South Town.
After the god-tier battle with Those From the Past that had nearly upended the timeline itself, the world entered an exceptionally rare period of peace.
The time paradox had been forcibly quelled by the great Comrade Cloud through "physical means," the wrinkles in history smoothed out. Everything seemed to be back on track.
At least, on the surface.
At this moment, in the Kagura Financial Group's luxurious estate on the outskirts of South Town, Cloud was enjoying the perks he deserved as "savior"—a retirement life that could only be described as "heaven on earth."
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the soft, expensive carpet.
Cloud lounged on the sofa. On his left, Mai Shiranui in a cool house dress was feeding him a peeled grape, her impressive curves rising and falling gently with each breath as she asked with bedroom eyes, "Is it sweet?"
On his right, Chizuru Kagura had traded her shrine maiden attire for an elegant office lady outfit, gracefully brewing a pot of premium Longjing tea, its fragrance filling the air.
In the home theater nearby, psychic idol Athena Asamiya held a microphone, demonstrating her new song for Yuri Sakazaki and Leona, her clear voice brimming with youthful energy.
In the kitchen, former Hakkesshu members Shermie, Mature, and Vice were engaged in a "friendly" debate over whether tonight's main course should be French cuisine or a Chinese imperial feast, the clatter of pots and pans occasionally punctuated by such intimate whispers as "Want me to slice you in half with Heaven's Gate?"
If any of those fighters still struggling to make ends meet outside saw this scene, they'd probably transform into lemons on the spot, sour enough to lose teeth.
Cloud contentedly swallowed the grape, savoring the lingering sweetness, and couldn't help but sigh: This wicked peaceful life really is sinfully sweet!
Back in the day, he was a down-on-his-luck guy who had to ambush thugs with bricks just to farm Source Points.
Now, he was surrounded by beauties, with assets spanning multiple conglomerates, and power that had reached this world's absolute ceiling.
This was probably what they called "the worker's counterattack"—except his "company" was rather special, named the "Dimensional Plunder System."
However, just as he was savoring this hard-earned "sage time," a subtle sense of wrongness crept into his mind.
He could clearly feel the powers within him engaging in a "high-stakes internal competition."
The Sun Flames from the Kusanagi clan and the Azure Flames from the Yagami clan, originally from the same source but divergent paths, were now like two concubines fighting for favor, neither willing to yield.
NESTS's cutting-edge modification technology was trying to analyze the Orochi blood deep in his cells, only to be counter-suppressed by Orochi's "Nothingness" will, driving his cells to the verge of a mental breakdown.
And most troublesome of all was the residual space-time power left over from correcting the time paradox. It bounced around like a mischievous husky among the other god-tier powers, trying to "glue" them together.
Hmmmm...
The valuable celadon teacup in Chizuru's hand trembled slightly without warning, ripples spreading across the tea's surface.
"Hmm?" Chizuru's elegant brow furrowed as she looked at Cloud. "Honey, are you being mischievous again?"
Cloud spread his hands innocently. "Don't pin this on me. Really wasn't me. I swear I didn't even move a finger just now."
The words had barely left his mouth when that familiar synthetic voice sounded in his mind.
[WARNING! WARNING! Host Cloud, your existence has become an unstable hyperdimensional singularity.]
[Multiple god-tier powers detected (Orochi Power, NESTS tech-based energy, Space-Time Power, etc.) undergoing high-frequency resonance within the host, causing structural fatigue in the space-time barrier at the host's current coordinates. In layman's terms: if you keep being this much of a homebody, you're going to wear the KOF world out like a worry stone until it cracks.]
Cloud nearly spat out his grape seed. "I can destroy the world just by sitting around? What is this, Buddhist-style apocalypse?"
[Based on risk management protocols and for the host's further growth (plundering), the System now issues a new series of quests—[Dimensional Correction].]
[Quest Description: Due to the host's multiple god-tier battles and having become a mobile "space-time coordinate," cracks and anomalies have appeared in the dimensional barriers of multiple parallel worlds. The host must travel to these worlds, repair the anomalies, and "conveniently" plunder each world's unique power systems, bloodlines, items, etc. to meet the System's KPI targets.]
[This is not just a rescue mission—it's an unprecedented all-you-can-eat luxury buffet! From the swords and sorcery of the late Edo period to the Hadou and psychic powers of modern cities... Young man, stop drowning in your sea of beauties and get hyped!]
Cloud's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Good lord! Making labor exploitation sound so fresh, refined, and inspiring—truly worthy of you, dog System!
KPI targets? Why not just name me Employee of the Year while you're at it!
"Hold on, you can't just force me like this! Don't I get any dignity? My wives are right here!" Cloud tried to negotiate with the System.
[Negative work attitude detected in host. Initiating forced teleportation sequence.]
[Teleportation countdown: 5, 4...]
"What the hell! No honor among systems!"
Cloud shot up from the sofa. The space around him began to warp like water, a massive pulling force acting on his body.
"Cloud!" Mai cried out, reaching to grab him.
"Cloud!" Chizuru stood up too, panic appearing on her face for the first time.
"Don't touch me! This force will drag you in too!" Cloud shouted, forcibly steadying himself. He flashed the women a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, just going on a business trip. Grabbing a buffet and coming right back. Mai, watch the house, and don't let Athena disassemble my limited edition figures again!"
[3, 2, 1... Teleportation initiated!]
"At least let me change clothes! I'm still in pajamas and slippers..."
Cloud's final words were drowned in the suddenly erupting white light.
The next second, he and the expensive carpet beneath his feet vanished from the estate's living room, leaving behind only a group of stunning beauties exchanging bewildered, worried glances.
...
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