Chapter 444: Round of Sixteen Draw Order
At 3 PM on the day the preliminaries concluded, the sixteen qualifying teams, including those chosen by surplus invitations from others, gathered at the main arena in Tokyo.
"And now, the drawing ceremony will commence to determine your opponents for the Round of Sixteen!"
The host in the arena was impassioned, and the surrounding audience cheered enthusiastically.
There were no matches today, only a public drawing ceremony to determine the matchups. However, after three or four days of preliminaries, the KOF audience's excitement had reached a fever pitch, still attracting a large number of spectators to the arena, solely to watch a drawing ceremony.
And this alone brought in a series of additional revenues from tickets, snacks, and souvenirs.
Yes, that's right, souvenirs!
Small items like fans, water bottles, badges, and keychains featuring various team images were already widely available in the main arena's sales area.
In reality, the economic bubble in Japan had already burst seven years prior, but many who lived through that period deeply missed the extravagant, golden age when it felt like even America could be bought. This nostalgia and aspiration were reflected in works like KOF '97.
Gargantuan corporations such as Kaiba Entertainment Group, Kagura Corporation, Mishima Zaibatsu, and Athena Agency (supported by a single person) were all present. With their efficiency, these Yiwu small commodities could be effortlessly produced in large quantities, from top to bottom.
Of course, as image providers, the teams would also receive a certain percentage, but the specific ratio depended on subsequent popularity and sales.
Cheng Tian also bought a World-themed keychain on his way and picked up a plastic mask identical to the Sunflare Mask—the kind with two small holes for eyes that makes it almost impossible to see when worn.
Compared to the stand-in world of Abyssal Dark Fantasy, his own image was not very distinctive; the most memorable part was his mask. But upon seeing his mask on the same table as classic characters like "Ultraman," "Kamen Rider," "Fox," "Fire Man," and "Adolf," he couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.
Looking at the plastic mask in his hand, and then at the children passing by with Sunflare Masks and World's big, square faces genuinely on their heads, Cheng Tian knew he indeed had some fame here, and his popularity was not low.
Only two player teams passed the preliminaries this time; most of the eliminated player teams were almost all present in the audience.
Since the main quest failed, all gains here would be forcibly rolled back. It was better to stay here and gather more information related to players and NPCs, then go back to organize and sell it for some extra cash.
Opportunities to watch other teams fight in a relatively safe area like this were rare and definitely needed to be seized.
Especially the extremely high-profile team, "Olililili," whose name immediately suggested they were a player team, making their presence impossible to ignore.
More than half of the teams present had only met once during the last gathering. Four days later, today, many new faces had appeared. Information such as team names, team composition, and general specialties were scrolling on the big screen, but seven complete teams from the original KOF '97 roster remained.
The original three-person KOF '97 Special Team had become the Geese Team, with a feminized Geese replacing Blue Mary. However, if one only considered color scheme and physique, the feminized Geese could even serve as a substitute for Mary.
As for the righteous Kim Kaphwan, accompanied by his two bandit apprentices, he was targeted and successfully taken down by the persistent player team "996," who had lost their invitation twice but remained unyielding.
The fat pig and skinny monkey, who had always only stolen from others, finally experienced what it meant to have their possessions snatched at the tail end of the preliminary countdown.
The only team representing the Great Cosmic Nation was eliminated, causing the local residents in Tokyo to jump wildly, shouting about shady dealings, demanding refunds, refusing to watch, and vehemently stating that if unknown teams could participate, why not their beloved Kim Kaphwan!
...But these were just shouts; no one paid them any mind. In the vast and diverse audience, these people couldn't even make a ripple. The organizers simply conveyed a 'watch if you want, or get out if you don't.'
Kim Kaphwan himself was a respectable figure, but as for everyone else besides Kim Kaphwan~
Those who know, know.
The draw naturally didn't require everyone to go on stage; only one representative from each team was needed.
Cheng, as the captain of the Olililili team, naturally took the stage without hesitation.
The representatives on stage mostly openly scrutinized each other. Cheng Tian, on his part, purposefully scanned a few team representatives.
Yashiro Nanakase, representing the New Faces Team, still appeared to be a vibrant, well-built, good young man with a strong rock-and-roll vibe in his every movement. It was just unclear to what extent the Orochi blood within him had been activated.
Hong Meiling, representing the Scarlet Devil Mansion Team, clearly seemed to have been forced onto the stage by her two masters. Facing the tumultuous cheers and some highly targeted criticisms, her demeanor was noticeably stiff and reluctant. She was probably screaming "Let me off this stage" or something similar in her mind.
Demitri Maximoff, representing the Demon Team, and his team members had only suddenly appeared near the end. They were not well-known to others, and even Demitri, the only one on stage, wore a loose black robe, making his appearance almost indiscernible.
But perhaps only Cheng knew that this person—no, this vampire—was the culprit behind the feminization of the rival duo, Terry and Geese!
Perhaps sensing Cheng Tian's gaze, the Romanian vampire warrior, hidden beneath his black robe to avoid direct sunlight, also looked towards Cheng Tian. Subsequently, a very peculiar feeling filled his mind.
Although there was no logical reason, he could vaguely sense the aura of a "kindred spirit" on Cheng Tian, and his body instinctively tensed up slightly.
Ren Xiaoyao, the representative of Team 996, immediately showed a very obvious fawning expression after his gaze met Cheng Tian's, which left Cheng Tian quite bewildered.
Strictly speaking, Cheng Tian had twice prevented Team 996 from acquiring invitation letters. From a player's perspective, they should universally hold a grudge, so why would they try to curry favor?
But what Cheng Tian didn't know was that Team 996 was one of the few teams among the current instance's player base that had access to information about the underworld. Team 996 had already learned about the demise of the Shadow Law organization at Cheng Tian's hands.
The moment Ren Xiaoyao learned this news, he broke out in a cold sweat. So now, he could only soften his stance first, otherwise, he feared he might be liquidated after the tournament.
"Olililili Team representative, please come up and draw!"
Following the instructions, Cheng Tian reached into the drawing bucket, pulled out a strip of paper marked "01," and displayed it on the live broadcast screen.
"Next, the Psycho Soldier Team, please draw!"
Athena Asamiya, with great fan dedication, bounced onto the stage, reached in without looking, pulled out a strip, and her body slightly stiffened the moment her eyes scanned it.
The strip of paper marked "02" was then displayed on the screen.
The two teams for the first match of the Round of Sixteen were hotly revealed!