"Bring it on!"
"Let me show you my true invincibility!"
"Kyokugenryu Ultimate Secret Art..."
"—Shin Tenchi Haoh Ken!!!"
He gathered every drop of qi in his body into his right fist!
His bronze-colored arm swelled to several times its normal size, veins bulging like coiled dragons!
Visible streams of orange qi converged and compressed at his knuckles, spiraling tighter and tighter—
Until they formed a tiny singularity that seemed to devour light itself!
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The crimson "sun" flames collided with the orange "invincible" fist before tens of thousands of witnesses—
In that instant, the world lost all sound. All color.
An energy storm capable of leveling the entire Tokyo Dome erupted from the center of the ring!
The Kagura clan's supposedly indestructible Yata Barrier screamed in protest—hairline cracks spreading across its surface like spider webs!
"BREAK THROUGH!!!"
At ring center, Kyo and Ryo howled like wild beasts!
Both squeezed out every last drop of power from their bodies!
Both were betting their lives and their wills to defend... the supreme honor of their styles!
Just as the two forces were about to annihilate each other—another "draw" in the making—
Something changed.
VWOOOM—!!!
VWOOOM—!!!
Two even more powerful, even more terrifying auras exploded simultaneously from within them!
In this do-or-die confrontation, both had...
Broken through!!!
Ryo Sakazaki's Absolute Domain surged from 68%—shattering the 70% threshold!
And Kyo Kusanagi, this "Child of Destiny," pushed by his protagonist's halo, forcibly elevated his realm to...
Absolute Domain 72%!!!
"IT'S OVER!!!"
Kyo roared. His crimson "sun" pillar, amplified by the breakthrough, multiplied in power several times over—swallowing Ryo's equally enhanced "invincible fist" whole!
The remnant force slammed into Ryo's exhausted chest!
"GUHH—!"
Ryo sprayed blood, flying backward like a kite with a cut string, crashing into the barrier behind him before sliding slowly to the ground...
He had lost.
Lost... with complete acceptance.
Lost... with utter satisfaction!
When the referee—voice trembling with emotion—announced "Victor: Kyo Kusanagi!"
The stadium, after a heartbeat of silence, erupted into thunderous, endless applause and cheers!
They paid their highest respects to this legendary confrontation destined for the history books!
On the ring, Kyo dragged his equally battered, barely-functional body step by step toward Ryo.
He didn't make any victor's speech.
He simply extended his hand.
Ryo looked at this rival he'd clashed with for years—his eternal competitor, his greatest friend—and a peaceful smile crossed his usually expressionless face.
He reached out too.
Their hands clasped firmly together.
Then, with their last reserves of strength, they supported each other into an embrace—one that spoke of warriors recognizing warriors.
For them, winning or losing mattered.
But finding their Dao in this all-or-nothing battle—achieving self-transcendence...
That was the true essence of martial arts!
They looked at each other and burst into laughter simultaneously.
Uninhibited. Liberated.
They knew—the outcome no longer mattered.
What mattered was that both had found their path in this fight!
In the VIP sponsor's booth, Cloud watched the screen—those two men, bloodied but eyes blazing brighter than stars—and let an excited grin spread across his face.
"This... this is the KOF I know."
"Hot-blooded. Fated rivalry. Never giving up."
After Kyo and Ryo's budget-burning, special-effects-maxed "clash of the gods" concluded in a mutually-destructive yet bromance-filled manner...
The entire KOF 96 tournament was "forced" into a week-long intermission.
No choice—those two "human Gundams" had gone absolutely ham.
Not only had they demolished the Kagura Financial Group's state-of-the-art arena until it looked like post-war Syria, they'd even cracked the legendary Yata Barrier in several places.
Repairs took time.
And the victor Kyo Kusanagi—who'd just experienced the classic "clutch breakthrough, reverse victory" trope—had pushed his body beyond its limits. He needed time to... lie there and recover.
In response, this tournament's "sugar daddy"—the Kagura Financial Group—flexed their "money power" in spectacular fashion.
Chizuru Kagura, the newly-appointed "domineering female CEO," made a sweeping declaration via the PA system:
"During the break, all ticket holders, competitors, and media personnel... will have their food, lodging, transportation, and entertainment expenses... fully covered by the Kagura Financial Group!"
"Please enjoy... Tokyo's seven-day carnival to the fullest!"
BOOM!!!
The moment this announcement dropped, the entire Tokyo Dome transformed into a sea of ecstasy!
...
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