stance, but he remained cautious.

'Seems it's reached its limit,' Don thought as he watched sparks flare from the android's exposed joints. 'I can't tell if I'm just that strong with Beastshift or if Apex wasn't as hyped as they said.'

Part of Don wanted to feel proud of his victory. After all, he had held his own against a prototype supposedly capable of challenging A-class heroes.

But deep down, he felt a little underwhelmed. Aside from its speed and power, Apex hadn't given him the kind of challenge he expected.

As much as Don had countered its every move with his enhanced abilities, it lacked the kind of strategic complexity he had imagined.

The fact that it was a machine meant the damage it took was far more significant than a living opponent who could regenerate or heal. And Apex had no such capabilities, as far as Don could tell.

'Let's not get too cocky,'

Don thought to himself, his expression the same.

'They did say it's a prototype.'

Down below, the commentators were already discussing the inevitable outcome. "Well, folks, I think it's safe to say Apex is done for," the first commentator said, shaking his head. "Don has not only managed to survive the fight—he's dominated it."

The second commentator agreed, "Well just look at Apex—sparks flying everywhere, barely able to stand. It's clear this is Don's victory."

Don glanced up at Dr. Gadget, who was still hovering above the field, collecting data with a pensive look on his face. "Do I need to destroy it to be named the winner?" Don casually asked.

Dr. Gadget, who had been silently debating whether to call off the fight, was already aware that there was no point in continuing.

He had initially wanted to end it early, but watching Don's performance had captured his interest. He had collected valuable data to improve future versions of Apex, and he'd seen the android's weaknesses clearly exposed.

He could only let out a quiet sigh before hovering a little higher and addressing the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen," he started, "I think we have a winner. Congratulations, Don Bright."

The crowd erupted into applause, some standing on their feet to cheer. Don, hearing the announcement, took a deep breath and relaxed his stance, his muscles finally easing as the fight officially came to an end.

Dr. Gadget floated down toward Apex, still struggling to stay upright. "Stand down," he commanded, and the android's movements ceased as it followed the order, slowly lowering itself into a crouched position, defeated.

---

Back in the conference room where Samantha sat watching the live broadcast, relief washed over her.

A warm smile spread across her face as she saw Dr. Gadget announce Don's victory, and she exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She felt proud—immensely proud—but also grateful that her son had come out of this intense challenge mostly unscathed.

The other men in the room clapped, nodding toward Samantha with approving smiles. "Quite impressive," one of them said. "Your son's got real talent."

Mr. Thompson, ever eager to make an impression, even stood up from his seat as he clapped, a wide grin on his face. "It seems your son is as amazing as his mother," he said, throwing in a chuckle, clearly trying to sound genuine but with an added touch of flirtation.

Samantha, her attention still focused on the screen, only nodded politely. She accepted the compliment without much thought, her gaze fixed on the live feed as the camera zoomed in on Don's face.

The screen flashed with bold letters across the top:

**Winner: Don Bright.**

---

Meanwhile, at Nexus Academy, Summer had been watching the entire event unfold with a group of her classmates. The moment Don's victory was announced, she couldn't help herself.

Throwing her hands into the air, she shouted, "Yes!"

Realizing what she'd done, Summer quickly cleared her throat, trying to regain her usual composure. She crossed her arms and added with a nonchalant shrug, "I mean, whatever. I already knew he'd win."

But Sylvia wasn't as reserved. She practically jumped onto Summer's back, hugging her tightly from behind. "Yay!" she cheered, her face glowing with excitement. "I knew he'd do it!"

The boys standing nearby exchanged glances, their expressions shifting to disbelief. They crowded around Summer, bombarding her with questions.

"Where did your brother train?"

"Does your brother need a sidekick?"

"How did he get so good?"

Summer, keeping her cool despite the attention, ignored their rapid-fire questions and gave the screen a quick glance. Don's face was still displayed prominently, the word

**Winner**

hanging over it.

She smirked, crossing her arms even tighter as she thought,

'Good job, dummy.'

———

Back at the stadium, Don stood still in the middle of the now-ruined field, the dust beginning to settle around him.

His breath was steady, and his gaze remained calm as he glanced around at the destruction caused during the fight.

The pillars were still rising and falling, though many were damaged beyond function, while the ground was cracked and broken, littered with debris from the impact of his punches.

The cheers from the crowd filled the air, and Don allowed himself a small smile as he raised his hand into the air with a closed fist.