With that declaration, he fixed his gaze on the most formidable-looking wall at the far end of the prison block—the super-alloy barrier designed to contain maximum-security prisoners!
"Andy, Mai!" Cloud barked. "Take Joe and get behind me! Give me five seconds!"
Though they had no idea what he was planning, their absolute trust in Cloud's abilities made them comply instantly.
Cloud drew a deep breath. Feet slightly apart, center of gravity lowering.
A violent, concentrated surge of golden flame erupted from within him!
Absolute Domain 38%—fully unleashed!
He slowly raised his right hand, forcing every ounce of Heavenscorch Scripture power into his palm, compressing and condensing it to an impossible density!
In that instant, it felt as though the temperature of the entire underground prison had been sucked away!
All light warped and bent, spiraling into the small golden sphere in his palm—a tiny orb that seemed to contain the terrifying energy of a miniature sun!
"Watch closely."
Cloud's voice cut through the blaring alarms with perfect clarity.
"This move is called... 'Where there's a will, there's a way'... or more specifically..."
"Heavenscorch Human Cannon!"
BOOM—!!!!!
A beam of pure golden energy, over two meters in diameter and capable of piercing through anything in its path, erupted from his palm!
That super-alloy wall—supposedly able to withstand missile strikes—crumbled before the unreasonable force of that energy beam like wet tissue paper!
No resistance. No standoff.
The wall, the rock behind it, the pipes, the steel-reinforced concrete—everything was instantly vaporized, evaporated, annihilated by the extreme heat and overwhelming power!
A massive tunnel several meters in diameter appeared before them, so deep they couldn't see the end. Molten metal still dripped along its scorched edges.
And at the far end of this "Human Cannon's" path... they could just make out the cold darkness of Geese Tower's underground drainage system!
He had literally punched a way out—from three floors underground, straight to freedom!
Andy and Mai stared, jaws slack, minds completely blank.
This... this is...still human?!
That destructive power is practically tactical-nuke level!
"What are you standing around for?" Cloud's voice snapped them back to reality. "Time to make our exit!"
But just as the trio prepared to make their "great escape" through that still-smoking tunnel—
An overwhelming pressure descended upon them!
A terrifying aura flooded the space—ten times more oppressive than Geese Tower's evil barrier, carrying the absolute authority of a dark emperor!
KRA-KOOM—!!!
The ceiling above them was torn open from above by an even more brutal force!
Massive chunks of alloy crashed down like meteors!
A mountainous figure draped in a crimson cape descended like a god, landing directly in their only escape route!
"Hehehe... What a spectacular jailbreak performance."
The newcomer was none other than the Dark Emperor who shouldn't have been here at all—Wolfgang Krauser!
"Krauser?!" Andy cried out in shock. "What's he doing here?!"
"Looks like our friendly visit has disturbed more than one host." Cloud handed Joe off to Andy and stepped forward, positioning himself between everyone and this uninvited guest. His eyes grew heavy with focus.
He could feel it—this Krauser was far more serious, far more dangerous than when they'd met on the rooftop.
"King of Fighters—Cloud!" Krauser's gaze swept past him, landing greedily on the "experimental subjects" still receiving injections in their cells. A knowing smile spread across his face.
"It seems I've found the right place. That waste Geese really was hiding treasure down here."
"But before I go take what I want from him..."
His eyes snapped back to Cloud, filled with frigid killing intent and the fury of wounded pride.
"I need to crush the insolent fool... who interrupted my hunt!"
Being blasted away by Cloud's Golden Orochinagi last time had been the greatest humiliation of Krauser's life!
Tonight, he was here to settle the score!
"Andy, Mai!" Cloud called without looking back. "Take Joe through that tunnel! Now! I'll hold him off!"
"But—" Mai started to protest.
"No buts!" Cloud's voice carried an authority that brooked no argument. "Trust me!"
Andy gritted his teeth. He knew this wasn't the time for hesitation.
He looked at Cloud's solid, unwavering back and gave a firm nod. "You... be careful!"
With that, he immediately lifted Joe onto his back, grabbed the reluctant Mai's hand, and leaped into the deep chasm without looking back.
The underground prison now held only Cloud and Krauser—two kings facing off.
"How touching, this camaraderie," Krauser sneered with cruel mockery. "But do you really think you can hold me back?"
"Only one way to find out."
Golden flames erupted across Cloud's body.
"Arrogance!"
Krauser wasted no more words. An earth-shattering battle exploded within the confined underground space!
...
Meanwhile—Geese Tower, top floor office.
Geese Howard sat elegantly behind his desk of pure obsidian, swirling a glass of expensive Burgundy wine as he watched the dozens of massive surveillance screens before him with great interest.
The screens displayed real-time footage of the apocalyptic "clash of titans" happening three floors below.
...
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