KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

South America, in a vast and boundless tropical rainforest.

Inside the mercenary base.

At this moment, the atmosphere in a spacious and bright office at this mercenary base was unusually heavy. A huge solid wood desk stood in the center of the room, piled high with documents, maps, and various communication devices.

Heidern was dressed in a crisp military uniform, his face serious, his deep eyes fixed on the invitation to the King of Fighters tournament in his hand.

“This competition is a special case. The local government and military are dealing with some issues. Only the participants are eligible to enter the venue, and our people will be subject to restrictions,” Haderen said in a low voice, which echoed in the quiet room.

Ralph and Clark, who were standing to the side, exchanged a glance. Then Clark said, "But, sir, Leona's condition is not very stable at the moment. I'm afraid she won't be able to perform the task in the competition."

Heidern nodded and sighed, "Brother Chai Zhou's condition has not improved either; the power of this giant serpent is too incomprehensible..."

Haderen frowned slightly, lost in thought. After a long while, he slowly raised his head, looking firmly at Ralph and Clark in front of him, and said in a deep voice, "In that case, we can only rely on the power we have."

Upon hearing this, Ralph and Clark exchanged a smile and said in unison, "Then, sir, please give the order! We are ready to depart at any time."

After a moment, Heidern stood up, walked to the window, looked at the lush rainforest outside, took a deep breath, turned around, and solemnly gave orders to Ralf and Clark: "You two will be with me in this King of Fighters tournament! No matter what dangers we encounter, you must obey my commands and complete the mission with determination!"

Immediately afterward, a fierce rage ignited in Heidern's previously deep and composed eyes, as if burning with endless hatred. He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "In this operation, we must fully cooperate with Yan Yue and the others to completely eliminate Rugal!"

Upon hearing the order, Ralph and Clark, who were standing to the side, saluted without hesitation and replied, "Yes, sir!" Their voices were loud and firm, revealing their determination and confidence in completing the mission.

Then, Heidern's sharp gaze swept over the two men, and he solemnly ordered, "Alright, time is of the essence. Ralph, Clark, you two prepare for battle immediately. We're about to depart." With that, he turned and walked heavily out of the office.

Heidern strode quickly through the corridor and soon arrived at Leona's training ground. Leona was currently undergoing intense training with complete concentration. She was agile and nimble, and her assassination skills had become second nature.

Heidern stood quietly on the sidelines, silently watching his beloved daughter, his heart filled with worry and longing. However, for the sake of justice in his heart, and to completely settle the hatred between Rugal and his daughter, this parting was inevitable. After a while, Heidern took a deep breath and slowly walked forward.

……

In the bustling and vibrant New York City of the United States.

Sunlight streamed through the windows into a supermarket. A beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes, wearing a snow-white apron, was busy paying for her groceries before leaving the store.

Finally, everything was ready, and the girl happily picked up the bag full of groceries and walked lightly into her house. However, the moment she stepped inside, she discovered that her brother, who should have been home, was nowhere to be seen. The girl frowned slightly, her eyes searching for him.

Finally, her gaze fell upon the neat dining table, where a white letter sat forlornly. The girl hurried forward, and lines of familiar handwriting came into view.

The letter read: "My dearest Lily, I'm so sorry I can't be with you for this delicious lunch. I suddenly received an important business deal and need to go on an urgent business trip to handle related matters, so I won't be able to come home to be with you for a while. But don't worry, you're all grown up now, and I'm sure you can take care of yourself. Also, please be sure to stay safe. Love, your brother Billy."

After reading the letter, a hint of worry appeared in Lily's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by strength.

She carefully put the letter away, then sighed, turned and went to the kitchen, deciding to cook the sumptuous lunch that was originally prepared for her brother by herself.

Meanwhile, on another street corner in New York, Billy, holding a long red stick, wearing a bandana, and carrying the KOF invitation, looked at the two people in front of him with a complicated expression.

Seeing that the three had gathered, Billy nodded slightly and solemnly opened his mouth slowly, saying, "Now that everyone is ready, let's set off immediately for this battlefield filled with bloodshed and slaughter!"

During that year, Billy secretly trained relentlessly behind his sister's back, while also spending all his savings to investigate information about the Orochi clan. After countless hardships, he barely managed to assemble a powerful team of fighters, the Rivals Team.

