The tournament began with a grudge match, which undoubtedly lit the crowd's emotions on fire.
The fighters who made it to the finals were no longer mysterious—every bit of their information had already been thoroughly dug up by the media and spectators alike.
Some with legendary life experiences or outstanding appearances even had their own dedicated fanbases.
For example, there was Terry Bogard of the Hungry Wolves, the Invincible Dragon Ryo Sakazaki, and the Flame of Kusanagi—Kyo Kusanagi.
Aside from these already-legendary figures in the martial world, beauties like Mai Shiranui, King, and Blue Mary also had their own loyal followings.
Especially Mai Shiranui—her fan count was simply terrifying. After all, her battle attire was just too pleasing to the eye.
As she stepped into the massive coliseum from the entrance tunnel, Mai had barely made her appearance when thunderous cheers erupted all around her.
A sea of rabid fans wildly waved their flags, shouting her name over and over again.
This kind of center-of-attention treatment was something Mai Shiranui thoroughly enjoyed. Dressed in a glamorous kimono, holding a paper parasol in hand, she shot a smug glance at Qin Ming from afar.
But her moment of smugness didn't last long. Before the cheers had even died down, an even louder roar exploded from every direction.
"Athena! Athena! Athena!"
With synchronized shouting, a new team entered from the opposite entrance—none other than the famous Psycho Soldier Team.
Included were the "Bun King" Sie Kensou, renowned martial arts master Chin Gentsai from Huaxia, and the chart-topping idol singer—an ultra-high popularity existence—Athena Asamiya!
With a flash of movement, Athena teleported into the spotlight wearing a sailor-style outfit. She stood with legs apart, one arm raised high, and shouted excitedly:
"Hello, everyone!"
As soon as she finished, the audience exploded with even more enthusiasm. Cheers and screams surged like waves.
Was Mai Shiranui popular? Of course she was—extremely so.
This world greatly revered martial strength, making fighters naturally well-liked.
Mai wasn't just strong—she was beautiful, with a knockout figure to top it off. It was hard not to like her.
But popularity still depended on comparison. Against regular fighters, Mai crushed the competition.
But if you compared her to Athena Asamiya? That was a whole different story.
Psychic powers! Main girl of a pop idol group! Super idol singer! Also a famed fighter!
Athena Asamiya had basically activated every possible buff—Mai times three still wouldn't match her popularity.
Watching Athena's flashy entrance, how she effortlessly whipped the crowd into a frenzy, and even turned the entire procession into a personal showcase...
Mai, who had just lost the spotlight in an instant, pouted unhappily.
"Damn lolicons."
Meanwhile, over on the fighters' side, Qin Ming's eyes widened in shock as he stared with disbelief.
Walking behind Athena toward the ring, holding a wine gourd and swaying with every step, looking disheveled and completely unimpressive, was the white-bearded old man—Chin Gentsai.
Just then, Chin instinctively glanced Qin Ming's way with a slightly puzzled look in his eyes, then nonchalantly turned away, popped open the gourd, and began drinking again.
The sound of gulping echoed as Athena, still cheerfully waving at the crowd, suddenly snapped her head around, flashed over to his side, and tried to snatch the gourd.
"Master! You promised! Just one gourd a day! Why are you drinking again? We've got a match coming up!"
Chin Gentsai casually sidestepped, his red nose glowing, and let out a drunken chuckle.
"Ah, what's a little extra drink at a fun event like this? As for the match—these old bones of mine, I'll just show up for formality. You really want me to go all out in a brawl?"
"Master!"
"Alright, alright, no more. One last sip and I'm done, happy now?"
As he spoke, he jammed the gourd to his mouth and took a long swig.
Technically, it was just one sip… it was just a bit on the excessive side.
Seeing this, Athena completely lost it and lunged forward to try and grab the gourd, but no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to lay a hand on it.
Watching the chaotic scene unfold from afar, Qin Ming furrowed his brows, the look of shock in his eyes growing stronger.
With his dino-sunglasses activated, the attribute panels of the trio nearly gave him a heart attack.
This so-called Psycho Soldier Team? They were straight-up monsters.
Whether their combat skill was top-tier or not, their attribute panels were absurdly luxurious—far beyond normal limits.
Just how luxurious?
Put it this way: every single one of them had S-rank skills!
[Name: Athena Asamiya]
STR: 30 / CON: 30 / AGI: 30 / INT: 80
Skills: Huaxia Ancient Martial Arts (B-rank), Super Psychic Penetration (B-rank), Telepathy (A-rank), Crystal Flash Wave (A-rank), Super Crystal Shot (A-rank), Phoenix FANG Arrow (A-rank)
Bloodline: Magical Girl Bloodline (S-rank)
Description: Hmm? Doesn't something feel off?
[Name: Sie Kensou]
STR: 40 / CON: 40 / AGI: 40 / INT: 40
Skills: Huaxia Ancient Martial Arts (B-rank), Meat Bun Throw (B-rank), Immortal Qi Activation (A-rank), Shenlong Desperate Kick (B-rank), Shenlong Sky Dance Kick (A-rank)
Bloodline: Dragon Qi (S-rank)
Description: I'm an adventurer—healing from eating is normal. But how dare you heal by eating too!?
[Name: Chin Gentsai]
STR: 45 / CON: 45 / AGI: 45 / INT: 45
Skills: Huaxia Ancient Martial Arts (S-rank), Explosion Flame Cannon (A-rank), Explosion Summoning (A-rank)
Description: You can't beat him sober. You'll fare even worse drunk—because once tipsy, he holds nothing back.
