When that familiar black invitation bearing the ominous "R" and radiating "trouble-making" energy was delivered to Kusanagi Castle again, the entire household fell into a subtle atmosphere—both excited and grave.
Excited was Kyo Kusanagi.
This "Child of Destiny," after half a year of "seclusion training" and "brotherly sparring," felt the primordial power within him could barely be suppressed!
He couldn't wait to redeem himself on the KOF 95 stage, telling the whole world who the real "protagonist" was!
Grave were Saisyu Kusanagi and the older generation of fighters.
They smelled from that invitation an even stronger, more evil "divine clan" aura than last year.
They knew KOF 95 would absolutely not be a simple fighting tournament.
It was more like a massive vortex, a powder keg about to detonate the entire world's power structure.
Meanwhile, our protagonist Cloud appeared most composed.
He simply elegantly took the letter from the butler, then—in front of everyone—used it to wipe up tea water accidentally spilled on the table.
"Mm, not bad." He nodded seriously. "This paper quality is better than last year's, very absorbent. Looks like the organizers really splurged this time."
Everyone: "..."
Kyo watched his "wasteful" behavior, his mouth twitching, unable to help commenting: "Hey! That's the KOF 95 invitation! Something fighters worldwide dream of! Can't you... show a tiny bit of respect?!"
"Respect?" Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Why should I respect a challenge letter from a defeated opponent?"
He patted Kyo's shoulder, his face showing a "young man, you're still too green" expression.
"Kyo, remember this—when you stand high enough, so-called challenges are merely boring games to pass time."
His "superiority maxed-out" speech instantly left Kyo speechless.
Just then, that long-absent, "trouble-making" system notification rang in Cloud's mind.
[Ding! Detected world-class plot event "KOF 95: Orochi's Overture" has begun!]
[Main quest updated!]
[Main Quest: The King of Fighters' "Defense" Road]
[Background: That man you threw into the Pacific to feed fish, Rugal Bernstein, has... come back yet again! Moreover, he got a VIP cheat from some unknown god, his power exploded, and he's brought a gang of Revengers to challenge you.]
[Objective: Win the championship again at KOF 95, defend your King of Fighters title, make Rugal deeply understand—some people are daddies you can't beat no matter how much you spend.]
[Rewards:]
Source Points x100,000
Orochi Power Fragment (Intermediate) x1
Unlock new system function: [Bond Shop]
Looking at those "luxurious" rewards, Cloud's heart heated.
However, seeing that [Bond Shop] new function, he couldn't help curiously asking: "System, what's this Bond Shop? Does it sell figurines?"
[Host, please don't use your impoverished imagination to speculate about this system's advanced functions.] The system's voice was filled with "contempt."
[Bond Shop is a place where you can use Source Points to purchase exclusive skills, bloodlines, even skins for your harem... ahem, I mean bond characters.]
[Simply put... when one person achieves the Dao, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.]
"Holy crap?! It works like that?!"
Cloud instantly got excited!
Didn't this mean he could forge all these beauties around him into "humanoid Gundams"?!
Then he wouldn't even need to fight himself—just send out a "Beautiful Girl Gundam Corps" to sweep KOF!
"System! I love you!"
[...Host, please show restraint. This system doesn't do that.]
...
After having a "cordial and friendly" exchange with the system, Cloud also began seriously studying this KOF 95's tournament format.
"Oh? Interesting."
He discovered this year's rules were much more "scientific" than last year's.
First, they'd canceled that "love-hate" clothing destruction mechanic.
Replacing it was a more intuitive "health bar" mode.
Each participant would be given a visualized "life value" by the barrier before matches began. Once the health bar emptied, they lost.
Second, matches used "gauntlet battle" rules.
After one side's fighter lost, the other could choose to continue fighting or switch teammates.
Until all three members of one side were defeated.
Finally, most importantly, the arena used newly developed "barriers."
These barriers not only perfectly isolated battle aftershocks but could also suppress "non-human" evil powers to some extent.
"Gauntlet battles... health bars... barriers..."
Cloud stroked his chin, his face showing a "cunning fox" smile.
"This format is practically... tailor-made for me!"
Come on, with his currently bottomless "mana bar" (stamina and psychic power) and "health bar" comparable to a "BOSS," gauntlet battles?
He alone could achieve a "one-versus-three" sweep of the entire opposing team!
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"