KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Yan Yue lay quietly on the somewhat cold hospital bed, seemingly isolated from the entire world. As the warm and gentle morning sunlight, like golden threads, slowly shone into the ward, the originally dim space was instantly illuminated.

Just then, several small birds seemed to be attracted by the sudden light, and they circled happily by the window.

Yan Yue's tightly closed eyes gradually stirred slightly under the gentle caress of the sunlight.

Yan Yue slowly opened his eyes, but he still couldn't see anything; darkness enveloped him like a tidal wave.

A deep sense of doubt welled up in Yan Yue's heart. He muttered to himself, "What's going on? Why can't I see it again? It was clearly there before..."

So, Yan Yue closed her eyes again, recalling the power of the flames she had used in her battle against Rugal, and tried to gather the flames in her consciousness and the Nen energy within her body.

As the golden flames began to circulate within his body and gradually converged at his eyes, Yan Yue cautiously opened his eyes again.

This time, a gleam of surprise flashed in his eyes, like a star suddenly appearing in the night. It was an indescribable ecstasy, as if the whole world was blooming for him at that moment.

Yan Yue grinned, revealing a bright smile, and said with immense joy, "Finally, I can see! I don't have to be blind anymore!"

Yan Yue immediately sat up in bed and carefully looked around. This was the first time he had opened his eyes to see the world, and he was full of curiosity about everything around him.

After a while, Yan Yue found herself in a hospital bed with someone lying next to her. She instinctively sensed him, "Oh, it's Kusanagi Kyo. He seems to be still asleep."

Yan Yue recalled that Kyo Kusanagi had withstood a direct hit from the [Caesar Emperor Wave], and his injuries were much more severe than her own.

But Yan Yue sensed Kusanagi Kyo's calm breathing and couldn't help but admire him, "As expected of my strongman, he's still fine."

Yan Yue glanced at the items piled on the bedside table. They were gifts from her friends in Nan Town who had visited her during her illness. There were flowers, fruit, milk, and other things. Each item had a small note with a blessing on it.

Yan Yue reached out and took the notes from the bag one by one, flipping through them one by one. Looking at the mountain of gifts piled on the table, he was deeply moved. This care from his friends was like the warm sun in winter, warming his heart.

"The Hungry Wolf Team, the Dragon Tiger Team, Athena's, Baozi's..."

Suddenly, a note caught Yan Yue's attention.

"Wow, it's the Ikari Warriors!"

Yan Yue stared at the note from Liana, her heart filled with surprise and confusion. Liana's resolute and beautiful figure flashed through her mind; she was always so calm and composed, she hadn't expected her to send such a special blessing.

Just then, the door to the room was pushed open, and there stood Athena and Yuki Kushinada, who had come to visit her in the hospital.

Yan Yue also subconsciously looked over. Athena and Kishinada Yuki entered the room, their arrival bringing a touch of life to the otherwise quiet space.

"Huh?" They all looked at Yan Yue at the same time.

Athena said with some delight, "Yan Yue, you're awake?"

Athena looked at Yan Yue with concern, her eyes sparkling with worry and tenderness, and said softly, "Yan Yue, how are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"

Yan Yue snapped out of her daze, put the note back in her bag, and said with a smile, "Athena, I'm much better."

Yuki Kushinada looked at Engetsu curiously and asked in confusion, "Athena, didn't you say that Engetsu is blind?"

“Yes, how come…” Athena was about to reply when she suddenly stopped, shocked as she watched Yan Yue’s eyes darting around, looking at her and Kushinada Yuki.

"Yan Yue, are your eyes better?"

"Actually, it's not healed yet. Right now, I can only see for short periods of time by relying on my spiritual energy." Yan Yue stared at Athena, lost in thought, without blinking.

Athena was happy for Yan Yue and said, "That's good too, at least we can see it now."

This was the first time Yan Yue had ever seen a beautiful woman in the world, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Athena, I think you're so beautiful!"

