Unmei Force Gaiden: KOF XV Reactions
Chapter 4: Protectors Against the Void (Team In-Birth)
The Esaka Construction Site….
Team In-Birth, Hyde, Linne and Orie, were on the move as they discussed the current goings on behind the tournament. What their main concern was…
"So Orochi's Seal has weakened." Linne said. "If it breaks, we could be looking at a threat the same level as the Eternal Night."
"I don't really get the whole story… but apparently during the 1997 tournament, Orochi was a big threat." Hyde said. "During the final round, the then alive Team Orochi suddenly regained their memories and true powers, which eventually led to Orochi himself possessing one of them."
"All three of them had died during that tournament. But now they're back." Orie said.
"As we have seen with Ash, Verse's defeat has brought several fighters back to life. However, there is no way of telling the exact number, and whom exactly." Linne said.
"Wait… I thought Ash was reincarnated, not revived after Verse kicked it." Hyde said.
"Idiot… both happened." Linne said. "I spoke with Ace about it. Mastemon told him that Ash was brought to Devaloka once Verse was destroyed, releasing his soul along with all the others who died in the previous tournaments. Including the man who hungered for Orochi's power himself."
"No…. Linne, you don't mean him?!" Orie asked.
"Yes. Rugal Bernstein." Linne said.
"It doesn't look like he's in the tournament though. Must be waiting for the right time." Hyde said. "Let's just focus on finding ways to keep Orochi quiet, and then-"
"Orochi… So he sounds as bad as it seems." Reimu stated. "No wonder Chizuru is so tense about the entire subject, from the one time we encountered…"
"I wouldn't say Orochi's a threat we can't handle, but yes, he's not something to be taken lightly." Richard agreed. "His only limit is that he can't fully manifest himself without a proper body. And it's an edge that Chris's body is not powerful enough to use his full power."
"What would his full power be like?" Koyomi asked with curiosity.
"Trust me on this, Koyomi, you do not want to know, because it will be absolutely terrifying." Sanae winced.
"What are you three talking about?" an interested voice asked, surprising the three as Linne slashed behind her, something dashing out of the way, reappearing behind Orie as she thrusted with The Ruler as the figure cocked to the side, revealing it to be Chris as he looked at the blade. "Really? Why don't you just mail me the blade?"
The three In-Births backed away from the Speed Demon in Blue as Chris had his innocent smile on.
"Chris of the Flames of Destiny." Linne said.
"You three were sure talking about some interesting stuff." Chris said.
"Yeah, stuff that included you and your buddies." Hyde said, loosening his tie. "What's your game, coming back after a while?"
"Um, what are you talking about? We're just here for the tournament." Chris said.
"Don't play games with us. You're a Heavenly King of Orochi." Linne said.
"If you and your fellow kings wish to do harm to the world again, then we must stop you." Orie said.
"I'm sorry, I really don't know what you're talking about." Chris sweatdropped as the trio facefaulted. "I don't really remember a lot before joining this tournament."
(Cue: Resonant Objects- King of Fighters XV)
"Is he saying being revived gave him amnesia?" Hyde asked.
"It's possible, revival tends to do that in some cases." Orie said.
"He's probably lying to save his skin." Linne said. "Let's see if he still remembers how to fight."
"Well, it's a toss-up between whether he's playing the fool, or actually struck dumb." Chen remarked. "On one hand, he's just simply too naive to be tricking anyone, but he also has that sly look. Can't really tell."
"Either way, Chris changed a lot, that's for sure." Sumireko crossed his arms.
"How could someone like him look so harmless in battle?" Ui asked, intrigued by Chris.
"That's the thing you're going to learn. You're going to be more than a pretty face when Reisen is done with you." Richard assured Ui with a smile.
"Eep…" Ui winced slightly, still nervous about her training.
"I'll give this guy a sparring session. Come, Insulator!" Hyde said, drawing Insulator from his hand.
