Kyo looked at Cloud's "check out how awesome I am" expression, his heart a whirlpool of emotions.
According to the tournament registration, Cloud was half a year younger than him—his little brother!
"Brother... my poor, long-lost brother..." Kyo lamented internally.
"You must have... awakened our Kusanagi bloodline just now at the edge of life and death!"
He was already imagining how to confront his old man after the match, how to explain to his mother, how to bring this "brother" back to Japan and restore him to the family registry.
"Come on! Kyo Kusanagi! Let's... settle this!"
Cloud, unaware he'd been assigned the identity of "biological little brother," roared and dragged his heavily injured body into one final charge!
"Y-you're still coming?!"
Kyo watched his "brother" charge at him like a madman, and his heart softened.
No!
Can't keep fighting!
He's already this badly hurt!
If this continues, someone could die!
How could I, Kyo Kusanagi, be so ruthless to my own brother?!
Championship? What championship?
In the face of blood-thick family bonds, championship glory is worthless!
And so, under the horrified gazes of hundreds of thousands of spectators, the most absurd, most unbelievable scene in KOF history occurred.
Facing Cloud's ferocious final attack, Kyo Kusanagi, the unrivaled Child of Destiny...
Voluntarily dispersed the blazing crimson flames from his body!
He even opened his arms wide, assuming a "come on, crash into big brother's embrace" pose!
"???"
Cloud's entire being went blank.
What... what kind of play is this?!
Insurance fraud? Or trying to tank my hit and counter?
But the arrow was already released—no taking it back!
He could only grit his teeth and throw that golden-flame-wrapped fist forward!
Of course, at the last moment, he instinctively held back ninety percent of his power.
Thump!
A soft sound.
Cloud's fist lightly imprinted on Kyo's chest.
Then...
Kyo Kusanagi, this unrivaled king, seemed to have all his bones removed. His body went limp and he fell backward.
Before hitting the ground, he made sure to give Cloud a deep look filled with complex relief.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The entire world seemed to lose its voice.
Everyone stared slack-jawed at this "Best Actor of the Year" performance, their brains completely unable to process the surreal scene.
Cloud was stunned too.
He stared blankly at his fist still suspended in mid-air, then at Kyo on the ground, "unconscious," with a "peaceful" smile on his lips.
I...
I knocked him down?
Just like that... with one light tap?
Isn't he the Child of Destiny? Doesn't he have protagonist halo protection?
How come he's... more fragile than glass?!
But regardless, Cloud had won.
"Round two! Dragon Nation Team, Commander Zuo, versus Japan Team, Goro Daimon!"
Two equally taciturn men harboring terrifying power—"mountain-type" beasts—took the stage first.
Everyone expected an earth-shaking, prolonged battle of power.
But the result once again shattered all expectations.
Facing Goro Daimon's earthquake-inducing "Tenchi Gaeshi," Commander Zuo simply... drew his blade.
SHING—!
A crisp blade-song echoed throughout the venue!
A blood-red flash, too fast for the naked eye, seeming capable of cutting through space-time, flickered and vanished!
Goro Daimon's massive hand, about to grab Commander Zuo's collar, froze in mid-air.
A thin line of blood slowly emerged on the back of his hand.
His iron-hard muscles had been easily pierced by that single slash!
If Commander Zuo hadn't deflected the blade by half an inch at the last moment, what would have been severed wasn't just skin—it would have been his tendons!
Goro Daimon slowly opened his perpetually closed eyes, gave Commander Zuo a long look, then... bowed slightly to him.
"I surrender."
With that, he walked off the stage without hesitation.
The entire venue fell into dead silence.
Everyone was awed by Commander Zuo's domineering, back-to-basics single strike.
"Round three! Dragon Nation Team, Feng Baobao, versus Japan Team, Benimaru Nikaido!"
This time, it was "vacant" versus "flamboyant."
"Oh, my pretty girl~" Benimaru flamboyantly flicked his golden locks. "Though I never go hard on beautiful ladies... a match is a match. If I hurt you later, don't cry, okay?"
Baobao tilted her head, staring vacantly at his hair gelled up like a Super Saiyan, and asked very seriously:
"Has your head been struck by lightning?"
Benimaru Nikaido: "..."
He felt like he'd taken tons of true damage.
The battle began!
Benimaru transformed into a golden lightning bolt, instantly appearing before Baobao!
"Try this! Iai Geri!"
But the instant his flashy kick was about to connect, Baobao did something nobody expected.
She... flopped to the ground, rolled like a lazy donkey, and then... grabbed onto Benimaru's thigh!
"???"
Benimaru's entire being went blank.
What... what kind of fighting style is this?!
Then Baobao opened her mouth, revealing a row of pearly white teeth, and without hesitation...
CHOMP! She bit down!
"AAAARRRGHHH—!!!"
An inhuman scream echoed through the entire Sydney Opera House!
Benimaru Nikaido, this lightning-fast noble son, clutched his thigh and rolled on the ground in agony, tears streaming down his face.
Baobao stood up, dusted off her hands, and said innocently: "Boss said if you can't beat them, bite them."
The entire venue once again turned to stone.
[Ding! Congratulations Host! Defeated Child of Destiny Kyo Kusanagi and achieved final victory in KOF 94!]
[Quest Rating: S (Achieved an unbelievable victory in an unprecedented, never-to-be-repeated manner)]
[Final reward settlement in progress...]
Hearing the system's cold notification, Cloud finally snapped back to reality.
I... I won?
I became... the First King of Fighters?!
A massive, unreal, utterly absurd joy instantly swept through his entire being!
...
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