Round of 16. Drawing ceremony.
When two team portraits slowly collided on the big screen—
The entire venue erupted in thunderous cheers!
Ikari Warriors VS K's Team!
Here it was!
Another matchup full of talking points!
On one side: the "Iron Blood Legion" with strict military discipline and tough style!
On the other: the "Rebellious Flame" full of mysteries, along with his "bizarre Avengers" squad composed of "best friend" and "fanboy"!
But the most eye-catching focus of this matchup wasn't on the established fighters.
It was... two newcomers.
The Ikari Warriors' "Queen of the Whip"—Whip.
The Protagonist Team's "Heart of Crimson Flame"—K.
For some reason, when the broadcast put their close-ups on the big screen simultaneously—
Everyone felt a... strange, fate-like connection.
"These... these two look kind of... like a married couple?"
"Poster above, what nonsense! They obviously look like siblings! Look at their matching 'I don't care about the whole world' cool expressions!"
"I don't care! I just know this match is going to be great!"
...
In the contestant seats.
The moment K saw Whip's photo, his body gave a violent shudder!
Deep in his brain, in that sea of memories that had been altered and locked away, a small ripple suddenly arose.
A blurry figure with orange short hair flashed through his memory fragments.
"Seirah..."
A strange name slipped uncontrollably from his lips in a whisper.
His head began to throb violently.
"K! What's wrong?!" Maxima beside him immediately supported him nervously.
"...I'm fine." K shook his head and shrugged off Maxima's hand, but his eyes stared fixedly at Whip's dashing face on the big screen, filled with confusion, searching, and a trace of... closeness.
That woman...
I... must have seen her somewhere!
...
Match day.
First bout: Ralf vs. Benimaru Nikaido.
A clash between "brute force" and "pretty boy."
Ralf's "Galactica Phantom" was overwhelmingly powerful—one punch could leave a deep imprint on the alloy stage.
Benimaru, on the other hand, moved nimbly like a dancing butterfly, each dodge drawing waves of screams from female fans below.
In the end, Benimaru won by a narrow margin.
...
Second bout: Clark vs. Maxima.
A clash between "Sunglasses Man" and "Modified Mech Man."
Also an ultimate collision between "Grappling King" and "Steel Fortress."
Clark's "Ultra Argentine Backbreaker" could snap a tank in half.
But Maxima's body was hard as vibranium—no matter how Clark attacked, he couldn't budge him an inch.
In the end, Maxima barely won through superior defense and endurance.
Score: one to one.
The decisive third bout was about to begin.
...
"Finally... my turn."
K slowly walked onto the stage.
His eyes didn't look at his upcoming opponent, but across the entire stage, fixed on that silent woman holding a long whip in the Ikari Warriors' camp.
On the Ikari side.
Heidern glanced at Whip and said in a deep voice: "Whip, you're up."
"Yes!"
Whip also walked onto the stage.
Two young people equally full of mysteries, equally troubled by their "past," finally stood on the same stage.
Their eyes met.
The air seemed to freeze in that moment.
"You..." K spoke first, his voice hoarse. "Have we... met somewhere before?"
Hearing this, Whip's hawk-like sharp eyes flickered slightly.
Her face remained soldier-like cold, but inside, a storm was raging.
Of course she knew who this defiant youth burning with crimson flames before her was.
She knew his past better than anyone else in this world.
But she couldn't say.
Because—orders.
"I don't know you." Whip's voice was cold as a Siberian wind.
"Is that so?" A flash of disappointment crossed K's eyes, but even more—unwillingness.
"Then..."
Crimson flames blazed fiercely around his body!
"—Let me use these fists to help you... remember!"
...
Match start!
K charged like an enraged leopard, taking the initiative!
At blinding speed, he closed in on Whip, a short punch aimed straight at her heart!
But Whip advanced instead of retreating!
The long whip "Voodoo" in her hand shot out like a serpent leaving its hole—whoosh—coiling toward K's wrist!
"—Codename: BB! Boomerang Slash!"
In an instant, red flames and brown whip shadows intertwined on the stage!
One—bold and powerful, full of violent destructive force!
The other—agile and tricky, full of precise control!
The two were actually... evenly matched!
"This woman... so strong!" K grew more alarmed as they fought.
He found that her whip technique seemed to have eyes! Every time, it could precisely predict his attack path, then interrupt his offense from extremely tricky angles!
And Whip's heart was equally turbulent.
She could clearly feel that K's flames, though violent, were full of openings.
It was a kind of... "rejection reaction" where power and body couldn't perfectly coordinate.
Like someone who'd just had a new arm transplanted—though they had the arm, they couldn't control it as naturally as their own.
"Your flames aren't your own!"
After an intense exchange, the two temporarily separated, and Whip suddenly spoke.
Her voice was still cold, but carried a trace of barely perceptible complexity.
K's body stiffened violently!
"What... what nonsense are you spouting?!"
"I'm not spouting nonsense." Whip looked at him, those sharp eyes seeming to pierce his soul. "This power, for you, is like... clothes that don't fit. While it protects you, it's also... constantly hurting you."
"Every time you use it, your body is screaming."
"—SHUT UP!!!"
K's reverse scale had been touched again!
He let out a beast-like roar!
"What do you know?! You don't know anything!!!"
He had completely... lost himself to madness!
...
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