KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

At the same time, an abandoned town.

The streets had long since turned into ruins, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flames.

The three members of the female fighter team stood back to back in the center of the ruins, their breathing already disordered.

King's clothes were burned with a large hole, blood seeped from his arm, and his fists trembled slightly; Mary was covered in dust, her gloves were worn through, and bruises were clearly visible on her joints; Li Xiangfei's cheongsam was torn in half, and the stray hairs on her forehead were soaked with sweat and clung tightly to her skin.

Before them stood several clones of Kyo Kusanagi, their eyes cold and mechanical. Although several had already fallen, it was still a drop in the ocean.

"Damn it! When will these clones ever stop?!" King gritted his teeth. "We're almost out of energy!"

In the fierce battle just now, they had repelled three waves of mass-produced clones, but these clones of Kyo Kusanagi were far stronger than ordinary clones. Even the cloned Orochi Nagi was still incredibly powerful, forcing them into a desperate situation.

A clone of Kyo Kusanagi suddenly launched an attack, condensing flames into a fist and blasting it towards Li Xiangfei.

【Oni-yaki】!

"Fragrant Concubine, watch out!" Mary instantly rushed forward, using her body to block the attack. Her back was grazed by the flames, sending a burning pain through her.

"Sister Mary!" Li Xiangfei exclaimed in shock.

"Ugh!"

Mary grunted, but still held the clone's arm firmly. "King! Do it now!"

King's eyes narrowed, and his Phantom Leg slammed into the back of the clone's head with a whooshing sound.

However, the opponent reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side and simultaneously striking out with a backhand palm, sending King flying several meters before he crashed heavily into the ruins.

"King!" Li Xiangfei exclaimed, wanting to rush forward to help, but was forced back by another clone of Kusanagi Kyo's [Dark Brush].

"Damn it!" Li Xiangfei was both anxious and angry, tears welling up in her eyes.

The flame grazed her shoulder, leaving a scorch mark.

She was just a Chinese girl working in Chinatown near South Town. Because she liked fighting, she learned some kung fu from her grandfather.

They thought they could make a big splash during the competition, but they never expected to get caught up in such a big accident.

The three were in dire straits, their strength waning.

Another clone of Kyo Kusanagi, Orochi Nagi, is about to unleash his attack once again.

However, right now.

Four powerful auras suddenly rushed in from outside the ruins.

"Hey! You imposters, what kind of skill is it to gang up on the few!"

With a loud roar, Ryo Sakazaki's figure transformed into an orange streak of light and crashed in, carrying the fierce momentum of the [Dragon and Tiger Dance].

He knocked a clone of Kyo Kusanagi away in a few moves.

Yuri Sakazaki followed closely behind, using her new move, "Flying Swallow Gale Kick," to kick another clone's wrist, forcing him to abandon his attack.

Robert and Takuma Sakazaki followed closely behind, simultaneously unleashing the "Haoh Shohoken" to repel another wave of clones.

"It's the Dragon Tigers!" King's eyes lit up with surprise as he struggled to his feet and regained his balance. "Great! We're saved!"

Mary breathed a sigh of relief. The pain in her back made her frown, but she still smiled and said, "Liang, Mr. Takuma, thank you for arriving in time."

With sharp eyes, Takuma Sakazaki channeled his full power and repelled a clone.

"Fortunately, Terry and the others reminded us during the competition. We had some suspicions and came over, but we didn't expect... that something still happened."

What's going on with these Kusanagi Kyos who feel no pain and no fatigue? ..."

Mary sighed, "I'm sorry, I haven't figured it out yet..."

“Liang…” King asked curiously, “How did you find us…?”

“Mary left us a mark on her way here…”

“A mark? I don’t remember having one?” Mary tried to recall, but there really wasn’t one.

"You didn't leave this?"

As soon as Ryo Sakazaki finished speaking, he swung his fists and smashed a clone who was trying to sneak up on him to the ground.

"Let's stop talking for now and deal with these issues as soon as possible!"

