I want to take a moment, once again, to just thank EVERYBODY involved in bringing this story the success it has. Robertcop, Illyrilex, my friend from the Tekken fandom dunkingman, LordryuTJ, Cascate, Linkonpark100, hyperomegasonic, the beautiful and brilliant Nanomemes.

I want to especially thank YuriChan220, who was kind enough to review some of the Kula chapters, heehee. Please check out Yuri's stories if you like Leona x Athena x Mai as a thing. Sometimes I write with YuriChan!

I want to give a shoutout to heii-lin... and I am so sorry to hear that things are not going right in your life still, my friend. This is certainly not the year for things going right. Please, just hold out for a good 2021. And, from the bottom of my heart... thank you for still taking time to pop in and review this story.

I want to give a shoutout to my new friend, WriterPerson78. This fellow is a GODSEND. My goal from the start of this has been to bring Adelheid Bernstein to the forefront, but my new friend here... is THE Adelheid aficionado. I mean it. This person is a fantastic Adelheid writer, and I implore you to check out their stories.

My final shoutout goes to Rex Madison, my dear friend, who has indefinitely called it quits on fanfiction. He was a good friend and a fantastic writer. Whatever you're doing now, Rex, I hope you're at peace. You left behind some wonderful stories.

Lastly, I want to mention that there are no OCs in this story except police officers, a few commentators, and Liam Brantner the humble janitor lol. You'd better have the SNK Wiki handy for the chapters to come, because WINTER IS COMING.

Enjoy the fights.

Lien hadn't been to Germany often: she'd taken a few jobs before, but as far as Munich... this place was a new, fresh experience for her. While it was true that she WAS on business... opportunity had presented itself for her to actually enjoy herself a little. There was the fact that she couldn't get INTO the Stadium, as tickets for Day 5 had sold out just like all the other days. She also realized that nighttime would be her best time to strike.

Thus... it wouldn't be the biggest sin for her to actually enjoy herself a little. Killing wasn't exactly a nervous thing for her; she'd done it so much, it felt like something she could do at any time, like taking out the trash.

Lien was currently en route to check out one of the many stores around the city. Everywhere she walked, her boots clacked... and the attention of every male gaze attracted to her. They knew the clacking of those boots meant that blonde woman was walking through, and their heads couldn't whip fast enough to capture the ridiculously abundant, swaying bosom that her yellow/black jumpsuit couldn't hope to contain.

Lien, obviously, didn't care the least bit about these people. As far as she was concerned, it was her best weapon: when eyes traveled there, their necks, hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys, jugulars, and all other precious parts... were left wide open.

"URRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Lien's brisk and pleasant walk was interrupted, as a pair of gigantic, beefy arms came down and threatened to smash the top of her head. The blonde girl was plenty agile enough to backflip to a safe distance, and her eyes scanned the impact point: the concrete was broken!

Curiosity piqued, she looked up to confirm the assailant, he was a HUGE, towering pile of muscles, clad in blue wrestling spandex. He had a brown mohawk, red face paint, and a crazy smile.

"And you are?" Lien calmly addressed the muscle man who attacked her.

The man flexed his arms proudly, his pectorals breathing with a life of their own. "Don't tell me you don't know me! Heh! Well allow me to educate you... I'm Abobo, and I'm not gonna let some big-titted camgirl STEAL MY THUNDER! HRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH...?!"

A black flash appeared out of nowhere... before the muscular Abobo was able to take another step forward, he was reduced to a frozen statue, his eyes looking forward, mouth agape...

...And he fell over. His eyes still open. Drool leaking from his mouth. Body twitching.

Lien was wise to keep her guard up, wary of the new presence. The dark figure made itself known to her, as he turned around to face her, the two fingers he used to defeat the giant, still glowing with a poisonous aura. His face was obscured halfway by a black mask, but he had an overall Chinese appearance, especially the long black braid he had in the back.

"Good timing there, but I didn't ask to be rescued. So don't go expecting a happy ending." Lien quickly shut down any delusions of grandeur the stranger might have.

The man seemed numb to her snark; he too kept his hands up, as he began to speak. "I'm here for the same reason you are. That wasn't so much a rescue, as it was mowing down the competition."

Lien, having looked at the man long enough, finally started to really recognize him. "You... I know you. Former Hizoku. One of the top dogs, am I right?"

"Lin." he offered his name. "And right now, I'm just an outcast, trying to keep my own life sustained. That's why this job is important to me... as I'm sure it is to you, Lien Neville."

