Here we are with a much quicker update. I seem to do better when it's just my good ol' bread and butter, a tournament fight. This is part 1, and the conclusion will be in part 2, meaning YOU WILL HAVE A WINNER NEXT CHAPTER. I swear it.
At some point when doing dialogue in this chapter, I honestly just got tired of trying to put names to every line, because it's all basically just the same sideline banter being spouted by everyone. So at some points, there won't even be a name next to who is saying what. Just use your imagination.
Enjoy the final fight of this fic!
"My people, my friends...my blood. When I began this tournament one week ago, I had pure, simple, perhaps... naïve intentions. I wanted to fight a clean, honorable fight...to test my abilities against the best of the best, and bring gold home to Germany. Home to you. I realize now this was the fantasy of an ignorant, foolish, immature dreamer. This is a moment that, for any other, would be one of great joy...but for me, it's nothing more than solemn. It's solemn, because... as nice as it would be to bask in this moment of victory, I can't overcome the grief and sorrow that overshadows it. Lives were threatened this week... some lives, lost. Nothing can change that."
"There are a thousand things I'd like to say. My heart screams out for me to make it heard... but it's not my place to disparage the men and women that risk their bodies every year to bring you entertainment. I'll keep it brief by saying this: I don't know when exactly it happened, but at some point the epiphany hit me that...I had fallen out of love with this competition. There have been... occurrences...that affected my personal life, and my family. I don't feel it's fair to inherently place the blame on King of Fighters, or its competitors...but at this point, I find no pleasure or passion here."
"But I am content. There are some of you who may feel... unfulfilled...by the forfeit of the two finalists. This wasn't my intention, or my desire. But again I say to you...I am content. I'm content, because the King of Fighters tournament has reached its conclusion. I'm content because I can go home, with my sister, safe and sound. I'm content, because you're all safe, and the country of Germany can sleep peacefully at long last."
I accept this trophy, only on behalf of you, the people of Germany, my friends, my blood...and with it, my retirement. There may come a day when King of Fighters is no longer synonymous with... conspiracy...crime... destruction and death...but until then, my fighting days are over. Thank you all."
He put down the microphone and walked away, his back turned, to not even gauge their immediate reactions. He could hear the gasps, the murmuring... but he shut it out. These things were beneath him now. He knew where his priorities lie: taking care of his own. The only mercy he granted is that he didn't burn King of Fighters to the ground, and bury the names of the competitors who remained loyal to it every year. It wasn't fair to them. It wouldn't stop him from getting himself and Rose out of it... for good.
Rose remained quiet and reserved, walking behind him every step of the way in silent support. There were things SHE wanted to say... a small part of her was bursting to get on the mic and scream out her wrongdoings: to apologize to the masses, natives, and competitors alike. Everybody she wronged. But even now... she hesitated. Was it the risk of scarring their already-shaky reputation? Or maybe she herself just wasn't ready to take that step?
In the end, she failed to act. She followed behind her brother, whose word she would put faith in from here on.
DAMAGED ALLIANZ ARENA
The return to Allianz Arena was without ceremony or fanfare. The Stadium had been closed indefinitely, in part due to the terrible rampage of a reanimated Magaki, the resurgence of a partially resurrected Goenitz, and the destruction caused by the competition itself. This was supposed to be a healing period; a chance for Germany to start mending the wounds left behind by a tournament that went hand in hand with catastrophe and chaos.
They would have to wait one more day.
"Boy, when we leave our mark we leave our mark." Terry spoke with a chuckle. He blew a sharp whistle at the destruction before them: craters littering the grass, walls with holes on them, and several portions either caved in or obliterated completely, large pieces of the ceiling fallen in the interior. Taking the time to stand there and pay attention to the gifts they left behind every year was, if anything, a jarring self-critique.
"Just once it'd be nice to leave a place prettier than when we entered." Kasumi spoke with a sharp puff of air.
"Hey, we are what we are." Shen Woo, on the other hand, appeared prideful. "We're superpowered badasses. And apparently, damn good artists."
"Our presence here won't be missed when we're gone..." Hotaru spoke with slight sorrow.
"They don't miss us, but they never forget us." Malin grinned.
Kensou took an encouraging step forward. "Well, we're here. Are we gonna get on with it, or not? There's food on the line here! That's my only incentive at this point!"
"He's got a point, somehow." Benimaru declared. "Bernstein's got the public distracted with the trophy speech. Now's our best chance to get in here, handle business, and get out before making too big a scene."
"YEEEEEEAH let's level the place!" Shingo banged his fists together, completely missing the point as always. Benimaru just shook his head.
Ryo scratched his head. "So...how do we do this?"
"I guess we need an acting host?" Andy inquired.
"Krauser's back at the Castle, the Bernsteins aren't here." Robert observed. Who else we got?"
They all looked around for a second, taking head count of who exactly they had. Finally, all eyes unanimously fell on the only person among them with hosting chops...
