KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

The day before Yan Yue left Nan Town.

Inside the Phantom Bar.

Mary sat gracefully at the bar, gently swirling her drink in her right hand. Beside her sat her pet dog, Antonio.

On the television screen, the latest news about the King of Fighters tournament was playing. Antonio was also watching the television, his tail wagging incessantly.

"Is Ms. Chizuru also going to participate?" King, standing behind the bar, skillfully mixed various kinds of drinks.

When King noticed that Mary's attention was drawn to the television, he smiled and asked, "Mary, with your skills, are you interested in this year's King of Fighters tournament?"

Mary turned her head. "King, are you inviting me to team up? To join the women's fighter team?"

"Mary, will you join us in the competition?"

King put down his glass with a wry smile and said helplessly, "Kasumi has decided not to compete this year... Yuri is definitely going to join the Ryuko Team... so I'm all alone here..."

After hearing this, Mary paused for a moment, then said softly, "King, I actually want to too, but I have a new mission..."

My boss told me to wait at home; I shouldn't be going out for long…

"Oh, that's a real shame..." King sighed inwardly.

"Don't you still have Kasumi?"

"Kasumi recently found her father's whereabouts and asked me for a six-month leave. After settling things at the dojo, she left Nanzhen..."

"I see..."

Just as the two were chatting, Yan Yue walked in from the bar entrance.

"Sister King, there seems to be a letter for you in the mailbox by the door. I've brought it to you..." As she spoke, Yan Yue handed the letter to King.

"Thank you..." King said, taking the letter, glancing at it, and muttering to himself, "It's from Wu..."

So King opened the letter; inside was a letter and a plane ticket to Japan.

King was puzzled. "Tickets? That's really strange..."

Looking at the plane ticket, Yan Yue roughly understood what was going on. "Miss Wu wants to discuss the King of Fighters tournament with you, right..."

King carefully read the contents of the letter, and it was indeed as Yan Yue had said—about the third member of the women's fighting team.

……

In a coastal city bordering New York State, there is a gang stronghold known as "Second South Town."

The streets were dimly lit, filled with a chilling atmosphere. The walls along the streets were covered with gang graffiti, with symbols of various factions crisscrossing the area. From the narrow alleys, the sounds of fighting and shouting could be heard from time to time.

Beneath a railway bridge, the light was dim, the air damp, and a faint smell of rust permeated the air. It was a forgotten corner, rarely visited by anyone.

Ryuji Yamazaki stood alone by the bridge, his figure shrouded in shadow. He had one hand in his pocket and a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

He seemed to be waiting for someone, his eyes cold and wary.

After a while, the silence was broken by light footsteps. A man in a suit walked over, a pistol tucked into his waistband, exuding a dangerous aura.

“Yamazaki Ryuji…” the man began, but was interrupted by Yamazaki Ryuji before he could finish speaking.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Yamazaki Ryuji's voice was deep and hoarse, tinged with impatience. "I don't know how you got to me, but since you're here, don't waste time! Just say it! I'm getting impatient!"

The man seemed somewhat intimidated by Yamazaki Ryuji's imposing presence. He quickly pulled a photograph from his pocket and handed it to Yamazaki Ryuji.

The lights under the bridge shone on the photo, revealing the person in it: Iori Yagami.

“The man in this photo…” the thug in the suit said nervously, “We hope you can bring him to us… as long as we don’t kill him… we can do whatever we want with him…”

Ryuji Yamazaki gave a cold laugh and remained silent.

"And..." the man handed over another photo.

Ryuji Yamazaki looked closely and realized that the person in the photo was Chizuru Kagura.

The thug said in a lewd tone, "Beautiful, isn't she... Your superiors need you to kill this woman..."

"enough!"

Suddenly, Yamazaki Ryuji roared and grabbed the gangster by the neck with one hand.

"Uh..." The gangster turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Killing women isn't my style! I think you've got the wrong person!..."

As he spoke, Yamazaki Ryuji began to exert his strength.

"Spare me..." The gangster was terrified and dared not resist, still trembling as he said, "This is a commission from someone above... I... I was just delivering a message..."

Ryuji Yamazaki's face was grim, and he asked with a ferocious murderous intent, "Does your big shot need me to kill a woman?"

"No...she's different, you'll know once you meet her...you've never seen her strength before..."

Yamazaki Ryuji had no intention of listening to him continue rambling. He abruptly interrupted the thug and cursed, "You're such a fucking slow talker!"

Ryuji Yamazaki grabbed the thug by the collar and slammed him to the ground without hesitation.

"Bangdang..."

"Ugh!" The thug's body slammed heavily against the shipping container, letting out a painful groan.

However, the rioter endured the excruciating pain and struggled to his feet.

"Both of the people in the photo will be participating in the King of Fighters tournament. You can take advantage of this opportunity to strike in secret..."

After saying that, the thugs opened a box of cash and threw it at them.

“This is the bounty,” the thug said expressionlessly. “The higher-ups are demanding a lump sum payment from you.”

Yamazaki Ryuji stared expressionlessly at the cash on the ground, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes. But he didn't pick it up immediately. Instead, he picked up the photo next to him and examined it carefully.

Ryuji Yamazaki stared at the photograph, remaining silent for a moment.

"Humph!"

Ryuji Yamazaki threw the photo back at the thugs, saying, "Go back and tell your boss, I've taken this job!"

The thugs seemed relieved and were about to turn and leave when Yamazaki Ryuji called them back.

"Wait a minute..."

Ryuji Yamazaki's voice suddenly turned low and fierce, "If I find out you lied to me, I'll slowly dig your heart out with a knife... Hehehehehehe..."

With a burst of maniacal laughter, Ryuji Yamazaki's body began to tremble.

"Hehehehe..."

He carried the suitcase into the shadows, but his maniacal laughter still echoed through the underpass.

The thug's face turned deathly pale, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Yamazaki Ryuji, what a terrifying guy..."

……

Second South Town.

Inside a skyscraper.

Geese and Billy sat side by side on the sofa, with a thick stack of documents on the coffee table in front of them. These documents contained information about the King of Fighters tournament, secretly provided by the Japanese conglomerate.

Gis casually tossed the documents onto the table, as if the information wasn't particularly important to him.

He raised his head, his gaze falling on Billy, and slowly said, "Billy, this time you will be the one to investigate the power of Orochi."

"Orochi's power?" Upon hearing this, Billy quickly retracted his crossed legs, put down the documents in his hand, and looked puzzled. "Is it that guy Yagami?"

Geese nodded, and the image of Iori Yagami from the previous King of Fighters tournament began to surface in his mind. At that time, Iori Yagami displayed an exceptionally powerful force, a force that inspired fear and awe.

"The power he possesses can indeed be described as something similar to the power of Orochi."

Moreover, I saw him on the verge of losing control that day; that man had the blood of a giant snake flowing through his veins…”

"Just like Rugal back then?"

"No, Rugal is merely a puppet controlled by Orochi's power, but Iori Yagami seems to have been born with Orochi's power..."

Thinking of this, Billy's eyes gradually filled with murderous intent. "Orochi's blood... Iori Yagami, I haven't settled my score with him yet..."

“Billy, control yourself, bring him back to me…”

Billy took a deep breath, trying to calm his murderous intent. "Understood, sir!" Then he thought for a moment and asked, "So, who should I team up with?"

"Hahaha... Of course I've arranged that for you..." Geese laughed and patted Billy on the shoulder.

“One is Ryuji Yamazaki, and the other is Blue Mary.”