KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Chapter 153 The Official Match! One Teammate Missing!

On the day of the official King of Fighters tournament.

Ten groups of fighters gathered at the grand opening ceremony.

The huge open-air plaza was packed, and the cheers of the audience were deafening. On the stage, magnificent fireworks burst in the sky like blooming flowers.

The host, dressed in a suit and tie, stood in the center of the ring and passionately announced, "Welcome everyone to the opening ceremony of the World King of Fighters Tournament! Today, top fighters from all over the world will engage in fierce competition here!"

At this moment, the ten groups of fighters stood in their respective waiting areas, forming a circle around the entire huge arena.

The cameras also panned across the numerous fighters.

Kyo Kusanagi stood with his arms crossed, looking confident, with Benimaru waving wildly at the audience and the composed Daimon standing behind him;

Iori Yagami, with his uniquely cold demeanor, had a look of disdain and provocation in his eyes. Mature West stood beside him, her movements alluring, her long, black-stockinged legs peeking out from beneath her black robe, utterly captivating.

Kasumi Todo knelt on the ground, adjusting her breathing. King stood elegantly and gentlemanly beside her. Mai Shiranui, dressed in an overly revealing red ninja outfit, waved her fan from time to time, the wind whipping up the hem of her clothes, eliciting screams and whistles from the surrounding male audience.

The three members of the Ikari Warriors had serious expressions.

Chin Gentsai stood with his hands behind his back, his long bangs and beard obscuring his face, while Kensou stood to the side with a serious expression. Athena, meanwhile, waved energetically to the audience.

The three wolves smiled, and the handsome Terry and Andy instantly captivated countless girls, eliciting screams from all sides.

President Kim and his two disciples stood solemnly.

The three members of Kyokugenryu knelt in the waiting area in a karate-like posture.

Geese had already changed into his white and red fighting outfit, a half-smile on his face. Krauser was still wearing his golden armor and red cape, looking incredibly imposing and dignified. Big, wearing a long coat, was smoking a cigar with his hands in his pockets. The three of them looked every bit the boss.

Finally, the camera moved to Yan Yue's side.

Yan Yue sat quietly cross-legged in the middle, comfortably resting her chin on one hand. A black cloth covered the upper half of her face, making her expression unreadable.

Shenwu, standing to the side, grinned mischievously, arms crossed, legs spread wide – a typical Chinese slacker's stance.

On the other side, Shingo raised his hands and waved to the audience with a sunny expression.

After the camera panned across all the fighters, the host took a deep breath and then solemnly announced:

"The World King of Fighters Tournament - officially begins!"

Suddenly, the giant screen in the square lit up, displaying the KOF logo for the King of Fighters tournament.

In an instant, the whole scene was filled with excitement, cheers, and waving flags; a great battle was about to break out.

On the giant electronic screen, the information of ten teams began to be randomly matched at a dazzling speed and in a dazzling manner.

"Beep...beep...ding!"

Subsequently, information about the five matches was quickly released.

Japan vs. Hungry Wolf

Team Yagami vs. Team Ikari.

Superpower Team vs. South Korea Team.

Legendary Team VS Boss Team.

Dragon Tigers vs. Women's Fighters Team.

……

All the fighters looked at the matchup chart on the screen with different expressions.

The host exclaimed excitedly, "What an amazing setup!"

So, the first match will be between the Japanese team and the Garlic Wolf team.

The audience below the stage erupted in uproar.

The host cleared his throat and continued explaining to the audience: "The Japanese team consists of the top three finishers from the previous Japanese fighting tournament. They are Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, and Goro Daimon..."

"The Hungry Wolf Team consists of Terry Bogard, the champion of the South Town Singles King of Fighters Tournament, his brother Andy Bogard, and the Muay Thai champion Joe Higashi..."

After the host's passionate explanation, both sides began to prepare for the confrontation.

"The tournament rules are the same as the preliminary rounds... Each match has a time limit of 10 minutes... Fighters have one opportunity to substitute after each match, and the match ends when one side is unable to continue fighting..."

"Now, the first match, Japan vs. the Hungry Wolf Team, begins!"

With the rules of the match explained, Kyo Kusanagi and Terry Bogard were already standing on the ring.

The entire competition venue erupted in cheers, as people cheered for the contestants they supported.

