The final match of the King of Fighters tournament officially began.
However, due to the riot from yesterday, the venue for today's finals was nearly empty, with only a few fighters present.
The eight winning teams, along with the other teams that had already been eliminated, were supposed to be here, but some were either too injured or had been killed.
Though yesterday's riot was a direct confrontation between the Three Sacred Artifacts factions and the Celestial God tribe, the adventurers didn't care about such things as rules.
Innocent bystanders? They thrived on involving innocent bystanders! If they didn't cause chaos, how else would they gather spoils of war?
Don't even mention the unrelated fighters! If they had the chance, they'd strike even at their own fighters!
Inside the massive coliseum, fighters gathered together, speaking in hushed tones.
Almost everyone had been attacked yesterday, and the attackers had formidable strength.
If it hadn't been for Kagura Chihiro's foresight in requesting backup from the security forces, warning the fighters, and even sending her own adventurers to hunt down the attackers, the number of casualties yesterday would have been far higher.
Just as the fighters were discussing the matter, footsteps suddenly echoed, and a graceful figure appeared on the high platform.
It was the host of this tournament—Kagura Chihiro.
Seeing the main figure appear, the fighters below all looked up.
Under the spotlight, Kagura Chihiro, dressed in a miko robe and wearing a serious expression, finally spoke in a solemn tone.
"Everyone, we meet again. I have visited each of you individually and informed you of the Celestial God tribe's evil scheme. Now, I'm sure you've all felt their brutality and terror firsthand. I've gathered you here for this tournament to unite our forces and fight together to stop the revival of the Orochi and prevent the world's destruction!"
After Kagura Chihiro finished speaking, there was complete silence below. The fighters didn't speak a word in support.
Seeing this, Kagura Chihiro couldn't help but roll her eyes and quickly added a few more words.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to help for free. If you're willing to lend a hand, there will be a reward of three million dollars per person once we succeed. Furthermore, Goenitz is an extremely powerful opponent—far beyond ordinary strength. Do you know Rugal, the arrogant arms dealer? His eyes were taken by Goenitz, and it only took three moves. I'm sure facing such a powerhouse, you all want to challenge him, don't you?"
Saving the world? Maintaining justice? Don't joke! We're not three-year-olds or Japanese high school students! Who would fall for that?
There was no use in talking nonsense. Kagura Chihiro didn't expect to convince anyone just by words.
Her approach was simple and straightforward—throw money at them, or alternatively, offer the chance to challenge a master fighter.
Money plus the opportunity to fight—it was an irresistible temptation for any fighter.
At least for the fighters present, they were now completely intrigued.
Three million dollars was no small amount, especially when combined with the chance to challenge a top-tier opponent—it was a double win.
Fighters weren't all wealthy; in fact, most of them were quite poor and had to take on side jobs.
Their main occupation was fighting, essentially an upgraded version of street toughs.
Their side jobs varied—some worked as singers, martial arts school owners, or bar owners.
Others worked as boxers, street singers, or even bodyguards and thugs.
Kagura Chihiro's offer was spot on—it gave the fighters face and provided them with a solid excuse to fight.
The fighters below started whispering to each other, nodding in agreement, clearly enticed by Kagura Chihiro's invitation.
The discussions grew louder as they began finding various excuses to join the action.
Some spoke of challenging strong opponents, saving the world, maintaining justice, or avenging friends. There were many reasons, but not one of them mentioned money—after all, talking about money would make them seem shameless.
Just as more and more fighters were warming up to Kagura Chihiro's offer, causing her to smile, the entire coliseum suddenly shook violently.
Feeling this, everyone turned in confusion, and Kagura Chihiro's face changed. She looked up sharply at the sky.
She understood! The enemy had arrived!
A terrifying wind howled, and even the clouds in the sky rapidly spiraled into a vortex!
Amidst the ear-piercing wind, a massive tornado swiftly formed, enveloping the entire coliseum!
Buildings on the edges were ruthlessly torn apart, and debris and building fragments flew through the air!
An artificial disaster had appeared out of nowhere, much to the shock of everyone watching!
At the center of the tornado, in the heart of the storm, a middle-aged man wearing a modified priest's robe and a short haircut, with a gentle smile on his face, descended from the sky riding the wind.
The leader of the Eight Heroes, the Wind Master Goenitz, had arrived!
The Eight Heroes represented eight types of disasters.
The Four Heavenly Kings represented Earth, Wind, Thunder, and Fire, symbolizing natural calamities.