"Chizuru?" King finally said her name outright.
"Guys, come on..." Chizuru whined, clearly not wanting to get sucked back into that world.
"Oh it's just for ceremony, that's all!" Mai encouraged. "Just a formality."
Iori, sensing an opportunity to tease, put an arm around her and smirked. "Cmon CHIZURU, do your duty. You all wanted us to fight so bad, now put in the effort for it." Upon saying that last part, he ambushed her with a playful shove forward, earning him an annoyed chest slap from the Kagura maiden.
"Alright, fine, if it'll get us going." she grumbled. "But I'm not going to be impartial. I'm rooting for who I want, same as all of you."
Having been drafted into the position, Chizuru walked forward, taking her place at the front, turning to face them all. She cleared her throat, and addressed them all.
"ALRIGHT! This fight is for the undisputed King of Fighters Twilight Tournament champion! In the blue corner..."
She extended her hand to the right side of the field, where a certain ice doll, the same one who thrashed her, now stood. Her face was... lackadaisical, if anything. She appeared ready to yawn.
"... Kula Diamond."
A large round of applause rang out for her, as she had a decent number of supporters besides her usual group, outnumbering her opponent.
"And in the red corner..."
She pointed to the left, where he stood...the man of both fame and infamy, the good guy who was also a "bad guy"... Iori still looked like the toll of this week was taking heavily on him, not helped by the intake of alcohol last night. But even in this less-than-prime state, he still appeared more savage and intimidating than any other human being.
"Iori Yagami!"
Despite his usually-negative reputation, Iori actually got a decent reception from the spectators. Though not as much compared to Kula, he had a small, but close group of affiliates who liked him well enough, and Chizuru applauded for him as well.
"Everybody please clear the field and get to a safe distance. This could be messy." Chizuru requested. To this, everybody began to fall in, and the group moved as one herd towards the sidelines, eventually dissipating. Though they stayed together, a tiny rift began to form, as they trickled into two separate cliques, to root for their respective dogs in the fight.
Team Iori consisted of Chizuru, Benimaru, Shingo, Saisyu, Athena, Bao, Momoko, Bonne Jenet, Malin, Shen Woo, King of Dinosaurs.
Team Kula consisted of Diana, Foxy, Candy, Angel, Xiangfei, May Lee, Mai, King, Kasumi, Kensou, Terry, Andy, Joe, Mary, Hinako, Ryo, Robert, Yuri, Vanessa, Ramon, Seth... and interestingly enough, Hotaru and Gato.
"GO KULAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Foxy screamed out in support of her girl.
"BE CAREFUL, SWEETIE! DON'T OVEREXERT YOURSELF!" Diana's support carried a concerning overtone. She seemed worried Iori would actually hurt her.
Angel, who was standing nearby, seized the juicy opportunity to get a jab in. "Cmon Di Di, get your titty out of her mouth. Kula can handle herself just fine. Or have you forgotten what she did to Chizuru?"
That was all Diana needed to snap on her. "I'M SORRY, but what gave you the idea that you're even welcome here?! You're not one of us and you never will be, so get out of here and stay away from my family!"
Angel only grinned: a mischievous, catlike grin. "Hee hee hee hee... that's what I was waiting for. Just wanted to make you mad enough to tell me to piss off. Thanks for the entertainment, nya~!"
She then TRULY tested her luck: leaning in, without warning, she planted a kiss on Diana's nose and hastily stormed off, before the duo could even put their hands on their swords.
"I hate her SO MUCH." Foxy's words had no shortage of venom.
On the Iori side, his clique were discussing the possible outcomes that could arise here.
"I dunno... I just don't see Iori losing here." Benimaru shrugged. "But that's just me."
Saisyu put a hand to his chin. "Well he's not 100%... he's faced several tough battles this week. And according to Chizuru, he went on a bit of a bender last night..."
Beni's eyes widened. "Iori, getting drunk? Huh. Why's that, I wonder?"
"I have my theories..." Chizuru's face grew slightly unsettled. "But I'll keep them to myself."
"Cmon guys, this is IORI we're talking about!" Shingo poured on some much-needed hype. "Who ever beats Iori, huh? He's a walking, talking sack of rage and adrenaline! Once the guy gets going, I mean... that's it. That's just it."
"There is something impressive about what Iori can do." Shen Woo admired. "I mean, I've gone a little too far with PCP a few times and felt like I could knock out God in Heaven, but Iori... man! That guy is just superhuman! It'll take a nuclear explosion to bring him down."
"This is definitely going to be interesting." Terry said the obvious. "Kula's no slouch..."
"She's learned to use her powers in many more ways." Vanessa noted. "But she's still a kid. Still got a lot to learn..."
"All I know is, Kula spoiled my perfect heist!" Malin grunted. "DEATH TO THE LOLLY LADY! STRIKE HER DOWN IORI, YOU SEX GOD!"