The other fighters in the waiting area were also staring intently at the two on the stage. Only Iori Yagami turned away disdainfully, his back to the ring.

Kyo Kusanagi raised his hand and waved: "Hey, Terry! I can't believe how fast time flies. It's been two years since we last sparred..."

Terry smiled back, a hint of excitement and anticipation flashing in his resolute and confident eyes, and replied softly, "To be honest, thinking back to the scene when Black Noah fought you, I really miss it."

However, Kyo Kusanagi reverted to his old habit, half-jokingly saying, "Terry, didn't you win that King of Fighters singles tournament a little too easily? How come opponents like Ryo Sakazaki and Engetsu couldn't take the championship away from you?"

Upon hearing this, Terry, who had been calm, frowned, adjusted his hat, and shook his head helplessly.

"Hey, Kyo, you're still as unpleasant as ever! In that case, let me show you the new power of this 'hungry wolf' in this duel!"

As he spoke, Terry's aura suddenly changed, and an invisible pressure instantly spread out.

"I couldn't be happier!" Kyo Kusanagi smiled confidently, assuming a fighting stance. "To be honest, I'd love to go and watch the South Town King of Fighters tournament sometime..."

"On your marks, get set... Go!" came the referee's command.

[Venomous bite]!

[Flame Punch]!

Kyo Kusanagi and Terry Bogard clashed fists and feet, producing intense sounds of fighting. The collision of flames and energy created an extremely strong and exciting visual impact.

Immediately, the audience erupted in various lively shouts, which were exhilarating.

……

"Wow!"

"Wow!"

"Master! Go for it!" Shingo Yabuki stared intently at the fight between Kyo Kusanagi and Terry Bogard on the stage, admiring Kyo's superb fighting skills and filled with boundless admiration and longing.

At this moment, Shingo's eyes were filled only with the burning flames of Kusanagi, and he muttered to himself, "If only I could unleash flames someday!"

Shingo, standing to the side, complained irritably, "Still thinking about that Kusanagi brat's flames? We're going to have to fight a boss soon! Shingo, can't you be a little more serious?!"

"Master! Keep going! Master! Keep going..."

However, Shingo seemed completely deaf, still excitedly staring intently at the ring, cheering for Kyo Kusanagi—a true fanboy.

"Forget it, let's ignore him..." Yan Yue sat cross-legged on the ground, rubbing her forehead. "He's Kusanagi Kyo's apprentice, let him call me that..."

Upon hearing this, Shenwu immediately complained, "But this guy is a bit too noisy!"

“That’s true!” Yan Yue stood up immediately upon hearing this. “I also want some peace and quiet; the King of Fighters tournament is noisy enough as it is…”

So, Yan Yue stepped forward, gently patted Shingo's shoulder, and said calmly, "Shingo, stop shouting, take a rest..."

However, Shingo seemed too excited at this moment, completely ignoring Yan Yue and Shen Wu beside him. He waved his hands incessantly.

So, Yan Yue increased the force of her blow and struck down again, "Shingo!"

However, no matter how Yan Yue called out, Shingo continued to shout, "Master! Do your best!..."

Upon seeing this, Yan Yue stopped what she was doing and remained silent for about two seconds.

Two seconds later, a powerful aura emanated from Yan Yue.

[Nature Flow] Open!

Immediately afterwards, Yan Yue swung her right hand sharply, delivering a merciless chop to the back of Shingo's neck.

[Flowing water breaks rocks—break!]

"boom!"

Shingo staggered forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

Shingo lost consciousness almost the instant he fell to the ground. His eyes were closed, and he was sleeping peacefully, lying motionless on the ground.

"Haha, that feels so good!" Shenwu nodded with a wicked grin, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt incredibly refreshed.

Yan Yue also felt that the surroundings were much quieter.

"It seems we've been too good to him, and Shingo has gotten too cocky..."

"Yeah, let him just keep sleeping... hahaha..."

So the two of them simply sat on Shingo's lap and observed the battle between Kyo Kusanagi and Terry.

As for the upcoming battle against the BOSS team, Yan Yue decided to leave it to herself and Shen Wu; losing a teammate was no longer important.

……

On the arena, Kyo Kusanagi and Terry Bogard were locked in a fierce battle.