Lien folded her arms. "It's not THAT important... but I won't say no to it. Money's money."

Lin looked down, at the body of Abobo, still twitching. "The contract has attracted many bad individuals here, trying to cash in on that 2.5 million. This man won't be the last of them. The longer you wait... the bigger the market will inflate."

Lien unfolded her arms, and her feet slightly spread... teasing a fighting stance. "Then perhaps you and I should try and get each other out of the way right now."

Lin shook his head. "I'm not looking for a match with you right now. Better for both of us to cut the lesser people out of the picture first. Improve our chances."

The blonde woman suddenly turned, motioning with her head to a vantage point up above. "In that case, since you're feeling so generous... want to take care of THAT?"

Nagase, who was chilling up high, put a finger under her eye and stuck out her tongue.


ROUND 3: FIGHT #3: MAI SHIRANUI VS BENIMARU NIKAIDO

In a moment of fascinating coincidence, the two survivors of the Battle Royale, who had earned their place back in the tournament... were slated to face each other. For one of the two redeemees... this meant the Battle Royale paid off BIG TIME, as they would secure a spot in the Quarterfinals.

Mai, not one to shirk an opportunity, was fighting to win; she quickly level changed, firing a deep sweep kick. As Benimaru evaded it, she spun around, and went mid with a back elbow. It still missed its target, and Mai spun around a SECOND time... this time, unleashing her bloodline chi.

"RYU EMBU!"

That attack particularly scared Benimaru, as he backed off considerably. (probably more worried about the Versace shirt he was sporting than anything)

Feeling the momentum in her favor, Mai tried to rush in with a forward cartwheel... but Benimaru timed her well, anticipating the exact moment she'd expose her midsection... and he lunged in, pumping a front kick that struck her dead in the stomach.

"Ouuuffffffff...!" Mai expelled air as she flopped backwards to the ground. Benimaru tried to close in... but Mai had a deadly surprise for him, as she spring-kicked upwards and nearly caught him on the chin. A timely sway by Beni avoided damage... but Mai backflipped back to her feet, which was the goal all along.

"Kachosen! KACHOSEN!" Mai threw out one fan, then followed with another. Benimaru kicked the first one out of mid-air, but the second one came too fast and he had to turn his body to take it on the bicep.

With a smirk, Mai took a fighting stance, reached into her cleavage... and kept her hand there?!

Beni's face turned quizzical, as he watched Mai standing there... hand between her breasts. It was the weirdest fighting stance he'd ever seen. And he'd seen some WEIRD ones in his long tenure.

With a shrug, Benimaru stepped in with a lunging leg kick; Mai lifted her shin and checked it, persuading Beni to throw a hand strike next.

Which he did. "RAIJINKEN!"

Mai smirked, as she watched his fist glow with electricity, and he tried to thrust it forward... that's when she sprang into action, and her hand flew back out of her cleavage, quickdrawing a closed fan.

Benimaru grunted with shock as she tipped the fan underneath his wrist, directing his arm upwards, and his special attack off-course. With the whiff, and his body now wide open... she was free to drive a forward elbow into his stomach.

"Urgghh!" Benimaru's turn came to cough painful air, as he was sent reeling backwards, but not in time before Mai leaped up, planted a foot into his stomach... and pushed off, launching a foot into his face with a second kick, sending her backwards to a safe landing, and sending Beni onto his back.

Now standing over him, Mai snickered, as she opened the fan and mockingly waved it in front of her face.

Benimaru rolled his eyes and spring-kicked back to his feet. With an impressive display of speed, he twirled around and unleashed a spinning hook kick, that soared into Mai's fan and destroyed it with an electrical undertone.

Mai, momentarily stunned by being disarmed, was helpless to prevent the front kick that landed underneath her chest afterwards. She stumbled backwards several steps, but failed to stay up, as her butt hit the ground. Jarred but not hurt, she leaped back up quickly, just in time for Benimaru to close in with offense. He swung a left, and Mai parried it with her right arm, but Beni mixed his attack well with a hobbling leg kick that struck her right knee clean.

Mai grimaced as she was forced on the retreat. He tried a second leg kick, but she cartwheeled backwards just in time. But before she had time to reset, Beni was already on her, taking a deep lunge and pumping another front kick towards her midsection. She caught the foot in both hands, and used it to twirl Beni around, attempting to knock him off-balance... but he used his own momentum and spun around with a picture-perfect spinning back kick, nailing her in the stomach and dropping her on her knees.