THE FINAL BATTLE: IORI YAGAMI VS KULA DIAMOND
FIGHT!
As huge and terminal as the moment was, the fight started as tense and measured as any other: with a suffocating silence, as the two fighters stared...and waited.
Iori knew Kula wasn't the type to make the first move. She had that same irritating posture as K': standing there, with a glazed look, like this was all beneath her. Not even bothering to take a proper fighting stance. If he didn't know of her fearsome abilities, he'd be inclined to rush in and drop her where she stood.
...That being said, he did have a nagging headache and really wanted to just eat and sleep. The more he stared at her, the angrier he got, the more eager he was to be done with this.
He knew there was only one way to end this fight... do what he did best. Run people over.
Nobody was prepared when the first move was made; with a savage growl, Iori rushed forward and started swinging his best hooks, the ice girl avoiding damage only thanks to timely sways of her head.
Left, right, left, right...he was pure headhunting. But this allowed Kula an easier time dodging, and she seemed to have no struggles moving her head out of the way.
Finally, Iori mixed it up, lunging and throwing a powerful round kick towards the midsection. Kula's powers finally manifested; using ice to jettison her feet, she slid well out of range of his leg.
Her eyes glowed red as she attempted a counter, shooting a stream of ice along the ground that sailed towards his foot, enveloping it, freezing him in that spot...
FWOOSH! The ice barely had time to get acquainted with his foot before he threw his hand downward and blasted it away with a flash of purple. He rushed towards Kula, his fist still carrying a stream of embers, and let loose a powerful uppercut; she swayed back hard to dodge it...
...But Iori had a follow-up ready. Stepping through with the whiff, he spun around and recycled the fire, switching it into his other palm...with Kula on her back foot, there was no way to avoid a direct pitch.
Iori chucked the ball of flame at her, and Kula had no other option but to summon an ice shield and tank it. It connected hard, and the shield did its duty, but exploded as it vaporized to nothing, blasting Kula backwards onto her butt.
"Nice hit!" Shingo pumped his fist in triumph.
"That shield saved her for sure..." Yuri noted.
Kula was slightly jarred from the tumble, but was on her feet quickly and able to intercept Iori coming in; her eyes flashed red as she swung her hands at open air, launching a frigid wave that manifested into solid particles mid-flight.
Vaporizing the ice shards was as simple as waving a flaming purple hand, and the projectiles didn't stop Iori's advance. Kula fired again, this time launching a bit more sizable ones... but the glorified buckshot was again turned to a harmless mist, and Iori had gotten close enough to swing a hard left towards her head. Kula, still agile, dodged the hit and peppered him in the nose with two quick jabs; it didn't faze Iori a bit, and he rebounded with a wide backfist, doubling up with another straight left behind it. Kula swayed to avoid the first, and jettisoned her feet out of range of the second... she knew she had to hit Iori with something a little harder, and thus, she took a big risk right there.
Quickly dropping downwards, she slammed her palms into the ground and summoned her ice powers upon the foundation. Iori only knew how to go forward, and thus walked directly into her trap... by the time he realized the pool of blue at his feet, an ice fist spawned out of it and drilled into his stomach.
"Gurrgh...!" Iori grunted hard on that one; it was clearly harder than Kula's fist.
Kula didn't stop there; using her ice creation as a platform, she vaulted off it and leaped into Iori's face, blasting him in the forehead with a point-blank shin that actually toppled the larger man, bringing the two of them into a hard crash on the ground.
"Wow, Kula nailed him good!" Joe exclaimed.
"But she's in the lion's den." Mary observed. "She's gotta get back to range, or Iori will tear her apart."
"KULA GET OUT OF THERE!" Diana urged.
The scramble on the ground was a short one. Kula had ended up on top, but Iori easily shoved her off of him, and, as soon as the two of them returned to their feet... Iori sent her backwards with a body punch that punished her dearly for trying to go hand-to-hand with him.
"Ouch..." Xiangfei winced hard at that one.
Kula was knocked into a helpless stagger, her wind shooting out of her lungs and making her yelp burn in her throat. She fell on her butt again, and picking herself up took longer... TOO long, as Iori was coming at her again... and feeling none too merciful.
"HRRRR... HRAAAAH!" Iori's palm gathered a small, but powerful stream of fire, that swirled into a concentrated sphere, about a golf ball in size; upon reaching Kula's proximity, he let loose, slamming his palm into the earth at her feet, causing the equivalent of a point-blank bomb that sent her flying into a painful and uncomfortable tumble through the dirt. The only mercy he granted was that he didn't hit her directly with it.
"Shitttt... Iori's pulling punches, but just BARELY." Terry's face wore an uncomfortable twist.
It took a second for the dust to clear, but it eventually revealed a clearly rattled Kula, who was struggling to her feet... she had taken a few hits this tournament, but this was truthfully the most damage she'd received up to this point. Angel and Gato hit hard, but Iori... he was on a different level.
