KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

As darkness fell, the preliminary rounds for all 12 fighting arenas came to an end.

After Yan Yue defeated Frank, the referee immediately announced loudly: "The winner of the preliminary round of the 10th Fighting Arena is—No. 20, Yan Yue!"

"Whoa—!" With this deafening shout, the numerous gang members below the stage instantly erupted in cheers, waving their arms excitedly.

At this moment, many people realized that the white-clad blind boy standing on the stage was actually the legendary fighter known to every household in Nanzhen!

Most people were filled with awe and admiration, and then burst into enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Just then, the arena manager, holding a microphone, announced in a solemn voice over the loudspeaker:

"Friends, the first day of the preliminary rounds has concluded! Now, let's all look forward to the finals tomorrow morning in the Central Hall!"

The administrator had barely finished speaking when he signaled that everyone was about to leave.

But the crowd erupted into chaos.

A large group of gang members walked towards Yan Yue, each with a face full of fanaticism and worship.

"Hero of Flame Moon! You are truly amazing!" someone shouted.

"Flame Moon Idol! I absolutely love you! I want to have your baby!" a young woman screamed, her face flushed.

"Boss Yan Yue! Please accept my bow." Some even knelt on the ground, kowtowing with tears in their eyes...

Faced with a large crowd approaching, Yan Yue was covered in sweat and immediately sensed something was wrong.

Yan Yue doesn't actually like being fawned over by others; she has always lived a low-key and quiet life.

Moreover, crowded places tend to be chaotic and have too many unstable factors. There's a risk that a moment of carelessness might reveal one's true identity to others, which would only lead to more trouble.

Without hesitation, Yan Yue slammed her hand on the floor, and a ring of spiritual energy spread out.

[Spiritual Energy Vibration]!

In an instant, the surging crowd trembled and many fell to the ground.

Then, Yan Yue hurriedly used her lightness skill to leap to the top floor of the factory. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from people's sight.

……

At night, Yan Yue did not return home. Instead, she changed her clothes, put on a white baseball cap and sunglasses to cover her face completely, and quietly walked through the streets of Nanzhen with her hands in her pockets.

As she walked, Yan Yue took out her phone and tried to call Mai Zhuo.

The phone rang a few times before being answered, and Mai Zhuo's charming voice quickly came through: "Little Yan Yue, did you miss your big sister?"

Yan Yue lowered her voice and said, "Sister Mai Zhuo, one of the Eight Heroes has come to Nan Town."

Mai Zhuo paused for a moment, then replied, "Really? What's your name? I'll try to look it up for you using Rugal's data computer."

Yan Yue said softly, "Yamazaki Ryuji."

"Yamazaki Ryuji... Okay, I'll go check it out right now, Little Flame Moon~ Good luck!"

Afterwards, Mai Zhuo hung up the phone, but Yan Yue did not breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, she continued walking towards the sparsely populated street.

After a while, Yan Yue walked alone to a deserted and dimly lit place.

Yan Yue turned around and said calmly, "I've been following you for so long, I've already found you."

"Hehehehehe..."

Suddenly, a burst of maniacal laughter rang out, and a tall figure emerged from the shadows.

This man was tall and muscular, wearing a white wool coat, black trousers, and leather shoes. He had his hair slicked back, with the top part dyed yellow. His left hand was in his pocket, and he stared at Yan Yue with a ferocious expression. He was dressed like a typical mafia boss.

Yan Yue wasn't surprised that Yamazaki Ryuji had found her, because Mature had previously said that Yan Yue's aura was different from that of ordinary people, making it easy for the Orochi clan to find her.

At this moment, Yamazaki Ryuji said with a wicked smile, "I've seen all your moves in the tournament. I suppose the 'Secret Manual of Qin' is on you, hahaha..."

Yan Yue listened quietly to every word Yamazaki Ryuji said, and gradually gained a general understanding of the whole matter.

So Yan Yue replied calmly, "Then you really need to think carefully about why I would use a move from the secret manual in public."

Upon hearing this, Yamazaki Ryuji's face showed a hint of surprise, and he blurted out, "Oh? Could it be that you did all this on purpose? Just to lure the others out?"

"It seems you've already witnessed the power within the secret manual, which is probably why you've been tracking me all this way, isn't it?"

So you should know the whereabouts of the third volume of the secret manual?

"Hehehe..." Yamazaki Ryuji still chuckled wickedly, but did not answer.

His figure emerged completely from the shadows, and with a shake of his shoulders, he took off his white fur coat and stood in front of Yan Yue, blocking his path.

"Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over the secret manual right now!"

Faced with Yamazaki Ryuji's threat, Engetsu exuded a chill as he took a step forward, clenching his fists and assuming a fighting stance.

"Are you sure you can beat me, Ryuji Yamazaki?!"

Upon hearing his name called out, Yamazaki Ryuji was first taken aback, then threw his head back and burst into wild laughter:

"Heh heh heh heh... I didn't expect you, you little brat, to know my name! Interesting, very interesting indeed!"

After saying that, Yamazaki Ryuji pulled out a short sword from inside his clothes and walked towards Engetsu.

"Drink!"

At the same time, Yan Yue roared and his body erupted with intense Nen energy.