Upon hearing Billy's speech, Iori Yagami slowly turned around, his expressionless face completely calm. Eiji Kisaragi, standing to the side, nodded in agreement. At that moment, the three were about to board a flight to the tournament venue.

Eiji Kisaragi was still wearing that purple ninja outfit, his face covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes and long black hair.

Since his crushing defeat at the hands of Ryo Sakazaki in South Town, Eiji Kisaragi secretly vowed to avenge himself and completely eliminate the successor of Kyokugenryu in this tournament.

When Iori Yagami was in Japan, he happened to see Kyo Kusanagi win the championship in a Japanese fighting tournament on a television screen.

At that moment, Kyo Kusanagi's smug and arrogant demeanor deeply pierced Iori Yagami's heart. Somehow, from that moment on, an uncontrollable killing intent quietly grew in Iori Yagami's heart, and he constantly thought about ending Kyo Kusanagi's life with his own hands.

Later, Billy found Iori Yagami and told him that Kyo Kusanagi would be participating in the tournament.

Upon hearing this news, a cold glint flashed in Iori Yagami's eyes, and he agreed without hesitation to Billy's request to team up for the competition.

For Iori Yagami, this was not only an opportunity to kill Kyo Kusanagi, but also a chance to end the blood feud between the Kusanagi and Yagami families in this generation.

Billy clenched his fists. Although the three of them had their own purposes, they were now united in purpose, their eyes revealing unwavering determination and deep worry.

He gritted his teeth and silently vowed, "Lord Giss, please rest assured, no matter how great the difficulties and dangers, I will definitely rescue you!"

At the same time, Billy's heart was burning with hatred and rage towards Rugal.

"Rugal, prepare to die!"

……

New York Airport.

The American team of three is waiting for their flight to the King of Fighters tournament.

At this moment, Harvey D, Rocky, and Brian were chatting happily.

They completely ignored the three rivals walking past them from behind.

……

China, Mount Lu.

Chin Gentsai looked at his two disciples and said, "Let's go. This King of Fighters tournament will be the perfect opportunity to test you two."

"Yes!" Kensou and Athena replied in unison.

Zhen Yuanzhai nodded in satisfaction, but he knew in his heart that things were not so simple.

……

South Korea.

Kim Kap-pan, along with Chen Guohan and Choi Bounge, also boarded the flight for the King of Fighters tournament.

……

Japan, Osaka Castle.

After saying goodbye to his mother, Kyoya Kusanagi boarded a bus and headed to the airport.

While waiting for the bus, Kyo Kusanagi kept thinking about the day he received the KOF invitation.

At that time, Mature sent it to Kyo Kusanagi.

Kyo Kusanagi looked at Mature with wariness and suspicion, and asked, "Mature? Why is it you again? Why is the invitation still R this time?"

Mature, still bowing respectfully, calmly replied, "Mr. Kyo Kusanagi, if you want to know, then participate in the King of Fighters tournament! ...Otherwise, everyone will die." Then, Mature vanished in an instant...

Thinking this, Kyo Kusanagi's eyes shone with confidence and determination: "I'm not afraid..."

"Kyo!" Just as Kyo Kusanagi was deep in thought, a very familiar girl's voice suddenly broke his thoughts.

Kyo Kusanagi snapped out of his daze and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw Yuki Kusanagi hurrying towards him in the distance, her face beaming with a sweet smile that warmed his heart like the spring sun.

"Xiaoxue? Are you here to see me off?"

Upon hearing Kyo Kusanagi's question, Yuki Kushinada tilted her head slightly, winked playfully, and said coquettishly, "I'm your girlfriend, can't I come and see you off?"

Kyo Kusanagi was taken aback by what he heard, then waved his hand in a flustered manner and hurriedly explained, "Ah... no, no, I'm happy that Yuki came to see me off... hahaha..." He laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

Just then, a bus slowly pulled up and came to a smooth stop in front of the bus stop. Its silver body gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

"Let's go, Kyo. Benimaru and Daimon should be at the airport by now." Yuki Kusanagi said, taking Kyo's hand and walking quickly towards the bus. The two figures were close together, seemingly becoming the most heartwarming and harmonious scene in this noisy world.

……

In an ancient and solemn city in England.

Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, and King entered a hospital together. They walked quickly down the corridor and finally arrived at a ward. Gently pushing open the door, they saw a boy lying on the bed; he was King's younger brother, Jane.

At this moment, Jian was wearing loose hospital gowns, his face slightly pale, and his eyes revealed a hint of fatigue and weakness. However, to everyone's relief, thanks to the meticulous treatment of the medical staff, he was out of danger.

King walked to the bedside, gently took Jane's hand, his eyes filled with concern and affection. Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki stood by, quietly watching this heartwarming scene.

“Sister…” Jane’s voice was slightly hoarse and weak.

"How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?" King asked softly.

Jian shook her head slightly, forcing a smile: "I'm much better, don't worry about me, sister."

Afterwards, the two sisters chatted about everyday things, catching up on each other's recent lives. Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki occasionally chimed in, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

After a while, King checked the time and, knowing he couldn't stay any longer, stood up and said to Jane, "Get some rest and recover quickly so you can be discharged from the hospital soon. We're going to participate in the King of Fighters tournament."

"Sisters, you can do it!"

Jane nodded and waved goodbye to the three of them. Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, and King walked out of the ward and gently closed the door.

King, as the team captain, solemnly said to the two sisters in front of her, "Then... Women's Fighters Team, let's go!"

Yuri Sakazaki and Mai Shiranui exchanged a smile, raised their right hands, and declared, "Let's go! For the female fighters!"

After leaving the hospital, the three female fighters walked side by side down the street. They were filled with anticipation for the upcoming King of Fighters tournament, unaware of the truth hidden behind it.

……

China, Hong Kong.

In a bustling seafood restaurant, Yan Yue, Shen Wu, and Alba sat around a table laden with fragrant hairy crabs.

Without any hesitation, Shenwu grabbed a large, plump crab, peeled off its hard shell to reveal tender, juicy meat, and then opened his gaping maw, devouring it in a whirlwind. He ate plate after plate at an astonishing speed, looking like a demon escaped from hell, his face contorted with ferocity, as if he could never get enough to eat.

Seeing Shenwu wolfing down his food, Yan Yue was speechless and shook her head helplessly, expressing her deep disgust.

However, at this moment, Yan Yue suddenly spoke up and said, "Today is our last day in Hong Kong, and we need to prepare to leave."

Upon hearing this, Alba, who was enjoying his meal, stopped what he was doing, frowned thoughtfully, and said, "But Shenwu and I are both undocumented immigrants... and that place is far away in the Atlantic Ocean..."

Yan Yue slapped her forehead, instantly forgetting about the matter.

Shenwu, who had been enjoying his meal, paused slightly upon hearing Alba's words, clearly realizing the seriousness of the matter. A moment later, silence fell over the table.

However, Yan Yue quickly came up with a solution. He calmly took out the salary card from the Masked Voice from his pocket.

Since Yan Yue started working as a chef at the barbecue restaurant, the money in this card hadn't been touched. At this moment, Yan Yue sighed and said, "Sigh, there's no other way. It seems I'll have to use this money to solve the problem for now..."

As she spoke, Yan Yue turned her head slightly and quickly glanced at the two of them out of the corner of her eye, revealing a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

You see, for the past few days, all their expenses have been borne by Yan Yue alone. Thinking of this, Yan Yue felt a surge of anger and couldn't help but burst into a tirade:

"You two poor bastards! I really don't know what to say. You always have to rely on this handsome guy to solve your problems. Oh well, I'll do you a favor this time and help you out."

I'll try to find Officer Hong Fu to help me out and see if I can get two scalped plane tickets.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Yue suddenly stood up from his seat with a swift and decisive movement, and then walked towards the door. His dashing figure seemed to be telling Shenwu and Alba that this matter could be left to him without any problems.

Then Shenwu suddenly asked, "What if we don't have tickets?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Yue turned around and yelled at Shen Wu, "If you can't find tickets, just stuff them in your suitcases!" After saying that, she ignored Shen Wu and Alba and turned to walk towards the police station.

Alba shook his head helplessly, while Shenwu was completely unaffected by Yan Yue's words and continued to wolf down his food, eating with great relish.

Shenwu thought to himself, "Putting it in my suitcase is fine too; I heard you can practice bone-shrinking techniques there..."

The King of Fighters '95 is about to begin.