KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

After Kyo Kusanagi defeated Kensou, Athena followed up and engaged in battle with him. However, Athena's strength was similar to Kensou's, and she was no match for Kyo Kusanagi either, quickly falling to defeat as well.

Finally, Chin Gentsai faced off against Kyo Kusanagi in the final match. As the match time ended, the referee declared the Japanese team the winner.

Yan Yue sensed Kusanagi Kyo's battle throughout. Although Chin Gentsai had been somewhat passive earlier, Kusanagi Kyo's strength had indeed improved a lot. The power of his [Wild Bite] and [Poison Bite] alone was greater than that of her [Nen Wave].

Looks like those thighs really are thighs.

At this moment, the audience erupted in the loudest applause, cheering for Kyo Kusanagi.

……

Before we knew it, the final preliminary selection round arrived.

With the referee's whistle, the final game began!

As expected, the US team fielded their strongest and most athletic American football star, Brian.

At this moment, Brian strode confidently onto the court, his eyes fixed firmly on his opponent, as if victory was already in his grasp.

However, as everyone's attention turned to the rival team, an unfamiliar figure slowly stepped out from the group.

Iori Yagami has a handsome appearance with well-defined features. What's even more striking is his fiery red hair, which shines brilliantly in the sunlight.

He was wearing a very unique and avant-garde rock-style outfit, with the Yagami family's moon emblem printed on his back. His unique look instantly attracted the attention of many spectators.

Although he was a completely new face to most people, he exuded a unique charisma from the moment he appeared, making him impossible to ignore.

Meanwhile, Kyo Kusanagi, sitting in the audience, also focused his attention on Iori Yagami in the ring. For some reason, looking at this stranger in front of him, Kyo felt as if he had seen this person somewhere before, but he couldn't remember the specific scene.

Moreover, whenever Kyo Kusanagi saw Iori Yagami's cold face and his slightly provocative eyes, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of unease.

Seeing that both sides were in position, the referee solemnly announced: "The first match is between Iori Yagami and Brian!"

"That guy's surname is actually 'Yagami'!" Kyo Kusanagi's expression turned serious.

As the new heir of the Kusanagi clan, Kyo Kusanagi was naturally aware of the blood feud that had been passed down in his family for thousands of years. He felt very uneasy at this moment and focused all his attention on Iori Yagami.

On the ring, Brian stood still, his gaze fixed on his opponent—Iori Yagami. However, when he met his opponent's eyes, his heart tightened, for he clearly saw that Iori Yagami was staring at him with a contemptuous look, as if he were a worthless piece of trash.

As a prominent American sports star, when had Brian ever suffered such a humiliation? He felt a surge of anger rising from the bottom of his heart and quickly spreading throughout his body.

Just then, the referee solemnly walked between the two, raised his right hand, and shouted loudly, "The match begins!"

Brian shot forward like a cannonball, his body suddenly bursting into the air as he charged towards Iori Yagami. His speed was so great that it stirred up a gust of dust.

However, Iori Yagami reacted even faster than Brian.

With a light tap of his feet, Iori Yagami flashed in front of Brian in the blink of an eye. Then, before Brian could adjust his posture, Iori Yagami suddenly reached out a hand, his five fingers like hooks, and grabbed hard at Brian's chest.

【External Style - Shadow Dance: Dream Bullet】!

"Well--!"

In an instant, a scream rang out, and blood splattered everywhere, forming a blood mist that filled the air.

A deep, gruesome wound was visible on Brian's chest, with flesh torn open and blood gushing out, staining his blue clothes red, a shocking sight.

Immediately, in the instant Brian was distracted by the excruciating pain, Iori Yagami seized the fleeting opportunity, turned around abruptly, his leg muscles tensed instantly, and a powerful kick, brimming with strength, shot out like lightning.

The powerful kick struck Brian squarely in the face, its force astonishing. Brian was sent flying backward like a cannonball.

With a dull thud, Brian crashed heavily off the ring, kicking up a cloud of dust. The whole scene was breathtaking, and the audience was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

In an instant, the noisy voices below the stage stopped abruptly, followed by an uproar.

"What?! He only used two moves!"

The numerous fighters in the audience were all dumbfounded and full of amazement:

"This Iori Yagami is incredibly powerful!"

"His methods of attack were far too cruel..."

Even Jinmu and Alba couldn't help but show surprise. They knew how powerful Iori Yagami was, but they hadn't expected his attacks to be so fierce and ruthless.