“That’s true!” Mary readjusted her fighting stance, gripping her stun baton tightly. “We still need to find Kasumi…”

For a time, on the ruins of the abandoned town, the Dragon Tiger Team and the Women Fighters Team fought side by side, their fists and feet colliding with the flames, producing deafening sounds.

……

Meanwhile, in the downstream valley on the edge of the town.

Kasumi Todo is struggling to make her way through the forest.

The effects of the medicine Yan Yue gave her had worn off, and the wounds she had treated were still throbbing. Her tattered fighting uniform was covered in dust and blood, but her eyes remained resolute.

Sister King, Sister Mary, Fragrant Concubine... where are you?

She clenched her fists, the masked face of Yan Yue flashing through her mind, a complex emotion rising in her heart.

Who exactly is that masked psychopath? And why is he helping her?

Just as she was walking around a clump of bushes, several dark figures suddenly darted out from the side.

Kasumi Todo's heart tightened, and she immediately adopted the Todo-ryu fighting stance, but her previous injuries made her movements somewhat sluggish, and her strength had not yet fully recovered.

Kasumi Todo's pupils dilated when she saw the dark figures. [We've run into those "Kyo Kusanagi" again!]

"Damn it!" Kasumi Todo stepped back to the side, intending to kick the other person's knee.

However, he was ambushed from behind by another clone, who punched him hard in the wound, causing an even more intense pain.

"Uh!"

it hurts!

She staggered backward, a flicker of despair crossing her mind.

Just as the clones closed in again, a grown man's voice rang out. "Hey! Bullying girls isn't something to be proud of!"

The next second, the clone was knocked to the ground by a single blow.

Kasumi Todo looked up in surprise and saw Terry standing in front of her, his red sleeveless jacket and baseball cap particularly eye-catching, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a handsome face bearing his signature smile.

Immediately afterwards, Andy, Joe, and Mai Shiranui emerged from behind the haystack, forming an encirclement and completely suppressing the fallen clone.

"Mr. Terry!" Kasumi Todo exclaimed, both surprised and delighted.

Mai Shiranui quickly stepped forward, took her arm, and asked with concern, "Kasumi! Are you alright? Does your wound still hurt?"

Mai Shiranui was Kasumi's former teammate, and they had a very good relationship. Seeing her disheveled appearance filled her with worry.

"Mai... I'm alright, thank you." Kasumi Toudou shook her head, her despair replaced by warmth. "What are you doing here?"

Joe Higashi swung his arm and laughed heartily: "We're not so easily defeated! We pretended to admit defeat before so we could sneak in and investigate NESTS's conspiracy!"

“NESTS?” Kasumi Todo recalled that Mary had mentioned this name.

Andy stood to the side, his eyes gentle: "Mary sent us a message a while ago, saying that something was wrong with this competition and that we should be careful. We found some traces left by Mary along the way, which is why we came here. We just didn't expect to run into you here."

Terry stepped forward and kicked the clone who was trying to get up, his eyes sharpening: "These clones are hunting down fighters everywhere. It seems that NESTS has big ambitions."

Don't worry, with us here, no one can hurt you.

He looked in the direction from which the sounds of fierce fighting were coming from. "It seems your teammates are still fighting. Let's go and provide support first, and then we'll leave together."

Kasumi Todoh nodded, clenching her fist. "I can fight too! Please take me with you, I need to find my teammates!"

Mai Shiranui smiled slightly and patted her shoulder: "Okay! Let's go together!"

……

Meanwhile, in another direction, Yan Yue silently arrived at the area surrounding the abandoned factory.

Yan Yue glanced at her watch. Time ticked by, but she grew increasingly anxious.

I hope the marks I secretly left behind will be discovered, so that Kasumi and the others might receive help.

Thinking of this, Yan Yue took a deep breath and tried to calm her tense emotions down a bit.

Just as they were preparing to concentrate on using their mental powers to probe the movements of Team K ahead.

"ah--!"

A sudden scream from a young girl rang out.

It shattered the surrounding tranquility like a thunderclap.

In an instant, Yan Yue's heart pounded violently.

That voice sounded so familiar.