That wasn't mere power—it was will!
The will of a king, inherited through a thousand years of the Kusanagi clan, never yielding, never surrendering!
And when Cloud felt that sun-like fighting spirit that would never be extinguished, he smiled too.
A manic, desperate smile.
"Lose?"
His mind flashed with Mai Shiranui's tsundere face, Yuri Sakazaki's innocent smile, Athena's eyes full of expectation...
He remembered his despair when he first transmigrated, held at gunpoint in a South Town back alley.
He remembered the madness of swinging a brick, putting himself in danger again and again just to survive.
He couldn't lose!
And he... absolutely would not lose!
"AAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
A fighting spirit purer and more frenzied than ever before erupted from the depths of his soul!
His [Absolute Domain], on the verge of collapse from his severe injuries, condensed, compressed, and transcended under the stimulation of that indomitable will!
[Ding! Detected: Host's survival instinct and fighting will have reached critical threshold! [Absolute Domain] breakthrough!]
[Current realm: Absolute Domain 30%!]
Golden Battle God Spirit surged skyward once more, standing equal against Kyo Kusanagi's crimson flames!
The entire venue fell deathly silent again.
Everyone was utterly shocked by these two god-like men on the stage.
They had both... surpassed their limits!
"Hahaha... good! Good! GOOD!"
Seeing this, Kyo wasn't alarmed but delighted, laughing three times toward the heavens!
"Cloud! As my highest tribute to your resolve! Let me show you... my true... peak!"
His eyes erupted with unprecedented brilliance, like a supernova explosion!
He burned everything—all his potential as the "Child of Destiny," all his pride, all his glory—without reservation!
[Absolute Domain 35%]!!!
BOOM—!!!
A terrifying presence far exceeding before, almost crushing space itself, descended!
The crimson king's domain instantly suppressed Cloud's newly achieved 30% golden domain, forcing it into retreat!
"Pfft—!"
Cloud spat blood again, feeling his severely wounded body about to be crushed alive by that tangible domain pressure!
It's over...
Am I really... going to lose?
In the spectator area, Terry, Ryo, and others fell silent.
Their faces showed regret and admiration.
Cloud had only been training for a few short months.
Yet he had pushed Kyo Kusanagi, this super fighting genius, to this extent.
A defeat for Cloud would still be honorable.
But Cloud couldn't lose!
"Damn it..." Cloud's consciousness was growing hazy. "I still... have my cheat!"
With his last ounce of strength, he roared his final, most defiant command to the system in his mind!
"System! Plunder him! Plunder Kyo Kusanagi! Steal that damned flame of his!!!"
[Ding! Command confirmed! Initiating [Dimensional Plunder] on target Kyo Kusanagi!]
[Plunder assessment in progress... Target is this world's Child of Destiny, protected by world will, possessing extremely high law resistance...]
[Target's will is steel-hard, spiritual power extremely strong...]
[Plunder success rate: 0.1%!]
"0.1%?! Are you kidding me?!" Cloud nearly fainted from rage at that number.
"Aren't you supposed to be [Dimensional Plunder System 2.0]?! Aren't you supposed to be some P7 god who can read source code?! You can't even break through a protagonist halo?! What good are you?! REFUND!!!"
Cloud's survival instinct transformed into the most vicious verbal assault on the system!
[...]
The system, rarely, fell silent.
As if Cloud's "soul-piercing" mockery had actually broken through its defenses.
[Ding! Detected: Host's intense contempt has severely wounded system's self-esteem!]
[System core energy beginning overload operation!]
["Plunder" function temporarily upgraded to "Law Seizure"!]
[Warning! This operation will consume massive system origin energy and may result in limited functionality for a period!]
"I don't care if you downgrade! Now! Immediately! This instant! STEAL IT!!!"
[AS! YOU! WISH!]
The system's mechanical voice now carried a hint of... being pushed to the edge of madness!
BOOM—!!!
An invisible force transcending law, not belonging to this world, instantly erupted from Cloud, forming an invisible giant hand that ruthlessly grabbed toward the depths of Kyo Kusanagi's soul!
[Law Seizure in progress... 1%... 10%... 50%...]
[Target world will beginning resistance...]
[Injecting system origin energy! Forcefully suppressing!]
[90%... 99%...]
[Ding—!]
[Plunder... successful!]
[Congratulations Host! Successfully acquired special bloodline—[Blood of Kusanagi (Degraded Version)]!]
[Congratulations Host! Successfully comprehended skill—"Kusanagi-Style Ancient Martial Arts" (Remnant)!]
(Note: Since what was plundered was a degraded version and remnant, relative to Kyo Kusanagi, it's merely a drop in the bucket—Kyo's power will be unaffected. For the harem members, such minor plundering has minimal impact, and under Cloud's guidance and feedback, their power actually increases.)
In that instant, Cloud felt a scorching, domineering, all-consuming new power born from the depths of his bloodline!
His Battle God Spirit, nearly extinguished from severe injuries, blazed to life again under this "foreign" flame power!
And it was... golden flames!
A completely new power born from the perfect fusion of Battle God Spirit and Kusanagi Flames!
"I... feel it..."
Cloud slowly raised his head. In those pupils that had been growing unfocused, two golden flames now burned!
He extended his right hand toward the sky and gently clenched.
BOOM!
A golden flame containing the essence of all creation and the might to incinerate everything blazed in his palm!
In that instant, the entire world seemed to... lose its voice.
...
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