"KULAAAAA!" Diana and Foxy cried her name. Nothing would have brought them more comfort than to run out there and snatch her away from this... but they knew Kula wouldn't want to go out like that. They both acted like they didn't care to fight, but now that they were here, locked in combat... that side of them took over. A fighting instinct that wouldn't allow surrender, or compromise. It was too late to turn back; in order for this to end, one of them would have to go down.
"K...K...Kula-chan...!"
Kula cut her eyes to the sidelines, hearing a familiar and surprising voice... her eyes widened when she saw Hotaru Futaba, looking intense, her fists balled up in determination.
"Kula-chan... FIGHT ON~!"
The slightest of smiles tugged at Kula's lips, and she gave a firm nod. She turned her attention back to Iori; the man had granted her a grace period, and didn't advance forward just yet. The last living embers in his hand burned upwards... until he closed his fist, snuffing it out.
"Wanna back out yet, kid?" he bargained. "We can all go eat."
Kula smiled, and shook her head. "Not yet... I'm having fun. I'm going to test my limits against you, and THEN we'll go eat."
Iori blew a sharp puff of air. "Well shit, I'm not having the least BIT fun. Kid, if I hit you hard, don't hold it against me."
Kula's response was rather quirky, doing the classic "eyelid and tongue" facial insult. "I haven't even gotten started yet, duck tail."
A cocky grin in response. "Your funeral."
Kula's eyes glowed red once more; her powers manifested, and she brought her hands to the ground, shooting out a stream of ice, directly towards Iori...
...But it suddenly split off, and circled around behind him. He could hear a structure forming behind him, and he turned, distracted, to see an ice wall had spawned.
He cut back around, just in time to see Kula ice skating towards him! She drew her hand back, a sharp instrument formed in her fist, and she thrust forward, Iori maneuvering to the side to avoid getting pierced.
"Nice try!" he taunted.
Her fist crashed into the wall... but she seemed ready for the next step. She raised her other hand and spawned the exact same ice tool, thrusting BOTH hands into the wall...
"What is she doing?" Athena asked a rhetorical question.
...And she vaulted herself upwards, flipping over, planting her feet. She pushed off with the knees, and sprung forward, her elbow aimed at Iori's jaw!
"Wha- urgh!" Yagami was completely blindsided by her tricky agility, and her elbow soared clean into him, knocking him into a 180 spin that put him on his hands and knees.
"Damn, look at Kula go! She caught him looking with that one!" Joe pointed.
Iori was fast to rise, a hand massaging his jaw where she cracked him. Kula pressed on, sending another stream of ice along the ground; this time it sailed to Iori's left, spawning another wall right next to him.
She skated forward and cut an angle around him, climbing up the wall and leaping off it with a flying kick, a similar move from a day ago... Iori was ready this time, and he extended his hands to receive her, catching her body in mid-air, and throwing her down, with her own momentum proving to be her enemy, as she took a harsh fall in the dirt.
"Oof, he saw that one coming." Andy grimaced.
"She did that exact same thing to Chizuru. He remembers." Terry pointed out.
Iori looked to his left, then to his rear... with an angry hiss, his hands spawned two columns of flame, and he threw them both, two purple trails sailing across the dirt and striking the walls with explosive force... in a split second, they were obliterated.
"I know what you're trying to do." he scouted her. "You're trying to trap me like you did Chizuru. It's not gonna work on me!"
Kula hissed in pain as she rose to her feet again, nursing her shoulder... it seemed rolling through the dirt so many times was taking a toll on her body. The much larger Iori was throwing her around like she was a baby doll. Had to be smarter...
They circled each other slowly, taking a more measured approach... Iori showed the first signs of action, flicking his right hand and spawning a flame in his palm. They circled for only another second, before Iori drew back and pitched it at her feet.
"DODGE IT KULA!" Foxy cried.
Kula leaped out of the way, but the shockwave still caught her and shook her up a bit. She recovered fast enough, however, to intercept Iori as he tried to come in with a massive left.
"HRRRGH!" he threw his whole body into it and swung rather sloppily; this allowed Kula to maneuver just out of the way and catch his arm coming in, redirecting it, and causing Iori to stumble over his own weight. He dropped to a knee... and he left his face wide open for Kula to curve an elbow into his jaw, knocking him temporarily on his face.
Iori scrambled to his feet, but Kula was still in striking range, and he popped his chin with a left, before doubling up with a right uppercut.
Iori barely registered it, even grinning as she struck him. With a battle cry, he came at her with a REAL punch; Kula dodged, and he suddenly felt his arm grow three times heavier... she'd frozen it solid in mid-swing!
FWOOSH! He enveloped his own arm in purple and melted it away. He came at Kula with two more ferocious strikes, and she dodged again... and she tried a second time, aiming her palms low and freezing at the feet, slowly building up the legs...
FWOOSH! His legs spontaneously combusted and he was free in an instant. A sharp, punishing push kick to her stomach blasted her backwards and finally put an end to the fool notion that she could freeze his limbs.