Kyo Kusanagi's fire attacks grew increasingly fierce, but Terry dodged most of them with his agile movements while seizing opportunities to counterattack.

The audience below the stage was completely engrossed, their shouts of encouragement rising and falling. Benimaru and Goro Daimon were closely watching the battle, while Andy and Joe were also cheering for Terry.

Suddenly, Terry slid close to Kyo Kusanagi and unleashed a powerful uppercut.

【Energy Boxing】!

Kyo Kusanagi dodged by leaping backward at the first moment.

However, Terry leaped into the air after using an uppercut, followed by a second attack.

Super Special Move: High-Track Fountain!

Terry gathered a surge of raging crimson energy in one hand in mid-air and slammed it down towards Kyo Kusanagi.

Kyo Kusanagi didn't have time to dodge, so he quickly assumed a horse stance, slightly arched his body, clenched his right fist, and gathered his strength at his side waist.

Super Special Move: 182 Styles!

"boom!"

As the enormous light and flames collided, creating an explosion, everyone present was stunned by the power.

Terry and Kyo Kusanagi were both knocked back several meters by the force of the collision. After regaining their footing, they charged at each other again...

At this moment, Terry was somewhat amazed by Kyo Kusanagi's rapid growth, wondering, "Why is Kyo's strength increasing so quickly? What happened?"

Ten minutes had passed, and as the countdown began, the duel between the two intensified, with no one knowing which side would ultimately emerge victorious.

When the countdown completely stopped, the referee immediately announced: "The game is over!"

Although Terry wasn't defeated, he still admitted that his strength was somewhat inferior to Kyo Kusanagi's, so he said, "Kyo, you've gotten a lot stronger!"

Kyo Kusanagi nodded and replied decisively, "Yeah... then I'll take this round."

"OK!" Terry gave Jing a thumbs up and left the ring amidst cheers from the audience.

Next up is the battle between Benimaru and Andy.

When Benimaru heard it was her turn, she hurriedly used her electricity to make the hair on both sides of her shoulders stand up, and then leaped up and jumped onto the ring.

When Japanese supermodel Benimaru saw Andy, the blond, super handsome guy across from her, she began her narcissistic and flamboyant speech again.

Andy was speechless for a moment, but he didn't pay much attention to him and just waited silently for the game to start.

……

"Andy! Keep going!"

Mai Shiranui suddenly cheered for Andy, her revealing outfit and the violent heaving of her chest attracting the attention of the surrounding male spectators.

They immediately looked at Andy on the stage with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Kasumi Todo shook her head helplessly. "Wasn't Mai-san always angry that Andy didn't team up with him? Now she's cheering him on!"

"Don't worry about her..." King was used to it; she knew that Mai Shiranui's fiery temper could come and go in an instant.

……

Yan Yue and Shen Wu sat steadily on Zhen Wu's back, discussing in low voices their plans for facing the BOSS team and the comparison of their combat strength.

“Ah Shen, how about I deal with Geese later, and you handle Krauser?” Yan Yue said, tilting her head slightly.

Shenwu nodded without hesitation and replied, "Sure, no problem! Speaking of which, I didn't even manage to completely decide the winner when I fought that armored man last time. This time, I'm determined to defeat him!" As he said this, Shenwu clenched his fist tightly.

Immediately afterward, Shenwu seemed to suddenly remember something and hurriedly asked, "By the way, Ah Yan, what should we do with the third guy? The bald guy with sunglasses."

"Oh, you mean Big?" Yan Yue thought for a moment and then replied with a smile, "No need to worry about him too much, he's not our enemy..."

If it really came down to a fight, it would only be a matter of taking down a brick..."

Shenwu couldn't help but feel a little curious. He stared intently at Yan Yue and asked, "A brick? Is that the move I taught you when we were kids?"

Yan Yue's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sly smile. She nodded gently and replied, "That's right, it's that one!"

Upon hearing this, Shenwu raised an eyebrow and looked at Yan Yue with suspicion, questioning, "Are you really sure you can defeat him with just this one brick? No matter how you look at it, that kind of gang leader is no small fry."

Yan Yue didn't seem to care. He crossed his arms and said half-jokingly, "If one brick isn't enough, we can just have a few more!"