Mai coughed it out, as the lay there in pain. "Urrrff.. cough cough... cough..."

Beni, who was a good sport, backed away and allowed Mai to stand up. Although he did share a moment of goading, as he beckoned her forward with a flick of his finger.

Mai happily obliged. She charged in and went airborne, attempting a flying kick, but Beni closed in, and the foot only grazed over the top of his shoulder. Beni caught her leg in his hand and spun around with her entire weight, flinging her off his shoulder, but Mai frontflipped and landed gracefully...

...Or so she thought. Her legs actually buckled a bit upon landing, and Beni nailed her in the chest with a lunging side kick.

"Owww owwww... arrrghhh..." as Mai hit the ground, she silently lamented the circumstances of last night: she could still feel a slight ache, which was undoubtedly the cause of her shoddy footwork today.

"Dammit Andy... celebrated too hard..." she tried to whisper as quiet as possible under her breath.

Benimaru didn't hear the words outright, but he was game enough to bend over and tease her a little. "Say something, ho?"

Mai saw the wink, and the playful smile on his face, and she couldn't help but joke in return. "Nothing, trashy ass~"

Benimaru laughed aloud as he backed up a few steps, allowing Mai breathing room back to her feet.

The fight continued. Mai feinted forward, to see how Beni would react... the blonde launched his lightning-swift Iaido Kick, which would have taken her chin out otherwise. Mai's bait succeeded; while he whiffed, she dropped to her backside and hooked her feet around his ankle, yanking Beni off-balance. The blonde fell down like a tablecloth was pulled out from under him, and Mai quickly threw her body forward, dropping an elbow into his gut.

It was a sloppy scramble, but Mai managed to crawl off of him and roll away to safety, while Benimaru was slow to get back up, clutching his stomach in pain.

They both attempted a kick at the same time. Beni, with the more potent legs, won the exchange. Mai's leg returned to her weakly, and Beni nailed her face with a sharp jab. Mai yelped and frantically reached into her cleavage, trying to pull out a fan; she was too hasty and dropped it, and Benimaru caught her with a clean fist to the stomach. Mai, who, herself, was feeling the accumulation of body shots, nearly couldn't withstand it, as she almost collapsed right there.

Beni fired a painful leg kick, and Mai finally DID go down. She landed on her side, not all the way, and as Beni closed in trying to nail her again.. Mai spun around on her hands, throwing her left leg sharply to knock his kick off-balance... and pivoting completely around with the right left, blasting him just above the belt line.

Benimaru groaned in pain as he hunched over, nearly collapsing. Mai, still on her hands, sprang up into a handstand, hooked her feet around his neck, and slung him down to the ground. Beni's face hit the dirt, as a result of the forced landing.

Still on her hands, Mai used them to frontflip forwards, and smoothly transition into an aerial assault.

"MUSASABI NO MAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

She shot up like a rocket. Descended down on Beni... like a falling bomb, she landed on his back and caused the blonde great harm.

"AGGhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!"

The audience was on their feet big time, clapping, stomping, chanting separate names, as both fighters had a lot of pop in this contest. But as it stood right now, Mai was back up to her feet... and Beni was crawling, struggling to return upwards.

But Beni had shown her courtesy... so she did the same. They both wanted to win this the same way: a clean knockout.

Mai cartwheeled forward; Beni sensed a kick coming, but he didn't know if it was mid or low! Rolling the dice, he turtled mid...

...It was low, as Mai kangaroo kicked his feet out from under him, dropping the man on his chin. He didn't stay there long, as he flat rolled and sprang back up, just in time to see Mai coming at him again.

"Kachosen!" she threw a fan to bait him; he swung at it with an electrically-charged hand and sizzled it, and she closed in and swung at him with an openhanded chop. His hand speed was still nothing to smirk at, and he parried the combination she attempted. She tried to end it with a kick to the midsection, but Beni brought his knee up to insane proportions, and her foot struck solid shin. Thankfully, it was the sole of her foot.

Mai stepped in with a swing, but Beni stepped in as well and their bodies got close. Beni dug in underhooks, and started firing close-range knees to her body. One, two, three... Mai felt her legs start to wobble, as her body was hurting just as bad as his. But his clinch was too tight; she couldn't break free!

