KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Chapter 155 Flame

The night sky was filled with twinkling stars, and the sea shimmered. Golden fish swam in the water, their bodies sparkling with iridescent colors.

Yan Yue returned to that calm sea.

At this moment, Yan Yue stared wide-eyed at the golden fish in front of him that was devouring his memories, completely bewildered.

However, having learned her lesson before, Yan Yue was a bit more careful this time. Although she was still filled with resentment, she only dared to mutter under her breath, "Damn it! Why are you always targeting me! What are you people anyway...?"

Just as Yan Yue stood on the sea, helplessly staring at the fish, something unexpected happened.

The fish seemed to understand what Yan Yue was saying. They suddenly began to gather together and merge into a ball of golden flame.

"What? It's here again! Wait... don't come any closer... I'm not mentally prepared yet..."

Yan Yue was somewhat panicked. He instinctively wanted to turn around and run away, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the sea, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move an inch.

Seeing the golden flame slowly approaching her, Yan Yue cried out anxiously, "Hey! Don't come any closer... I really didn't offend you..."

Yan Yue hurriedly used her hands to block the approaching flames.

As the golden flames gradually approached Yan Yue, they surprisingly did not attack her this time.

The flames suddenly began to change, as if they had come to life, slowly twisting and deforming.

"?" Yan Yue looked at the flames in front of her with some shock and surprise.

Not long after, something amazing happened—the flames transformed completely into a human shape!

The figure gradually became clearer, from blurry to specific, and finally appeared completely in front of Yan Yue.

After some of the flames subsided, an adult appeared in Yan Yue's line of sight.

This man was exceptionally tall, and he was draped in a simple, rough animal skin; his limbs and chest were covered with armor made of wild animal bones.

Because most of the skin was directly exposed, the man's strong, bronze-colored muscles were clearly visible.

On his head, he wore a helmet made of a bull's skull. The bull's horns were raised high, fierce and majestic, but at the same time, they completely obscured his face, making it impossible to see his true appearance.

Judging from his appearance alone, this person gives the impression of being the chief of some primitive tribe.

Yan Yue stared at the person in front of her, a sense of familiarity that was hard to describe welling up in her heart.

"You are……"

Just as Yan Yue was about to ask a question, the primitive man moved slightly and reached out to remove the cow bone helmet he was wearing.

As the helmet was removed, a distinctly sculpted face of an Eastern man, exuding mature charm and wildness, was instantly revealed before Yan Yue's eyes.

As the man slowly opened his eyes, two golden rays burst forth from his pupils, dazzling and brilliant.

The light emanating from those golden pupils was not only dazzling, but also contained an endless pressure.

"You are……"

Yan Yue's golden eyes continued to meet his gaze with difficulty.

Suddenly, Yan Yue trembled violently. Her previously confused and doubtful eyes instantly cleared, and she immediately realized what was happening. She hurriedly called out, "Emperor Yan!"

The scene of Yan Yue being engulfed by golden flames gradually reappeared, and the memories of the previous dream gradually overlapped.

Yan Yue was not mistaken; the primitive leader before her was none other than the legendary Yan Emperor from Chinese mythology.

Emperor Yan nodded slightly and put the ox bone helmet back on.

Upon seeing this, Yan Yue hurriedly asked, "Emperor Yan, why are you here? Who am I? Why did you bring me into this world?..."

Yan Yue stared in disbelief at the legendary ancient Yan Emperor before him. His body trembled slightly with extreme excitement and nervousness. Countless questions flooded his mind, and he couldn't wait to get the answers from the Yan Emperor.

"Your Majesty, what is this golden flame?"

Why is it related to the rise and fall of the human race?

Why did Qin Shi Huang dream of you back then? ..."

Yan Yue rattled off all the questions that had been building up in her mind, one after another, without even having time to catch her breath.

However, beneath Emperor Yan's helmet, only a slight smile could be seen on his lips.

Emperor Yan waved his hand gently, without answering any questions. Then, Emperor Yan slowly walked towards Yan Yue.

When Emperor Yan finally reached Yan Yue, he slowly extended his right hand. With a gentle push, Yan Yue felt an irresistible force surge towards him.

"what!"