Three freaks. Two of them with S-rank bloodlines. Their skill lists were practically scrolling off the screen.
And the other one is even more outrageous! He actually has an S-class martial art! What kind of monster is this!?
Staring at the trio's attributes in the distance, Qin Ming was completely dumbfounded.
He had only seen characters with such luxurious setups a few times before—and in those cases, they were either final bosses or top-tier villains.
Yet now, a group of them had gathered together!
What was even more insane was that despite their lavish setups, their base stats weren't particularly high. Especially the first two—they were textbook examples of skill-spamming monsters.
These kinds of people might be powerful, but they have a fatal flaw: they're highly vulnerable to ambushes and are easy targets for adventurers.
If not for Chin Gentsai, the one standing nearby with an S-class martial art, then Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou—those two walking treasure chests—might have already been looted!
Qin Ming pulled his gaze away and scanned the surrounding area, eyeing the terrifying stats of the finalists. His expression grew increasingly shocked.
But as he kept looking, Qin Ming suddenly froze, his pupils sharply contracting.
Because within the crowd, he spotted someone truly out of place—someone who shouldn't even be here!
Among the 24 participating teams, in a completely unremarkable adventurer squad, there stood a large man cloaked in black, utterly motionless, head lowered so his face couldn't be seen.
And according to his glasses display, his name was... Rugal!
The final boss of King of Fighters '95! The president of the transport syndicate who should be long dead! The Fighting Emperor—Rugal!
[Name: Rugal]
[Strength: 60]
[Physique: 60]
[Agility: 60]
[Spirit: 60]
[Skills: King of Kings Martial Arts (A-Class), Final Cataclysm (A-Class), Titan Slam (A-Class), Death Roar (A-Class), Bloody Massacre (A-Class), Incomplete Killing Intent Surge (A-Class)]
[Bloodline: Omega Form (S-Class)]
[Bio: Ordinary Rugal? Omega Rugal? No! What you now face—is God Rugal!]
Qin Ming's gaze locked tightly onto Rugal, staring at the skill on him that shouldn't exist in this world—the ultimate power from the Street Fighter universe: Killing Intent Surge. His eyes widened in disbelief.
As if sensing his gaze, Rugal—his hood casting a shadow over his face—slowly turned to look in his direction.
The scarlet glow in his cybernetic eye sent chills down Qin Ming's spine.
King of Fighters and Street Fighter had once collaborated, and as one of the final bosses, Rugal had once clashed with Akuma in a peak-level battle.
There were two possible outcomes: one, Rugal wins, defeats Akuma, and seizes the Killing Intent Surge, becoming the so-called "God Rugal."
The other, Akuma wins, devours Orochi's blood, and evolves into Shin Akuma.
But that was just a crossover storyline—it didn't mean the two worlds were actually connected.
So why was Rugal—someone who should be dead—appearing here? And how does he have the Killing Intent Surge!?
Rugal was already incredibly strong, ranked among the top three most oppressive bosses, the pinnacle of human combat strength, the strongest fighter without a special bloodline.
Now, fused with Killing Intent—even if it's incomplete—this guy's power must be...
Qin Ming quickly looked away, overwhelmed with shock.
He realized this situation had completely spun beyond his control. There were simply too many heavyweights showing up this time.
The rooftop champion, the Hungry Wolves' nemesis, Southtown's warlord Geese Howard—who had survived multiple dramatic rooftop falls and lived.
Alongside his blood brother, the arms-dealing emperor Krauser, whose strength was no less than his own.
And Mr. Big—the former ruler of Southtown who had once lost to Ryo Sakazaki.
The BOSS trio—all elite fighters! And among the top!
Add to that Ryo Sakazaki! Terry! Iori Yagami! Chizuru Kagura! Kyo Kusanagi! Vice! Mature! All first-class experts!
This event was already a gathering of the fiercest fighters—and now, not only has Rugal returned stronger than ever, but Goenitz, the final boss himself, has also shown up!
Good grief! How many super bosses are here this time!?
If a real free-for-all breaks out, the average experts might not even get a chance to act—the shockwaves alone could wipe them out!
His breath grew heavy, his eyes turned savage.
After a few seconds of silent stillness, Qin Ming suddenly lifted his head to look at Rugal again.
That bold, unflinching gaze made Rugal glance back once more.
Their eyes met—both flashing with red light. After a few seconds of silent confrontation, Qin Ming made the first move.
He flexed his burly arm and smacked his bicep with his other hand in an arrogant manner.
And this motion—was Rugal's signature move!
A provocation! A naked provocation!
Seeing this, Rugal's red eye flared even brighter. Gazing at Qin Ming's towering build, not only was he not angry—he grinned fiercely, then lightly drew a finger across his neck.
So you recognize me? And you still dare to provoke me!?
Very well. Boldness—impressive. Physique—impressive.
You… are worthy of being sculpted. A fine addition to my collection.
After this mutual taunting, both men looked away again. Qin Ming lowered his head, but the smile on his face was unmistakable.
He felt his blood boiling, an uncontrollable excitement swelling inside him.
He didn't know whether this excitement came from himself or was influenced by his flesh-absorption ability.
But it didn't matter! All he knew was—he loved this feeling!
He loved challenging the strong. He craved the thrill of battle.
(End of Chapter)