152: Terrifying Might... The Awakening of the Three Heavenly Kings

The floating cannons brought by Zigui were weapons from a sci-fi world, and their technological level far surpassed the standards of this realm. That martial artist had never laid eyes on such weaponry before. Originally attempting to launch a sneak attack on Shermie, he ended up getting blasted squarely by Zigui, who harbored a desire to "tease the cat" regarding Shermie.

Floating cannons were energy-based weapons. If an ordinary person were to take a direct hit from such a blast, certain death would ensue. However, the martial artists of the King of Fighters world possessed exceptionally robust physiques. Although the fighter who took the hit was blasted flying out of the arena, he did not die instantly. Instead, he suffered severe injuries and vomited blood, glaring at Zigui with eyes blazing with fury.

"Protest, a serious protest!" That martial artist's companion immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "A sneak attack outside the arena! This is a severe foul!"

The audience stands were also in an uproar, and fruit peels and paper scraps instantly rained down on Zigui like snowflakes:

"Where did this scoundrel come from? Does he know anything about the rules?!"

"A sneak attack from outside the arena! Are you trying to frame Shermie?"

"Country bumpkin, get lost!"

Mutou and the others turned their heads away, adopting expressions as if they did not know Zigui at all... This fellow was far too disgraceful; surely even a three-year-old child knew that sneak attacks outside the arena were strictly prohibited in a tournament of this caliber.

However, Zigui's action was not entirely without effect. At the very least, when Shermie looked at Zigui, her eyes were filled with amusement... Yet, the referee immediately made an announcement: "Someone, throw this troublemaker out of the arena! Because of the outside-the-arena sneak attack, Shermie is disqualified from this match. This round can only proceed with Chris and Yashiro Nanakase entering the stage."

Yashiro Nanakase shot Zigui a cold glance, leaped onto the platform, and replaced Shermie. Mutou knew that before awakening, although Yashiro was not particularly prominent among the multitude of martial arts masters, his grappling, throwing skills, and defensive abilities were the finest among all fighters. Therefore, he focused his attention on watching Yashiro's movements.

Just then, a group of security guards approached to escort Zigui out. However, Mutou invoked the name of Chizuru Kagura, and since the guards already knew they were recommended by the Kagura family to enter the top thirty-two, they did not make things too difficult for them. They merely warned Zigui not to interfere with the tournament again. Zigui grinned broadly and nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself: *If it weren't to win Shermie's favor, this lord wouldn't even be bothered to make a move. That being said, this little lady is truly difficult to handle...*

Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, he saw that Shermie had already stepped down from the ring and was resting in the competitor spectator area. With a cheeky grin plastered across his face, he sauntered right over. Mutou watched Zigui's lecherous appearance, pressed a hand to his forehead, and sighed, "It's over. This guy has completely fallen under the spell of that witch."

Gu Feng patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't you worry. On the surface, Zigui acts all boisterous and carefree, but in reality, he is exceptionally intelligent. He will definitely not be in any danger."

Mutou nodded and sighed, "I certainly hope so!"

......

After the KOF 97 tournament entered the top thirty-two stage, the enthusiasm of the spectators visibly soared. Especially when renowned powerhouse teams took the field, the venue became an absolute sea of people. Some fans emulated Zigui by holding up homemade banners to express their adoration for certain individuals. Among the male fighters, Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi were the most prominent, while among the female fighters, Athena Asamiya and Mai Shiranui enjoyed the greatest popularity.

Of course, the one who profited the most from all this was Mutou. The "Copying Technique" talent of the Divine Dragon King that he had acquired made massive gains over these past few days, successfully duplicating the ultimate techniques of renowned martial artists... naturally, excluding those specific skills that required innate supernatural power.

Following several days of matches, Mutou's team also surged into the top eight as the dark horse of the tournament. However, Mutou himself had not stepped into the ring even once; the bald man had handled every single match single-handedly, and every victory had been a three-versus-one sweep... The bald man possessed the power of the Earth, and unless he ran into fighters wielding sacred treasures like Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, or Chizuru Kagura, who possibly could be his match?

Just as Mutou and his companions advanced triumphantly into the top eight, Zigui pulled out all the stops, and his relationship with Shermie progressed by leaps and bounds—it had even reached the point where he could openly wrap his arm around Shermie's slender waist in public, beaming with delight from ear to ear.

Watching Zigui's intimate display with Shermie, Mutou secretly sighed, "We've reached the semi-finals now. If I remember correctly, the Heavenly Kings are going to awaken very soon!"

"How do they awaken? What is the trigger?" Ludao Xuan suddenly asked Mutou.

This question caught Mutou off guard. After recalling memories for a moment, he said, "It seems... Shermie, Chris, and Yashiro Nanakase are killed together by Kyo Kusanagi and the others. Afterward, the three of them are resurrected in a dark spatial realm, gaining the Orochi power to manipulate natural forces. The three of them reach a degree that shocks everyone—Dark Power 91% to Dark Power 99%—but ultimately, they are overwhelmed and killed by a joint assault from the martial artists. Chris is killed by Kyo Kusanagi, and Shermie appears to be killed by Benimaru Nikaido."

"You mean their awakenings all happen after death?" Ludao Xuan asked.

Mutou nodded.

"However, look at Yashiro Nanakase!"

