Just then, Goro Daimon approached and slowly explained in his ancient voice: "Young Master, you may not know this. In my match with Commander Zuo, and Benimaru's with Miss Feng Baobao... we didn't actually use our full strength either."
"Huh?!" Cloud was dumbfounded again.
"Yes." Goro Daimon nodded. "When we saw from below that you too were burning with pure Kusanagi Flames, we understood... you're one of us."
"As retainers of the Kusanagi clan, our duty is to protect the main family. Since you also carry the main family's blood, naturally... we couldn't go all-out against your teammates."
"So I only tested Commander Zuo's blade before surrendering. As for Benimaru... well... he probably just genuinely couldn't beat Miss Feng Baobao."
In the distance, Benimaru, clutching the bite marks on his thigh, felt personally attacked.
After hearing Goro Daimon's "honest" explanation, Cloud went completely numb.
He finally... understood everything.
Holy crap!
So this highly anticipated finals was, from start to finish, a massive water-carrying party caused by "overthinking"?!
No wonder Kyo suddenly went "actor mode" at the end!
No wonder Goro Daimon surrendered so cleanly!
No wonder Benimaru... okay, Benimaru was probably just actually weak.
This is...
This championship is so awkward, so absurd!
Cloud's heart was a jumble of emotions, caught between laughter and tears.
He looked at these people who had unilaterally decided he was their "long-lost family member," their eyes full of "we've got your back now," and finally gave up on explaining.
Forget it.
A misunderstanding's fine.
Getting a free "Child of Destiny" as a big brother seems... not a bad deal?
At least I can walk around with my head held high from now on.
And I've heard the Kusanagi clan is pretty loaded—that's basically a walking ATM!
...
At the awards ceremony, Cloud stood on the highest podium, holding the heavy, solid-gold "King of Fighters" trophy, wearing a subtle, "awkward yet polite" smile.
He felt less like the First King of Fighters and more like... the First "Nepotism Hire."
Beside him, Commander Zuo and Baobao maintained their usual "out of it" demeanor.
Commander Zuo cradled his Spring-Autumn Blade, regarding the gleaming trophy with contempt.
In his view, such flashy useless things weren't worth as much as a good whetstone.
Baobao curiously poked the trophy with her finger, then stuck out her tongue and licked it. Her face immediately showed disgust: "Boss, this thing doesn't taste good. All rusty."
Cloud: "..."
Just then, an organizer staff member in a black suit and sunglasses approached the stage.
He bowed respectfully to Cloud and handed over a black envelope stamped with the letter "R."
"Mr. Cloud, congratulations to you and your team for winning the KOF 94 championship." The staff member's voice was emotionless. "Our great organizer, Mr. R, was very impressed by the tremendous strength displayed by you and your teammates."
"To honor your valor, Mr. R has decided that in three days, once you've recovered, he will host a private victory celebration on the Black Noah and... personally present you with a special reward."
Here it comes!
Cloud accepted the ominous invitation, his gaze instantly sharpening.
He knew the KOF tournament's true "main event," the true "final boss," was finally... about to appear!
Rugal Bernstein!
Three days from now, it's time for you and me to settle things!
He turned to look at Kyo nearby, who was giving him a "go for it little brother, big brother supports you spiritually" expression, and a bold idea suddenly surged up.
When the time comes...
Dragging this "free big brother" along to fight the boss... shouldn't be too much to ask, right?
After this "melodrama meets hot blood, overthinking and water-carrying fly together" KOF 94 finals concluded, Cloud's life didn't immediately enter the "King with three beauties, never attending morning court" lazy mode he'd imagined.
Quite the opposite—he was run off his feet.
On one hand, he had to deal with media reporters from around the world. The scene was more intense than a Hollywood star walking the red carpet.
Everyone wanted to extract some inside scoop about his two "godlike" teammates from this newly crowned "First King of Fighters."
To this, Cloud merely adopted a profoundly mysterious expression and left three "high-class" quotes:
"My teammates? They come from a place you couldn't understand."
"Their strength? I can only say they haven't used even one-tenth of it."
"As for why we won? Because we represent love and justice."
These cryptic, "riddler"-style statements were instantly interpreted into eighteen different versions by various media outlets.
Things like "mysterious Eastern ancient martial arts clans," "hermit cultivation sects," and even speculation that "Dragon Nation Team" was secretly trained "super soldiers."
In short, Cloud and his unconventional team had been completely mythologized.
On the other hand, he had to deal with his increasingly "heated" harem situation.
Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, Athena Asamiya—these three exceptional beauties in their respective fields now looked at him like starving kittens eyeing a fish, with gazes so intense they made him uncomfortable.
They no longer competed openly and secretly like before but instead formed a bizarre "united front."
Every day, under the guise of "celebrating the championship," they occupied his villa and conducted "inhumane" encirclement.
Cloud felt less like he'd won the King of Fighters title and more like he'd entered the "Spider Cave."
This "painful yet blissful" life continued for two days.
Until the morning of the third day, with just one day left before the Black Noah appointment, change quietly arrived.
...
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