"Wow, that sword looks pretty dangerous." Chris said, not even minding that Hyde had a weapon. "Try not to hurt me too badly with it, okay?"
"If you're not careful…you'll be cut down!" Hyde said, pointing Insulator at him.
Ready…GO!
Hyde took the first shot, swinging Insulator right at Chris without a second thought of mercy. He connected it seems, but he only swung at Chris's after image as he was already out of range.
"He's fast!" Hyde said.
"Don't be overwhelmed by him, Kido!" Orie said.
"I won't." Hyde said. "Go!" he called, launching his Black Orbiter by slashing Insulator inward in a reverse grip as a spiraling ring of dark energy.
Chris dodged again, this time dashing forward and catching Hyde off guard with a handstand kick, before laying into him with a lightning fast string of punches and aerial flip kicks.
"I'm not going down that easy." Hyde said, activating his EXS as he countered and launched Chris into the air and unleashed his Vacant Shift which consisted of multiple sword swipes before slamming Chris onto the ground.
"Not bad. You guys and the rest of the alliance might be pretty fun to hang around with!" Chris said.
"Like they're gonna accept you into the fold, you're a Heavenly King!" Hyde said going for the Pale Bringer, but Chris evaded.
"This coming from the guys that have former villains among them?" Chris replied before stunning Hyde, opening him for attack. "(Let's get serious!)" he said, launching Hyde into the air with another Somersault kick. "(Here I go!)" he said doing more kicks in the air before blasting Hyde back to the ground, going for a landing.
"That's it!" Hyde said, taking the gloves off. "Time for your eternal rest! Gyre Vortex!" he caught Chris with his Infinite worth and swallowed him in a storm of red energy.
K.O!
"(Oh…the light…)" Chris mumbled as he fell to the ground.
"And stay down." Hyde said.
Just when Team In-Birth thought they had Chris down, he got back up a few minutes later.
"Whew…. That was a close one." the Tempest Mixer said as he dusted himself off.
"What?! He survived Hyde's Infinite Worth?!" Orie said in surprise.
"You guys are pretty fun. Guess I should seriously consider branching out." Chris said. "Hope we get to hang out for real."
"Are you serious?" Hyde asked.
"I sure am. So, how about it? Interested?" Chris asked. Before the three could answer…
"Hyde doesn't mess around as usual. But it doesn't mean that it would be surprising that Chris could handle what he can dish." Kaguya sighed. "But still, Hyde beat Chris and that is that."
"I have a good feeling that Team CYS, or Team Orochi as I prefer to call them, won't be making it to the finals." Taiga scoffed. "Such arrogance to split off and strike, and their attempts have failed miserably."
"They care little about the tournament, Nakanishi." Raditz grumbled. "It's about sending a message, and they have made their message clear. They are still dangerous, even if they have recently returned to the spotlight."
"It shouldn't be much of a concern, where this is Orochi… There's Masakado in the form of David." Richard smirked. "Orochi isn't going to be so lucky if his Hakkeshu doesn't make the proper steps to prepare for his revival."
"Stop right there, Heavenly King Chris!" A voice called as they saw Team Sacred Treasures approach.
"Uh oh, gotta bounce. See ya later!" Chris said to the In-Birth trio before flash stepping away.
"Ah! H-hey! Wait a minute!" Orie said.
Team Sacred Treasures arrived just a bit too late as Kyo kicked himself.
"Dammit, the little punk got away." Kyo said.
"Pathetic coward." Iori said.
"Ah, the Inheritors of their clans' three treasures, and the member of the traitorous Yasakani Clan." Linne said.
"And you three must be residents of the Kanzakai District." Chizuru said. "The inheritor of the Insulator, Hyde Kido. Princess of the Night Blade, Linne, and of course the former 5th Executor of the Licht Kreis, Orie Ballardiae. Just what was the purpose of the three of you combating a Heavenly King? The matter of Orochi is-"
"There you go, repeating your clan's philosophy. You say it's only up to you three to seal Orochi, when there are many others just as capable of helping to stop him." Linne said as she shook her head in disappointment. "Nothing has changed a single bit since 1800 years ago."
