150: Learning skills... Photocopying technique activated.

Three days later, in the quiet backroom of Chizuru Kagura’s estate, a ninja handed several photographs to Chizuru. The pictures showed a man and a woman. Had Mu Tou been there, he would have instantly recognized the man as Zigui, while the woman beside him was tall and slender, her features largely obscured by flowing locks of hair. Judging merely by her facial contours, figure, and Zigui’s lovestruck expression, she appeared to be an peerless beauty.

"My Lord, according to our investigation, these individuals appeared abruptly three days ago, with no prior immigration or entry records on file. The man in the photograph separated from the rest of the group near Ginza in Tokyo, after which he frequented a bar alone and struck up a relationship with this woman. Our intelligence indicates that her name is Shermie. She is a participant in the current tournament, proficient in grappling techniques, and possesses innate lightning manipulation abilities."

"It's her?" Chizuru Kagura exclaimed in shock. She knew this woman well, as Shermie was one of the Hakkeshū, the Heavenly Kings of the Orochi clan. "What is their true objective? Their origins are shrouded in such mystery, yet one of them actually went so far as to contact the Orochi clan!" Chizuru’s mind churned with turbulent waves. "Given their formidable strength, if they stand on our side, it will undoubtedly be a tremendous boon for sealing Orochi. However, if they instead aid the Orochi clan, the situation will become perilous in the extreme."

After a prolonged silence, Chizuru issued a command to the ninja: "Go. Investigate every single move that man has made over the past three days. Furthermore, I need the most detailed dossier on them since their appearance!"

"Understood!" The ninja bowed and retreated into the shadows. Lost in thought for a moment, Chizuru picked up a small brass bell from the low table and gently chimed it, prompting a maidservant to enter.

"Immediately dispatch someone to the Kyo Kusanagi household. Invite Mr. Kyo Kusanagi, Mr. Benimaru Nikaido, and Mr. Goro Daimon to come here together. Tell them there is a matter of utmost importance that requires our joint consultation."

"Understood!" The maid bowed and withdrew.

"Sister, I truly worry that they might turn out to be our enemies!" Chizuru addressed the empty room.

A pleasant voice resonated through the spacious chamber: "Surely not. Otherwise, the moment you first met them, they would have joined forces against you... Still, their backgrounds are indeed unfathomably mysterious. It is always wise to be prepared for any eventuality. Proceed according to your own judgment... Ideally, you should invite Mr. Iori Yagami to the shrine as well. With him and Kyo here, we will have a much greater margin of victory even if combat breaks out."

Chizuru nodded silently and said no more.

***

Inside the King of Fighters arena, Mu Tou watched the matches on stage with intense concentration. The round of thirty-two had already commenced, and the first group to take the stage consisted of Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, and Yuri Sakazaki.

These three were top-tier martial artists in the King of Fighters world, particularly Ryo and Robert, who likely had few rivals outside of Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi. Unfortunately, their opponents were utterly mediocre. Robert alone effortlessly kicked all three opposing fighters off the stage.

However, Robert had a penchant for showing off. Even though he was merely facing unknown and obscure fighters, he unleashed his flashy ultimate techniques in rapid succession: the *Kyokugen-ryū Ryū-hanchū*, the *Ryūgeki Ken*, the *Hien Senpū Kyaku*, the *Kyokugen-ryū Rengū Kyaku*, the *Ryūzantsō*, and the *Hien Ryūjin Kyaku* were all put on display. Most hilariously, at one point when he was about to knock his opponent off the stage, he deliberately grabbed the man, steadied him on the platform, and then executed the Grade-A technique *Ryūko Ranbu*, leaving his opponent completely dizzy and disoriented. Finally, he finished him off with another Grade-A technique, the *Muon Jinpū Chōdan Kyaku*, booting him clear off the stage. The poor fellow had been beaten so badly out of shape that even his own mother probably wouldn't have recognized him.

This, however, turned out to be a massive windfall for Mu Tou. His Dragon King talent, "Photographic Replication," allowed him to master Robert’s moves to absolute perfection—excluding only the *Haoh Shokoken*, though Mu Tou cared little for that technique anyway. The destructive power of his own "Particle Wave" skill was likely no less than that technique, while the advanced version of "Particle Wave," known as "Particle Super-Imposition," probably rivaled Orochi’s "Black Particles."

Meanwhile, Andy Bogard—Mai Shiranui’s fiancé—and his teammates also had their matches on scheduled that day. Coincidentally, they too encountered a team of obscure fighters, with the Muay Thai champion Joe Higashi stepping up to easily sweep three opponents and secure victory.

Mu Tou shook his head and muttered, "There's something fishy going on here. I checked the tournament brackets, and there are hardly any matchups between powerhouse teams. I suppose we won't see any real clashes of titans until the top sixteen or top eight."

Lu Daoxuan chimed in, "It seems Miss Kagura made arrangements well in advance. If the powerhouse teams exhausted each other prematurely, whom could she rely on to contribute when sealing Orochi?"

Mu Tou nodded, acknowledging the logic in that assessment. Since neither Mu Tou nor his companions had matches scheduled for that day, and seeing no other renowned fighters on the roster, Mu Tou summoned the driver assigned by Chizuru and headed straight back. Little did they know, someone within the Kagura household was already waiting for them...

At that very moment, in Chizuru's quiet room, several individuals sat kneeling upon the tatami mats, quietly listening to the report delivered by a ninja below.