Hearing this, Mutou perplexedly looked toward Yashiro, who was standing together with Chris and Shermie. This glance was startling, and he suddenly noticed something he had constantly overlooked... A heavy, oppressive power of the earth had somehow appeared around Yashiro, and his gaze grew increasingly frigid.

"Ah! Yashiro... has awakened!" Mutou abruptly stood up and roared, "Zigui, get back here quickly!"

At this moment, everyone's gaze was concentrated on the list of matchups for the top eight. For a moment, the arena was quieter than ever before. Mutou's loud roar caused people to turn their heads in surprise. Before Zigui fully understood what was happening, he abruptly felt the wind and clouds churning around the stadium, and a tremendous aura erupted from the body of Yashiro Nanakase beside him.

"The match... the matches!" Ludao Xuan muttered softly, "It is negative emotion... Combat and tournaments inevitably breed hatred, jealousy, and resentment—these so-called negative feelings. These weaknesses of human nature can also be regarded as dark energy. And within the arena, this dark energy continuously expands, ultimately triggering the awakening of the Heavenly Kings."

Accompanied by Ludao Xuan's words, earth-shaking changes also occurred in Chris and Shermie, their gazes growing even colder. Chris extended a single hand, and a purple hellfire danced upon his palm. Shermie raised both hands above her head and clapped her palms together, causing a bolt of lightning to descend from the sky, shattering a stone pillar in the arena into dust... Such formidable thunder-and-lightning power.

Zigui's jaw dropped in astonishment, only to see Shermie ignore him completely as she walked over to stand by Yashiro and Chris, gazing coldly at the martial artists present.

Everyone remaining in the arena at this point consisted of the top eight martial artists, who were also the prominent plot characters familiar to Mutou, such as Chizuru Kagura, Mai Shiranui, Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, and Andy Bogard. Because the tournament format utilized three-person teams, the top eight actually comprised twenty-four plot characters.

While Zigui was still in a daze, he suddenly felt his body tighten, followed by being yanked by a colossal force. His vision went black, then bright, and he found himself standing right beside Mutou. It was presumably Gu Feng who had pulled him over using spatial power.

"I was careless!" Mutou said with a grave expression, "The circumstances of their awakening are completely different from the plot synopsis!"

"What plot synopsis?" The question came from Chizuru Kagura. "I had originally arranged for Kyo Kusanagi to duel them and take the opportunity to kill them, but who could have expected them to awaken prematurely? It seems we need to revise our plan!" The blood flowing within Chizuru's veins told her that the enemy she had been waiting for had finally appeared.

"No need for a plan!" Kyo Kusanagi stepped forward, flames already blazing furiously on his palms. "Let's stick to the original arrangement; I will step up and kill them myself!"

Chizuru pondered for a brief moment and said, "Very well, I will arrange for the security guards to evacuate the crowd, and we shall strike together!"

Hearing their discussion, Mutou hastily interjected, "Wait, these three must not be killed... or rather, they cannot be killed!"

Hearing him say this, everyone's gazes converged on him. Mai Shiranui asked, "Mr. Mutou, the Orochi clan is cold-blooded and merciless, intending to wipe out humanity and rebuild a new world. Why can't they be killed?!"

Mutou shrugged and said, "Because after they die, Orochi can use the power of the three of them to transform into a physical entity, using Chris's body to form Orochi's physical vessel!"

"Ah!" Hearing this, Chizuru Kagura was stunned for a moment. "Then what should we do? We surely cannot just let them run amok?!"

Kyo Kusanagi withdrew the flames on his hands and stared fixedly at Mutou. "How do you know that?"

His question implied how Mutou knew that Orochi would be resurrected after these three were killed. Mutou froze for a second, only then remembering that these martial artists did not know how Orochi reincarnated. Just as he was searching for an excuse to explain, he heard Ludao Xuan transmit via the plane system: "Do not stop them. Let Orochi be resurrected!"

Mutou immediately recalled Ludao Xuan's plan and stated, "We can only kill them and then deal with Orochi afterwards!"

Kyo Kusanagi let out a cold snort as the flames on his hands flared once more, preparing to charge forward. Zigui, meanwhile, pulled at Mutou and whispered in a low voice, "Must they die? I mean... what about Shermie...?"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a cool, aloof voice: "Anger, hatred, despair, murderous intent... A negative atmosphere envelops this place." A silver-haired young man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was the awakened Yashiro Nanakase.

Chizuru gazed at the three composed individuals and said indifferently, "The Heavenly Kings of the Orochi clan!"

"Bingo!" Shermie said in a playful tone. "We are the Three Heavenly Kings of the Orochi Hakkesshu. Surely we don't need to introduce ourselves; the ancestral blood flowing in your veins has already told you who we are."

Watching the rapidly escalating auras of the three awakened individuals, Chizuru Kagura abruptly felt her eyelids twitch imperceptibly. One of her hands slowly moved to rest against her chest, where her family's heirloom sacred treasure, the Yata Mirror, rested.

"Ah!" Seeing the three of them exude such astonishing auras, the martial artists present cried out in alarm, beads of sweat gradually trickling down some of their foreheads. The red-clothed youth, Chris, observed this, placed an index finger to the corner of his lips, and laughed mockingly, "Martial artists of this world, haven't you been waiting for us all along? Why do you seem to be getting scared?"

"Scared? That was only to be expected. Today will go down in history; our clan leader Orochi is about to be resurrected!" the silver-haired Yashiro Nanakase roared up toward the sky.