He surveyed his surroundings.
Those battle-hardened fighters now looked like frost-beaten eggplants, faces pale to a one.
Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, eternal rivals, weren't glaring at each other for once. Instead, both gazed up at the sky with unprecedented gravity in their eyes.
They could feel it—their flames, before that "Otoma=Raga," were as insignificant as birthday candles.
Terry leaned against a broken pillar, silently pulling his cap lower, saying nothing.
K' irritably kicked pebbles at his feet, muttering curses under his breath.
Even Antonov—the "First Champion" who had just lost his 300-million-dollar airship and entire stadium—couldn't bring himself to mourn his property anymore.
He sat collapsed atop the remains of his golden statue, a flattened cigar dangling from his lips, mumbling: "The champion's throne... doesn't seem so appealing anymore..."
Panic was spreading like a virus.
Cloud knew he had to do something.
It was time for the captain of Team Slacking Spectators to take off his slacker hat and officially clock in. And once again, the position he needed to fill was "Savior"—a job title that sounded exhausting.
"Everyone!"
Cloud's voice, amplified by Dimensional Power, reached every ear clearly.
All eyes focused on him again.
"I know everyone's panicking right now, confused, maybe even despairing." Cloud's tone was calm but carried an undeniable authority. "There's good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
Everyone: "..."
Really? This old routine at a time like this?!
"Alright, judging by your expressions, I'll start with the bad news." Cloud shrugged. "The bad news is we've attracted a big problem. A gourmet from a higher dimension who sees our world as an all-you-can-eat buffet. That Verse just now? Just an appetizer she used to work up her appetite."
This metaphor made everyone's faces go another shade paler.
"And the good news..." Cloud paused, then flashed a confident smile. "This gourmet is currently stuck at the kitchen door and can't get in just yet. We still have time to flip the table before she starts her meal!"
Though crude, this analogy was remarkably effective.
In the midst of despair, a spark of hope was rekindled.
"Lord Cloud, what should we do?" Colonel Heidern asked respectfully. He stood ramrod straight, eyes sharp as an eagle's, radiating a soldier's inherent obedience. This question voiced what most present were wondering.
Cloud snapped his fingers.
The next second, before everyone's astonished eyes, a massive round table made of light materialized in the center of the ruins. Along with it appeared over a dozen chairs.
"Colonel Heidern, please represent the international mercenary forces."
"Miss Chizuru Kagura, as representative of the Three Sacred Treasures, there's no one else."
"Miss Elisabeth Blanctorche, please take a seat."
"Master Chin Gentsai, as leader of the Psycho Soldiers, please join us."
"Mr. Takuma Sakazaki, the head of Kyokugenryu—we need your strength."
"Mr. Kim Kaphwan, your justice is exactly what the world needs right now."
"And Terry—South Town's guardian. You too."
Cloud named the leaders of nearly every faction present in one breath.
A "round table conference" to decide the world's fate began in this peculiar manner atop the KOF ruins.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's have a quick meeting." Cloud stood at the head of the round table like a CEO presiding over a company meeting.
"First, intelligence sharing."
Cloud transmitted everything the system had analyzed about "Otoma=Raga" to everyone present through mental communication.
Silence fell around the table.
"De... devour all dimensions?" Takuma Sakazaki's voice trembled slightly.
"Treat our world... as food?" Kim Kaphwan's glasses slid down his nose. He had always believed evil could never triumph over justice, but this time's "evil" seemed a bit beyond specifications.
Elisabeth, the noble-born descendant who had seen much in her life, also went pale: "I once thought Those From the Past were the greatest threat... I never imagined they were just appetizers on this queen's plate..."
Colonel Heidern's fists clenched tight. As a soldier, he had spent his life fighting terrorists and military organizations.
But now his enemy was a higher-dimensional being whose very form of existence he couldn't comprehend. This helplessness filled him with rage.
"As you can see, our enemy can't be dealt with by planes and cannons, or even super special moves." Cloud's voice pulled everyone back from their shock.
"If she wants to devour us, she must first descend to our dimension. And descent requires a sufficiently stable and massive coordinate. That coordinate is a gathering that concentrates the world's strongest qi."
Chizuru Kagura, quick-witted as ever, immediately caught on: "You mean... the KOF tournament?"
"Exactly." Cloud snapped his fingers. "From Rugal to Orochi, from NESTS to Those From the Past, every KOF tournament has been accompanied by an extinction-level crisis. This isn't coincidence."
"Every large-scale clash of powerful fighters invisibly broadcasts our coordinates to the universe. And Verse's appearance this time directly punched a huge hole in our world's wall."
"So..." Colonel Heidern's gaze sharpened. "We should immediately halt all such tournaments, lock everything down, have all fighters go into hiding?"
"No. Quite the opposite." Cloud shook his head, his words shocking everyone.
"We're going to host the next KOF. And make it grander and more magnificent than any before!"
"What?!" Everyone at the table was stunned.
Cloud's eyes gleamed with both wisdom and a touch of madness: "This is called 'luring the tiger into the trap'!"
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"