"BOOM—!!!!!"
Blinding white light consumed the entire arena!
Everyone instinctively closed their eyes.
When the light faded, the sight on the arena made everyone gasp.
Both Nakoruru and Kim Kaphwan lay on the ground.
Their health bars had hit zero at the exact same moment.
[Double K.O.]
Mutual destruction!
This result was beyond everyone's expectations.
However, according to KOF rules, when both captains have fallen, victory is determined by remaining team members.
The "Three Clouds" still had their captain, Cloud.
Korea Team had been completely wiped out.
"The winner of this match is—" The referee's voice trembled with excitement. "Three Clouds!!"
"OHHHHHH!!!"
The venue erupted with thunderous cheers!
Cloud let out a long breath, flash-stepped onto the arena, and lifted the weakened Nakoruru into his arms.
"You worked hard." He looked at the pale face of the girl in his arms, his heart filled with both emotion and a touch of heartache.
"Did I... not let you down?" Nakoruru asked weakly, though a satisfied smile graced her lips.
"You did wonderfully. Better than I could have imagined." Cloud said earnestly. "When we get back, I'll treat you to... hmm, the most delicious fruits in our world."
"Mm..." Nakoruru closed her eyes happily and fell into a deep sleep.
...
The "Three Clouds" had won their first match.
Though the process had been somewhat turbulent—one could even say full of twists and turns.
But they had used their strength to announce to the entire world—
Never treat "carrying girls to victory" as just a joke.
Because you never know what kind of ridiculous "meta answers" those girls who look like "decorative vases" might be hiding.
...
As KOF 97 entered the quarterfinals, the entire tournament's tone shifted dramatically—from the early "Joyful Fan Imitation Show" and "Universal Hustle Competition" into a white-hot "Battle of Gods" state.
Cloud's "Three Clouds" made it into the quarterfinals thanks to their two otherworldly teammates, advancing without too many scares after their debut.
Yun Ying, after experiencing the "weak legs" of her first battle, quickly adjusted her mentality.
She treated every match like "jungle clearing," viewing opponents as "Blue Buff" and "Red Buff," fighting with tremendous enthusiasm. Her Blazing Prairie Spear became increasingly masterful, and she even developed the bizarre tactic of "spear-tip positioning, positioning positioning, turnaround poke" during matches.
Nakoruru remained the quiet, nature-loving holy priestess.
But every opponent facing her would instinctively look up at the sky to check on that eagle named Mamahaha. It had become the "Death from Above" in the hearts of everyone at this KOF—its deterrent effect even exceeding Nakoruru herself.
As for Cloud, he was content to relax. Most of the time, he just sat back, sipping cola, watching his two teammates "climb the ranks." Occasionally, when they got tired, he'd step in to clean up, easily finishing battles.
This "carried to victory" feeling almost made him think he wasn't in a hot-blooded fighting story but rather a "Domineering CEO's Leisurely Vacation" script.
However, he knew clearly that the real storm was approaching.
His gaze remained fixed on another team that had risen like a dark horse—"The Hell Band (C.Y.S)."
Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, Chris.
These three hadn't performed particularly impressively in the early rounds.
They fought like an actual visual-kei band—flashy style, showy techniques, but power that always seemed just a bit lacking.
After every fight, they'd strike a cool pose on the arena, as if saying: "Fighting isn't important. Looking cool is a lifetime commitment."
But Cloud's system panel gave him an entirely different reading.
[Warning! High concentration of Orochi power detected gathering!]
[Target: Hell Band (C.Y.S)]
[Energy gathering method: Absorbing scattered combat energy from arena fighters, the audience's fanatical emotions, and... electromagnetic waves from broadcast signals, converting and storing the energy.]
Cloud looked at the "broadcast signal electromagnetic waves" note on the system panel, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Holy crap! Orochi is keeping up with the times—doing "cloud sacrifices" now?
Using the entire world's livestream audience as his "cloud power banks"? This business model is even more sophisticated than Mr. Norton's!
He could clearly "see" invisible streams of energy flowing from all directions, continuously pouring into the three Hell Band members.
Their power was accumulating at a terrifying rate, snowballing larger and larger.
They were performing the final "charging" for Orochi's descent.
And today, in the quarterfinals, the Hell Band was facing another championship favorite of this tournament—the Fatal Fury Team.
A battle that would leave every spectator dumbstruck was about to begin.
"OK—! Ladies and gentlemen! Quarterfinals, Match One, begins now!" The commentator's voice blasted through speakers across Tokyo Dome. "The combatants are the legends from South Town—Fatal Fury Team! And this tournament's biggest dark horse—Hell Band!"
On the arena, both sides had taken their positions.
The Fatal Fury Team featured their rock-solid iron trio.
Terry wore his signature red-and-white baseball cap, face showing his confident, sunny smile.
Andy wore his sleek ninja attire, expression calm, eyes sharp as blades.
Joe Higashi wore only his Muay Thai shorts, every muscle bulging, already bouncing in place to warm up.
After several rounds of intense battle, these three had grown tremendously.
Andy and Joe's Absolute Domain development had both reached a staggering level—99%!
Just one step away from the legendary "Ultimate Power" at 100%!
Their opponents, the three Hell Band members, seemed somewhat... distracted?
...
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