A surge of pale blue spiritual energy erupted from Yan Yue's body, tearing apart the air and floor around her, causing cracks to appear on the floor.

"This power!?" Yamazaki Ryuji was momentarily stunned by Engetsu's Nen energy, but he still decisively grabbed his short sword and continued to attack Engetsu.

Ultimate Weapon: [Punishment Dagger]!

Yan Yue sensed the murderous intent emanating from Yamazaki Ryuji and lightly stepped back several meters.

Ryuji Yamazaki's short sword missed its mark.

Yan Yue pushed hard with one hand,

[Nen Wave]!

A blue psychic wave attacked Yamazaki Ryuji.

Yamazaki Ryuji snorted coldly, and his short sword instantly erupted with a dangerous and malevolent dark red energy, its blade dancing in a blur of light and shadow. It instantly cleaved through the Nen wave.

The power of Orochi!

Yan Yue immediately became alert, because she could no longer sense the power of the giant serpent from before; this was a non-human power.

But taking advantage of the gap when Ryuji cut through the Nen wave, Yan Yue rushed forward and slammed his right fist, carrying a dazzling and violent Nen energy, towards Yamazaki Ryuji.

Ultimate move: Emperor's Crushing Fist!

Yamazaki Ryuji reacted immediately. He had witnessed the terrifying power of this move before, but it was too late to dodge. He could only quickly retract his short sword, bend slightly at the waist, and hang his right hand straight down, clenching his fist to gather strength.

The ultimate move: [Snake Messenger]!

Yamazaki Ryuji's right hand twisted and stretched out like a snake, bypassing Yan Yue's collapsing fist attack and striking Yan Yue's chest directly.

With a loud "boom!", both Yamazaki Ryuji and Engetsu were knocked back several steps. After regaining his footing, he curled up a cruel smile on his lips.

Although Yamazaki Ryuji hit Engetsu, Engetsu immediately blocked the attack with his Nen aura.

Then, Yamazaki Ryuji decisively and swiftly changed his hand gestures, and a dark power gathered in his palm.

"Taste my dark power, brat!"

Ryuji Yamazaki suddenly stretched out his left hand, and then his expression turned ferocious and crazy. His mouth opened wide, his tongue stretched out, and dark red serpent power gathered from his left hand.

"The moment I see my left hand, I can't help but want to kill someone, hehehehe..."

Yan Yue had anticipated Yamazaki Ryuji's appearance, and without hesitation, she gathered her Nen, stood firmly on her feet, unleashed her Nen, and slightly opened one arm.

Ultimate move: [Spherical Nen Wave]!

Yan Yue pushed hard with one hand, sending a large wave of Nen energy towards Yamazaki Ryuji.

Ryuji raised his left hand and forcefully blocked Yan Yue's attack.

Ultimate move: Double Counterattack!

Something bizarre has happened!

A serpentine power surged from Long Er's body, like a black vortex, quickly devouring Yan Yue's energy wave.

However, after successfully absorbing the energy wave, Long Er suddenly swung his left arm, and a dark red energy wave of the same size as the previous energy wave rushed straight towards Yan Yue at an even faster speed.

"I knew it... this guy is indeed not easy to deal with!" Yan Yue dared not be negligent in the slightest, and quickly spread her arms to unleash a stronger attack to resist the dark red energy.

Super Special Move [?!]

Boom! A loud noise rang out.

Yan Yue's attack collided violently with the dark red energy wave, unleashing a tremendous impact.

The surrounding walls could not withstand the weight and cracked, scattering gravel and billowing smoke and dust.

Yan Yue's gaze remained fixed on Yamazaki Ryuji, unwavering, searching for the best opportunity to strike again.

Yamazaki Ryuji was somewhat amazed by Yan Yue's strength, but he still kept a wicked smile on his face as he stared intently at Yan Yue. After a while, Yamazaki Ryuji gradually put his left hand into his pocket and began to laugh loudly.

"Eehahaha...!" This sound was somewhat sharp and piercing, making it very unpleasant to listen to.

Looking at Yamazaki Ryuji's frenzied state, Yan Yue slowly said, "I have indeed deciphered the 'Secret Book of Qin' and discovered that only the bloodline of the author of this secret book can unleash its true power. What use would it be to you if you took it?"

Upon hearing this, Long Er's face stiffened slightly, then he burst into even more unrestrained laughter.

"Waaaaaah hahahahaha..."

"What's so funny?" Yan Yue frowned, looking at Yamazaki Ryuji, who seemed to have withdrawn his murderous intent.

"Hehehe..." Yamazaki Ryuji gradually regained his composure and replied, "It seems the Qin brothers won't be able to obtain your secret manual!"

"The Qin brothers?" Yan Yue asked in confusion, then continued, "Who are they?"

However, at that moment, Yan Yue suddenly sensed that someone else was rushing towards them.

Yamazaki Ryuji also sensed a familiar presence. His expression panicked slightly, so he quickly grabbed the white fur coat from the ground and turned to Yan Yue, saying:

"Kid, they'll come looking for you. I'll see them again, hee hee hee hee hee..."

With that, Yamazaki Ryuji began to run and quickly disappeared into the shadows.