"Pfft! Hahaha..." Yuki Kushinada was suddenly amused by Engetsu's words.

Kishinada Yuki clutched her stomach and said, "Engetsu, you're so good with words. This is the first time I've ever seen you compliment someone like this."

Athena blushed, gently patted Yan Yue, and scolded, "Stop fooling around, stop joking."

Yan Yue scratched his head, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face. He muttered to himself, "It's the first time I've seen Athena in person. I've been too blunt."

Suddenly, Yan Yue noticed the graceful, short-haired beauty next to Athena and asked with a puzzled look, "By the way, who is this?"

It seemed that Yuki Kushinada had just realized that she hadn't greeted Engetsu yet. She quickly suppressed a laugh and bowed slightly, saying, "Hello Engetsu, my name is Yuki Kushinada. I'm Athena and Kyo's classmate. You can just call me Yuki."

"Oh, hello there, Xiaoxue..." After hearing her introduction, Yan Yue was stunned for a moment, and then began to think to herself, "This name sounds familiar... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."

Seeing this, Athena's eyes flashed with curiosity, and she couldn't help but ask, "What? Yan Yue, do you know Xiao Xue?"

Yan Yue was still reminiscing, muttering to herself, "...It seems to be Kyo Kusanagi's girlfriend..."

When Athena and Xiaoxue heard Yan Yue utter the words "Kyo's girlfriend," their originally calm figures froze as if under a spell. An invisible current instantly passed through their bodies, causing their heartbeats to involuntarily quicken.

Immediately, Athena's usually dignified and elegant face erupted with a crisp laugh that sounded like a triumphant villain.

Meanwhile, Kishinada Yuki's fair cheeks flushed crimson in an instant, her eyes flashing with anger as she glared fiercely at Engetsu and loudly questioned, "Who said that! How could such a nonsensical statement suddenly come out?"

Yan Yue suddenly realized he had let something slip and felt a pang of regret. He hurriedly and frantically tried to explain, "Um... I was just guessing, I'm so sorry, Xiao Xue... I just blurted it out unconsciously."

Keki Inada Yuki, however, remained relentless, continuing her aggressive questioning: "Then why would you say such a thing?"

"Ah, this..." Yan Yue was speechless for a moment, and a little sweat appeared on her forehead. Just as she was about to continue making up a story to get by, Athena suddenly burst into laughter again, interrupting Yan Yue's answer.

"Hahaha... It must be... It must be that Jing mentioned it to Yan Yue without his knowledge... Hahaha..."

"...Maybe Jing even shared some things about his girlfriend with Yan Yue, which is why Yan Yue blurted out such a thing... Hahaha..."

"Ah, yes, yes, that's how it is." Yan Yue listened to the scenario that Athena had automatically filled in, so she hurriedly nodded, trying to cover it up.

After listening, Yuki Kushinada looked at Engetsu with a resentful gaze, then at Athena who was still laughing, feeling a strange bitterness in her heart, and at the same time feeling even more embarrassed by the words "Kyo's girlfriend".

So, to vent her frustration, she blushed and turned to stare at Kyo Kusanagi, who was still lying unconscious on the hospital bed.

"Kyo! You've gone too far! I'm not done with you~" she said, stepping forward and pinching Kusanagi Kyo's thigh hard. Xiaoxue felt she hadn't pinched hard enough, so she pinched it a little harder again.

A look of pain appeared on Kyo Kusanagi's face.

Yan Yue sensed the entire process of Kusanagi Kyo being "tortured" by Kusanagi Yuki, and felt somewhat guilty, so she lowered her head and pretended not to see it.

"Thigh, you should take the blame for this for now, after all, she's your girlfriend."

……

A secret laboratory somewhere.

A group of researchers are reporting information.

"Rugal's combat suit has been destroyed, and the chip has sunk to the bottom of the sea and cannot be recovered."

"However, through the panoramic camera of the competition, Rugal's combat suit received all eight sets of fighting data from the competition, and his own fighting data has also been successfully uploaded."

