บท 473: A growing fear of defeat.

"What's keeping you going?! You can't beat me! You're only prolonging your own suffering! Why don't you give up?!"

Francis, panting and battered, looked up from the ground. "I want revenge..." His voice was low but filled with purpose, an unexpected response that shock the arena.

Francis dragged his body across the ground using his trembling right hand, inching closer to Xuefeng. His breath came in ragged bursts, yet his resolve never wavered. "I want revenge... on myself," he continued

"For the weak version of me who never tried hard enough.

For the lazy, arrogant, and selfish person I once was...

For the man who gave up too easily." His voice faltered for a moment, but his eyes burned with determination.

"If I give up now, I'm letting that same man win. I'll be that failure again."