In the blink of an eye, Yan Yue was completely engulfed by seawater, sinking deeper and deeper...

But Yan Yue's heart was still filled with awe and curiosity towards Emperor Yan. He struggled desperately, trying to swim back to the surface, while repeatedly calling out, "Emperor Yan! Emperor Yan! Please tell me..."

However, his voice sounded so small in the vast ocean that it was quickly drowned out by the roar of the waves.

At this moment, Yan Yue noticed that the world around her was gradually getting darker, and the originally bright light was becoming weaker and weaker.

At the same time, a solemn yet gentle voice faintly reached Yan Yue's ears.

"Descendants from the outside world... For the sake of humanity, awaken my power... You will become a true member of this world..."

Before long, the entire dream gradually dissipated like smoke.

……

"Ayan! Wake up..." Shenwu called out anxiously.

At this moment, Yan Yue was sitting quietly on Shingo's upper body, fast asleep.

"Wake up, Ah Yan! It's almost our turn to compete!"

Shenwu could no longer contain his anxiety. He grabbed Yanyue's shoulders tightly and shook her frantically as if he had gone mad.

The violent shaking drew the attention of those around, and Yan Yue, who had been fast asleep, finally reacted. In that instant, Yan Yue suddenly came to her senses.

Yan Yue felt dizzy and hurriedly grabbed Shen Wu's arm, shouting, "Stop shaking me! Stop shaking me... I'm going to throw up!..."

At the same time, Shingo was also disturbed by the violent shaking of the Divine Warrior. He subconsciously turned over and continued to sleep.

……

A few minutes later, Shenwu asked in an annoyed tone, "How come you fell asleep without saying a word?"

"I don't know... It's been like this a lot lately..." Yan Yue yawned, then stood up and stretched.

"I think I had a dream, and the dream felt so familiar..."

Then, Yan Yue asked, "By the way, how far along is the match?"

As she spoke, Yan Yue sensed that Athena and Choi Bounge were fighting on the arena.

Shenwu replied, "The Ikari Warriors have been eliminated. It seems that Iori didn't go all out against the Ikari Warriors girls; in fact, he was surprisingly polite..."

Now, after Athena and that little dwarf are done fighting, it'll be our turn.

Yan Yue nodded, pondering. Perhaps Iori Yagami had also sensed that Leona possessed the same aura as himself.

……

On the ring, Athena and Choi Bounge are both agile fighters, and their figures can be seen all over the ring.

Athena can now freely use [Teleportation] to traverse the entire arena, demonstrating exceptional mobility. She can also use [Psychic Ball] to remotely control her opponent while moving at high speed.

However, having suffered from the "Wave Rising Flow" attack repeatedly, Cai Baojian was still able to barely cope with Athena's long-range attacks.

Because, for Cai Baojian, compared to the sinister "wave-like" attacks of Blade and Flame Moon, Athena's ranged attacks have a much smaller range, allowing Cai Baojian to dodge at will and making them much easier to deal with.

However, Cai Baojian soon regretted it.

"Drink!"

With a soft cry, Athena unleashed a burst of red spiritual energy, forming a red shield that enveloped her entire body.

Super Special Move: [Flash Crystal Wave]!

Then, many blue spheres of spiritual energy appeared around Athena, instantly blocking Choi Bounge's [Phoenix Kick] attack.

"bump!"

With a crisp impact, Choi Po-kin was caught off guard and sent flying by the crystal wave.

Then, Athena raised her hand, and the surrounding blue crystal waves began to converge towards Athena's fingertips.

Super Special Move: Crystal Shot!

With a sudden swing of Athena's arm, a dazzling blue crystal wave rushed towards Choi Bounge.

Cai Baojian's lips curled up slightly, and with a light leap, his entire body moved like a monkey, easily dodging the attack.

However, to Cai Baojian's utter surprise, the moment he landed, Athena's slender fingertips began to move rapidly once again.

The crystal wave that had already been launched seemed to come alive, suddenly making a sharp turn in mid-air and continuing to chase after Cai Baojian at an even faster speed.

"What? They can even follow you!" Cai Baojian's expression changed drastically, and he began to frantically dodge in all directions.