"You think you know the Yata clan?" Chizuru asked.
"You're talking to someone who's been cursed with reincarnation." Hyde said.
"Listen guys, I don't really abide to Chizuru's sense of duty as much as she's committed to it, but the three of us have gotta get this over with. I can't stand being buddied up with Yagami, but until we know for sure little Orochi-poo is still asleep, we can't get anyone involved." Kyo said.
"I understand the stakes that tie you three together in this tournament, but we can't step aside and leave others to do the work for us." Orie said. "The three of us have dealt with our own major threats. If you let us and some of our friends help, we can assure Orochi is never awakened, and the Heavenly Kings' machinations not coming alive."
"I'm afraid we can't allow that." Chizuru said. "We must ensure the safety of our world, as is the duty of the Kusanagi, Yasakani and Yata clans. If you do not back away, we will stop you by force."
"Then we'll just have to convince you the hard way then!" Hyde said, pointing Insulator at them.
"Such pride in her duty… I cannot deny the fact that the two of us are the same." Reimu sighed.
"Well, it's fairly justified if you're a soft-heart like Chizuru. She tends to fight to keep people out of something that they shouldn't mess with. I mean, you have seen what happened when Those From the Past messed her up, and took control of her." Sanae stated.
"Oh yeah, speaking of them, they count as much of a threat as Orochi does." Kaguya added.
"Here we go again with things out of our context." Erika sighed. "Could you explain?"
"Ah, right, it's part of the reason why Ash had a little temporary hiatus." Richard stated. "In the standard case, they're basically time travelers who got their asses handed in the past, and had to jump back in time to lick their wounds and regroup, before going back for round two. Their enemy in this case is humanity, and so they have bid their time, doing whatever it takes to get their shit together faster. Messing with Chizuru was only one thing. It culminated in Saiki, their leader, showing himself and deciding to try and kill Kyo, K' and Ash, who were the ones who won the 13th KOF tournament, as energy to finish their return to the past. Unfortunately, he gets his ass handed back to him, and ends up being disturbed by his plans hard enough for Ash to reap his own spirit. Of course, that made Ash turn evil, and Kyo with K' had to beat his ass back straight. Now this is where the difference lies. Ash was supposed to disappear because he literally screwed Saiki over, by trapping him in a paradox that erased both of them, because Saiki is Ash's ancestor. And that little paradox was the reason Verse was here in the first place. However, from what I heard, Ash got better far sooner than Saiki did, and that is why he's here in the first place. A mouthful, but you wanted context, and here it is."
"Mind. Blown." Popol remarked. "I never thought that there was such a complicated and tragic history behind him."
"It's only one part of his story, you know." Sanae stated, waving a finger. "But that doesn't matter much right now, let's get back to the action."
"That was a poor choice of words." Iori said, brandishing purple flames in his hand. "Reflect on them as you're all sent to hell."
"Okay then, have it your way." Hyde said, gearing up for another go.
"Are you sure, Kido? You just fought Chris." Orie said.
"I've still got plenty left for this." Hyde assured as the two engaged Kyo and Chizuru.
"You're in over your head. I'll incinerate you in an instant." Iori threatened as he took his stance.
"Don't get ahead of yourself when the fight's just started." Hyde said.
Round 1!
Ready…GO!
The fight begins. Despite already having a tough match against Chris before, Hyde still had plenty of fight left in him. And that was good, because fighting Iori will take everything he's got.
"Fly!" Hyde called, launching Iori into the air with Red Cleaver in a rising dragon punch fashion before following up with Vacant Shift as he slammed Iori to the ground on the last strike.
However, Iori was tough, bouncing back as he dodged a swing from Hyde and laid into him with a savage combo of his own. His methods of attacking with claw like strikes and vicious kicks combined with his Yatagami style flame attacks damaged Hyde right back.
