Mai Shiranui stood frozen in place, feeling the oversized jacket draped over her body, breathing in that familiar masculine scent. Her mind went blank.
That bastard...
Was he... protecting me?
Riiip—
Another "heartbreaking" sound.
Another "completely uneventful" KO.
The boos from the crowd had transformed into roars of fury.
"You bastard! Give us back our Mai Shiranui!"
"I've never been this frustrated in my entire life!"
"I hereby declare Cloud the public enemy of perverts worldwide!"
Round three: King took the stage.
As one of the earliest female fighters from Art of Fighting, King's skills were clearly a tier above Yuri's. Her elegant Muay Thai was lightning-fast and devastatingly precise!
"Venom Strike!"
A blue energy projectile shot forward like a viper's tongue, cutting off all of Cloud's escape routes!
"Not bad."
Cloud advanced instead of retreating. Enhanced by his Absolute Domain, he left a trail of afterimages across the stage, effortlessly evading every attack!
"Your ranged attacks are useless against me."
Cloud closed the distance instantly!
King kept her composure, launching a swift sweep kick that tore through the air toward Cloud's lower body!
But Cloud did something no one expected.
He... closed his eyes!
[Mind's Eye] + [Deep Analysis]!
King's attack trajectories, muscle movements, even the rhythm of her breathing—everything appeared crystal clear in his mind!
He was like an oracle who could see the future, always predicting King's next move half a second early, then dodging with minimal movement and effort.
To spectators, it looked like King was dancing an elegant solo around Cloud.
"This... this is impossible!" King's heart churned with shock.
She felt completely transparent, all her secrets laid bare before him!
"You have too many openings."
Cloud's voice whispered in her ear like a ghost.
He caught her in the gap between her old force exhausting and new force generating, stopping a knife-hand strike just before her pale, slender neck.
"You lose."
King's body went rigid. Looking at this man with eyes deep as the ocean, she felt, for the first time, what it meant to be truly "powerless."
"I... I surrender," she said bitterly.
Another domination!
And of course, in the end, he used his... well... reasonably clean pants to preserve King's final "dignity."
[Ding! Special Battle Quest Complete: Knight in Shining Armor!]
[Congratulations Host! Acquired skills: "Shiranui-Style: Crimson Crane Dance (Mastery)", "Kyokugenryu: Flying Swallow Kicks (Mastery)"!]
[Ding! Target 'Mai Shiranui' Affection change: +80 → +90 (This... this bastard... how can he be so smooth?!!)]
[Ding! Target 'Yuri Sakazaki' Affection change: +50 → +70 (Waaah... Cloud is so gentle, so cool! Brothers are the worst!)]
[Ding! Target 'King' Affection change: 0 → +30 (In front of all those people, he really was a perfect gentleman!!!)]
With that, Dragon Nation Team won 3-0, a complete victory!
Cloud stood alone in the center of the ring wearing nothing but boxers, bare-chested, receiving the death glares of tens of thousands of spectators—gazes so intense they were practically tangible, dripping with resentment.
Single-handedly, he had crushed the dreams of perverts worldwide.
...
After the match, in the Women Fighters Team's backstage lounge.
The atmosphere was frozen solid.
Yuri Sakazaki and King had already changed clothes, but they were still shaken from that "domination match."
Mai Shiranui sat in a corner, silent, lost in thought.
Just then, the lounge door opened.
Cloud walked in, now wearing clean clothes, carrying several bags.
"Yo, everyone's here?" He set the bags on the table. "Brought you some late-night snacks. Got tiramisu, and your favorite milk tea."
"Who wants your stuff!" Mai turned away with a cold hmph.
Cloud smiled, walked over to her, and crouched down to meet her eyes.
"Still mad?"
"I'm not!" Mai said stubbornly.
"Really not?" Cloud's eyes sparkled with amusement. "I know you're not mad that I beat you. You're mad because... why did I become so strong, right?"
Mai's whole body stiffened. He'd hit the nail on the head.
Yes, she couldn't figure it out.
In just a few months, the guy who needed her "protection" when they first met had grown to heights she could only look up to.
This sense of loss and frustration made her heart ache.
"Because..." Cloud looked into her eyes, filled with confusion and grievance, and slowly reached out to wrap his arm around her slender waist.
"Because I never want to see anyone have the chance to hurt you, even a little bit."
"I became this strong so I could... stand in front of all of you and shield you from every storm."
"So, Mai..."
His voice was magnetic and seductive.
"Don't be mad anymore, okay? You're cute when you're angry, but I still... prefer seeing you smile."
This confession—dripping with smooth lines and cheesy romance—detonated in Mai Shiranui's heart like a bomb!
Her cheeks flushed crimson instantly. All her grievances and frustrations evaporated in that moment.
Replaced by a tidal wave of sweetness and emotion.
Meanwhile, Ryo Sakazaki had just walked in and heard Cloud's "cringeworthy" confession.
He looked at his little sister's expression of "I'm also feeling sweet and moved" and felt his eyes roll so hard they might fly off.
"This pig... his cabbage-stealing techniques are getting more refined by the day!"
...
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