Rather than get stuck there, Mai pulled guard, leaping up, locking her legs around his midsection, and dragging the two of them to the ground. This ended them up in a very compromising position: Mai with her legs up high, Beni on top of her, and neither really wanted to be in such a spot...

Thankfully, Beni was serving one purpose: he was good censoring, so the entire viewing world wasn't seeing the goods revealed by Mai's legs being so high up.

The two scrambled on the ground and back up to their feet; Mai recovered first, and rammed a back elbow into his nose. Beni yelped and recoiled; Mai pressed forward again, and swung a closed fan into his calf, buckling the leg.

Mai set him up perfectly for the kill shot; she closed distance and shoved him, knocking Beni off his shaky feet and forcing him backwards. This was it! She had him right where she wanted him... as soon as he tried to get up, she would-

...But Beni hadn't played exactly the way she wanted. And that's what cost her.

Instead of being knocked flat by the shove, Beni had rolled through it... and recovered to his feet much quicker than she anticipated. Thus, when Mai was about to attempt her Flaming Deadly Ninja Bees... she wasn't ready yet. And Benimaru was there, to hit her with the counter.

"Heh." was the only sound she heard from the smirking man's lips... before his body became a shadow, and he phase-shifted through her. Mai could have sworn she felt a solid object enter her, and pass through... but those mystifying sensations were bedded upon the next, very real pain she felt.

KAKRACCKKKKKKKKLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

He had ran through her like a supercharged conduit: as Benimaru's body became visible on the opposite side of Mai, he didn't even have to turn around to see her body being sizzled with his terrifying electrical aura. All he could see was the peripheral of the violet flash, hear the screams, the crackles... and the roar of the audience.

Finally, with his hands in the pockets of his fancy black slacks... he turned around, just in time to see Mai hit the ground.

WINNER: BENIMARU NIKAIDO


Many hearts were broken, as fans and lusty masses alike were devastated to see their girl fall at the last second. But none of them could bear much ire: even though she went down, the great Benimaru Nikaido had taken one more step towards carving his own legacy. His dream, of winning a King of Fighters by himself, when he had won so many in the past with team help... right now, he could taste it, like a wafting aerosol on his tongue. The pride of being the one, and only. No doubts. No controversy. Just HIM.

...But that prideful talk could be saved for later. For now, Benimaru approached the fallen Mai, who was at least up on her backside, a dejected face groaning in pain and defeat.

"That was a hell of a match, Mai. But you always give one." Benimaru spoke with good nature, and a smile. He offered his hand.

Mai looked up with hazy eyes... but she managed a smile, as she took his hand and got up with their combined strength. "You're just too good, Beni. I know better than nearly everyone here. And if I had to lose to any of the cast of assholes in Round 3... I'm glad I lost to you. I wish it were Kingy or Chiz, but... I'll still take it!"

Their hands met, in a combined slap. "You had a good run, Mai. Congrats." Beni complemented.

"Thanks Beni. I'm rooting for you!" Mai encouraged.

The two parted on friendly terms; not even needing the hospital, Mai returned to her seat by the girls, while Beni strolled over to where Terry was currently sitting; a protective arm wrapped firmly around Blue Mary.

"Hey, handsome man." Beni mockingly referred to Terry by Mary's affectionate nickname. "Looks like you didn't hit me hard enough. I'm still standing here."

Terry, not in the state of mind for playful banter, looked away. "I'm happy for you, Nikaido."

Beni flashed a wink. "Looking forward to rematching you in the Quarters. Don't lose to that purple gorilla~"

With a playful flick of his tall hair, Beni pocketed his hands and strutted to the locker rooms.

Terry let out a sigh; he'd almost forgotten about his main event with Krauser. After everything that had happened... how could he even focus on THAT, much less Benimaru?

"Need me to go pop his kneecaps?" Mary asked, with an angelic flutter of her eyes.

...That got Terry laughing, as his good mood rekindled. "Hahahaha! No thanks, babe. Let him have his moment."


ROUND 3 FIGHT #4: RYO SAKAZAKI VS GATO

The New Mr. Karate was still on a surging high, having rebranded himself for this contest... and everyone loved that kind of thing. It felt so... POWERFUL... shedding an old form, and starting anew. It almost felt like molting: throwing away a previous version of oneself, for a newer, cleaner, sharper individual.

Ryo was enjoying moderate betting odds, having triumphed over Athena in a huge Round 1 victory, and then subsequently mopping the floor with Hotaru Futaba. He wasn't one of the betting favorites to win the TOURNAMENT; Chizuru Kagura was currently enjoying the #1 spot there. However, he was neck and neck with Terry's betting chances, and he was currently a favorite to defeat his opponent.

