The entire stadium fell into deathly silence.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at this man who had "purified" the entire venue with just a snap of his fingers.
Only one thought remained in their minds—
This... this isn't even in the realm of "strong" anymore, right?
This is... a god!
"So... so cool..."
Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, and the other members of his harem gazed at Cloud's back after his "ships and armies turned to ash with a snap of his fingers," their eyes full of sparkling stars.
Meanwhile, far away in a secret base, the NESTS executives watching through surveillance monitors were all cold in their hands and feet, drenched in sweat.
The wine glasses in their hands fell to the ground with a "crash."
"Report... report! Target... Cloud's combat data... cannot be calculated! Our system has... has overloaded and burned out!"
"How... how is this possible?! He... he didn't even use a technique! What kind of power is this?!"
"Monster... he's... he's a monster!"
They had planned to use this "clone rampage" incident to test Cloud's limits.
The result: they didn't discover any limits.
Instead, they discovered their own insignificance and ignorance.
"Alright, the flies have all been cleaned up."
Cloud dusted off his hands, as if he had just done something trivial.
Then he turned to look at Benimaru Nikaido and Shingo Yabuki, who had been watching in stunned silence.
"You two, stop standing there." Cloud pointed at the huge hole in the stadium floor, blown open by the earlier chaos.
"I can sense a massive underground facility down there. If I'm not mistaken, the real Kyo Kusanagi should be imprisoned inside."
"Kyo?!"
Benimaru and Shingo immediately became excited!
"The clones in there should have all been cleaned up by me while I was at it. But there are still traps everywhere, plus some modified guards," Cloud continued. "Your mission is to go down there, find him, and bring him out."
"But, you..." Benimaru hesitated.
"Me?" Cloud smiled, casting his gaze deeper into the hole. Those profound eyes seemed to pierce through layer upon layer of earth's crust. "I have a much bigger fish to catch."
"Go."
"Yes sir!"
Benimaru and Shingo didn't hesitate any longer, immediately rushing toward that bottomless underground facility with hearts full of excitement and hope.
Cloud then turned his gaze to another person.
K'.
At this moment, K' was looking at Cloud with a complicated expression.
That earlier scene of "destroying an army with a snap of his fingers" had given him too great a shock.
He clearly recognized the chasm-like gap between himself and this man.
"What? Scared stupid?" Cloud walked up to him and teased.
"...Who exactly are you?" K's voice was hoarse and dry.
"Who I am isn't important." Cloud looked at him, his joking expression fading. "What matters is who you want to become."
"Come on." Cloud turned and walked toward the hole. "Haven't you always wanted to know the answers about yourself?"
"The answers... are down below."
K's body shuddered violently!
He watched Cloud's back disappearing into the darkness, a flash of struggle and hesitation in his eyes.
But in the end, it was replaced by the thirst for truth!
"K'!" Maxima followed as well.
"...Keep up."
K didn't say another word, resolutely following Cloud's footsteps, leaping into that abyss leading to an unknown fate.
...
NESTS, deepest level of the underground base.
This was a massive circular hall filled with futuristic technology.
Cold metal walls, energy conduits flickering with ghostly blue light, and in the center of the hall, a figure slowly rising from a lift platform.
He wore a tight combat suit full of restraining design, with silver short hair standing up aggressively like a lion's mane.
A cold smile played across his face.
This was KOF 99's "organizer" and NESTS executive—Krizalid.
"Welcome to my stage, Mr. Cloud."
Krizalid's voice echoed through the hall via speakers, carrying a hint of condescending arrogance.
"And you, my greatest masterpiece—K'."
"Who are you?" K' asked coldly.
"Me?" A fanatical smile spread across Krizalid's face. "I am your creator! The god who bestowed upon you new life and power!"
"Bullshit!" K' roared, crimson flames igniting in his hands.
"Hehehe... It seems your memories haven't fully awakened yet." Far from being angry, Krizalid observed K's furious expression with great interest.
"But no matter."
He snapped his fingers.
On the hall's screens, cold video footage of inhumane experiments began to play.
In the video, a young child was strapped to an operating table, injected with various unknown drugs, crying out in agony.
In the video, his body was dissected and modified again and again, forcibly implanted with another person's genes.
In the video, his memories were washed and overwritten again and again, filled with a false past.
"Remember now? K'?" Krizalid's voice was like a devil's whisper. "You never had any past!"
"You're just a vessel!"
"A clone manufactured to carry the Kusanagi flames—nothing more!"
"No... that's not true..."
K' watched the cruel images on the screen, listened to Krizalid's soul-piercing words. His brain felt like it was about to explode!
Those sealed painful memories, like a dam bursting, flooded wildly into his mind!
"AAAAHHHH——!!!"
He clutched his head, letting out a heart-rending roar!
"No! I am K'! I am myself!"
"Very good, very good!" Krizalid watched K's painful struggle, his smile growing even more fanatical.
"Yes, that anger! That hatred! Convert them all into your power!"
"Then let me collect your most perfect combat data!"
His combat suit began charging, emitting dangerous energy fluctuations!
Clearly, he intended to use this method to provoke K' into unleashing his strongest power, then transmit that data back to NESTS headquarters.
...
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