KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Hearing the sound behind him, Rugal was startled and quickly turned around. The door was suddenly kicked open, and a figure appeared in the doorway. It was Yan Yue, still dressed in his Ikari Warriors uniform, but his signature sunglasses and military cap were gone, revealing a slightly pale face.

When Kyo Kusanagi saw that the person who came was Engetsu, he felt much more relaxed and immediately took the opportunity to distance himself from Rugal and quickly moved to Engetsu's side.

Rugal recognized the person in front of him at a glance. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He stopped his attack, turned around and looked at Yan Yue at the door with a smile, and said softly, "You've come at the right time, Yan Yue."

Yan Yue's expression turned serious. She took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "I didn't expect you to know me..." However, Yan Yue quickly realized that Mature already knew about defeating Geese, so how could Rugal not know?

Sensing the unknown fates of Benimaru and Daimon not far away, Yan Yue decided to stall for time a little longer. He gritted his teeth and continued to ask, "Is this the power of NESTS?"

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed in Rugal's eyes, then he burst into laughter: "Hahahaha..." The laughter echoed throughout the room, sending chills down everyone's spines.

After the laughter subsided, Rugal slowly suppressed his smile, his eyes turning sharp and cold as he stared intently at Yan Yue. He said in a deep voice, "Yan Yue, it seems you know quite a bit! However, you're half right. I have indeed reached some cooperation agreements with NESTS. What they gave me is truly eye-opening!" With that, a maniacal smile appeared on his face.

Yan Yue ignored Rugal and said to Kusanagi Kyo beside her, "Kyo, your father has been found. General Heidern is rescuing him."

Upon hearing this, Kyo Kusanagi's face lit up with joy, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Really? That's wonderful!" He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with delight, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Then we must defeat him immediately, or we'll be turned into bronze statues!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Yue was startled and quickly sensed the surrounding bronze statues. He suddenly understood the origin of these statues and couldn't help but feel nauseous, his whole body breaking out in goosebumps.

Yan Yue seemed to remember that these bronze statues were all people who had fought against Rugal. After they were defeated, their bodies were encased in molten bronze and then cast into bronze statues, which became Rugal's collection.

"Alright, Flame Moon, Kyo Kusanagi!" Rugal's voice rang out again, filled with smugness and cruelty. "It's time to send you on your way, hahahaha..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rugal raised his hand and unleashed a wind blade attack. A huge whirlwind, as sharp as a blade, condensed in his hand and rushed towards Kyo Kusanagi and Engetsu with a strong whistling sound.

【Gale Fist】!

A powerful wind blade, skimming the ground, swept towards Kyo Kusanagi and Engetsu with astonishing speed. Sensing this immense force, the two dared not be careless and hastily dodged to either side.

"coming!"

Kyo Kusanagi and Engetsu shouted simultaneously, quickly dodging the wind blade attack. The Gale Fist flew close to the ground, passing through the gap between the two, and slammed hard into the door behind them.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the front door of the hall was instantly destroyed, turning into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.

After successfully dodging, Yan Yue and Kusanagi Kyo did not hesitate for a moment, and instantly sprang up to attack Rugal from both sides.

Kyo Kusanagi launched a powerful punch, accompanied by flames, aimed at Rugal's upper body.

[Venomous bite]!

Yan Yue, with perfect timing, crouched down and launched a sweeping kick infused with Nen, attacking Rugal's lower body from the other side.

[Nen - Low Kick]!

Rugal reacted extremely quickly, easily parrying both attacks. He blocked Kyo Kusanagi's heavy punch with his right hand and caught Yan Yue's kick with his left leg.

With a muffled thud, the impact of the force tore through the surrounding air, creating a powerful gust of wind.

Rugal immediately counterattacked, easily striking Yan Yue with his leg while simultaneously attacking Kusanagi Kyo with his other hand.

But at this moment, Yan Yue and Kusanagi Kyo's eyes sharpened, and they continued to increase their strength.

The moment Yan Yue was attacked, he quickly crouched down, and at the same time, his hands changed shape like flowing water, steadily blocking Lucar's fierce kick.

[Water Flow Rock Crushing Fist]!

At that moment, Kyo Kusanagi reacted quickly and changed tactics immediately. He turned around and unleashed a fierce double punch, followed by a burst of flames rushing towards Rugal.

【Sin Chant】!

In the blink of an eye, Rugal's leg was firmly held in place by a soft yet powerful internal force, causing his body to become disordered. Caught off guard, he was directly struck hard by Kyo Kusanagi's attack.

"Boom!" With a deafening roar, the flames exploded violently, and Rugal was finally hit, his body involuntarily staggering back several steps.

However, Kyo Kusanagi's offensive did not stop there. He changed his moves again, and his figure appeared in front of Rugal in an instant like a ghost. Then, with lightning speed, he threw an uppercut with a blazing fire. The third attack hit Rugal's chin directly.

[Punishment chant]!

"Boom!" Rugal was hit hard again, and his body floated up slightly.

"It's not over yet!" Kyo Kusanagi roared angrily, his eyes flashing with determination and resolve. His movements did not stop for a moment, but continued to change techniques in the air. His body began to spin at high speed, releasing even more powerful fire energy, and he rushed straight towards Rugal like a dazzling meteor.

【Hyakushiki - Oni-yaki】!

"Kyo! Be careful!" Yan Yue's expression suddenly changed drastically, because he sensed a powerful and suffocating aura surging wildly, and the owner of this aura was none other than Rugal.