"Now burn!" Yagami said, blasting Hyde with an eruption of purple flames, it looked like Hyde was being burnt to death, but that wasnt the case.
"I'm not finished! Better not die on me! Raging Roar!" Hyde called, energizing Insulator into full extend as he blasted Iori into the air, binding him as Hyde gathered all of his energy into Insulator before delivering a powerful slash which unleashed a torrent of energy as it went to completely obliterate Iori.
K.O!
"(It's not supposed to end like this…!)" Iori yelled as he was knocked down.
Hyde was left exhausted from the attack as he kneeled on the ground.
"Sorry, did that damage your ego?" Hyde asked.
With Linne and Orie, both were fighting Kyo and Chizuru as Linne evaded Kyo's fiery strikes, while Orie was dealing with Chizuru's illusions and light balls as both stood back to back.
"We don't have time for this." Linne siad.
"I agree. I know we don't see eye to eye, but I think it best to switch opponents." Orie said.
"Agreed." Linne said.
With that, the two switched sides as Linne battle Chizuru, letting Orie deal with Kyo as they exchanged a blow in a blast of light and fire.
"I really hate to do this, but I've gotta keep up my end of the deal." Kyo said. "Don't go crying if this hurts, princess."
"Do not underestimate me. I've been through more than my fair share of troubles." Orie said. "Until my parents truly find peace, I will not stop fighting."
"Fighting for your family, huh?" Kyo asked as he got ready. "Once upon a time, I did the same."
Round 2
Ready…GO!
"Divine Thrust!" Orie called, thrusting her rapier forward. "Sacred Arrow!" she called, following up with a rising-dragon punch styled attack as she lifted her rapier into the air with a spiraling leap as she dealt multiple hits.
Kyo was as resilient as Iori, countering with a few flame-imbued combined styles of the Kusanagi Style of Ancient martial arts and kenpo before finding his next attack blocked by Thanatos.
"Judgment!" Orie called as Thanatos swung overhead with her sword in a slam before following up with two spin slashes from her sword as Kyo was launched back.
"I can go big too, y'know!" Kyo said, getting back in range, avoiding Thanatos to pummel Orie and stunning her before gathering flames in his right hand. "Haaaaaaaah…! (Let's do this!)" he said, waving his hand out as pillars of flame were erupting towards Orie.
The smoke began clearing as it was revealed that Thanatos managed to protect Orie as it had light sphere aura around itself.
"Well, crap." Kyo said.
"Thanatos, return the favor!" Orie said using her Infinite Worth. "In the name of the Dark Squad,I shall bring this to an end." she said as Thanatos unleashes a blast of light at Kyo as he is lifted and immobilized, allowing Thanatos to stab him with its sword. "Rest in Peace!"
K.O!
"(Damn it…oh…)" Kyo grunted as he was knocked down.
"You should never stop fighting for what's right on your own path." Orie said before going to tend to Hyde in his exhausted
That only left Linne and Chizuru to duke it out. Both of them were fighting hard, Linne's blades and Chizuru's Kagura style dancing form as they both faced each other.
"I cannot lose, not yet. Orochi must not awaken. My clan's duty must be fulfilled." Chizuru said.
Linne sighed, putting her dagger away for a second. "Orochi this, duty that. Can't you decide for yourself what choices you make?"
"As long as the clan is needed, I cannot stray from my duty." Chizuru said. "Surely you know what it means to have one. You are a Princess. You are a successor to something grand."
"Not really. I've been possessing the bodies of many young girls since I was young, I want to put an end to my immortal curse so I do not endanger any more lives." Linne said.
"And yet, you're still here, fighting for others." Chizuru said. "So ask yourself….. What is the difference between us?" she asked as both prepared to fight.
Final Round!
Ready…GO!
Chizuru went back on the attack and showered Linne with a barrage of light balls and Illusions.
Linne weaved through the incoming attacks before unleashing her Wolf Howl, dealing a combination of three slashes and slamming her sword down on the third strike.
