KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Inside the submarine.

Yan Yue leaned against the edge of the main control panel, her gaze sweeping over the green dots jumping on the radar screen.

Apart from the signal from their submarine, the screen showed only a vast expanse of deep blue.

This emptiness is only temporary.

NESTS' tentacles have already reached every corner of the world. Those spies hidden in government departments of various countries have probably already received news of their defection. An invisible net is slowly closing in on this icy ocean.

How much energy reserve is left?

The nameless pilot in charge of operating the submarine turned around and replied, "It can hold for a maximum of seventy-two hours..."

If we maintain our current stealth speed, we can advance another 3,000 nautical miles. But if we encounter an anti-submarine patrol and need to initiate emergency evasion procedures…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone in the cabin understood.

Emergency evasion requires a huge amount of energy. At that time, the submarine will become like a kite with a broken string, drifting aimlessly in the vast ocean.

Maxima leaned against the bulkhead and glanced down at K beside him.

K is nearly exhausted. His arm was already completely out of control, and this time, due to the battle with Kula, K unleashed the Kusanagi Flame once more. Now, there's little hope left.

"Hey, are you alright?" Maxima asked anxiously, "Your arm..."

Before he could finish speaking, K's body trembled violently, and a wisp of crimson flame suddenly shot up from his fingertips.

Flames licked the air, hissing, and the temperature inside the cabin instantly rose a few degrees.

"Damn it!" K cursed under his breath, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

This was the third time he had lost control today. Since leaving Antarctica, the fire within him seemed to have been unleashed, growing increasingly volatile.

Upon seeing this, Wuming immediately stepped forward and grabbed K's arm.

Suddenly, Wuming sensed the Kusanagi Flame within K's body, which was even more violent than his own, causing Wuming to be greatly alarmed.

"Stop it! Do you want to destroy the submarine?..."

"Stop talking nonsense..." K, nearly exhausted, still stubbornly retorted, "Think of a way..."

Yan Yue was also somewhat surprised; it seemed that K's Kusanagi Flame was even more powerful.

"Let me try..."

Isolde hurriedly walked up to K, squatted down, and raised her left hand.

K and Maxima both looked at her, their eyes filled with surprise.

Isolde looks almost exactly like Kula.

They had the same long, light blue hair, the same delicate features, and even the shape of their eyes seemed to have been carved from the same mold.

The difference lies in age and temperament. Kula looks like a cold twelve-year-old girl, while Isolde looks a bit older than Kula and has a gentler temperament.

Prior to this, K and Maxima had never actually met Isolde, so their strong reaction was understandable.

Isolde ignored the stares of the crowd, simply looking steadily at K and saying calmly, "Relax, don't resist."

K clenched his teeth tightly. He could feel the cool touch of Isolde's palm, a sensation that felt comforting, as if it could extinguish the heat within him.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally loosened his clenched fist.

That power was like a cool stream; wherever it went, the restless flames of Kusanagi gradually subsided.

The deep red flames gradually faded, and the flickering light beneath the skin slowly disappeared.

K's tense body slowly relaxed, and he let out a long breath, cold sweat sliding down his face.

"call……"

Everyone in the cabin breathed a sigh of relief; the tense atmosphere had finally eased.

Maxima stepped forward and patted K on the shoulder.

K didn't speak. He could sense that the power within Isolde was similar to Kula's ice power, yet there were also significant differences.

Kula's ice power is destructive at absolute zero, while Isolde's ability is like simply cooling down.

"Who are you?" K asked directly.

Isolde withdrew her hand; her palm had returned to its fair color, and the icy blue halo from before seemed as if it had never appeared.

However, her mental energy was somewhat depleted, and she was gently supported by Wuming.

She glanced at K, but instead of answering directly, she turned her gaze to Yan Yue.

All eyes turned to Yan Yue.

In response, Yan Yue told them everything she knew.

“Isolde, she is… a cyborg cloned by NESTS based on Kula’s genes.”

