KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

On the ring, Kyo Kusanagi stood tall and straight, wearing a white headscarf and the traditional black Kusanagi family fighting uniform. The midday sun shone on the sun emblem on his back, and his eyes gleamed with desire and respect for the battle. He raised his hands, ready to gather power at any moment.

Yan Yue was facing Kusanagi Kyo, his face serene, surrounded by a faint blue aura, which was the manifestation of his Nen aura. The aura emanated from his entire body, blowing against the black blindfold and his hair.

"Yan Yue, even though you can't see and your meridians aren't fully healed, I won't let you have your way!" Kusanagi Kyo teased.

"Do you think I care about something like this?" Yan Yue's voice was gentle yet firm. "Today's battle is irrelevant; let's give it our all!"

As the words fell, a gentle breeze swept by, causing their clothes to flutter slightly. A resolute glint flashed in Kyo Kusanagi's eyes, and he instantly sprang into action, like a cheetah striking, delivering a powerful punch straight at Engetsu's face.

"So fast!" By the time the audience reacted, Kyo Kusanagi had already rushed in front of Engetsu.

"Did you succeed?" Kyo Kusanagi asked, seeing the punch just inches from Engetsu's face.

Yan Yue remained calm and composed. Sensing the movement with her Nen, she subtly shifted her body to the side, simultaneously pushing off with her right hand, deflecting Kyo Kusanagi's powerful punch and creating distance between them. The audience below held their breath in suspense.

Shunying, who was watching the battle, immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Senior brother, what great skills! That was close!"

Before anyone could react, Kyo Kusanagi leaped up and slammed his leg down on Engetsu.

【Du Le Tu】

However, Yan Yue used the same method as before, turning to the side and raising her leg to deflect Kyo Kusanagi's flying kick.

"Don't even think about using the same move again!" Kyo Kusanagi suddenly changed his move in mid-air. As his leg was bounced away, he delivered a powerful counter-punch with [Wild Bite] to Engetsu's waist.

A heavy punch landed on Yan Yue's left waist, but at the same time, Yan Yue endured the pain and changed his move. Using the force of the blow that caused his body to tilt, he spun around and delivered a palm strike to Kusanagi Kyo's back.

Following this, both fighters, enduring the pain, exchanged over ten more blows. Yan Yue managed to deflect Kusanagi Kyo's attacks each time, while Kusanagi Kyo consistently managed to change his moves and strike Yan Yue unexpectedly. After taking several hits, Yan Yue quickly changed tactics, using his powerful sensory abilities to dodge Kusanagi Kyo's attacks, occasionally landing blows with his Nen. Although the force of their fight wasn't particularly high, the technique was superb, and the speed was extremely fast, making it a feast for the eyes of the spectators. Currently, Yan Yue is at a disadvantage.

"Ouch! That hurts." Both of them spread out, grimacing in pain, but remained in their fighting stances.

A gasp rippled through the audience, filled with gasps of amazement. The match was truly spectacular, leaving them utterly astonished. It turned out that those seemingly simple moves could be transformed using force.

Even Athena, the master of the shikigami, couldn't help but sigh. Yan Yue and Kusanagi Kyo were indeed powerful, but it seemed they were still holding back and hadn't used their true strength.

Kyo Kusanagi's gaze turned serious. He looked at Engetsu and said, "You're so adept at using leverage and overcoming strength with softness; that's truly beyond my expectations. I'll have to go all out!" Recalling Engetsu's pitiful past, a sense of admiration welled up within him. Only by giving it his all could he show the greatest respect to Engetsu.

"Alright, let's continue!" Yan Yue remained calm, but inwardly he was uncertain. He hadn't expected his first battle to be against the future King of Fighters. His nerves were on edge, and he dared not relax for a moment. He also knew that his opponent hadn't even used the Kusanagi Flame yet.

Not far from the arena, the Third Prince stared intently at Yan Yue and Kusanagi Kyo. The tense girl behind him saw the Third Prince's back and breathed a sigh of relief, slowly walking over.

"Third Prince... huff," the girl seemed a little tired.

The Third Prince didn't turn to look at the girl, and said coldly, "Watch first, then we'll talk."

The girl was already used to the cold tone, so she obediently stood quietly behind him, not daring to make a sound.

On the arena, Kyo Kusanagi closed his eyes, gathering his bloodline power. Engetsu sensed it and frowned. "Looks like it's coming?"

With a whoosh, Kyo Kusanagi's hands burst into crimson flames, the dazzling light accompanied by a wisp of black smoke.

"It's Kusanagi no Flame! Look, it's Kusanagi no Flame!"

"Look over there on the arena, Kusanagi no Yan!" Kusanagi Kyo's flames immediately attracted the attention of many people below the stage, and even people from other arenas rushed over.

Shun'ei and Toki-kun's pupils dilated as they stared intently at the flames, the oppressive aura emanating from them overwhelming their two junior brothers. Athena and Kensou were also greatly shocked; they had indeed been hiding strength.

Kusanagi Shibazu remained calm; clearly, as a member of the Kusanagi clan, he was already used to such things.

At their seats in the sect, Tang Fulu and Zhen Yuanzhai, who were still asleep, slowly opened their eyes...

【Dark Brush】

Kyo Kusanagi unleashed a burst of flame from the ground, shooting straight at Engetsu.

With a deafening roar, the spot where Yan Yue was located was blasted open by flames, which instantly covered Yan Yue's figure, making him invisible.