"None of Kula's tricks she used to get this far are working anymore." King analyzed. "Iori's an unstoppable moving force. He'll break through anything she can conjure up."
At this point, Kula was moving slow, and panting hard. Her output had been exhausting, only for her abilities to fail and it amount to nothing... that alone could be demoralizing to a fighter, and make them feel even more tired.
Iori, meanwhile, was still moving without missing a beat. His face was wearing makeup where Kula had connected so many times, but his overall presentation was one of confidence and momentum. He took a breath, and seized the moment to taunt.
"You're not gonna freeze me, girl. Not in a million years. People might call you the bane of fire users... but they always forget, it cuts both ways."
Kula angrily punched the ground, her carefree demeanor of before finally faded away. She rose back up to her feet... cut her eyes over to the stands, where her family were understandably looking ready to mourn. They wanted her to get out of there so bad.
"You don't have anything to prove, Kula! It's okay!" Diana cried.
"We can all go home, safe and sound!" Foxy seconded.
Angel was the only one who 'seemed' to have confidence in her. "Don't listen to em, dollface! You're doin fine!"
She looked over at Hotaru; she was huddled against Gato, who was holding her tight in return... but her worried eyes still fixated on hers. It felt like earlier in the week... back when they had discovered each other. Back when she felt that warmth. And right now, she could feel it... returning...
Kula smiled. "I'm fine guys, really. Trust me... I've got him."
That bit of cheekiness earned a collective gasp from the sidelines.
"She's 'got him'? What the hell does that mean?!" Mary asked.
"It means Kula's got more power in her than we're giving her credit for." Mai assured. "She can still do something extraordinary here. She can still change this narrative."
Iori's supporters were still cheering him on, confident that this was going to be over soon.
"CMON IORI, YOU GOT THIS!" Shingo boomed. "SHE'S SLOWING DOWN!"
"Don't slip up, Yagami whelp!" Saisyu cheered. "You're close to victory!"
Chizuru sang a similar tune, still cautious. "Iori... be careful! She's very intelligent!"
Iori shot them a mocking look, and, with a snort from his nostril, turned back to Kula. "Alright kid, they seem to think you've still got something left in this... so show me."
Kula's eyes glowed bright red once again. "As you wish."
Iori wasted no time; feeling the momentum, he had nothing to fear from charging forward. He yelled with all his might as he drew back his hand, and balled into a fist...
...Kula's ice powers activated, and, just as he got close, she shot a stream of ice along the ground... it began to solidify, and shape... feet... arms... legs... a torso... a head... until a life-sized Kula sculpture had been made.
"She's making more of those damn ice clones!" King griped, bad memories returning.
Iori decided to take some sadistic pleasure; opening his fingers, he swung, and slashed clean through the ice statue, cleaving off everything from the chest up. Now an afterthought in his rear mirror, he kept coming at Kula, who was now on the defensive.
"Hrah! Hrah! Hrah! HRAAAH!" Iori swung at her with brutal, devastating swipes, each one hard and fast enough to strike fear into her and actually fear for her life... though he had no intentions of actually killing her, he still wanted to frighten her enough into quitting.
...But Kula's resolve seemed rock-hard. Summoning an ice barrier, she attempted to tank the next slash... but it broke clean through, the impact making her recoil sharply, and Iori sent her on her way with a roundhouse to the head. She just barely got her arms up in time to block some of it, but the kick still sent her smaller body tumbling.
"YOU'RE DONE!" Iori howled. He prepared to attack again, and finish her off. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
FWIP FWIP!
As Iori cocked his fist back, he had no way of knowing a rear attack would be coming... until he finally felt it: two sharp pains pierce his arm, and hinder his swing before he was able to throw it.
"NGH! W-what...?!"
He felt the pain flare up fast, and wondered if he'd been shot; he looked at his arm, and saw the culprit...
..Two well-pointed icicles embedded in his arm, sharp enough to draw blood.
"Oh my god!" Vanessa gasped.
"Kula's playing to win... she didn't hold back one bit." Ramon admired.
Iori ripped one of them out of his arm, and saw his blood start to drip. "But ho-"
The entire spectacle had completely distracted him from the fact that Kula was still a factor... and he realized all too late, when Kula was against him, her palms on his chest, and he felt his entire world grow cold and numb...
"HaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kula's eyes lost all white as she exerted a huge burst of power, enveloping Iori with her ice... she held nothing back, her powers growing to the size of at least an RV...
"Oh my..."
"She's..."
"Freezing him!"
"But how did she...?!"
"Look, over there."
Benimaru pointed over, to where the decapitated Kula sculpture still stood... but something was new. Something was missing from the lower torso.
"There's... two holes in it." Chizuru noticed.
Benimaru nodded. "Kula can't animate ice; it's not a living organism. But she can shape and manipulate a solid structure to her will... using components already there, she made it look like the statue came alive and shot two icicles into Iori's arm. He had no incentive to look behind him... so the attack was a complete success. He was blindsided."
