Bright sunshine, gentle breeze, the air filled with the fragrance of grass and earth.
Several butterflies danced gracefully among the flower beds. From the mansion's speakers drifted the melody of Athena Asamiya's newest song.
Everything was so peaceful, so serenely idyllic.
As if that dimension-piercing, universe-restarting apocalyptic battle had been nothing but a bizarre daydream brought on by eating too much lunch.
"We're... back?" Terry Bogard touched his own face, then pinched Andy's thigh. Andy's pained yelp finally confirmed this wasn't an illusion.
"My god... I swear I'll never complain about training being hard again." Yuri Sakazaki patted her chest with lingering fear. "Compared to being eaten like candy by the final boss, practicing Haoh Shoukou Ken is practically heaven!"
Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, rivals who had loved and hated each other across centuries, now lay side by side on the lawn. Neither spoke—they just silently gazed at the cloudless azure sky.
Both were contemplating a profound philosophical question: those ultimate techniques they'd painstakingly mastered, transcending destiny itself—hadn't they failed to make even a decent "splash" in that battle?
This enormous sense of disparity dealt a tiny bit of damage to their proud warrior hearts.
Yet amid this post-apocalyptic atmosphere filled with "who am I, what should I do now" confusion, only one person stood out from the crowd.
Cloud was sprawled in his exclusive beach chair in the most comfortable "couch potato" pose, wearing sunglasses, holding a glass of cola with ice and lemon, contentedly enjoying the afternoon sunshine.
His presence had completely returned to that familiar, lazy ordinary-person vibe everyone knew.
Gone was the world-destroying divine might, gone was the law-penetrating aura.
If you hadn't witnessed it yourself, no one could connect this harmless-looking "boy-next-door" with the "Dimensional Sovereign" who had just hand-crafted a universe and turned an apocalyptic boss into a battery.
But if you looked closely at his eyes, you'd notice that deep within those pupils reflecting the blue sky and white clouds lay the slowly cycling birth and death of a stellar universe.
"Cloud!"
"Husband!"
"Darling~"
Calls of varying anxiety, joy, and allure broke the momentary peace.
Chizuru Kagura, Mai Shiranui, Kula, Leona, Shermie... The ladies of the harem squad, once they confirmed the crisis was truly over, immediately rushed toward that "culprit" leisurely drinking his cola from all directions, like swallows returning to their nest.
He opened his arms, embracing each rushing woman one after another, his face showing an incredibly satisfied and blissful smile.
Feeling those real, warm bodies in his arms, breathing in that reassuring mix of their various scents, the slight sense of emptiness and unreality from his recent ascension to "Dimensional Sovereign" was instantly filled.
What Dimensional Sovereign? What Universal Overlord? What Law Incarnation?
At this moment, none of it compared to the reality of holding them.
He took a deep breath, savoring this hard-won peace.
He knew that the Otoma=Raga incident had permanently "patched" this world.
That "cosmic gourmet's" essence had been converted into the most solid "dimensional barrier" and "backup energy" for this universe.
From now on, any cross-dimensional being with ill intentions would first have to consider whether they could gnaw through this "universe's toughest security door" forged from a "former cosmic sovereign."
The KOF world had achieved true peace.
Cloud gently pushed away the ladies who had already begun arguing about "who gets to sleep in the middle tonight," stood up, and walked to the lawn's edge.
His gaze traveled past his luxurious courtyard, past the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, toward that distant direction—where the story began—South Town.
He remembered his nervousness when he first arrived in this world, facing Rugal.
Remembered his first encounters with Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami.
Remembered fighting Orochi alongside the Sacred Treasures.
Remembered meeting K' and Kula in the NESTS base.
Remembered crossing paths with Ash and Elisabeth amid temporal paradoxes.
...
Battle after battle, encounter after encounter, face after vivid face flashed through his mind like a movie.
"Hah..."
He let out a long breath, a relieved smile on his face.
"This King of Fighters tournament is finally over."
Yes, it was over.
From KOF '94 to KOF XV, from street fighting to cosmic warfare—he had participated in it, witnessed it, and ended it with his own hands.
He looked back at the lively scene on the lawn.
Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, freshly upgraded by the harem squad, seemed to have embraced "friendship through fighting." They were actually sitting together, discussing how to use "Immaculate White Flames" for grilling meat and "Lunar Flames" for chilling beer—looking close enough to share pants.
Ryu and Haohmaru, these two "martial arts maniacs" from different worlds, were exchanging combat insights by comparing whose fist was bigger.
Ken and Robert, both "rich second-generation playboys," had their arms around each other's shoulders, sharing "pickup secrets" and "sports car collections," occasionally bursting into knowing masculine laughter.
Chun-Li and Chizuru Kagura, two women of exceptional grace, chatted like best friends about the troubles of managing a "big family," occasionally shooting Cloud "you know what I mean" glances.
Everything was so wonderful, so chaotically lively.
Cloud knew that the story belonging to "King of Fighters" had finally drawn its curtain.
...
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