KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

That night, Yan Yue and Tang Fulu had been hiding outside, not leaving all day. They remained in the shadows, silently observing the Flying Thieves' village in the distance, not missing a single detail. Just then, their pager suddenly beeped urgently.

"Who's there?" A thief who was just about to return to the village sensed something amiss. He turned around, his eyes sharp as a hawk's. He spotted Tang Fulu and Yan Yue immediately and threw his poisoned dart without hesitation.

"Clang!" Yan Yue reacted quickly, using his psychic energy to precisely deflect the poisoned dart. With a crisp sound, the dart bounced aside. Then, Yan Yue and Tang Fulu appeared together.

"No! We are friends of Duolong..." Before Yan Yue could finish speaking, the thief rushed towards her.

"So fast!" Yan Yue almost couldn't react in time, but luckily Tang Fulu blocked the thief's attack.

"The village is in danger! Someone has infiltrated the Flying Thieves Sect!" Yan Yue, sensing the two fighting, anxiously explained from the side. The pager ringing meant that Xiao Long was in danger.

But the thief was very strong and seemed not to believe Yan Yue's words at all. He exchanged several blows with Tang Fulu without being at a disadvantage. But Yan Yue was not worried about Tang Fulu at all and immediately said, "Grandpa, you hold him off. I'll go over first."

After saying that, Yan Yue immediately activated [Nen Flow Circulation] and [Nen Protection], preparing to rush towards the territory of the Flying Thief Sect.

Ultimate move: [Shadowless Vermilion Hand]

The thief flashed forward like a ghost, rushing towards Yan Yue. His hands turned crimson, radiating an eerie light. Yan Yue's eyes widened, trying to see the thief's movements, but all she saw was a blur.

Seeing this, Tang Fulu immediately unleashed his skills, attempting to stop the thief's attack. However, the thief was extremely fast, easily dodging Tang Fulu's attacks and heading straight for Yan Yue.

[Aura Barrier] Block it!

Yan Yue pushed her hands forward, and a light blue aura shield instantly appeared in front of her, separating her from the thief.

"Bang..." The powerful energy struck Yan Yue's barrier, producing a dull sound, and the aftershocks made the surrounding air tremble slightly.

However, this attack failed to break through Yan Yue's defense and was instead bounced back.

The thief quickly turned and stood up straight, a look of surprise on his face.

He immediately wanted to change tactics and attack again.

"Lin! Stop!" Another thief flew in from not far away and shouted loudly.

Upon hearing the voice, Yan Yue's heart stirred, and she sensed the outline of the thief, which was none other than Duo Long, who had just returned.

Duolong flashed forward, blocking Yan Yue's path, her eyes coldly fixed on the thief before her.

When the thief saw Duolong appear, his expression changed. He quickly withdrew his attack, bowed his head and said, "Third Prince."

"Lin, next time you make a move, you'd better find out who the other party is first. Yan Yue is my friend, not an enemy." After reprimanding Lin, Duolong turned to look at Yan Yue, wondering why Yan Yue had come here.

Just then, everyone suddenly noticed that the village of the Flying Thieves in the distance was engulfed in flames.

……

"Duolong! There!" Yan Yue called out anxiously.

He keenly sensed Xiaolong's presence, but immediately, a strong sense of unease welled up within him. He discovered that Xiaolong was already severely injured and on the verge of death, and the enemy was preparing to kill her.

The Grudge: Dead Souls

Using his mastery of the Flying Thief Sect's lightness skill, Duolong dashed towards the silver-haired woman with ghostly speed. He released a black energy wave from his hand, which collided violently with the energy wave from the Sound Nest, causing an explosion.

[Mind Barrier]

Yan Yue followed closely behind Duo Long. Taking advantage of the chaos of the explosion, he instantly moved in front of Xiao Long, opened his energy barrier, and blocked the impact of the aftershocks.

Xiaolong struggled to open her eyes and saw Yanyue before her, finally easing her tension. However, her body could no longer withstand the pressure and she collapsed helplessly. Yanyue reacted quickly, reaching out to gently embrace the heavily injured Xiaolong and carefully laying her down on the ground.

She gently comforted her, "Little Dragon Sister, it's alright, it's alright..."

He felt Xiaolong's faint breathing and the blood at the corner of his mouth, and his heart was filled with endless heartache and anger.

Without hesitation, Duolong stood in front of the two, glaring angrily at the silver-haired woman in front of her, her eyes flashing with fury.

"Duolong, be careful, we can't beat him." Yan Yue sensed the woman's figure and recognized her based on her clothes, hairstyle, and the NESTS energy ball from earlier. That should be Misty, the woman of Ignis, the future leader of NESTS.

……

Lin and Tang Fulou stood on the other side of the village, watching the raging fire and the corpses of men, women, and children scattered across the ground. The gruesome scene left both of them speechless with shock. Lin's eyes were filled with anger and confusion as he stared at the dragon not far away. The two sides were locked in a standoff.

Lin asked coldly in a hoarse voice, "Dragon, why did you kill them?"

"Heh... just remnants of the Flying Thieves Sect, kill them if you will." Long's reply was so casual and easy, as if human lives were as insignificant as ants to him.

"Old man, not bad skills." The white-haired middle-aged man looked at Tang Fulu's steady and powerful figure and felt an urge to step forward and fight.

"..." Tang Fulu ignored the middle-aged man and instead prepared for the Bajiquan stance, ready to respond to the man's attack at any time.

Lin knew that Long's strength far surpassed his own, but as a member of the Flying Thieves Western Poison Sect, driven by honor and the deep-seated hatred for the deaths of his kin, he had no choice but to fight. So Lin prepared his red-skinned arm and, wielding the [Vermilion Palm], charged towards Long.