"And now he's frozen." Shingo pointed.
Before the amazed eyes of Allianz Arena... Iori Yagami stood before her, his body encased in a ball of ice at least thrice his size. She had done it.
...But Kula knew it wasn't over. She knew that wouldn't hold Iori; in a few precious seconds, his cursed flames would erupt and blast it to pieces. She had to do DAMAGE, right here, right now.
And so she did. Placing her palms on the berg, she again embedded ice into it... overfilling it... causing a massive pressure to build up in the entire structure... until FINALLY...
BOOOOOOM! The ice shattered violently, and the shockwave blasted Iori not only across the field... but his body crashed into the wall of the Stadium itself, a testament to the explosive force of Kula's gamble. It could be argued that this was the most devastating blow of the fight yet... and it belonged to her.
"KULA DIAMOND! LOOK WHAT SHE DID TO IORI!"
"THAT GIRL'S ON FIRE! Well... metaphorically."
"Did she... is Iori done?!"
"No, he's getting back up. But still... holy crap. I never thought anyone could do that to Iori."
Over at the Stadium wall, only one man knew how hurt he was... Iori himself. Rubble falling all around him, dust still clearing, the red-haired man coughed and groaned as he crawled himself out of the crater he was buried in, cursing all the way.
"Urrgh... god... f... urrgh... damn... f***ing... god dammit... f***..." his voice had a pained tone in every word, and his body language - much slower and labored - suggested Kula had hit him harder than he ever thought possible. His emergence from the crash site was without haste... and spectating eyes would never have believed it, but he appeared to be slowed down.
"Unnnghhhhh... f...f***... that hurt." he hissed out his words, reaching up to brush dust out of his hair, before that same hand traveled to the back of his neck, to massage a new series of aches.
Kula, however, would not wait on him.
"Ngh?" Iori saw her ice trickery at work again, this time traveling in two blue streams that flanked each side of him; in an instant, they had solidified into formidable walls, sandwiching him, like a bowling ball between two bumpers.
"She's cut him off into one linear path! She's going for the kill!" Athena screeched.
Sure enough, Kula was skating directly towards him, her feet equipped with blades to rocket her forward at rapid speed. Her eyes fixated on his, and Iori could tell she wanted to end this fight...
...But he still had plenty of juice left. The rage of battle still burned within him... and that rage manifested into his hands, as they spewed purple and shot out, two streams of flame painting the walls until it swallowed them completely, turning them to a disappearing vapor.
The walls were gone, but this did nothing to stop Kula's advance, and she closed the distance too fast; Iori had to back against the wall and anticipate her attack. She went airborne into a flying kick, not caring that her foot still had a makeshift blade on it, and Iori had to juke to avoid the cleaving blow, which carved a streak through the concrete.
Kula landed on her feet and pirouetted with a follow up back kick, her foot just barely grazing by Iori's head... he saw a few strands of red hair float down, and he got angry.
"Damn you...!"
Another reminder of the strength difference was made, as Iori only needed ram directly into her, to drive her body into the nearby wall with little effort, crushing her between his frame, and the concrete foundation.
"Ungggh...ghhh..." Kula cried out in pain as Iori disengaged, leaving her to collapse to her hands and knees.
Iori was feeling a little less merciful. He didn't wait for her to get up, snatching her by the jumpsuit and standing her up... he pulled her back to gather up some speed, before slinging her forward, slamming her into the same wall a second time.
"Unnnghhh!"
Still not letting up, he continued to crush her against the concrete with a body kick, driving pure shin into her stomach. Finally, after three punishing blows... he allowed her to collapse all the way.
"Kula!" Diana cried. "No!"
"Oh I can't watch..." Kensou covered his eyes. "This sucks! All I wanted was to see that arrogant bastard crushed..."
He was silently hoping she wouldn't get up... thus, his face had no shortage of annoyance when she crawled her weary body to her feet, her legs wobbling beneath her. She looked ready to collapse for good.
FWOOOSH! Prepared to end this where they stood, Iori isolated Kula with her same method: trapping her between two walls, of the fire variety. Kula could immediately feel the moisture sap from her tongue, a thirst hitting her in less than a second... so hot... much hotter than his...
"Stay down, kid." Iori advised, more merciful than malicious. "I've tried to be nice, but if you keep this up, I'll have to deck you in your pretty face."
Her skin began to hurt. She felt the trickle of sweat down every pore, as the moisture bled from her like a wringing towel. Just standing here, before these hellish flames, made her want to drop to her knees and submit... maybe this really was the end... she'd fought a good fight... got much further than anyone else imagined. There'd be no shame in quitting now...
"KULAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
...A voice. Female. Diana? Foxy? No. This one sounded familiar, but didn't quite register...
"GET OFF THE GROUND, PRINCESS!"
...A second voice! Deep, burly...!