All of this was redundant to Gato. The Kenpo fighter was the last person on the planet to care about betting odds. Since he was virtually unknown by the masses, and didn't present himself much, he was statistically one of the biggest underdogs of the 16 remaining.

Did he care? No. What some betting outlet says doesn't make a man any stronger or weaker.

"Let's have a good match!" Ryo bowed respectfully to his opponent, before kicking off his geta and assuming a traditional Karate stance.

Gato, not one for pleasantries or formalities, blew air from his nostrils. "You can call it a 'match' if you want; I call it survival. You're welcome to last as long as you can against me before crumpling to the ground."

Ryo took it in good nature, with a cocky grin. "Ooooooh, you're so mean, Mr. Doom n' Gloom. Haha! I can see through you. You requested this match, didn't you?"

"...Are you mocking me?" Gato eyed him warily.

Ryo snickered. "I'm just trying to keep it light, chief. You don't have to be a miserable pile of muscles all the time."

Gato raised his fist... as he closed the fingers, a sequential cracking of knuckles resounded. "If you lived in MY world, you'd feel differently. Now wipe that stupid smirk off your face, before I turn your jaw 90 degrees."

Ryo blew a sharp scoff from his upper lip. "Dude, just be nice to your sister."

"Shut. Up."

FIGHT!

Ryo started fast, throwing combinations: with a powerful kiai, he let loose a high roundhouse, to no avail, then shot forward with a left, right, left... Gato parried the blows, and Ryo unleashed a keen knifehand towards Gato's nose.

Gato blocked the attack, and fired back with a sharp elbow to the ribs. Ryo locked up, feeling his wind leave him... setting him up for a backfist to the nose. He stumbled back, and Gato tried to drill into his body with a spinning back kick. Ryo blocked the kick, but it sent him several steps back... and Ryo turned this into opportunity, as it put him in sweep range. He twisted 180 with a wide sweep kick, his foot cutting through the dirt... but Gato showed nimble ability, going airborne and somersaulting over Ryo completely.

As Gato landed, his back to Ryo, the Karate man tried to kick him from behind... in an uncanny move, Gato managed to duck Ryo's kick without even seeing it!

"URrrrffffffffffffffffff...! the next thing Ryo felt was the air expel from him, and his body go flying like a balloon, as Gato had unleashed all five fingers in a lunging palm of death, his final stance impeccable, with both arms spread out and his feet firm, legs spread.

Ryo was, for lack of a better word... astonished... at how badly that attack hurt. Every recovering breath he took stung like hell... out of all the attacks he'd taken in his life, all the adversity, the intense training, things he had always been tough enough to manage... that attack hurt a lot worse.

Still, Ryo took it with a smile. His spirit wasn't shaken. "Not bad, dude. Not bad! I'm getting a decent match out of you."

...That seemed to insult Gato even MORE, as the man's face twisted to an ugly snarl, and his feet shifted. "There's one word you don't ever use to describe my strength, and that's 'decent'. I'm far, FAR more than that. Now come on."

Gato rushed in; Ryo, still trying to recover from that body hit, opted to keep him at range as long as possible. "KOUKEN! KOUKEN! KOUUUKEN!"

Three he shot out; Gato swayed left and right to dodge the first two, then frontflipped over the third one and rolled to close distance. Ryo sensed Gato would try a low sweep, and was wise to it; as he dodged it, Gato rose upwards with a spinning high kick behind it. Ryo backpedaled, and it bounced off his hand.

Back at range. Ryo came forward with another combination: high kick, which was blocked, switching it up with a high left hand, to a mid left... Gato parried them and countered with a stepping switch kick, that only bounced off Ryo's shoulder.

They both stepped in and attempted a spinning hook kick at the same time. Their legs collided, and they both lost balance and fell to one knee. Ryo rolled backwards; Gato backflipped, putting them both at distance.

"He's nothing special... just a man with hot air..." Ryo kept telling himself as he pressed forward, bouncing on his heels. He switched stances constantly, from orthodox to southpaw, attempting to throw Gato off.

Gato didn't let it trip him up. He rushed in, firing a side kick to the body, before the follow-up that went higher to the head. Ryo blocked the first shot, and rolled the upper shot off of his forearm, opening Gato's midsection up for a counter left to the body.

