KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Kusanagi Castle, the Kusanagi-ryu dojo, has been mostly burned down by the flames of Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami.

Kusanagi Shizuru listened to Engetsu's explanation of his experiences in the Chizuru Yata Mirror and nodded slightly. "...Engetsu, you're right. I was once also dominated by the Kusanagi Flame."

Yan Yue asked, "But Uncle, aren't you perfectly fine now?"

"It was because I cultivated myself alone in the deep mountains for several years that I was able to restrain myself."

Kyo had never been in such a state before, until last month during his battle with Iori Yagami, when he briefly lost control…”

Yan Yue, recalling Kusanagi Kyo's mention of his cousin, felt a surge of curiosity and asked, "Uncle, could you tell me about Cang Si? Is there some hidden story behind it?"

Kusanagi Shizuru's voice lowered slightly, and he sighed with a hint of helplessness.

“Souji’s talent is actually no less than Kyo’s, and his age is more suitable. He should be the only choice to become the head of the Kusanagi clan.”

He took a photo out of the cabinet and handed it to Yan Yue.

"This is a picture I took with my camera back then..."

Yan Yue looked at the photo; it showed the figure of an adult man. The man was tall and upright, wearing a white martial arts uniform with his name embroidered in black thread—Cang Si.

However, the man's entire body was enveloped in crimson Kusanagi flames. Even more shocking was his狰狞恐怖 (zhengning kongbu - ferocious and terrifying) face, with his eyes flashing a pale white light.

"Is he Kusanagi Souji? Kyo's cousin?"

Kusanagi Shizuru nodded, "The problem lies in the degree of Souji's demonization."

Souji's demonization was so severe that it was almost irreversible.

In addition, he already had his own family at that time, so it was impractical to lock him up in the mountains for a few years like I did.

So in the end, I could only decide to let him give up cultivation and live the life of an ordinary person.

However, this also led to the failure of the candidate's training, and caused many conflicts and disputes between me and other family members..."

Yan Yue listened quietly, and after thinking for a while, she said, "So, because of this curse, there are fewer and fewer Kusanagi-style fighters, right?"

Kusanagi Shizuru nodded silently, then sighed helplessly, "Currently, Kyo is the only inheritor of the Kusanagi-ryu ancient martial arts..."

Afterwards, Engetsu asked Kusanagi Shizuru various questions, but still couldn't find a clue.

However, Kusanagi Shizuru is also trying to help his son overcome his fate of becoming a demon.

Engetsu had already given all the clues he had found to Kusanagi Shizuru, so he did not linger any longer.

……

At this moment, Yan Yue was reviewing her performance alone outside the dojo.

Yan Yue then realized that the Kusanagi clan, which was once the most powerful of the three sacred artifacts, had been affected by the curse of the blood pact for six hundred years, and had even become almost like ordinary people in modern society.

"So... Orochi wanted to use the river of time to dismantle the Kusanagi clan? How insidious..."

Soon after, Kyo Kusanagi spoke privately with Shizuru Kusanagi before leaving the dojo.

He couldn't quite understand such profound words, but seeing Yan Yue's thoughtful expression, he confidently said, "Don't worry, I've already mastered [Formless]."

With my genius fighter skills, I can just seal all those guys away, right?

Does this mean it hasn't turned into a demon?

Yan Yue smiled wryly, "You're quite carefree. It's not as simple as you think..."

However, this statement does correspond to a statement made by the ancestor of Kusanagi.

"Only by sealing the giant serpent can the curse be lifted..."

Yan Yue repeatedly reviewed this sentence in her mind, and looking at Kusanagi Kyo's somewhat lazy and arrogant appearance, she suddenly had a guess.

"Could it be that only someone like Kyo Kusanagi, who doesn't particularly worship power, also has the will to seal Orochi?"

Thinking of this, Yan Yue suggested, "Kyo, based on my guess, you must use the same will you had when you dealt with Goenitz to use the Kusanagi Flame during this period. It might be possible to avoid becoming a demon."

Perhaps because he bore the mission of sealing Orochi, Kyo Kusanagi nodded slightly and replied, "That makes sense... I will..."