The Four Lesser Heavenly Kings—Beast, Death, Madness, and Darkness—represented man-made disasters.
Once the bloodlines of these eight heroes were fully awakened, the user would not only gain terrifying combat strength but also the ability to control both natural disasters and man-made catastrophes!
The tornado now was a perfect example of this!
The fierce wind appeared, and everything was destroyed. Hakkesshu, the Wind Master, had arrived!
"Everyone, no need to search for me. If you wish to stop my lord's revival, we can settle all grudges here," Goenitz said, landing gently next to Kagura Chihiro, who was staring at him with hatred while backing away cautiously, her hands clutching a Bible. He turned to face her, his expression as serene as ever, his voice warm.
"Just as my lord's revival requires energy—vast quantities of it—since you all insist on defying the gods, let your souls be the sacrifice!"
Before his words had even died away, a cacophony of footsteps erupted as a horde of adventurers burst from the tornado, charging forward with murderous intent.
At the sight of this, Kagura Chihiro's own adventurers hastily drew their weapons to halt the oncoming tide.
The fighters huddled together, faces ashen with panic. They had believed Kagura's warning about Goenitz's strength to be mere superstition—some charlatan or cult leader at most. Who could have imagined he truly wielded godlike power? How could mere mortals hope to stand against such might?
Watching the fighters' terror, Goenitz narrowed his eyes with a faint smile and spoke quietly, "I'll give you one last chance: leave now. Do not involve yourselves in our war, and do not needlessly risk your lives. This is my final mercy."
As he spoke, the tornado tore open a gap, revealing the outside world.
"If you refuse this last offer," he continued, "then perish within this storm, leaving no trace of your bones."
Kagura Chihiro could afford to hire many reinforcements with her wealth. Goenitz, though penniless, commanded the power to control natural disasters. He refused to believe that, faced with a cataclysm, every fighter would willingly embrace death for a slogan.
Which mattered more—money or life? He trusted they could tell the difference, especially once they saw the tornado.
Sure enough, Goenitz's prediction held true. Not only did the fighters break and flee, but many opportunistic adventurers who had sneaked in for easy spoils turned pale and ran at the sight of the tornado.
Within moments, the crowd that had once pressed in like a black tide was reduced to less than one tenth its size. Those who remained were either supremely fearless or utterly desperate gamblers on death's whims.
Smiling at the handful of warriors left behind, Goenitz raised his hand to close the tornado. His face darkened as he spoke in a low voice, "Very well, let us continue this mythic war that has raged for millennia! Kill!"
No sooner had Goenitz spoken than his adventurers surged forward in a frenzy. Among them were fighters he had recruited over the years—those who sought the Celestial God power or even to become members of the Celestial tribe—each one formidable.
Leading them were Matador and Weiss, who, having awakened the Heavenly Bloodline, were now true top-tier martial artists.
Seeing them strike, the remaining fighters and adventurers exchanged a glance and, without hesitation, charged as well.
On the arena floor, amid the swirling tornado, the two forces clashed at last!
Rubble flew as Goenitz lunged straight at Kagura Chihiro. Unfazed, she activated her ultimate trump card.
With her hands tracing a shape in the air, a pure-energy mirror materialized before her.
One of the Three Sacred Artifacts— the Eight-Foot Mirror!
Kagura Chihiro chose to wield the artifact directly. In a flash, her body split into multiple images, each dashing at Goenitz from a different angle.
In her earlier fight with Qin Ming, she had never fully unleashed the mirror. Back then she had been only a genius fighter of the Kagura clan, not truly its artifact guardian. But now, with the Eight-Foot Mirror in her hands, she was its rightful master.
Including her real form, there were eight images weaving around Goenitz. Each one was real, yet all were illusions. Each launched attacks and unleashed skills. Should any one of them land a strike, the victim would face a relentless storm of follow-up blows.
Under the mirror's spatial-binding power, anyone struck would be unable to use any ability, reduced to nothing more than a human punching bag.
Without the mirror, Kagura Chihiro was merely a special-ability first-rate fighter. With it, she became a genuine super first-rate warrior!
Yet even among equals, there were levels of strength. If the Eight-Foot Mirror's eightfold phantoms could truly defeat Goenitz, why would she have begged for help in the first place?
The mirror's eightfold illusion was indeed terrifying—but it served no purpose now.
For all eight of her images, not one could land a blow on Goenitz—master of the wind, whose very essence was speed.