Gato's feet slightly skidded... and only the slightest wince on his face, before he returned to composure.

Ryo kiai'd loudly, and his leg bent, as if firing a kick... but it was a feint, and he really stepped in with a straight right. Gato was wise to it; he parried the fist, shoving it away with his palm... and he lit Ryo up with a combo: counter body palm, a kick to the stomach to follow it up, and... as Ryo hunched in pain... a leaping 360 roundhouse to the face, sending a stream of blood from Ryo's lip, which had just re-opened.

"RYO!" King, who stayed to support her loved ones, cried his name out in worry. "Dammit, don't let this guy get you... anybody but this guy...!"

Ryo was back up; he could feel the tickle of the blood drizzling down his chin, the weird sensation of it dripping. He ignored it the best he could and resumed his fighting stance, creeping in close... Gato's stance was a lot less animated, and more solid.

It made hitting him too easy. Ryo feinted low, and nailed him with a kick to the stomach, following up with a sharp right to the cheek. He went back low with a left kick to the ribs, then curved that same leg upwards in a crescent kick across his cheek.

...Gato absorbed all the blows. With a sharp grunt, he took a ferocious stomp: a stomp so powerful, it left a crater in the dirt.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he stepped in, amidst all the hits he just took, and pulverised Ryo's midsection with a thrusting palm. Ryo was knocked off his feet with one hit.

"Damn, he's strong!" Robert gasped.

Ryo, hurting badly, sprang kicked back upwards. He rushed Gato; with powerful, booming kiais, he blasted Gato's cheek with a left fist, drove a right into his stomach, went back up with an uppercut, drove a teep kick into his lower shin, finally finishing the combo with a brutal body kick...

...AGAIN, Gato took the hits, came forward with an earth-shaking stomp, and rained a four-hit burst fire of fists into Ryo's stomach, before curving his palm upwards and knocking Ryo's chin to the sky!

His hair twirled as he spun around and drove a back kick into Ryo's rib cage: Ryo's head dipped low in pain, and Gato brought his other foot up high, cracking him across the eyebrow. Ryo hit the ground with a wince, as the blood started drizzling down his eye in a fresh cut...

"This is ridiculous!" Yuri wailed. "No matter how much Ryo hits him, he just... keeps coming!"

Ryo was back up, slightly wobbly. He was bleeding from two places now. Half of his face was starting to become red, like face paint at a sports event.

"DORYAHH!" he persisted, still booming loud kias, as he drove a foot into Gato's chest. Gato circled around, trying to catch his blind spot, and he opened with a high kick; Ryo blocked it, and Gato tried to follow up with a left hand... Ryo caught his arm, and redirected his body weight, flipping him to the ground. Once grounded, Ryo rained a punch into his downed opponent's stomach.

Gato winced hard, and tried to scramble up; Ryo fired a kick low, but he faked Gato out with a question-mark kick, and it curved high to hit him in the ear.

"Argh!" Gato groaned in annoyance as he felt his equilibrium slightly go out. He dropped to a knee, but tried to take advantage and fired a sweep kick. Ryo dodged it, and Gato tried to follow up, spinning around with a 180 sweep... Ryo stayed light on his feet to dodge it, and Gato rose back up, shooting forward with an extended knuckle. Ryo caught Gato, dropped down into a classic foot launch, and threw the man away.

Gato frontflipped to safety. The two turned to face each other, at range.

"NO MORE FEELING OUT, RYO!" King coached. "TAKE HIM OUT! NOW!"

"YOUR CHI! DON'T BE STINGY WITH THE CHI!" Yuri encouraged.

"USE IT ALL! BURN YOURSELF OUT IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES! HE'S TOO DANGEROUS TO GO EASY ON!" Robert warned.

Ryo took their words to heart. They were right; Gato was as sturdy as a thousand-year oak tree. Ryo's shots would normally be able to drop most men, but Gato was determined. He was angry. He had something in his heart... that wouldn't let him stop.

Ryo knew his one and only chance of winning this contest... was to summon the chi of The Invincible Dragon, and obliterate Gato here and now.

He closed his eyes. Brought his hands up to his sides.

"Hoooooooooo..."

He started out with a low hum from his lungs, vibrating... dust kicked up all around him, as an orange hue passed over his body... and he got louder.

"HooooOOOOOOOOOOO...!"

More and more, his body began to produce chi... before long, he was completely bathed in orange, head to toe... and he got louder.