Ultimately, as the match time expired, Cai Baojian was so focused on dodging Athena's relentless attacks that he had no time to retaliate, and thus lost the match once again.

Watching Athena's spectacular fighting performance, the host announced loudly, "That was amazing! Congratulations to our rising Japanese idol star, Ms. Athena Asamiya! Congratulations to the Superpower Team representing China!"

Athena, following the host's words, quickly struck a pose that made her look like a super cute young girl.

Immediately, applause erupted from the audience, and many male spectators cheered wildly, their eyes turning into hearts. Clearly, they were captivated by Athena's image as a stunningly beautiful girl.

At the same time, Cai Baojian was so heartbroken that he walked off the ring with no will to live.

With a bruised and swollen face, Chen Guohan stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "Xiao Cai, I can understand Bo Shengliu's suffering now... Even Baozi Ge would be like this... Waaah..."

Cai Baojian's eyes were vacant as he muttered to himself, "Why? It's been three whole years, and I've run into Bo Sheng Liu again..."

As they spoke, tears streamed down their faces.

Looking at his two weeping disciples, Master Kim sighed helplessly, thinking, "The other side is also a master-disciple team, so why is there such a big difference between the disciples?"

After a long period of deliberation, Director Kim came to the conclusion: "Perhaps the training methods are too relaxed. It seems we need to put in more effort to train them in the future..."

Thinking of this, Kim Kaphwan's eyes gradually became kind.

……

Ten minutes later, the host excitedly announced loudly, "Next, please welcome the fighters from the Legend Team and the BOSS Team to begin their duel."

"The Legend Team is led by Yan Yue, the legendary fighter from South Town, along with Shen Wu, the martial god from China, and Shingo Yabuki, a high school student from Osaka Castle."

"Yan Yue once defeated a strongman from the underground fighting world in one move during the preliminaries, while Shen Wu was able to fight 10 fighters in a row during the preliminaries. He is truly a Martial God!"

As the host explained, the cameras and the audience immediately focused on Yan Yue and the other two.

Yan Yue, who is blind; Shen Wu, who has a roguish air about him; and Zhen Wu, who is sleeping on the ground. The three have different appearances and temperaments, and everyone looks at them with curiosity.

"And their opponents are three true overlords—the BOSS team consisting of Geese Howard, Krauser, and Big!"

"Wow!" The audience gasped in surprise, while Terry, Ryo Sakazaki, and the others kept a watchful eye on the three members of the BOSS team.

The camera then focused on Gees and his two companions.

Many people present had heard of the formidable reputations of Geese and Krauser; they were true world-class powerhouses.

The host, looking at the three members of the BOSS team, also trembled slightly as he explained, "You all probably know their formidable reputation..."

Geese Howard, the organizer of the original King of Fighters tournament and the former ruler of South Town; Krauser, Geese's brother, a legendary emperor in Western Europe; Big, a top fighter of the same era as Geese, and a famous leader in New York..."

As the host explained, an inexplicable sense of oppression emanated from the BOSS team, causing all the viewers to gasp in shock. They couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the three members of the Legend team.

Soon, after the host finished explaining, he signaled to both teams that they could begin the match.

Just then, Shenwu flashed forward and leaped onto the arena without hesitation. He looked at Krauser opposite him, beckoned to him provocatively with a finger, a wicked smile on his face, and shouted loudly:

"Klaussa, remember last time? We didn't even settle things between us!"

Upon hearing Shenwu's provocative words, Krauser revealed a cold smile. Immediately afterward, a muffled explosion rang out, and golden energy erupted from Krauser's body.

This powerful force instantly shattered the golden armor he was wearing on his upper body, scattering it all over the ground.

As the golden armor was removed, Krauser's well-defined, strong upper body was revealed to everyone, with every muscle seemingly containing boundless power.

"Fine! Since you're so reckless as to offer yourself up, then I'll gladly accept your challenge!" Krausa snorted coldly in response.

After saying that, he showed no weakness either, forcefully pushing off the ground with both feet and slamming heavily onto the ring.

As the two men leaped onto the ring one after the other, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Both the fighters in the audience and the surrounding spectators stared wide-eyed, holding their breath, their eyes glued to the upcoming duel between the strongest on the stage.