Kula rubbed her misty eyes and stared beyond the flames, concentrated beyond the tormenting heat... she could capture two blotchy colors in the background... no... THREE?
She squinted harder, she could almost make out the shapes...!
...And when she did, her heart burst in her chest.
"Ah...haaaah...haaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!"
A slender female with short brown bob-cut hair...!
A massive, hulking giant of a man, with brown hair and two obnoxious sideburns...!
...And the third one. No... NO... it couldn't be... it couldn't possibly...!
"Jeez Kula... you fight like shit."
THAT TRYHARD BLACK LEATHER, WITH THE SHAMELESS SEX APPEAL OPEN CHEST! THOSE STUPID OVERCOMPENSATING SUNGLASSES! AND THAT HAIR... THAT BEAUTIFUL SNOW WHITE HAIR...!
She was now leaking in almost every way imaginable. Sweat, tears, drool, snot, you name it. She might have even peed herself a little.
"S...ssss...S...suh..." her voice was cracking so much, she could barely gets the words out. When she finally did... they screamed from her lungs as they tasted the light of freedom.
"SEEEEEEEEEIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! MAXIMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! K' DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Iori had to stand back, as he witnessed her eyes glow with a blinding red light... she inhaled deeply, and BLEW out, the wind from her mouth expelled a frigid air...
...And Iori's left wall disappeared!
"WHAT?"
She turned and blew again. The right wall was snuffed out!
"THE F...!"
"HIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Kula cocked back her fist... and nearly broke her hand with the force of the punch she drove into Iori's face. The entire Stadium echoed like cracking thunder from the force of that blow, and this was the one that finally commanded Iori's respect. His feet wobbled beneath him, his jelly legs stumbling back, and he could only curse in amazement... and disbelief.
"That...f***ing... bitch..."
The sidelines were starting to get erratic, as the script had changed VERY fast.
"WHAAAAT?!"
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"
"I thought she was done!"
Kula didn't stop there. She COULDN'T stop. She slammed her hands on the ground with violent authority, spawning several pools of blue that soared at Iori's feet... the same technique she used on Bonne Jenet earlier this week, an ice fist spawned upwards and knocked him sky high, then another, then ANOTHER, THEN ANOTHER... he was juggled five times before his body was allowed to hit the ground.
"HOLY SHIT! LOOK AT HER GO!"
"I can't believe what's happening right now. This is just... wow."
"URRRAAAH! WHAT... THE... F...U..." Iori groaned out every defiant word as he tried to will his battered body up.
...But even NOW, Kula didn't stop. She slammed her hands down again, reshaping the ice fists, molding them into a new design... they formed a NEW fist, all of them combined into one large destructive force, now aimed horizontal instead of vertical.
"OH MY GOD!" at least ten of them said in unison.
Iori saw what could only be described as a semi truck come crashing into him... and everything became a blur.
CRASHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Allianz Arena took its next big renovation: a huge chunk of the wall now contained the ice fist, which had collided with the force and destruction of a train off the rails. And somewhere inside that awesome destruction... Iori's body resided.
The sidelines were in a frenzy. Things had escalated to far beyond what their scenarios... and their DREAMS... could have ever devised.
"I will never underestimate Kula again... NEVER again." Benimaru resolved.
"I knew the brat was powerful, but this... this is out of this WORLD!" King exploded
"NESTS truly created a devastating weapon." Vanessa spoke with a more ominous tone.
"No... don't give NESTS credit for this." Diana shut it down. "It's true that they were responsible for her creation... but Kula was only given the tools. She was born to be 'The Anti K'... a counter weapon meant to keep him in check, should he ever go awry. That was her one and only function to serve."
The butterfly warrior pointed out to the field, in awe. "But look at her now. She's her own girl... strong and beautiful and free. There's no limit to what she can do now, because those chains have been long broken. She has nowhere to go but... as far as she's willing."
"Man... I can't wait to see what she looks like when she's a fully matured woman." Ramon praised.
BONK!
"H-HEY I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!" the luchador rubbed his now-hurting head.
Kula dropped everything she was doing and sprinted towards the sidelines... towards them... towards her long-lost family. The fight felt so little now, as did all things, because what else did she need in the world except... them?
"SEIRAH! MAXIMA! K'!" she wailed, her legs stumbling like she was a toddler learning to walk. She was crying like one too. Every step towards them felt like reaching a promised land... her arms couldn't have reached out far enough, eager to grab them and feel them...
"KULA!"
His rude, brash voice froze her in her tracks. It wasn't a welcoming tone... but even by his standards, it was harsh.
Whip looked at her brother, who stomped forward, hands in his pockets, a snarl on his face. "Focus on the fight, dummy! You haven't confirmed the kill yet! Friggin' hell..."
Kula looked over at her monumental ice creation, still burrowed knuckle-deep into the wall... Iori had yet to emerge from it. She turned back to him. "B-but..."
