The tournament officially began in this atmosphere filled with suspense and unease.
Soon, the veteran fighters noticed something was wrong.
This year's tournament had spawned many "newcomers" they'd never heard of or seen.
And these newcomers were all absurdly strong, with abilities bizarre to the extreme!
Fatal Fury Team VS "Time Assassin" Team.
Terry launched a powerful "Power Geyser" that was about to send his opponent flying.
However, just as the flames were about to connect, that bizarre opponent in a bodysuit and goggles suddenly blurred—like a "frame drop" from network lag—and "blinked" backward half a meter, perfectly dodging the strike!
"What?!" Terry was horrified. It felt like he'd thrown out a guaranteed "confirm," only for the system to say "Network Connection Lost."
Before he could react, his opponent's figure accelerated in a manner defying physics, instantly appearing before him!
"Time Acceleration Thrust!"
The cold dagger instantly sliced across Terry's chest!
"What the hell! Did these guys activate Flash and Sprint?!" In the spectator area below, Sie Kensou watched with his jaw on the floor.
...
Elsewhere, Art of Fighting Team VS "Causality" Team.
Ryo Sakazaki unleashed a supremely powerful "Haoh Shoukou Ken," transforming into a golden dragon that roared toward his opponent.
That opponent in a white lab coat, looking like a mad scientist, simply pushed up his glasses and extended one finger.
"Causality Reversal."
The next second, something unbelievable happened!
That golden dragon that should have charged toward him actually turned around mid-flight and rushed back at Ryo himself at even greater speed!
"NANI?!" Ryo was instantly dumbfounded. It felt like he'd thrown a boomerang at his enemy but forgot he couldn't catch.
BOOM——!
Ryo was solidly hit by his own "Haoh Shoukou Ken," instantly blasted into a sooty mess, questioning his entire existence.
"This... this isn't scientific! This is straight-up magic!" Robert watched his good brother get sent flying by his own ultimate, his worldview suffering unprecedented impact.
Similar bizarre battles played out across various arenas.
Some opponents could make time "rewind" one second just as an attack was about to land. Others could create small "spatial rifts" around themselves, letting all physical attacks pass harmlessly through—essentially "physical immunity."
Still others could briefly "copy" opponent techniques, pulling off "taste of your own medicine" maneuvers.
These endless special abilities with a "tech exploit" flavor left the veteran fighters—accustomed to "fist-to-flesh" and "hard bridge hard horse" energy clashes—crying in frustration.
They felt like they weren't playing a "fighting game" anymore, but some "private server" full of various "cheats."
"These people... are definitely from Those From the Past!"
In the Three Sacred Treasures Team's rest room, Maki Kagura watched the bizarre battles on screen, her expression grave.
"Manipulating time, distorting space... These all match the ancient texts' descriptions of them."
"Hmph, just a bunch of clowns playing with little tricks." Iori let out a cold snort, his eyes full of disdain. But even he felt an unprecedented sense of trouble.
These abilities, taken individually, weren't necessarily that powerful. But they were just so... "disgusting"!
"We can't let this continue." Kyo's expression was equally serious. "We need to find their weaknesses. Otherwise, before we even see their leader, we'll be worn down by these minions."
For the first time, they felt unprecedented pressure from an entirely new system.
And the architects of all this—members of "Those From the Past"—hid in various corners, coldly observing everything.
In the shadows of one arena, Shion watched Terry being pushed back by the "Time Assassin," a disdainful sneer on his face.
"Hmph, so these are this era's powerhouses? Nothing but barbarians who haven't even touched the threshold of laws."
And in another rest room, a man in ornate noble attire with bewitchingly handsome features elegantly held a glass of red wine, watching Ryo being sent flying by his own technique on screen.
He was Magaki—one of the core members of "Those From the Past," second only to their "Lord"!
"Data... has been collected sufficiently." The corner of Magaki's mouth curved into a cruel arc. "These so-called fighters—their combat patterns are too primitive. It's time to show them what true dimensional crushing looks like."
He glanced at Ash beside him, still playing with his nails as if indifferent to everything, and said lightly, "Ash, we're up next. I hope... you won't disappoint me."
"Of course, my boss." Ash raised his head, revealing an innocent yet chilling smile. "The show... is just getting started."
...
The entire KOF XI tournament had become a massive vortex of conspiracy and calculation.
Everyone was caught within it, yet none could see the full picture of the storm.
They didn't know that while they struggled against those "Time Assassins" and "Space Distorters," the architects of all this were conducting an even more terrifying scheme in the shadows.
They especially didn't know what that "meta answer"—the one person capable of breaking the deadlock—was doing.
Cloud was indeed in seclusion.
But his seclusion was completely different from what others imagined.
He wasn't cultivating—he was... "digesting."
...
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