Before Yan Yue could finish speaking, Rugal's originally calm eyes instantly turned incredibly fierce, and he suddenly revealed a smile full of killing intent and ruthlessness.

Yan Yue sensed the same death aura as before from Geese; being hit by this attack would mean certain death!

Just as Kyo Kusanagi's attack was about to hit Rugal, Rugal's body suddenly began to spin strangely in the air, and then, relying on his powerful aura, he leaped into the air, completely ignoring the existence of gravity.

Super Special Move: [Genocide Slash]!

Rugal's legs instantly transformed into two incredibly sharp blades, each radiating a violent, deathly aura that sent chills down one's spine. The next moment, Rugal's figure appeared behind Kyo Kusanagi like a ghost, and without hesitation, slashed down with a single leg at Kyo's back.

This attack was incredibly powerful; if it had hit Kyo Kusanagi, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

However, at this critical moment, Yan Yue also displayed astonishing speed, using her teleportation skill at full power, and appeared behind Kusanagi Kyo at almost the same time.

Kyo Kusanagi was startled and quickly turned his head.

"Pfft!" A spurt of blood flew out and landed on Kyo Kusanagi's face. When he saw the scene before him, his eyes immediately showed horror and worry.

Kyo Kusanagi shouted anxiously, "Flame Moon!"

In that instant, Rugal's incredibly fierce kick struck Yan Yue's chest like lightning. This kick seemed to contain boundless power, unstoppable and terrifying. But Yan Yue, at the critical moment, unleashed the [Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist] and [Nen Barrier].

At the moment the fist and foot collided, Yan Yue successfully neutralized some of the force, greatly reducing the destructive power of the attack. However, despite this, Yan Yue still suffered a severe blow to the chest, with a long, bloody gash appearing on it.

"Bang... Boom..." The powerful slashing airflow passed directly through the area around Yan Yue, shattering the ceiling and walls behind him, making a collapsing sound.

On Yan Yue's chest, his bulletproof vest was torn to shreds, as fragile as a thin sheet of paper. Blood gushed from the wound, quickly staining his clothes red.

Seeing this, Kyo Kusanagi quickly intervened, repelling Rugal. Then, he carefully helped Engetsu to his feet, ensuring he landed steadily. Kyo's eyes were filled with concern and worry as he stared intently at Engetsu, seemingly fearing something might happen to him.

Yan Yue was panting heavily, large beads of sweat constantly appearing on her forehead, her body trembling slightly involuntarily. This trembling was due to both the torment of her injuries and the deep-seated fear she felt in the face of death. However, Yan Yue still endured the pain and tried her best to remain calm.

"Thank goodness... I almost died!" Yan Yue's voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was unusually firm. "If I hadn't blocked that attack, I'd probably be in two pieces by now..."

"Phew..." Seeing that Engetsu could still move, Kyo Kusanagi breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Engetsu, thank you so much. I'll protect you in a bit!"

Yan Yue smiled slightly, "Alright, then you better not die."

Kyo Kusanagi is Engetsu's right-hand man, and they still need him to deal with the Eight Orochi. Of course, Engetsu can't let him be in danger, otherwise, losing one of the Three Sacred Treasures would basically mean the end of the world.

"Wait a minute... the Three Sacred Treasures..." Yan Yue suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "That's right, the Kusanagi Sword..."

Rugal stood a short distance away, quietly observing everything before him. His gaze fell on Yan Yue, a hint of admiration on his face: "Yan Yue, you are indeed outstanding, managing to withstand my attack. Hahahaha..."

His laughter echoed in the air, filled with confidence in his own strength and recognition of Yan Yue.

Yan Yue slowly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked calm as he looked at Rugal. He said in a low voice, "This kind of powerful force is not something that can be given to you so easily. You will have to pay a price to obtain it."

Upon hearing Yan Yue's words, Rugal's confident smile changed slightly, clearly indicating that Yan Yue's words had struck a chord with him.

Rugal snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt, and said, "Hmph! Those useless trash are just stepping stones for me to become stronger. Only by constantly fighting can I become stronger."

"Perhaps they think the same way," Yan Yue replied calmly, as if she had everything under control.

"Is that so? Then I'll ask them myself after I've killed you all..." Rugal let out a cold laugh, his killing intent instantly intensifying, as if he was about to unleash his most powerful move.

Both Yan Yue and Kusanagi Kyo felt the bone-chilling killing intent that penetrated to their very bones. Their expressions turned solemn as they knew they were about to face a life-or-death battle and had to remain vigilant and prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

Yan Yue anxiously called out to Kusanagi Kyo, "Kyo, perhaps the power of the Kusanagi sword can restrain him." As she spoke, she ripped off her tattered bulletproof vest.

Upon hearing this, Kyo Kusanagi's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident and determined smile, as he replied, "Yes, I noticed that too. It seems that the Kusanagi Sword has some kind of connection with him."

Yan Yue clearly sensed that Rugal still possessed the power of Orochi, but it had not been fully integrated with him.

Yan Yue speculated that Rugal's current strength was most likely due to the suit from NESTS. However, why would NESTS so easily hand over such a powerful combat suit to Rugal? There must be some unknown contingency plan behind it.

Thinking of this, Yan Yue quickly reminded him, "Jing, there must be something wrong with this outfit. We must find a way to defeat him as soon as possible!"

Kyo Kusanagi nodded in agreement without hesitation, his eyes filled with determination and fighting spirit. He said loudly, "As expected, you're very thoughtful. Let's go!" After saying that, the two of them charged towards Rugal together in perfect unison.

(Just between you and me, is anyone watching?)