Yan Yue, who had always known about Iori Yagami, was familiar with his attack method, but was equally wary.

"Brian!" Harvey D and Rocky rushed forward to check on the seriously injured Brian.

When they got closer and saw the horrific wound on Brian's chest, they couldn't help but gasp.

At the same time, the two glared angrily at Iori Yagami and roared, "You bastard!"

With that, Rocky jumped onto the ring, his eyes fixed on Iori Yagami. "You knew Brian was no match for you, yet you still went for the kill!"

Iori Yagami replied with utter contempt, "Want revenge? You coward, then... come and die!"

"You bastard!"

The referee was momentarily taken aback by the tense atmosphere between the two sides. After hesitating for a moment, he hurriedly waved his hand and announced, "The second match begins!"

Rocky Landscape!

As soon as he finished speaking, Rocky learned from Brian's mistake and quickly dove back to create distance between himself and Iori Yagami, while simultaneously releasing a powerful energy wave using a basketball.

[Death Slam Dunk]!

Iori Yagami sneered, slightly dodging the basketball-shaped energy blast, his body contorting into a blur as he attacked Rocky.

"What!" Rocky was startled by Iori Yagami's speed, his face turned pale, and he hurriedly continued to use leg techniques to block Iori Yagami's attacks.

The ultimate move: [Emergency Stop with Spinning]!

But Yagami gave Rocky no chance to defend himself, his hands suddenly bursting into purple flames as he unleashed a series of heavy blows on Rocky's legs.

【127 Styles - Sunflower】!

"Boom—!" With this deafening roar, a dazzling purple flame shot straight into the sky like a volcanic eruption. In an instant, the entire arena was engulfed in flames, and a series of violent explosions rang out incessantly, as if to tear this space apart completely.

As the raging flames gradually subsided, everyone was astonished to find that Rocky, who had stood imposingly on the arena, was now covered in blood, lifeless, and collapsed on the ground, completely unconscious.

Rocky's body was covered in hideous wounds, from which blood flowed continuously, staining the ground beneath him red.

Upon witnessing such a horrific scene, the audience members below the stage couldn't help but gasp in shock, their fear and disbelief palpable.

At this moment, Kyo Kusanagi's expression became extremely solemn. He stared intently at the still not completely extinguished purple flames, muttering to himself, "That's... purple flames, the flames of the Orochi clan!"

Meanwhile, the other fighters were equally stunned by the immense power displayed by Iori Yagami. Gazing at the solitary figure on the stage, they were filled with silent awe.

"That guy only used one move again!"

"That's truly terrifying power! Who could withstand such an attack?"

"Especially those purple flames, just looking at them is enough to send chills down your spine."

Terry, Ryo Sakazaki, and the others also looked at Iori Yagami with some apprehension.

Kim Kaphwan, who hated evil as much as he did, was furious about Iori Yagami's behavior.

Just as the fighters were discussing amongst themselves, the referee finally came to his senses. He quickly walked to Rocky's side, examined him carefully, shook his head helplessly, and then waved his hand, loudly announcing, "The winner of this match is—Iori Yagami!"

As the referee finished speaking, a burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted in the audience, but among them was a great deal of fear of Iori Yagami's powerful strength.

Medical personnel quickly carried away the two seriously injured members of the American team and hurriedly left the arena. At this moment, only the lone boxer Harvey D remained in the American team.

Harvey D watched his seriously injured teammate being carried away on a stretcher, his heart filled with a jumble of emotions—anger, resentment, self-blame… a whole host of feelings surged within him.

Despite his deep resentment towards Iori Yagami, he was also well aware that his strength was nowhere near that of the demon-like Iori Yagami.

However, as the leader of the American team, he could not back down or run away no matter what. Even if he knew that defeat was inevitable, he had to bravely stand on the ring and fight to the end.

When he looked up at Iori Yagami, who stood opposite him like a god of death, a sense of dread involuntarily rose in his heart. But at the same time, a fierce rage also burned in his chest, a flame ignited by his determination to avenge his wounded comrades.

Just then, the referee decisively swung his arm, signaling the start of the match.

Harvey D, like a wild beast out of control, pounced on Iori Yagami without regard for anything else.

"what--!"

Faced with Harvey D's frenzied offensive, Iori Yagami merely raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a cruel and disdainful smile.

At this moment, Yan Yue, who was not far away, sensed the battle between Iori Yagami and Harvey D and sighed silently.

"Team America is in deep trouble this time..."