There, an old man in a green Chinese robe sat slumped in a chair, fast asleep. He was short, wore a small red cap, and clutched a gourd of wine. A glistening trail of drool hung from the corner of his mouth, and his snoring was loud enough to drown out the crackling of the burning ruins.
This was the captain of the Psycho Soldiers, the perpetually sleepy-eyed Chinese master—Chin Gentsai.
"Are you kidding me? Cloud's calling him?"
"That old geezer's been sleeping since day one of the tournament! I doubt he's watched a single complete match!"
"Shut up, maybe he's been spectating through some kind of 'Dream Murder Fist'?"
Just as everyone was murmuring, convinced Cloud was "desperately grasping at straws"—
The old man who'd been snoring opened his eyes. Those eyes that always seemed drowsy and half-asleep.
And with that single motion, the entire world seemed to change.
In those cloudy eyes—eyes that seemed as if they'd never fully wake—what now blazed forth wasn't drunkenness or confusion, but...
A wisdom and power as deep as the cosmos, as brilliant as a galaxy of stars!
It was the great freedom and perfect completion that came from seeing through the world's vicissitudes, comprehending the essence of martial arts, and returning to one's original nature!
"Haah..."
Chin Gentsai let out a long sigh. It wasn't loud, yet it reached every ear with perfect clarity.
"Young people these days... just can't hold their horses."
He wobbled to his feet, stretching lazily. His joints crackled and popped like a dragon awakening from a thousand-year slumber.
"This old man just wanted to drink some wine, watch the show, slack off, and be a mascot collecting his retirement pension."
He spoke while unhooking the wine gourd from his waist, tilting his head back and taking several long gulps.
"But you all just had to... disturb this old man's... nap."
The moment he lowered the gourd—
A terrifying pressure suffused with the essence of "following nature's way" and "acting through non-action" erupted from his small frame!
That pressure wasn't domineering or violent, yet it was vast as the ocean, deep as an abyss!
It was as if he himself was part of this heaven and earth, part of nature itself!
The air around him began forming a massive, slowly rotating Taiji symbol!
His body transformed into a crystalline, translucent jade-like color, as if containing the ultimate truths of heaven and earth!
[WARNING! Hidden BOSS-level unit detected!]
[Unit Name: Chin Gentsai]
[Power Assessment: Absolute Domain 90%!]
Cloud's system panel flashed with red warnings!
90%?!
This old man who looked like he could keel over from a heart attack at any moment had developed his Absolute Domain to ninety percent?!
In this moment, every fighter present finally understood.
No wonder!
No wonder their fathers—even their grandfathers—legendary masters from previous generations, would show a strange mix of "awe" and "headache" whenever the name "Chin Gentsai" was mentioned!
They'd always assumed it was just because Chin Gentsai was senior and had seniority.
Now they understood!
This had nothing to do with seniority! This was pure, raw power supremacy!
This constantly drunk, seemingly harmless old man was no "spiritual leader"!
He was a goddamn "Sweeping Monk"!
A hidden final boss lurking in the "Scripture Library" of the KOF tournament, quietly slacking off for decades!
If he wanted, any KOF championship, any "King of Fighters" title would be his for the taking!
He didn't compete not because he couldn't, but because he couldn't be bothered!
Like a max-level veteran watching newbie players fight tooth and nail over a "Starter Wooden Sword"—he'd just find it boring and a waste of good drinking time.
"This... this is impossible?!"
"My grandfather told me when he was young, he challenged Senior Chin Gentsai and got a turtle drawn on his face with a chopstick..."
"My master said when he had a drinking contest with Senior Chin, he woke up the next day tied to the top of Tokyo Tower singing 'I Surrender'..."
Countless dusty "legends of the martial world" about Chin Gentsai began flooding back into the fighters' minds...
The way they looked at that small old man had completely changed.
They weren't looking at a senior anymore.
They were looking at... a living "myth"!
And this "myth" was Cloud's final trump card—prepared for Orochi from the very beginning!
"Burrrp—!"
Chin Gentsai let out a long belch, and a strong scent of alcohol instantly permeated the air.
He glanced up at the serpent god in the sky—body semi-transparent, roaring in pain and fury—and shook his head with bleary eyes. Then he did something that made everyone's jaws drop.
He slowly opened his mouth.
His cheeks puffed up like a frog's.
Deep in his throat, something began glowing, heating up...
"Watch closely, young ones." Chin Gentsai's words were slurred. "Don't try to learn this one lightly. Because..."
"—It wastes booze!"
The instant those words fell!
"—Ultimate Art: Blast Furnace Inferno!!!"
"WHOOOOOOSH—!!!"
A pillar of flame as thick as a volcanic eruption—carrying the rich aroma of strong liquor and burning crimson red—blasted from his mouth!
This was no ordinary fire!
It was the "True Samadhi Fire" refined by merging one's internal qi, the potent alcohol consumed, and one's comprehension of martial arts into a perfect trinity!
The flames grew with the wind, instantly transforming into a sea of fire that blotted out the sky, turning the entire Tokyo skyline a blazing red!
That's right—the entire Tokyo sky!
The scene was ten thousand times more spectacular than Kyo's Orochinagi!
"Holy crap! A human flamethrower dragon!"
"Is this... is this Drunken Fist? Are you sure this isn't some kind of immortal technique or magic?!"
"Mom asked me why I'm watching the match on my knees... because I just witnessed a god!"
Everyone was completely stunned by this "miracle."
...
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