KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

In a magnificent, classically styled hall, Rugal listened to his short-haired secretary report on his work. Rugal sat upright on a luxurious sofa, leaning slightly back, his gaze cold and authoritative. He was still wearing a red suit and a black tie, his long blond hair neatly combed and parted in the middle. Combined with his confident face and tall stature, he exuded both undeniable gentlemanly charm and an irresistible aura of dominance.

The short-haired secretary, dressed in a black suit, looked very capable. With her beautiful face, she stood respectfully in front of Rugal, holding a document in her hand, and earnestly reported on her work: "Boss, the eight invitations have been successfully sent to all parts of the world. The fighters you selected should now be actively gathering their teammates to prepare for this grand competition."

Upon hearing this news, Rugal's lips curled up slightly, his eyes opened slightly, and the mechanical red light in his right eye shone exceptionally brightly. He revealed a satisfied smile, but this smile quickly turned into a ferocious one.

"Excellent! These invitations will attract top experts from all over the world, and a fierce battle is about to unfold... And I will become the master of this grand event!"

Then, Rugal looked at the fighter profiles on the table: "Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon, Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Takuma Sakazaki, Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Engetsu..."

A surge of excitement welled up within him, and he couldn't help but let out a wild laugh.

"Hahaha..." The laughter echoed throughout the hall, deafeningly loud. However, the short-haired secretary beside him glanced at the laughing Rugal with cold eyes, a look of indescribable emotion flashing across her face.

Outside the main hall, in one of the other rooms, was a cell filled with a pungent, nauseating stench of blood. In this dimly lit environment, a figure huddled in a corner, covered in blood, as if he had endured a brutal ordeal.

This man was none other than Kusanagi Shizuru. His eyes were filled with pain and despair, his body was extremely weak, and every breath seemed exceptionally difficult. The walls of the cell were covered with various strange symbols, which flickered with an eerie light, sending chills down one's spine.

……

South Town, USA, Kyokugenryu Dojo.

Yuri Sakazaki was having a conflict with her father and brother, and the dojo was filled with noise and arguments. The disciples, who were used to it, all wisely went home.

Sakazaki Yuri looked at her father, her voice trembling with anger and a hint of tears: "You guys are really something! You don't want me to participate, so you have to come up with some excuse!"

"Yuri, Dad is doing this for your own good. The King of Fighters tournament is too dangerous. It's not something a girl like you can just do casually." Takuma Sakazaki felt sorry for Yuri, but he still refused to let her participate.

Baihe felt extremely wronged and cried out, "It was clearly Dad who said, 'Martial arts are not divided by gender, and women should not be discriminated against,' that's why I've been training so hard. I've even fought all the disciples in the dojo, but you won't let me participate!" After saying that, Baihe burst into tears, and tears streamed down her face.

When Takuma Sakazaki heard Yuri's question, he felt a pang of guilt, but he also felt that he was doing this entirely to protect his daughter, so he said expressionlessly, "Crying won't help. I've told you so many times, girls shouldn't go out in public, especially not to participate in things like boxing!" After saying that, he turned and walked out of the dojo, ignoring Yuri Sakazaki.

"Waaah—you're all bad guys! You've all gone too far, you don't understand what I'm thinking at all..."

“Yuri…” Ryo Sakazaki felt very sad when he saw his younger sister crying heartbrokenly, and wanted to comfort her.

"Snapped!"

However, Yuri Sakazaki pushed him away and accused him, "Brother is a bad person too, just as awful as Dad..." After saying that, Yuri started to make a scene, swinging her fists at Ryo Sakazaki.

Just then, Robert, who had been trying to ease the tension between father and daughter, quickly stopped Lily, hugged her tightly around the waist, and said helplessly, "Alright, alright, Lily, stop it. Master has already made his decision, and none of us can change it. Besides, this is something only world-class elite fighters can participate in..."

As he spoke, Robert gave Ryo Sakazaki a wink, signaling him to leave first. Everyone knew that Ryo Sakazaki also suffered severe psychological trauma from Yuri's kidnapping last time.

Seeing that Robert seemed to have a way to appease Yuri, Ryo Sakazaki stopped talking and left the dojo hall.

Seeing that Yuri's emotions were gradually stabilizing, Robert breathed a sigh of relief. But then, Yuri started to cry silently again and stopped acting up.

"Waaah...waaah..." Yuri began to sob, "They're so mean, they look down on female fighters..."

This startled Robert, and he began to worry again. He knew that when Lily was being difficult, it wasn't a big problem, but if she stopped being difficult, then something was wrong.

“Lily…sigh…” Robert looked at the pitiful look on his beloved little girl’s face, made up his mind, and took a deep breath.

"Lily...I might have a way..."

"What?!" Upon hearing that Robert had a solution, Lily instantly transformed into her usual sunny and cheerful self, overjoyed, staring at Robert in front of her.

Robert was stunned by Lily's transformation; if it weren't for the tear stains on her face, he wouldn't have known that Lily had been crying.

"Tell me quickly~" Lily said, hugging Robert's arm and starting to act cute and charming, gently swaying her body.

"Robert, tell me quickly~ Hmm?" Then Lily hugged Robert's neck.

"..." Robert was momentarily stunned and speechless.

"Is it okay? I know Robert is the best!"

Robert looked at the lovely and charming Lily in front of him and was completely captivated by her beauty. His eyes turned into hearts and his face gradually became rosy.

