KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Inside the Steel Noah.

At this moment, Kyo Kusanagi was in chaos and had lost contact with his teammates.

[A Subtle Brush]!

【Wild Bite】!

【Hyakushiki - Oni-yaki】!

Kyo Kusanagi faced several ruthless assassins alone, and a fierce battle ensued. Fists whistled, blades clashed, and flames intertwined with the steel.

Just as Kyo Kusanagi was taking down the assassins one by one, three figures suddenly emerged from the shadows.

Moonsaw!

[Neck Rotation]!

【Crossblade】!

In an instant, the heads of the three assassins fell to the ground, blood gushing out.

Kyo Kusanagi subconsciously turned his head, and his expression softened slightly upon seeing the newcomer: "General Heidern?!"

At this moment, the three members of the Ikari Warriors were also searching for the path to the Iron Fortress when they inadvertently encountered Kyo Kusanagi, who was engaged in a fierce battle.

Heidern and his two companions suddenly appeared before Kyo Kusanagi.

General Haderen remained calm, but his expression was unusually serious. He looked at Kyo Kusanagi and slowly said, "Kyo, come with us."

Upon hearing this, Kyo Kusanagi nodded without hesitation, indicating his agreement.

Then, as if remembering something, he quickly asked Heidern, "Was it Rugal's doing again?"

“It was him. Yan Yue told me a long time ago.” Hadilen took a deep breath upon hearing this. “Alright, let’s not think about these things for now.”

"We must remain vigilant from now on, as we are not yet out of danger." After saying this, he took the lead and walked forward.

After hearing this, Kyo Kusanagi said no more.

Thus, the Ikari Warriors and Kyo Kusanagi cautiously ventured into the deep interior of the steel fortress.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the faint sound of footsteps echoing in the air.

Kyo Kusanagi clenched his fists tightly, his palms slightly sweaty. He was intently watching his surroundings, silently preparing himself for any unexpected situations.

……

On the other side of the Steel Noah.

Yan Yue and the others were still secretly infiltrating the interior.

Along the way, the steel floors and dim lighting created an invisible atmosphere of oppression.

Yan Yue focused intently on using her senses to skillfully avoid the surveillance cameras; if she couldn't avoid them, she would simply destroy them.

At the same time, Yan Yue calmly and decisively issued orders to Shen Wu and Alba, instructing them to eliminate the assassins lurking on the road.

Athena was still in poor condition and needed Yan Yue's careful support to walk.

Moreover, Athena witnessed firsthand the assassination methods employed by Shenwu and Alba. The bloody and cruel scene constantly assaulted her visual senses.

Athena's delicate body trembled slightly uncontrollably, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Yan Yue quickly noticed Athena's trembling arms. He knew that it was embarrassing for a 16-year-old high school girl like Athena to witness such a bloody and violent scene.

"Athena... are you alright?" Yan Yue asked softly.

"...I'm fine...I can still hold on..."

However, despite saying that, when she looked at the blood-soaked corpses in front of her again, her body trembled even more violently.

Yan Yue sensed that Athena was truly afraid, and couldn't help but furrow her brows.

Although Yan Yue could fully understand Athena's feelings at this moment, if things continued like this, Athena would definitely seriously affect the speed and safety of the entire team's actions.

So, Yan Yue stood still and decisively reached out to tear off the black cloth covering her eyes.

Yan Yue slowly turned around, facing the astonished Athena, and said softly, "Don't be afraid, let me help you cover it up."

Without waiting for Athena's response, Yan Yue gently covered Athena's eyes with a black cloth and carefully adjusted its position to ensure that it completely blocked Athena's vision.

"Yan Yue?"

"That way, you might feel better if you can't see your surroundings..."

As Yan Yue explained, she carefully tightened the black cloth around Athena's neck.

After the black cloth was tied, Yan Yue turned to Shen Wu beside her and said in an unquestionable tone, "Shen, you will carry her from now on."

"Huh? Me?" Shenwu's face was full of confusion when he heard Yan Yue's words.

Alba nodded in agreement.

Yan Yue explained, "The commotion you caused when you killed someone was really too big. If you continue to do it, it will be easy to expose our whereabouts. So from now on, I will take charge of cleaning up the assassins ahead."

After speaking, Yan Yue suddenly opened her eyes, and a chilling light flashed in her golden pupils. She thought to herself that the assassination techniques she had learned in the Ikari Warriors team could actually come in handy.

Immediately afterward, Yan Yue bent down and gently embraced Athena. Athena didn't say anything; she could naturally feel Yan Yue's concern as a friend.

Seeing this, Shenwu trusted Yan Yue's judgment and said no more. Instead, he quickly turned around and steadily carried Athena on his back.

After everything was arranged, Yan Yue picked up a long sword from the assassin's corpse, continued to sense the route, and led the way, with Shen Wu closely following behind, carrying Athena on his back at a jog. Alba remained at the rear, constantly vigilant of their surroundings.

……

Steel Noah Headquarters.

Rugal was still sitting in front of the screen in the hall, which displayed footage from various surveillance routes. Many of the cameras had been destroyed, so some screens only showed static due to the lack of signal.

