"Wow! Uncle Zuo is so cool! This saber technique is even better than the movies!" Yuri, ever the energetic one, quickly adapted to the bizarre situation.
She ran over to Commander Zuo's side, becoming a one-woman cheerleading squad, eyes sparkling with admiration.
Commander Zuo, facing this lively, guileless young girl, actually let a rare hint of softness cross his features.
He sheathed his blade and gave Yuri a martial salute, acknowledging her greeting.
Mai, meanwhile, had her gaze locked onto the black-haired girl.
Her feminine intuition told her this vacant-looking young woman was not simple.
And also... she was really pretty!
An inexplicable sense of crisis welled up.
She walked over to Baobao. "Hey, new girl. Feng Baobao, right?"
Baobao stopped digging, looked up at her with those blank eyes, and nodded.
"What are you digging holes here for?"
"Boss said!" Baobao pointed at Cloud. "If anyone who won't behave comes to make trouble later... bury 'em here."
Mai: "..."
She glanced at the freshly-dug pit on the lawn—sized exactly right to fit someone her build—and felt a chill run down her spine.
This airheaded girl... seems kind of dangerous!
Just then, Terry and Ryo arrived, having heard the news.
When they saw Cloud's two new teammates, their expressions mirrored Mai and Yuri's—shock, confusion, plus a hint of... sympathy.
"Cloud... this..." Terry scratched his head, unable to find the right words. "Your team's got a lot of... 'personality.'"
Ryo, however, had locked his gaze onto Commander Zuo, his eyes blazing with battle lust.
He could sense it—the man before him contained a pure, refined martial will forged through a hundred battles!
This was a true master!
"Identify yourself, stranger! Will you face me in combat?!" Ryo's fighting DNA had awakened.
Commander Zuo glanced at him, his eyes still as an ancient well, and slowly spoke four words: "Defeated foes merit no boasts."
In his view, Ryo's aura was impressive, but ultimately still mortal. The man didn't even have any demonic energy. Hardly worth crossing blades with.
Ryo: "..."
He felt like he'd just taken massive psychic damage.
...
After a chaotic "meet and greet," Cloud's pre-tournament training officially began.
And his sparring partners upgraded from "solo queue" or "duo queue" to a luxurious "all-star rotation."
Morning: Ryo and Terry tag-teamed him in a brutal two-on-one beat-down.
"Cloud! Your Absolute Domain has raw power, but your control is garbage!" Ryo's fists crashed into Cloud like battering rams, each impact producing a meaty thud. "Make it your armor! Your weapon!"
"And your speed!" Terry's shadow flickered like a ghost to Cloud's flank, slamming down with a Power Dunk. "Stop relying on your Domain's suppression! Make your body match your mind! Match your Domain's rhythm!"
Under the two masters' relentless "force-feeding," Cloud's strength rocketed upward at visible speed!
Seven days later, when he faced their combined assault again, he could hold out for half an hour without losing!
[Ding! Through high-intensity combat tempering, Host's power control has significantly improved! Absolute Domain has advanced to 10%!]
Cloud felt the energy within him—more solid now, more responsive—and his heart swelled with joy.
After training, Terry and Ryo watched the gasping but increasingly bright-eyed Cloud, their faces showing both approval and... a touch of envy.
"This kid... is a monster." Terry chugged a beer, shaking his head. "When I first touched the threshold of 'that realm,' it took me three whole years. He reaches it in days and improves this fast?"
"Extraordinary talent. Will of steel." Even Ryo gave rare high praise. "And his style is wild—completely unorthodox. Perhaps... he could reach heights we never have."
Cloud, overhearing their conversation, wandered over curiously. "Bros, this 'realm' you're talking about—that's Absolute Domain, right? What level are you two at?"
Terry and Ryo exchanged a glance. Then an aura far more vast and dense than Cloud's burst forth from both of them—there and gone in an instant!
Cloud felt like two mountains had just sandwiched him. Even breathing became difficult!
"Absolute Domain, 27%." Ryo said it like it was nothing special.
"We've been stuck at this level for a long time," Terry shrugged. "Going higher is astronomically hard. It requires deeper understanding of 'the world' and 'the laws.'"
Cloud's mind reeled.
27%!
No wonder the stronger he got, the more he could sense the crushing pressure from Ryo and Terry!
"Are there... people even stronger than you two?" Cloud couldn't help asking.
"Of course." Terry's expression turned serious.
"From what I know, the Kusanagi clan of Japan has a once-in-a-century genius named Kyo Kusanagi. He was born able to wield crimson flames. Rumor has it... he awakened Absolute Domain at age ten."
"And there's the Kusanagi's eternal rivals, the Yagami clan," Ryo added. "Their heir, Iori Yagami, is also a monster. His azure flames are even more sinister and dangerous than Kyo's. His true power... is unfathomable."
"Beyond them, the Kagura clan—the mysterious twin sisters. They're said to be even stronger than both of them!"
(Note: This is 1994 in the story. Maki Kagura hasn't been killed by Goenitz yet.)
"And there are many more powerhouses hidden around the world," Terry concluded. "The KOF tournament is the stage that gathers all these monsters together. So Cloud, don't get cocky just because you beat Billy. The real battle has only just begun."
Listening to these thunderous names, Cloud felt his fighting spirit ignite completely!
Kyo Kusanagi. Iori Yagami. The Kagura sisters...
He knew it wouldn't be long before he faced these "children of destiny" on that glorious stage!