"(Can you see this?)" Chizuru asked as she summoned an illusion that made waving motions with her hand as she walked towards Linne before finishing with a blast of light that Linne managed to defend against.
"Tenacious Mist!" Linne called, shanking the illusion with her knife multiple times before leaping overhead towards Chizuru. "Here I am!" she said, using Flying Swallow as she sliced downward with her sword No Name.
Chizuru was able to counter as she surrounded Linne with multiple lightballs, dancing around her and hitting her hard as each one was set up.
"I will see my duty fulfilled. Face the true power of the protectors." Chizuru said as all the projectiles blasted at Linne, her victory all but assured, but then…
Linne zipped out of the green flames and behind Chizuru.
"What?!" Chizuru gasped.
There was no escape for the Protector there as Linne laid on the punishment with lighting fast strikes cutting her all over as she finished off with a big finale.
"For the sake of our future!" Linne said going right into her Infinite worth EXS. "No escape, and no survival!" she, slicing through Chizuru a few times before launching her into the air as she dashed up after her as the image of a city appeared.
(Music Shift: Astral Finish *Version Under Night In-Birth*- BBTAG)
"The blade of truth spares not the gods...Divine Blaze!" Linne called as a blade of energy encompassed No Name before slicing through Chizuru as light appeared on her before exploding.
K.O!
"(SISTER!)" Chizuru cried as she fell to the ground and Linne landed.
(Song end)
"All eyes are on the winner of that fierce fight!"
Team In-Birth: WINNER!
"The difference between us?" Linne asked, turning her back to the defeated Chizuru with her dagger in her pocket. "I'm still standing."
Hyde and Orie regrouped with Linne.
"Guess that's the end of that." Hyde said.
"We're done here. Let's go." Linne said as the three left.
A little while later, Team Sacred Treasures recovered.
"Well that could've gone better." Kyo said.
"You two are pathetic. Beaten by weaker beings." Iori said.
"Hey, you lost too, Yagami." Kyo said.
"If I was not under obligation to cooperate with the two of you, I'd-" Iori said.
"Enough, both of you." Chizuru said. "Clearly we're underestimating those related to your friend, Kyo."
"Well, he's picked up some strong guys, that's for sure." Kyo said. "So, what's our next move? We lost a chance to bag a Heavenly King. And who knows where those three are now."
"True. Without proper leads, we cannot act." Chizuru said, before a thought came to mind. "Actually… there is someone else I would like to investigate."
"What now, woman?" Iori said.
"At the opening ceremonies, there was a man." Chizuru said. "He was dressed in red, and emitted an oddly familiar green flame."
"Ash…Crimson. For some reason, that guy burns quite a picture in my head." Kyo said. "Hey, Yagami. Didn't you fight him in that Ultimate Smash Battle thing?"
"That man was there. And for some reason, when I looked at him… his face filled me with an unbridled rage." Iori said.
"Why does that man bear a sense of Deja Vu in our minds?" Chizuru asked. "We must locate him and find out who he is."
"Kyo… Get in touch with Benimaru. He'll want to know about this." Iori said.
"For once, I agree with you Yagami. But you still piss me off." Kyo said.
"I guess that's that for the fight." Reimu remarked. "I didn't expect the team I bet on to win. They lack a certain synergy with each other, despite the symbolism."
"Kyo and Iori, Oil and water, name me a more apt similarity." Richard sneered.
"I suppose that Chizuru will have to relent after this, right?" Eruza stated. "After all, she got herself beat soundly. She'd have to respect the tenacity and strength of her winners."
"Pft, if I had my way, I'd beat her into the ground for being so uppity." Hitomi stated, as she scowled. "If she can't take me on, then she has no right to be telling me what I can or can't do."
"Careful now, some people know the extent of things that you haven't understood yet." Raditz chided Hitomi. "Sometimes, you might end up throwing yourself too deep, and that would be the end of you."
"Hmph." Hitomi pouted. "I'll be the judge of that when that time comes."