"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ryo Sakazaki was a raging tempest of orange, as it blazed all around him, coating him in power, strengthening his technique, his ferocity... right now, he felt like he could vanquish a thousand Young Geeses.

"You think you're the only one that has mastery of chi?!" Gato spat. "GET A LOAD OF THIS! HRRRAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Gato lifted his foot, took a THUNDEROUS stomp... and all at once, a raging storm of blue chi erupted all around him! In less than half the time it took Ryo, a swirling manifestation of chi had matched the Karate man's in size and brilliance. Dirt was kicking up all around Gato, close to creating a blinding storm, as his power lashed out in all directions, threatening nature itself.

"I WON'T STOP!" Gato screamed. "I'LL NEVER STOP! NO FORCE ON THIS GOD DAMNED PLANET WILL EVER STOP ME!"

The Stadium was starting to feel a sense of danger, as these two men approached with their chi blazing all around them... a few unrestrained blows could level the place!

Ryo shot forward. Gato shot forward.

"HIEN SHINPUU KYAKU!" Ryo called out as he soared forward into his Flying Heat, blasting Gato in the chest with a double-decker kick. Gato went skidding back several yards, and Ryo kept pushing forward. He went upwards into the sky, and tried to come down on Gato with his Thundergod Slash...

...Gato had the perfect counter, kicking off with both feet, Gato was able to propel himself into the sky beyond human feats... and at the moment Ryo came down with the chop, Gato kicked off in midair and soared at Ryo with a foot extended.

The foot smashed into Ryo's face, sending Sakazaki tumbling across the ground... as Gato's feet touched the ground, a dust cloud erupted all around him.

"GET UP! VERMIN!" Gato cursed.

Ryo slowly rose up, coughing... but his chi still burned bright.

They met back in the middle; Ryo drove a fist into Gato's face, and the Japanese man recoiled back... but he didn't go down, instead coming back forward with a forearm check to the face that hit clean. Ryo swung upwards; Gato won the exchange, with a left palm to the body, and Ryo counterattacked with a left to the ribs, followed by a spinning back kick to the chest.

Neither man was going down. Ryo rushed in, firing his strongest roundhouse...

...Gato caught the leg, spun around, drove a counter palm into his stomach. Ryo froze up from the pain, and Gato, still holding the leg, drove a low kick into his stationary foot, knocking him off his feet...

...At the SPLIT SECOND, Ryo's body was suspended in mid-air, Gato raised his leg and heel-dropped Ryo into the dirt.

"God dayum, son!" Shen Woo grimaced.

Ryo was clearly starting to lose the momentum. And, as he stood there, his chi starting flicker, his breaths heavy... a startling revelation hit him upside the head like a slap from Yuri...

...He couldn't win this fight.

"H...haaa...Haoo..."

Desperate lungs choked out all the power they could still scrounge up... his weary arms thrust forward, as he took what could possibly be the last and strongest step.

"HAOOOH SHO KOU KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

His biggest, strongest fireball, the ace in his hole so many times in the past, soared forward... and it struck Gato with all the tons of massive firepower stored within its ballistic shape.

BOOOOOOM!

The fireball struck Gato dead-on... a dazzling explosion of orange and blue swirled all around, as the Japanese man who once stood there was swallowed up in a grand mixture of colors.

...But even now, Ryo's face twisted in disbelief, as he could still hear Gato's voice.

"This... won't... stop... ME!"

The explosion at last died down, and a haze of dust blew across the field, temporarily obscuring all... everyone in the Stadium, fans and fighters, as well as those around the globe, were waiting in anticipation, to see if Gato was truly finished...

...The smoke cleared... and the man was still standing, his field of chi no longer blazing around him. His clothes were tattered. His hair messed up. Breathing heavy.

But he was still standing.

"I... NO WAY...!" Ryo choked out.

Gato began to slowly walk forward... his movements sluggish, but persistent nonetheless. Ryo's feet wobbled; he'd just expended the last of his energy on that final attack. He wasn't sure he could even put his hands up right now...!

Gato got in close, and Ryo tried to throw a punch; it came out pathetically weak, as Gato parried it and fired a nasty openhanded jab into Ryo's face.

Ryo wobbled fiercely... he rebounded with a kick, which Gato smacked it away and drove his own foot, deep into Ryo's gut. Sakazaki was frozen there... whatever wind left in his body just escaped.