"Kusanagi Shizuru has escaped. Currently, the Kusanagi clan's flame factor is missing, making it impossible to proceed with the next plan."

"The experiment on Orochi's power has also failed; all the test subjects have died..."

The lead staff member pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Pass the word down: the military is already aware of this. Hold off for now, the plan is suspended..."

……

Mexico.

Nighttime, inside a church.

Inside the church, candlelight flickered, and a middle-aged pastor in a blue robe stood in the center of the hall. He had short, two-tone hair, yellow on top and black on the bottom, and was tall with well-defined features and a clean-shaven beard, making him look handsome and gentlemanly. His deep blue eyes seemed to contain endless wisdom.

He was reciting the Bible in his hands with great elegance, his eyes shining with a devout and fervent light.

At that moment, with a muffled thud, the church doors were pushed open, and Mature and Vice, dressed in black robes, slowly walked in.

“Goenitz,” Mature asked the priest with some confusion. “Rugal clearly covets the power of the serpent, yet you are still saving him.”

Goenitz gave a mysterious smile, closed the book, looked at Mature and Vice in front of him, and said slowly, "Rugal is just a pawn, but he still has some use."

“He has blasphemed the power of the Great Serpent.” Weiss also didn’t quite understand Goenitz’s intentions.

“Don’t worry, I know.” Goenitz’s tone remained calm, but his eyes were filled with a fierce and cruel light. “Let him continue to be my lord’s puppet for now; he will pay the price later.”

Upon hearing this, Mature and Weiss nodded slightly and stopped arguing.

At this point, Goenitz asked again, "How strong is Rugal?"

Mai Zhuo frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then solemnly replied, "His strength has indeed exceeded expectations; he is extremely powerful."

Goenitz nodded thoughtfully, then pressed on, "Then who defeated him? A mortal should be no match for the power of our Lord."

"Kyo Kusanagi and Engetsu."

"So it was the Kusanagi clan. Was he defeated by the power of the Three Sacred Treasures?" Goenitz's deep eyes gleamed with an unfathomable light, as if he were pondering something important.

Then he asked, "And who is this Yan Yue?"

“A young man from China…” Mai Zhuo hesitated for a moment after speaking, but finally said, “He has golden pupils.”

"What? Golden pupils from China?" Goenitz was somewhat puzzled and surprised, but soon, his previously tense face relaxed slightly, revealing a faint smile, and he murmured to himself, "It seems that those ancient races have still survived in this world..."

"Hehehe..." Goenitz chuckled softly, "Fate is truly wondrous."

Mai stood quietly to the side, saying nothing more, only watching Goenitz silently and attentively, her eyes flashing with an unfathomable light.

Goenitz's eyes gradually sharpened, and he calmly said to Mature and Vice, "You two should go back. Iori Yagami and Engetsu need to be kept under surveillance."

Mature and Weiss nodded solemnly, then turned and silently walked out of the dark church, leaving Goenitz alone in the same spot, lost in deeper thought.

As the two slowly walked out of the solemn and sacred church, a beautiful and charming smile appeared on Mature's exquisite face.

A mischievous glint flashed in her bright eyes as she whispered, "Little Yan Yue, I've come to see you again, especially!"

Meanwhile, Weiss quietly observed Mai Zhuo's expression. Her already beautiful lips curved upwards slightly, forming an elegant arc, and she said softly, "Mai Zhuo, I'm also a little curious. This handsome young man seems to be a very interesting person."

As they finished speaking, the once quiet night was filled with the clear, melodious laughter of the two beautiful women.

"Hehehehe..."

The laughter seemed to possess a magical power, lingering in the night sky for a long time. Their figures, illuminated by the moonlight, gradually faded into the distance.

(Author's note: In the novel, Rugal in '94 is the Rugal who possesses the power of Orochi and the NESTS battle suit. However, at this time, Rugal has not fully integrated the power of Orochi, and the NESTS battle suit he wears is only of ordinary level, mainly used for receiving data.)