KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

"Iori Yagami! I'll see how long you can hold out!"

Two of the three elite clones of Kyo have fallen, but Iori Yagami has also reached his limit.

Iori Yagami crouched, his signature trench coat riddled with holes, a large section burned away. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He sneered, "NESTS lackeys! Is this all the strength you've got?"

"Damn it!" At this moment, Isabella could not get away to check on Kyo Kusanagi's whereabouts, so she could only do her best to eliminate Iori Yagami as quickly as possible.

Isabella hadn't expected that even Iori Yagami, who hadn't fully recovered, could be so troublesome. Three elite clones and one mid-level executive hadn't been able to defeat him yet.

Iori Yagami, sensing the opportune moment, scoffed contemptuously, "Then let me tell you some good news... By now, Engetsu has almost rescued Kyo Kusanagi..."

Isabella didn't believe Iori Yagami's words at first, but the next moment, her communication device rang.

Isabella answered the call decisively and asked, "Get to the point!"

A soldier's panicked voice came through the communicator, "Sir! We've suffered heavy losses here. Kyo Kusanagi's main body is no longer in the experimental chamber. Perhaps Engetsu has already taken him away..."

The soldier's answer made Isabella's pupils shrink sharply, and she felt a strange sense of panic. However, as a mid-level manager, she still reacted very quickly.

"Where is Noah? Where is he?"

"Lord Noah immediately chased after them outside the transport plane passage!"

"A transport plane?" Isabella pondered for a moment, then immediately understood and hurriedly issued the order, "Noah's judgment was correct!"

"Quickly! Give the order to seal off all transport plane exits... Without transport planes, they have no chance of escaping!"

……

Deep inside the C experimental chamber, countless NESTS soldiers had been killed or wounded, and their communicators were nowhere to be found.

"Yes!"

After Yan Yue finished replying in the soldier's voice, she threw away the communicator and ran while glancing at her watch, muttering to herself.

"Jing should be arriving soon by now, right?"

Immediately, Yan Yue closed her eyes. Although the surrounding facilities were severely damaged, her senses were still functioning normally.

……

Isabella had just given the order when Iori Yagami taunted, "Hahaha...too late. Nothing you do now can change anything, you idiot..."

"shut up!"

Isabella could no longer contain her rage and furiously commanded the remaining clones of Kyo to attack Iori Yagami.

Seeing this, Iori Yagami showed no intention of retaliating. He simply straightened up slightly, put his hands in his pockets, and calmly looked at him.

Just then, two figures flashed past Isabella from behind. The intense energy fluctuations made him turn around to look.

A man dressed in a white jacket and blue trousers, Kyo Kusanagi, walked up from behind. Parallel to him was a blindfolded man dressed in Chinese clothing, whose body shimmered with a pale blue light.

Fiery Moon!

Isabella recognized the familiar attire, of course. Since Yan Yue had come here, the white-jacketed Kusanagi Kyo next to him was naturally—his true form.

"Weren't you just coming to find me?" Kyo Kusanagi's eyes were filled with tears and anger.

As soon as Kyo Kusanagi finished speaking, he clashed with Clone Kyo. Kyo Kusanagi was engulfed in blazing flames, and with a swift step, he charged forward, unleashing a [Poison Bite] attack on Clone Kyo.

Kyo was not to be outdone, and he also used the ancient martial art of Kusanagi-ryu, their flames intertwining.

Flames erupted between their fists and feet, and each collision caused the surrounding air to tremble.

At the same time, Yan Yue spread her arms, merging golden flames with her psychic energy. She unleashed a powerful attack directly at Isabella.

MAX Super Special Move: Emperor of Flames Wave!

A massive wave of golden flames, carrying powerful psychic energy, swept towards Isabella.

Wherever it passed, the ground melted from the high temperature, and the surrounding metal facilities instantly twisted and deformed.

Isabella's eyes widened in terror. She tried to dodge, but found that the wave of fire was too fast and too wide, leaving her nowhere to escape.

boom--!

The powerful impact of the fiery explosion sent him flying, crashing into a wall in the distance. The wall collapsed instantly, burying Isabella's body in the rubble. When the smoke cleared, Isabella was covered in blood, her breath faint; she had clearly suffered severe injuries.

On the other side, Kyo Kusanagi was surprised that the clone could use all of his techniques. Having just awakened and weakened, he inevitably struggled against a clone of the same level.

"Time is running out! We must finish this quickly!"

The next moment, Kyo Kusanagi, with one hand wrapped in crimson flames, unleashed the [Hyakuhachi-shiki - Orochi Nagi] at Clone Kyo with all his might.

But just when Kyo Kusanagi thought he would succeed, the crimson flames suddenly went out.

"What's going on?!"

Kyo Kusanagi was shocked, but he didn't have time to think.

Because Kyo seized this opportunity, he used the same move in return.

Kyo Kusanagi had no time to dodge, so he could only desperately gather the flames in his body again and forcefully unleash the [Orochi Nagi] technique.

Fortunately, he was successfully released this time. Although he was knocked to the ground by the flames, he managed to avoid the most fatal attack.

Kyo Kusanagi gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet, but there was no fear in his eyes.

Just as Kyo Kusanagi was preparing to attack again, he took another deep breath, and that familiar power surged within him once more. He roared, and even hotter flames erupted from his hands.

Super Special Move: 182 Styles!

With Kyo Kusanagi's roar, Clone Kyo's eyes widened as the new taijutsu technique caught him off guard. Flames instantly engulfed him, and a violent explosion resounded throughout the space.

As the smoke dissipated, Krono's chest caved in, and he lay on the ground, lifeless.

Kyo Kusanagi, panting heavily, recalled what had just happened. "Why? My power seems to have vanished?"

Kyo Kusanagi looked at Engetsu, but Engetsu said nothing more.

Iori Yagami stared at the real Kyo Kusanagi before him, and his eyes, which were originally filled with hatred, were gradually replaced by a trace of sympathy.

"Stop talking nonsense..." Iori Yagami coldly interrupted Kyo Kusanagi.

He glanced at his watch, then turned and left without even looking back, leaving behind only a cold utterance: "Follow me if you don't want to die..."

As Kyo Kusanagi watched Iori Yagami's retreating figure, a complex and indescribable emotion welled up within him. He had just awakened from his slumber, only to find that two whole years had passed.

This sudden turn of events caught him somewhat off guard. Faced with the various problems at hand, Kyo Kusanagi knew that his top priority was to escape this place as soon as possible.

Kyo Kusanagi, dragging his exhausted body, walked with difficulty, following Iori Yagami in the same direction.

"Although I still want to thank you for saving me... but you're still so annoying..." Kyo Kusanagi muttered to himself, his feelings for Iori Yagami still very conflicted.

Until his very last moment before leaving, Kyo Kusanagi turned to look at Engetsu's retreating figure, "Engetsu... I'm entrusting the rest to you..."