"The rest of the time is up to you..." Yan Yue then handed a white envelope to Kusanagi Kyo. "This is for you..."

Kyo Kusanagi took the envelope, and when he saw the mark on it, his eyes suddenly widened:

"This is... an invitation to the King of Fighters tournament! So you already had it!"

"This is what Chizuru asked me to give you. The official competition is in a little over a month."

Kyo Kusanagi pondered for a moment, then looked up at Engetsu, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes: "How about teaming up with me this time, Engetsu?"

Yan Yue was somewhat surprised that Kusanagi Kyo would invite her, and hesitated for a moment, "To team up with you?"

"With your strength, you should be about the same as me, right? Although you definitely can't beat me, you're much stronger than Benimaru and Daimon."

Yan Yue, her face full of black lines, muttered, "You really do speak as rudely as ever... Aren't you afraid that Benimaru and Daimon will hear us?"

Kyo Kusanagi simply shrugged, a mischievous grin on his face, and said, "That's the truth. Are you coming or not? I'll take you to the championship..."

Yan Yue immediately felt that Kyo Kusanagi's arrogant personality was too outrageous, and hurriedly waved her hand, "No need, I'm not interested in the championship..."

……

Day two.

After ending her call with Chizuru, Yan Yue bid farewell to the Kusanagi father and son and left Kusanagi Castle.

The reason for the rush was that Yan Yue received a text message last night, and the sender of the message was Mai Zhuo.

Yan Yue was very worried about Mai Zhuo's condition, so she rushed to the agreed location as quickly as possible.

After a long journey, Yan Yue finally arrived at her destination—a villa on the shore of Tokyo Bay.

As he slowly approached the villa's gate, suddenly, a graceful figure teleported in front of him.

Mai Zhuo, her face beaming with joy, opened her arms and pounced into Yan Yue's embrace like a kitten, tightly hugging his neck.

Before Yan Yue could react, Mai Zhuo's alluring lips were already pressed against Yan Yue's lips.

Yan Yue was so startled by this sudden action that her mind went blank for a moment. Mai Zhuo, on the other hand, kept her eyes tightly closed, lost in the kiss. After a while, Mai Zhuo slowly released her, her cheeks flushed, her eyes filled with shyness and joy.

“Little Yan Yue~ It’s been so long~…” Mai Zhuo nestled in Yan Yue’s arms and whispered.

Yan Yue snapped out of her daze, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Sister Mai Zhuo, why did you suddenly..."

Mai Zhuo took Yan Yue's hand and led him into the villa. "Let's come in first..."

A strong sense of worry welled up in Yan Yue's heart, but he didn't say anything and obediently let Mai Zhuo pull him into the room.

However, once they entered the room, Mai Zhuo unhesitatingly led Yan Yue to the bedside.

Just as Yan Yue was still wondering, Mai Zhuo suddenly seemed like a different person. She forcefully pushed Yan Yue onto the bed. Yan Yue's body was completely pinned down by Mai Zhuo, and he could even feel her breath and body temperature.

Mai Zhuo moved with extraordinary speed. She stuck out her tongue and gently licked her lips. Her alluring and captivating appearance made Yan Yue's heart beat faster instantly.

Mai Zhuo said in an extremely charming voice, "Little Flame Moon~ Let's discuss the reward first..."

The voice seemed to possess a magical power, making Yan Yue's ears feel hot.

"award?"

“It’s just what you think…” Mai Zhuo’s lips curled up slightly, revealing a sly smile.

"It's time to release those pent-up desires, isn't it?..."

As she spoke, her hands began to slowly unbutton Yan Yue's clothes. Every movement was so gentle, yet it carried an irresistible allure.

Yan Yue took a deep breath and stopped trying to control herself, flipping over and pinning Mai Zhuo down.

"Hehehe... It seems Little Flame Moon has already gone astray..."

Mai Zhuo was somewhat surprised by Yan Yue's resistance, but she quickly smiled knowingly and, before Yan Yue could speak, pressed her lips against Yan Yue's.