"Senior brother!" Shunying and Mingtianjun looked at Yanyue with concern, as it was the first time they had ever witnessed such a powerful fighting scene.

"Don't worry, Engetsu is fine." The speaker was Kusanagi Shizuru.

The two little ones turned to look at Kusanagi Shizuru, then quickly turned back to look at the flames in the moon.

[Nature Flow] Open!

[Mind Energy Protection] Activated!

As the smoke cleared, Yan Yue's figure was revealed. She was unharmed, and her clothes were still clean. Yan Yue held her hands in front of her chest, gathering her spiritual energy, and a pale blue aura surged around her like a whirlwind.

"Such powerful internal energy!" The crowd's amazed gazes shifted from Kyo Kusanagi to Engetsu.

"Using Nen to protect your fragile body is a good idea, but can you only defend?" Kyo Kusanagi said, then exerted his power again.

Super Special Move: [Multiple Dark Sweeps]!

At that moment, Yan Yue's figure also instantly sprang forward, rushing towards Kusanagi Kyo.

"Boom!" The sound of the explosion of flames rang out in the hall, and the noisy venue instantly fell silent. The people in the other arenas were also attracted and craned their necks to see where the sound came from.

Yan Yue withstood the damage from three bursts of flame and charged towards Kusanagi Kyo. Boosted by her Nen aura, Yan Yue's speed increased dramatically in a short time. Taking advantage of the brief pause after Kusanagi Kyo unleashed his flames, Yan Yue unleashed her ultimate attack.

Kyo Kusanagi's pupils dilated, filled with terror: "Oh no, he hasn't retracted his attack yet, do I have no choice but to take it head-on?" Kyo Kusanagi decisively attempted to unleash a final Dark Strike to block Yan Yue's attack.

Super Special Move: Gale and Rain

"Boom!" Another loud bang, and flames erupted directly from where Kyo Kusanagi and Engetsu were. But Engetsu's Nen still managed to block the last Dark Strike.

A barrage of Nen waves rained down on Kyo Kusanagi's chest, appearing to those at a distance like a tempestuous storm of internal energy. The floor beneath Kyo on the arena cracked and shattered instantly.

"Thump thump thump..." The Nen waves struck Kyo Kusanagi, producing a series of sounds, like the crisp sound of raindrops hitting the ground.

"Ugh..."

Kyo Kusanagi let out a scream, taking the blow squarely. He staggered back several steps in pain, finally collapsing heavily to the ground from exhaustion.

After unleashing this attack, Yan Yue was also exhausted. She probably wouldn't be able to activate her Nen Circulation and Body Protection abilities.

"Did I win?" Yan Yue slumped to the ground. She had originally planned to use the [Water Stream Rock Smash Fist] in the tournament, but she hadn't expected to face Kyo Kusanagi. Kyo wasn't a fighter who directly attacked with brute force; the Water Stream Rock Smash Fist was Yan Yue's strongest technique, a softer approach to overcome stronger attacks, and it wouldn't be able to withstand Kyo's flames. Therefore, she chose the Nen Wave she had used to bully Shun'ei earlier, which was currently Yan Yue's strongest Nen technique.

But Yan Yue's joy was short-lived. Kusanagi Kyo slowly stood up again, the Kusanagi Flame burning fiercely. Kusanagi Kyo lowered his head and walked heavily toward Yan Yue, panting heavily as he went, wincing in pain.

"No way, he withstood that? Is it the protagonist's halo?" Now it was Yan Yue's turn to be nervous. But then she thought better of it; it was just a friendly sparring match, and winning or losing wasn't important to her.

When Kyo Kusanagi reached Engetsu, Engetsu collapsed to the ground. He was panting heavily, sweat streaming down his forehead and soaking his clothes.

"I'm not fighting anymore. You won. I've used up all my Nen, and I can't move anymore," Yan Yue said with difficulty. Actually, in his current state, he could still fight with difficulty, but he knew in his heart that continuing would not make much sense, and he accepted losing to Kusanagi Kyo.

Looking at the exhausted Yan Yue, twelve-year-old Kusanagi Kyo felt a pang of pity, remembering that Yan Yue's meridians hadn't fully recovered. He believed Yan Yue's words, withdrew his Kusanagi flames, and complained, "Damn it, your Nen really hurts when it hits me!"

Hearing this, Yan Yue couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, don't you know? I've been using all my strength! Besides, your Kusanagi Flame is so powerful, if I hadn't used Nen to resist, I would have been burned to ashes long ago, right?"

Kyo Kusanagi scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it. But let's have a fair match next time!"

Yan Yue nodded and agreed, "Okay, next time I'll definitely show you even more powerful Nen!"

At this moment, the surrounding audience applauded and cheered, praising the exciting match. The names of Kyo Kusanagi and Engetsu quickly spread throughout the venue, becoming the focus of much discussion.

Amidst cheers, Kyo Kusanagi helped Engetsu to his feet and they walked off the stage together. Their battle was so dazzling that it attracted more than half of the spectators, creating a spectacular scene.

Thus, young Kyo Kusanagi and Engetsu had already begun to make their mark in the fighting game world, becoming rising stars who were attracting much attention.

The Third Prince, watching the duel from afar, had an uncertain look in his eyes, muttering to himself, "Kyo Kusanagi... Engetsu..."

"Hmph." The Third Prince snorted coldly, turned and left, while the girl behind him followed closely behind, recalling the battle just now.

"That battle was really amazing! I didn't know there were people as strong as my brother?" the girl thought to herself, looking at the Third Prince in front of her with a bit of worry...