Only their conditions seemed... strange.
Most of them slumped drowsily in chairs, apparently not yet fully conscious.
"What... what the hell is going on?!" Ryo's face went pale at the sight.
"Don't be alarmed."
An elegant, low voice drifted over from nearby.
A middle-aged man in a tailcoat approached them—golden-haired, blue-eyed, handsome as a medieval aristocrat, holding a glass of red wine.
He wore a gentle smile, but deep within those blue eyes lurked madness and cruelty worthy of a predator.
He was the organizer of this KOF tournament: R—Rugal Bernstein!
"Welcome, all of you, to my Black Noah." Rugal offered Cloud's group a standard nobleman's bow, smiling. "To celebrate the successful conclusion of KOF 94, I've specially invited all the outstanding fighters to this modest victory banquet. I do hope you'll enjoy yourselves."
"This is your doing?!" Crimson flames had already ignited across Kyo's body, his gaze ice-cold as he stared at Rugal.
"Now, now, no need for such excitement, heir of the Kusanagi clan." Rugal took a sip of wine, his smile unchanged.
"I merely added a tiny, harmless dose of hypnotic gas. After all, not everyone possesses the mental fortitude you three have to resist it."
His gaze swept back and forth across Cloud, Kyo, and Ryo—like the most fastidious collector admiring the perfect artworks he was about to acquire.
"Rugal!"
A furious roar cut through the air.
It was Robert! He'd awakened from unconsciousness and now swayed to his feet, glaring at Rugal with rage.
"What the hell are you trying to do?!"
"What am I trying to do?" The smile finally vanished from Rugal's face.
In its place: deranged, pathological excitement.
"For my great collection, of course!"
He swept his arm dramatically!
On one side of the deck, massive hull plates slowly parted, revealing a scene that made blood run cold—
Row upon row of life-sized bronze statues stood in perfect formation within a vast exhibition hall!
Each statue struck a different pose—some mid-punch, some mid-kick, some frozen in roars of defiance... Every single one was so lifelike it seemed ready to spring to life at any moment!
And their faces... unmistakably belonged to world-famous fighters who had vanished years ago!
"These... these are..."
Every conscious fighter on deck went deathly pale, scalps tingling with horror!
"Exactly!" Rugal spread his arms wide like an artist showcasing his masterpieces, laughing maniacally.
"They were all powerful warriors who fell to me! I preserved their bodies using the most advanced alloy technology, transforming them into eternal works of art in my collection!"
"And today!" His serpentine gaze slithered over Cloud, Kyo, Ryo, and the others. "My collection will gain several new additions... the most perfect specimens yet! Your strength, your will—they fill me with... such indescribable excitement!"
"Madman! You're an absolute madman!" Robert bellowed, ready to charge.
But the moment he took a step, his legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees.
"It's useless." Rugal shook his head with contempt. "The nerve agent I released was specially developed to target fighters—it suppresses the qi in your bodies. You inhaled too much at the hotel. You're utterly powerless. If not for that, gathering you all here wouldn't have been so easy."
"Of course," he glanced at Cloud's trio, who remained standing, a hint of approval in his eyes, "peak fighters like you three, who've awakened the Absolute Domain, are exactly the kind of... premium specimens I crave most!"
"Therefore!" Rugal drained his wine in one gulp, then crushed the glass to powder in his grip!
His tailcoat exploded off his body, revealing the terrifying musculature beneath—explosive, cast-iron power that looked forged from steel itself!
"Allow me to personally test whether you're worthy of becoming eternal additions to my collection!"
Monstrous pressure surged across the entire deck like a tsunami!
Every fighter except Cloud, Kyo, and Ryo buckled under this force, collapsing to their knees in agony, all resistance stripped away.
"Kyo! Ryo!" Cloud gazed at the demon-like figure before him, his expression grave. "Looks like... our victory banquet is going to get lively."
"Heh, just what I wanted!" Blazing crimson flames erupted across Kyo's body.
"Let's fight!" Ryo dropped into the Kyokugenryu stance.
"VWOOOOOM—!!!"
An Absolute Domain exploded outward from Rugal—darker, more violent, more evil than Kyo's and Ryo's combined, suffused with pure destruction and death!
This wasn't mere power suppression. It was absolute dominion over mortals from a higher form of existence!
Absolute Domain: 40%!!!
The terrifying domain field swept the deck like an invisible tide!
Air thickened to the consistency of mercury. The steel deck groaned under the pressure, fine cracks spiderwebbing across its surface!
...
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