"Do I have to kick your ass right here?" K' grunted. "Stop screwing around and go finish him off! Jesus, I still gotta tell you how to do stuff right..."
Whip, the opposite of her snide brother, took a much friendlier disposition. "It's okay, Kula... we're not going anywhere."
Maxima smiled, his arms folded. "Go on. Finish this fight, so we can all go out for some ice cream later. My treat."
She couldn't see a thing through the veritable waterfall of wetness pouring from her eyes. Her eyelids stung with every blink, her nose tickling with each drip. She was an ugly mess... and her mind couldn't have been farther from what she was doing at the moment. She wanted to shut the rest of the world out, and just be here, in this moment... the tournament felt so far away now, like a distant memory. This was all that mattered. This was all she wanted in life.
That being said... the three of them believed in her. They wouldn't want her to go out like this, and thus, to honor their return, Kula vowed to put on a good performance for them and finish this fight here and now. She turned her back to them, closed her eyes... and with deep breaths, chanted a mantra.
"This is real. This is real. This is real. This is real..."
She opened her eyes, turned back around: they were still there. Still smiling. He was still wearing that sour look she'd grown to love.
With a smile, she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back to her handiwork, rushing forward back onto the field, over to where she had wrought her destruction.
On the sidelines, speculations were starting to run rampant. Their mouths flapped constantly in light of new developments, as they tried to piece together the chaos that had transpired in such a short time, from the devastation on the battlefield, to the emergence of old faces.
"Haven't seen them in a while. The hell they been?"
"Worry about that later. I think Iori's...!"
"He hasn't gotten up yet. I think he's done. I think Kula actually did it!"
"Iori... after all this, are you really going to fall here? I don't... believe it..."
"Ah! Look!"
To those anxious for some sign of life over at the crashed wall, they finally got their wish... it started as a small purple glow, but it took all of a half a second, for it to grow into a massive display of ferocity.
"Urrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
An explosion of purple roared in all directions, evaporating the ice instantly, and Iori Yagami was seen once again... back on his feet, he limped forward, a borderline lifeless look in his eyes, like his consciousness was barely there... but his power obviously still remained, as his body gave off a hellish aura that could be felt all the way on the other side of the Stadium.
"Hah...haaaaah...haaaaahhhhhhh..." he breathed laboriously with each plodding stomp, his body skulking forward, leaving a small fire behind him with each footstep. His shirt had been destroyed, either as a result of Kula's massive attack, or of his own demonic fire surrounding him. Only his leather pants survived the assault; the rest of him looked unhinged.
"I'm...not... gonna lose... to some... FUCKIN GRADE SCHOOLER!" he roared, embers spewing from his mouth like it was spittle.
"...Real graceful, Yagami."
...He was stopped in his tracks. THAT VOICE?!
Where was it... his left? His right? Inside his head?! Had the intensity of battle caused him to go delusional? He could have sworn he heard...
"What are you doing, dude? I leave you alone for a few days, and this is what happens? You're hopeless."
No... there was NO denying that the voice was real.
Chizuru gasped, as she could clearly see. "It's...!"
Saisyu knew as well, and his mouth dropped. As did Shingo's... and Benimaru's...
Iori turned slowly... as if he were in denial of reality... but as his peripheral captured the body, it became more and more apparent. That familiar leather coat, familiar jeans, shoes... a head of brown hair! Was there any doubt?! No... there had to be one more thing. Only one more thing could confirm...!
...There it was, on his wrist. Plain as day. The sun.
The mark of the Kusanagi.
His eyes went slightly higher... and captured the face he wanted to punch more than anything. Smug, demeaning eyes, a cocky grin.
He was Kyo Kusanagi. He was standing right in front of him. And this was not a dream.
There was all manner of articulate responses Iori could have made in this scenario. He could have demanded to know what Kyo was up to this whole time. He could have asked why it took this long to get here. Perhaps why now, at the end, did he decide to show up to Munich, Germany?
Instead, it went something like this...
"SON OF A BITCH!" Iori spat. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE!"
Iori shoved him aside like an afterthought and kept stomping forward, towards his immediate opponent... towards the focus right in front of him. He wouldn't let the sentiment of the moment cloud his battle lust for a second.
Kyo took it in stride, his smile only widening. "You sure you can win this one, Yagami? You don't exactly look like a million bucks right now."
"SHUT UP, KUSANAGI!" Iori's voice was borderline demonic. "Don't look down on me... don't you EVER look down on me...I'm... IORI... FUCKING... YAGAMI... I'M THE ONE THAT'S GONNA END YOUR LIFE!"
Kyo gave a smug chuckle. "Hehe... deal with the one in front of you first, man. We'll settle up later."
"Don't go anywhere." Iori threatened. "After I finish this ice brat... you're next."
NEXT CHAPTER: The battle has heated up, but both finalists have yet to reveal their trump cards! Who will prevail in what will be the most explosive final minutes of the Twilight Tournament? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!