"...Alright, alright...Lily, sigh..." At this moment, Robert was struggling internally and finally made a decision that went against his ancestors' wishes.

"Robert~ tell me quickly~" Lily continued to coax him, seeing that her plan seemed to be working.

"Ahem!" Robert coughed lightly, trying to hide his nervousness and guilt, and then said, "Actually, there's also an invitation to the King of Fighters tournament."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lily asked, puzzled.

“South Town actually sent three invitations in total: one to Liang, one to Terry, and the last one to Yan Yue,” Robert explained.

"So it was given to the three who defeated Geese?" Yuri Sakazaki suddenly understood the reason.

“Yes, Yan Yue hasn’t come back to pick up his invitation yet. He must have something urgent to attend to and can’t participate. So you can use his invitation to participate…” Robert said, his heart filled with conflict and unease.

Upon hearing this, Lily felt a surge of hope; her eyes lit up, and her smile deepened. She was overwhelmed with excitement, as if she had seen the first rays of dawn.

“Hey, Lily! Wait a minute!” Robert suddenly called out to her.

Lily turned around in confusion: "Hmm?"

"Don't tell anyone I told you... okay?" Robert scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "Also, be careful, or I'll get angry..." His eyes held a hint of shyness and anticipation.

"Mmm-hmm!" Lily nodded ecstatically, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. She hugged Robert tightly, as if to share all her joy with him.

"I knew Robert was the best~" Lily murmured to herself.

However, at that moment, Robert felt a strange sensation well up inside him. His face instantly flushed red, his heart raced, and his body trembled involuntarily. It turned out that Lily's tight embrace had allowed him to feel the softness against her chest, and this sudden stimulation left him momentarily at a loss.

Finally, Robert, overwhelmed by excitement, could no longer withstand the intense impact, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

……

Phantom Bar.

Mai Shiranui was drinking and complaining, while Angelina and King were smiling wryly beside her.

Meanwhile, Locke was serving tea and water to the three beautiful women. He thought bitterly to himself, "I also want to go abroad and see the world..."

"Andy, you big idiot! He secretly left me behind and teamed up with Terry and the others for the match without even telling me!" Mai Shiranui stomped her feet angrily, feeling extremely displeased.

Angelina stepped forward to comfort Mai, saying, "Mai, let it go. Men are all like that." She tried to ease the tension, but Mai was still very angry.

"Hmph! I'll definitely find a chance to teach him a lesson!" Mai Shiranui said through gritted teeth.

King shook his head helplessly and comforted her, "Wu, this kind of competition is indeed a bit dangerous. Since they don't want you to participate, then forget it... Although I also wanted to participate to test my recent training, it seems like I won't have the chance now." She shook her head helplessly.

Just then, Yuri Sakazaki suddenly ran in, her face beaming with excitement. She looked at King and Mai Shiranui with delight, as if she had some good news to tell them.

At that moment, the three beautiful women in the bar quickly noticed the "R" invitation in Yuri Sakazaki's hand and felt a surge of curiosity.

……

Suburbs of Nanzhen.

Terry is fighting alone against the combined attack of Andy and Joe.

……

New York, USA.

Former U.S. All-American boxing champion Harvey D. is solemnly examining the invitation to the World King of Fighters tournament in his home, his eyes growing increasingly resolute. He had been forced into retirement after accidentally killing someone in a match, his fighting career nearly over. Yet, this time, the invitation to the World King of Fighters tournament had been sent to him.

“This is undoubtedly an affirmation of my strength.” Harvey D finished speaking, then looked at his friend who was visiting his home, “Loki, team up with me.”

Rocky Gulobah. A former U.S. basketball player who, disillusioned with the basketball association, turned to karate and became the U.S. Karate Champion.

Rocky, as Harvey D's good friend, agreed without hesitation.

"Of course, my good brother, I also want to know where my karate skills rank in the world."

But Rocky was troubled again: "The King of Fighters tournament requires three people per team, and we are still missing a teammate. Who should we ask?"

Meanwhile, Harvey D was watching a rugby match on TV when a very muscular rugby player caught their attention.

……

Busan Prison, South Korea.

Taekwondo master Kim Kaphwan is looking at two criminals who have just been released from prison with a serious expression.

……

China, Mount Lu.

Tang Fulu and his two apprentices happened to be visiting.

Zhen Yuanzhai looked thoughtfully at the invitation in his hand, while Tang Fulu, sitting beside him, also felt a sense of worry.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Kensou and Athena were diligently training their spiritual powers, sparring with each other. Shun'ei and Touhou-kun, on the other hand, were playing with a giant panda.

……

Japan, Osaka Castle Forest.

Goro Daimon is leading Kyo Kusanagi and Benimaru Nikaido in strength training, while Yuki Kushinada is encouraging Kyo on the sidelines.

At Kyo Kusanagi's house, Shizuka Kusanagi was looking at the contents of the "R" invitation, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

……

Brazil, a base in the rainforest.

Yan Yue had easily defeated the soldiers who had mocked him and demanded an apology from them.

During the preparation for the tournament, Yan Yue had been practicing martial arts and assassination techniques with Leona. At this point, Yan Yue could already perform some simple moves from the Heidern school of assassination techniques without using Nen.

When Yan Yue uses her Nen, she can produce effects similar to the [Moonlight Saw] and [Crossblade].

Ralph and Clark, who were watching from the sidelines, nodded in approval. Heidern also came over from time to time to check on everyone's preparations, his eyes growing increasingly determined.

"It's time to go."