The dragon flashed forward like lightning, charging towards Lin, its right palm thrusting forward with a powerful aura. Lin, undeterred, dodged the dragon's attack, simultaneously launching a flying kick at the dragon's abdomen. The dragon swiftly spun around, avoiding Lin's kick, then clenched its fists and unleashed a barrage of punches at Lin. Lin dodged left and right, skillfully avoiding the dragon's attacks, searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

Suddenly, Lin discovered the dragon's weakness. He immediately closed in and unleashed a full-force attack, aiming straight for the dragon's vitals. Caught off guard, the dragon was struck by Lin's attack, but its figure quickly dissipated.

[Clone Technique]?

But the dragon was unharmed. He steadied himself and launched another attack. For a moment, the unicorn couldn't touch the dragon at all, and the dragon chuckled as if it were toying with the unicorn.

"Old man, you'd better play with me too, hahaha." The middle-aged man swung his skirt and charged towards Tang Fulu. Seeing the aggressive attack, Tang Fulu dared not be careless. He used the Eight Extremes Holy Fist and engaged in a fierce battle with the middle-aged man.

The two exchanged blows, neither giving an inch. The middle-aged man's moves were ruthless, with a sharp blade hidden beneath his skirt, while Tang Fulu, though known for his fierce and powerful style, could only dodge the blade's attacks, occasionally blocking them with his internal energy.

The Great Wave

As Tang Fulu's powerful energy wave hurtled toward the man, the middle-aged man showed no panic. He sneered and swung the sharp blade hidden in his skirt.

【Slaying Wind and Breaking Swallow】

The powerful blade-like airflow sliced ​​the energy wave in two.

"Boom!" The energy blasts slammed into the areas on either side of the man, creating a deafening roar...

Then, Tang Fulu, exuding fierce and domineering aura, transformed his hands into enormous fists and attacked the middle-aged man.

Whirlwind Fist

However, the man withstood all the immense force.

After several rounds, Tang Fulu gradually felt his strength waning. After all, he was nearly a hundred years old, and his strength had declined significantly. The man seized the opportunity and kicked Tang Fulu to the ground.

The immense force caused Tang Fulu to cough up blood, but he still managed to stand up. He knew that he could not back down now.

"Hahaha... What a pity, old man, you're getting old!" Just then, the middle-aged man launched another attack. Tang Fulu had nowhere to dodge, but he revealed a smile.

【Prison Lock Formation】

Several powerful blade-like streams of air slashed towards Tang Fulu at incredible speed, as if they intended to cut him into pieces.

At the critical moment, three figures flashed by and blocked Tang Fulu's path.

[Booming Barrier] Zhen Yuanzhai threw out his wine gourd, smeared the wine all over his body, then ignited his entire body with his true energy, and used Drunken Fist to block the blade in front of Tang Fulu.

【Ura 108 Style - Orochi Nagi】 Kusanagi Shizuru used the strongest flame of the Kusanagi style combined with his internal force to break through the airflow of the blade and attack the middle-aged man.

【Cross Blade】【Moonlight Saw】(Super Special Move Version) The third expert, a tall, thin man with one eye, also used the Blade Stream to block the opponent's attack, and then attacked the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man looked surprised to see his ultimate move blocked. Instead of taking the attack head-on, he turned around and retreated a few meters, easily dodging everyone's attacks.

Seeing that so many experts had arrived at the Flying Thief Sect, Long was slightly surprised. He turned around with a ghostly aura, revealing black energy, and instantly used his inner force to push Lin aside, stopping to stand beside the middle-aged man. Misty, who was confronting Duolong Yanyue, sensed that the battle between Long and the others had ended, and also instantly arrived beside Long, staring at the group in front of her.

The two sides remained in a stalemate for the time being.

The middle-aged man looked at the flame in Kusanagi Shizuru's hand and laughed greedily, "Oh? The flame of the Kusanagi clan. So you are a master of the Kusanagi clan? We have always wanted your Kusanagi sword and flame... Haha..." After saying that, he looked at the crowd in front of him with a mocking smile and laughed arrogantly.

Kusanagi Shizuru stared coldly at the man before him, radiating an intense aura that showed no sign of weakness. He said sternly, "Since you covet the Three Sacred Treasures, then you'd better have the ability to take them!" His voice was full of authority and challenge.

Zhen Yuanzhai looked at the corpses strewn across the village and shook his head with a sigh. His eyes burned with rage as he coldly said, "Want to keep fighting? We'll fight to the bitter end!" He clenched his fists, ready to battle at any moment.

"Hahaha... Don't think you're safe just because there are three more people!" The man laughed wildly, his eyes flashing with greed and arrogance.

"Who said there were only three?" Tang Fulu smiled, his eyes firm and confident. As his words fell, the man's pupils contracted, his expression turning somewhat shocked. Not far away, several other grandmasters from China were rapidly approaching the village. Their movements were agile, their aura imposing; they were clearly all experts.

"Forget it, Zero, Misty... The Flying Thief Sect has been wiped out. We'll deal with the remaining remnants later..." After saying that, Long formed a hand seal, and black energy surged up like a vortex, enveloping his body.

Then, before anyone could react, he and the two people beside him transformed into a black whirlwind, drifting away with the wind and disappearing without a trace.

The group's faces darkened, and they decided to search for any remaining survivors in the village...

Yan Yue sensed that Xiao Long's heart meridian was damaged and kept using her spiritual energy to protect it, her face full of anxiety. Duo Long, on the other hand, stared blankly at the village engulfed in flames.