“A clone?” Maxima’s eyes widened. He glanced at Isolde instinctively, then remembered the girl who stood in front of Foxy in the ruins of Antarctica. “No wonder… no wonder she looks so much like Kula.”

K's brow furrowed even more: "Clone Kula? What is NESTS' purpose in doing this?"

Yan Yue explained, "Kula has a special factor in her body that can not only suppress the flames of Kusanagi, but also soothe the out-of-control flames."

NESTS may have created Kula as a trump card to counter Project K's uncontrolled flames. Meanwhile, Isolde is being developed to further enhance the Nameless's combat abilities, thus counterbalancing Project K's dominance…

Isolde's creation was full of intrigue and darkness, and Yan Yue didn't want to say much, so she gave a brief explanation.

After listening, K fell silent. He looked at Wuming again, lost in thought.

Only Maxima thoughtfully thanked Isolde.

Isolde's face was expressionless, as if she were listening to someone else's story. She seemed quite detached; these things were perhaps in the past for her, and now she only wanted to live a good life with Nameless.

A brief silence fell over the cabin, broken only by the low rumble of the submarine engine.

……

During the break, Wuming reported to Yan Yue about what had happened at their base.

"Right after the master participated in the King of Fighters tournament, General Modern's men were transferred away by NESTS soldiers..."

It seems that NESTS has some bigger plan and is gathering all of NESTS's troops.

"And within the base, only the basic experimental personnel responsible for Project Z are operating it..."

Yan Yue recalled and analyzed the series of events that occurred after General Modern was captured by NESTS.

"As long as their identities aren't exposed, they won't be in danger... It's just that the higher-ups at NESTS might all know General Morden, after all, he's the one who started the war against the United Nations..."

We've done our best; what happens next is entirely up to him…

General Morden was a kind, trustworthy, and reliable man, but he was also very ambitious and had a unique understanding of world war and peace, which may be related to his past.

If he hadn't been implicated in the Metal Slug incident, Yan Yue would have almost forgotten that Modern was also the supreme leader of a rebel army against the United Government.

Although Yan Yue was grateful for General Modern's help at NESTS, she would not interfere too much if he had new plans now.

Yan Yue closed her eyes and pondered for a moment before continuing, "And then what happened to you?"

"Later, you were officially declared a traitor by Zero, and your true identity is Yan Yue... the instigator who caused Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi to cause a ruckus at the main base."

NESTS leadership has dispatched Foxy to the base to monitor all your information... and has issued a global kill order...

Isolde and I, as your deputies, have also been temporarily placed under house arrest...

However, we didn't expect you to return so soon, sir..."

"It seems Foxy is a good person. I suppose it was her idea to put you under house arrest. I'll remember this favor..." Yan Yue's voice deepened.

To my shame, now that Yan Yue has led a group of people to betray us, Foxy, this high-ranking beauty, will definitely have to take the blame.

However, given Foxy's status, even if he were punished, his life shouldn't be in danger. So Yan Yue didn't think about it any further.

Wuming understood Yan Yue's meaning, and continued to ask, "My lord, what should we do next..."

Yan Yue looked at K and Maxima and decisively replied, "Let's find a way to replenish their energy first, and then stabilize their condition..."

After all, K is like a time bomb; if it goes wrong and blows up the submarine, everyone will be doomed.

K leaned against the bulkhead, looked down at his right hand, then looked at Yan Yue and said simply, "I have no objection."

He doesn't care where he goes or who he cooperates with. His only thought now is to survive and then take revenge on NESTS.

Maxima nodded: "I also need to find Dr. Makijima to upgrade the modules. The combat power of this set of fighting modules is still too weak..."

Wuming and Isolde had no objections; they only listened to Yan Yue.

“Then it’s decided…” Yan Yue looked at the coordinates of the southernmost point of South America, “The remaining energy can be used there…”

"Southern Cross Federation, the research and development site for Akrom's mechs."

Yan Yue explained earnestly, "Dr. Makijima might know something about Zero and Acrom..."