On one screen, the Hungry Wolf Team, the Dragon Tiger Team, and the Women Fighters Team have all gathered in one place, trying to find an exit.

The two Japanese players and the two Psychic Warriors players met at another location.

The three members of the American team were already seriously injured and had been locked in a room by Lukar's soldiers.

The three members of the rival team split up and acted alone, each fighting the assassins and searching for an exit. Iori Yagami's attacks were particularly fierce, and for a moment the entire screen was filled with a purple sea of ​​fire.

Rugal frowned deeply. He could handle Iori Yagami alone, but he noticed that the Ikari Warriors, Kyo Kusanagi, and Engetsu were nowhere to be seen. This filled him with unease and doubt.

In an instant, Rugal's thoughts drifted back to last year's tournament: back then, it was Yan Yue who cleverly avoided all the surveillance equipment, secretly leading Heidern to successfully infiltrate the Black Noah and rescue the Japanese team and Kusanagi Shizuru.

With this in mind, Rugal's vigilance towards Yan Yue reached its peak.

However, Lugal did not panic in the face of the situation.

On the contrary, he muttered to himself smugly, "Hehehe, Yan Yue, since you dare to challenge my authority, then I'll play this cat-and-mouse game with you."

Having said that, Rugal picked up the communicator without hesitation and coldly ordered into the microphone: "Release the sleeping gas immediately!"

A slightly hesitant voice came from the other end of the communicator: "But sir, our own people are still inside. If we release sleeping gas now..."

Before the other party could finish speaking, Rugal roared and interrupted, "Enough nonsense! I said release them, so I'll release them! Execute the order!"

Upon hearing this, the subordinate on the other end visibly shuddered and hurriedly replied, "Yes...yes, I'll do it right away!"

Immediately afterwards, a slight mechanical hum was heard, and a large amount of white smoke began to spread rapidly, gradually enveloping the entire passageway area of ​​Steel Noah.

On the monitor screen, numerous fighters could be seen falling to the ground, losing consciousness.

……

As soon as Yan Yue and her group turned through a passage, they also saw the smoke surging towards them.

Yan Yue hurriedly shouted, "Hold your breath! There's poisonous smoke!"

But the smoke spread very quickly, and for a moment the surroundings were all white, penetrating everywhere.

Shenwu was the first to give way, coughing a few times and swaying before collapsing. Yan Yue rushed forward to support Athena, who also fell. Alba tried his best to resist, but ultimately collapsed along with Shenwu.

……

Meanwhile, Kyo Kusanagi and the Ikari Warriors also encountered the smoke. Heidern hurriedly shouted, "Oh no! Get cover!"

……

Rugal watched as the fighters fell one by one on the screen, and burst into laughter: "You can't escape my grasp after all, hahaha..."

……

Without hesitation, Yan Yue hugged the unconscious Athena tightly and rushed to a relatively secluded corner nearby.

Upon arriving at their destination, Yan Yue carefully placed Athena gently in a dark corner, ensuring that she would not be easily discovered at first glance.

After everything was settled, Yan Yue held her breath and slowly drew the long sword that gleamed with cold light from her waist, then ran to another corner and crouched down.

Time passed second by second, and the white smoke that filled the surroundings grew thicker and thicker, making it suffocating.

"Can't hold back!"

Despite Yan Yue's best efforts to hold back, she eventually couldn't help but gasp for breath.

In an instant, a thick cloud of white smoke filled his nostrils and throat, his heart sank, and he panicked. "Damn it! If everyone faints, then there's really no hope of dealing with Rugal."

However, to Yan Yue's surprise, after a while, she did not faint and her mind remained perfectly clear.

"What... what's going on?" Yan Yue muttered to herself, her face full of confusion. "Why am I unharmed? Why doesn't this white smoke have any effect on me?"

Just then, a dark figure flashed in front of Yan Yue. Yan Yue alertly swung her knife, but it was easily blocked by a graceful figure with her fingers.

Yan Yue immediately came to her senses and saw that the person who came was actually Mai Zhuo.

At this moment, Mai Zhuo was wearing a gas mask, so her expression could not be seen. She pushed back Yan Yue's long sword, stood in front of Yan Yue, made a shushing gesture to Yan Yue, and then quickly disappeared in a flash.

Before Yan Yue could react, Hadiron and the others rushed towards her, all four of them wearing gas masks.

Upon seeing that Yan Yue was still conscious, Haderen hurriedly threw her a gas mask: "Put this on quickly!"

……

Soon, Yan Yue put on her gas mask and helped the other three put on theirs as well.

Yan Yue frowned in confusion: "General, how did you find us?"

Heidern pointed at Kyo Kusanagi, "He sensed an unusual fluctuation here."

"What abnormal fluctuation?" Yan Yue hurriedly asked.

Upon hearing this, Kusanagi Kyo replied to Engetsu, "Just now, Kusanagi Ken sensed the presence of the Orochi clan here."

Because she sensed Mai Zhuo? So Mai Zhuo's intention just now was... Suddenly, Yan Yue realized.