Demon An'un stared at this "monster" who kept standing despite having nearly every bone shattered. A flicker of something like "irritation" crossed those pure crimson eyes!
What he didn't notice was...
During his repeated "brutalization" of Iori...
The purple Absolute Domain surrounding Iori's body was rising—slowly but steadily—
73%... 74%... 75%...
He was actually breaking through again... while getting beaten to a pulp!
"I... am Iori Yagami..."
Iori cracked a bloody grin full of madness.
He ignited the "life flame" raging inside him completely!
"I... CANNOT... BE... KILLED!!!"
At the cost of burning his life force, he forcibly elevated his realm to...
An unprecedented, terrifying height!
Absolute Domain 79%!!!
"DIE—!!!"
He roared, transforming into a purple meteor a hundred times more violent than before, appearing before Demon An'un in an instant!
Then he spread his arms!
Like the maddest of beasts, he wrapped himself around An'un's scale-covered body!
Iori opened his mouth!
Revealing two rows of teeth sharp as a wild animal's!
And then...
Before the horrified eyes of tens of thousands...
He bit down hard on An'un's massive, grotesque demon wing!
SQUELCH—!
He tore off a huge chunk of bloody flesh!
Then, as if savoring the most delicious meal, he chewed and swallowed frantically!
"MADMAN! YOU'RE A COMPLETE LUNATIC!"
For the first time, Demon An'un let out a howl of pain and fear!
Iori's unreasonable, life-for-life "rabid dog" fighting style had genuinely terrified him!
He roared, pushing his "demonic power" to the absolute limit!
Absolute Domain 83% erupted at full power!
A "Demon God Fist" containing all his strength slammed into Iori's chest at point-blank range!
"GAHH—!!!"
A massive, clean-through hole was blasted in Iori's chest!
His body went rigid!
Those mad, blood-red eyes gradually... lost their light.
...
In the VIP section.
Just as Cloud was thoroughly enjoying this "Demon King Civil War" full of "violent aesthetics"—
His private phone rang.
He answered.
"Hello?"
From the other end came an anxious, tearful, crystal-clear girl's voice.
"This is... Yata... Tsukihime."
"Please... please save my brother!"
"I... I don't want... to watch him get... beaten to death..."
Cloud listened to the sobbing pleas and felt his head starting to ache again.
He glanced at the red-haired man on stage whose life force was fading.
Then at the "demon" preparing to deliver the finishing blow.
Cloud sighed.
Iori was a Child of Destiny—he wouldn't die that easily.
But seeing Iori's wretched state, Cloud genuinely worried he might actually get killed.
If he died, the whereabouts of the Yasakani Magatama—one of the Three Sacred Treasures—would be lost.
Seeing that Iori hadn't gone berserk into "Riot Iori," Cloud felt a twinge of disappointment.
Listening to those heartbreaking sobs, his headache intensified.
Of course he knew Iori couldn't die.
At least not yet.
Setting aside the potential "brother-in-law" relationship, the Yasakani Magatama was still on this "lunatic."
If he croaked now, how would the later plot even work?
Was Cloud supposed to go grave-robbing?
Besides...
Cloud glanced at the demon prince preparing to grind Iori to dust, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"That experience pack is already reserved for ME."
"Can't let someone else steal it."
But there was a problem.
KOF's rules were clear.
Unless a fighter surrendered or was killed on the spot, the match wouldn't end.
And as the "Final Boss," Cloud couldn't intervene in matches early.
A catch-22.
"Damn. This is annoying."
For the first time, Cloud experienced the frustration of "having power but being unable to use it."
Just as he was racking his brain for a way to extract this "hot potato" from the ring without breaking the rules—
Creak.
The door to his VIP booth opened gently.
Two familiar figures entered.
Leading was a wiry old man in white training clothes, wine gourd in hand, swaying as he walked—yet his eyes were sharp as ever.
Chin Gentsai, the grandmaster of the Psycho Soldiers Team!
Behind him followed...
The psychic idol in her cute sailor outfit, her pretty face full of anxiety—Athena Asamiya!
"Young friend Cloud."
Chin Gentsai got straight to the point, his usually "drunk" smile replaced by rare gravity.
"Iori Yagami cannot die."
"Oh?" Cloud raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Why's that, old man? That guy's a lunatic who'd betray his own family. Wouldn't his death be a good thing for the world?"
"Sigh..." Chin Gentsai exhaled, his cloudy old eyes flickering with complexity. "He may be a madman, but he's also a guardian."
"He's the inheritor of the Yasakani Magatama—one of the Three Sacred Treasures."
"His existence is an indispensable part of sealing Orochi."
"If he dies, the Orochi seal will develop irreparable cracks!"
"Therefore..." He looked at Cloud, eyes full of earnest pleading. "This old man humbly requests your assistance!"
...
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