"My Lord, we have discovered that their companion is named Zigui. However, this man apparently did not know her previously; he simply happened to hear Shermie singing in a bar and became utterly infatuated with her. Intelligence analysis suggests this individual is attempting to woo Shermie—he goes to listen to her sing every evening, sends flower baskets, and even presents her with extravagantly expensive gifts."

"Yet, none of these efforts have moved Shermie. However, the night before last, as Shermie was leaving the bar, she was ambushed by several mysterious individuals. Subsequent investigations revealed that these figures were cyborgs belonging to the NESTS organization, possessing formidable combat strength. Shermie proved unable to withstand their combined assault. At that critical juncture, Zigui suddenly appeared and forced the cyborgs into retreat using a bizarre weapon, thereby saving Shermie."

"Wait, that's strange!" interjected a young man with blonde hair and a slender physique—none other than Benimaru Nikaido. "Aren't Shermie, Chris, and Yashiro Nanakase closely associated? Why weren't they together?"

"That remains unknown. It just so happened that Shermie was heading home alone that evening when she was intercepted by the NESTS cyborgs. They had likely been tracking her for quite some time!"

"Hmm!?" Benimaru nodded thoughtfully. At that exact moment, a maid knocked on the door and announced, "My Lord, they have returned."

"Heh, perfect! I've been wanting to test just how strong they really are, considering how cautious Miss Kagura has been about them!" Benimaru declared, extending his hand as visible arcs of electricity crackled across his skin.

"My Lord, our investigations suggest that these individuals pose very little threat!" the ninja suddenly interjected.

Chizuru and the others looked startled. "Why is that?" they asked.

The ninja explained, "We uncovered a specific detail: after these five individuals appeared, they took a taxi. According to the driver, that particular man—Mr. Chen Mu—was exceptionally generous with his money, possessed a gentle disposition, and is thoroughly a good person."

This revelation left Chizuru and the others momentarily dumbfounded. "That doesn't prove much," one of them remarked.

The ninja continued, "Our inquiries indicate that this Mr. Chen Mu is indeed mild-natured by character and not one given to violence or aggression. This contrasts sharply with the cold-blooded ruthlessness characteristic of the Orochi clan. Therefore, we deduce that they likely have no ties to the Orochi clan."

Benimaru picked up his cup of fragrant tea, took a sip, and said, "Regardless of whether they have ties or not, I'm going to test their strength firsthand!" With that, he glanced at the others, seeing slight nods of agreement from all present.

Consequently, Mu Tou and his companions, having just returned to the Kagura estate, were invited by a maidservant to the back garden. As they stepped onto the grounds, they spotted four figures standing quietly beneath an ancient tree. One of them was Chizuru Kagura, while the other three caused Mu Tou to start in surprise: "Kyo Kusanagi, Goro Daimon, and Benimaru Nikaido!?"

Those three were equally startled. "You must be Chen Mu, right? Do you know us?" they asked curiously.

Mu Tou offered a faint smile. "The three of you are renowned martial artists. I imagine very few in the fighting world do not recognize you!"

Benimaru smiled lightly. "Since we are all people of the martial arts world, allow me to experience your prowess firsthand!" As he spoke, he lunged forward, trailing crackling arcs of lightning, and executed a signature lightning kick directly toward Mu Tou.

Mu Tou hurriedly dodged, intending to speak, but Benimaru shouted, "Defend yourself! I won't hold back!" Mid-sentence, he leaped into the air, spinning his body to deliver a downward axe kick—the *Spinning Knee Drop*.

Mu Tou frowned slightly and called out, "Careful!" Spotting an opening, he countered with a back-flip kick, executing Robert’s *Ryū-hanchū*. The moment he unleashed the technique, everyone present let out a soft murmur of surprise. With their profound experience, they instantly recognized the origin of the move and thought to themselves, "Could he have some connection to Robert?"

Before they could ponder further, Mu Tou followed up with a *Tora-haokyaku* (Tiger Destruction Kick). This caught even Benimaru off guard; narrowly avoiding the blow, he leapt backward and shouted, "Wait, how do you know—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Mu Tou pressed the attack with *Ryū-rensa* (Dragon Chain Fangs). Annoyed that Benimaru had resorted to violence without warning, and figuring that such top-tier martial artists were hard to come by under normal circumstances, Mu Tou decided to use him as a sparring partner. He launched a relentless offensive that forced Benimaru to concentrate fully on defense, leaving him no time to speak.

Watching the two exchange rapid blows and kicks, Chizuru, Kyo, and Goro stood by dumbfounded.

"This young man is bizarre!" Goro remarked. "In his attacks, he used techniques belonging to Robert, Sie Kensou, and Joe Higashi. While these moves are not strictly unmentionable secrets, they are each personally comprehended and cultivated through individual training, with no history of being taught to outsiders. Could he be a master thief of martial arts?"

"No!" Kyo’s gaze grew increasingly intense as he watched Mu Tou. "That is definitely not stolen skill. The way he executes those techniques is as though they have been tempered a thousand times over, and the timing and positioning are grasped with absolute precision—even the original creators of those moves would find it hard to surpass this."

Chizuru nodded in agreement. "Indeed. If this individual turns out to be an ally, all is well. But if he is an enemy..." A flicker of worry marred her lovely face.

By this point, the outcome of the spar was becoming clear. Benimaru was forced into continuous retreat, unable to block much longer, prompting Kyo to narrow his eyes and prepare to step into the fray...