Gato, demonstrating uncanny strength, lifted up with that foot... carrying Ryo's entire body with him, until his foot was in the air, Ryo dangling off it.

He flung Ryo into the air, kicked off with both feet to go airborne... and he spiked Ryo into the ground with a foot to the face. As their bodies landed back down, Gato's foot smashed Ryo's head against the dirt surface... and he held him there.

Ryo groaned weakly, struggling against the foot, pressed down on his face... but in a matter of seconds, he gave up and went dead weight. He had no strength left.

WINNER: GATO


It would go in the record books as an upset. For Gato... it was just an obstacle removed.

Ryo's loved ones stormed the field in support. Gato, perhaps making a statement, continued standing there with his foot rested atop Ryo's face. He had no intention of moving it. Ryo continued to lay there, under him, groaning weakly, his hands reaching up to vainly try and pry the foot loose.

King was the first one to reach the battlefield, and she angrily plowed into Gato. "GET OFF OF HIM! I SAID GET OFF OF HIM!"

Gato's body was too sturdy, and King rammed into him several times... only to be jarred backwards by the recoil. Not one to back down, King stormed up to him and snatched him by the tattered remains of his yellow gi.

Gato, of his own volition, finally removed his foot from Ryo moments later. Probably when he saw the rest of the Kyokugen crew come along.

King still wasn't happy; she parted from him with a shove to the chest as she cursed. "You're an unbelievable bastard. If if were me in that ring-"

"If it WERE you in there..." Gato cut her off. "...Your fate would have been twice as quick."

Gato sharply turned his back to her, not even stopping to acknowledge her mouth-dropped, eyes-wide expression of pure RAGE. One could almost say King was at a loss for words at the brazenness Gato had shown her.

She stood there, eyes shut tight, a visible vein protruding on her forehead, skin growing redder... finally, her eyes opened, and she exploded all at once.

"What's your problem, huh?! What do you have against the world?! HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

Gato stopped. Turned slowly... the face that met her was not one of his usual stone demeanor; Gato was visibly enraged himself.

He took several steps forward, nearly getting in her face. "OPEN YOUR EYES, you day-drinking, cross-dressing bimbo! The world is a cruel place! There's no such thing as 'love' and 'companionship', and all that fake propaganda! In this world, your so-called 'loved ones' can hurt you worse than a total stranger! YOUR OWN F..."

...He stopped before finishing that last noun. Sharply turned away from them all again. His back shoulders could be seen visibly rising, falling... rising... falling...

...He turned back around a second time, and his eyes bore an almost INSANE fury.

"There's a man out there... a man far stronger, deadlier, scarier, than anything your naive minds could ever fathom. I won't rest until I'm strong enough to kill that man. There's no equal to him on this planet! That's why I can't lose. I WON'T lose. I REFUSE TO LOSE! You know why?!"

Most of the fighters stands had cleared out this point, and had gathered en masse to witness this enraged rant from the normally-calm Gato. Some even had their phones out, recording it.

Spit was flying from Gato's mouth. "BECAUSE NONE OF YOU ARE WORTH LOSING TO! YOU'RE ALL WORTHLESS, PATHETIC, BUZZING FLIES AROUND A STINKING BOOT! I'LL WASTE EVERY LAST FUCKING ONE OF YOU TO GET TO THAT MAN! YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU...?"

...His finger had thrust so wildly in all directions, it wasn't until he stopped talking that he noticed where it rested: Hotaru Futaba.

Everything went silent. His finger still had yet to go down... as it just sat there, pointing. His maniacal face had slowly began to dissipate, turning to a more self-shocked expression. It looked like he was trying to put his arm down... but his nerves acted against him, preventing it, even as the pointing hand wobbled with struggle.

Hotaru shed no tears. Her face, ironically... looked eerily akin to one her brother would usually wear.

It seemed like an eternity passed, that they all stood there, silence filling the Stadium. Finally, his hand went down; Hotaru said nothing, simply turned and walked away.

...The one who didn't walk away was Kula Diamond. Even as paramedics came and took Ryo, people started going back to their seats, the general tension started to clear... Kula continued to stand there, staring at the still-stunned Gato.

With a menacing squint of her eyes, her irises grew a brighter red.

Four fights down, four to go! From here on, the next chapters will only contain one fight, as there's a bit more... SERIOUS... stakes involved in each one.

NEXT CHAPTER: The Hakkeshu make their final stand, as Round 3 draws closer to an explosive climax! Stay tuned!