The next second, a sacred aura—countless times more powerful than before, originating from the primordial chaos—erupted from the renewed Yata Mirror!
The cracks on its surface vanished. In their place was a perfect, flawless surface capable of reflecting all creation!
"Holy shit! It... it actually got fixed?!"
"Is this... is this what they call an equipment upgrade?"
"I feel like my worldview has been stomped into the ground and tap-danced on today..."
"Im... IMPOSSIBLE!!"
Sensing that complete, undamaged sealing power—now truly threatening to his very essence—Goenitz's face contorted with absolute terror and despair.
He tried to flee, but it was too late.
The "completed" Yata Mirror was like a super-downloader that had just upgraded from dial-up to fiber optic—its suction power increased a hundredfold!
Goenitz stared at that suddenly unreasonable pillar of terrifying light, and his face—which had just been celebrating his survival—now showed only horror and disbelief!
He didn't even have time to curse.
Under that irresistible, terrifying suction force, he was completely drawn into that lonely world within the mirror.
Goenitz managed only a single furious roar of defiance before his powerful divine form was pulled, bit by bit, into the dimensional prison created by the mirror, helpless to resist.
Finally, the light faded. Goenitz's figure vanished completely from this world.
The dark clouds hovering over the stadium dispersed. The violent winds ceased. That suffocating pressure disappeared without a trace.
Sunlight once again bathed the earth.
The world had temporarily returned to peace.
Chizuru Kagura stared blankly at the flawless, gleaming Yata Mirror in her hands, then looked at her sister, who had exhausted her last reserves and now radiated a weakened aura.
The Yata Mirror slowly shrank back to palm-size and floated back into Maki Kagura's grasp.
The entire world fell silent.
Every fighter who had managed to stay conscious, along with the surviving spectators, stared dumbly at the man still striking his "one arm behind his back" cool-guy pose.
And at the equally stunned pair of beautiful miko sisters.
They knew they had won.
They had survived this battle of gods and demons—this nightmare of despair and reversal.
In an atmosphere mixing post-traumatic relief with surreal absurdity, the KOF 96 World Fighting Tournament finally concluded in a way no one could have predicted.
And Cloud—the "Savior" who had single-handedly turned the tide—once again defended his title as the undisputed "King of Fighters."
Only this time...
Besides the women who had already devoted themselves completely to him...
It seemed there was now also a pair of beautiful miko sisters looking at him with eyes full of gratitude and admiration.
The fighting arena at this moment could only be described as "complete devastation"—and that would be generous.
The scene looked like Godzilla and Ultraman had tag-teamed the place, leaving nothing but crumbling walls and massive craters. The air carried a peculiar smell—a mix of ozone and barbecue.
Chizuru Kagura began directing her black-suited subordinates (the Kagura Financial Group's professional cleanup crew) in "disaster recovery" operations.
"Team A, handle the casualty count... oh, looks like nobody died. Then focus on emotional support and distributing compensation for mental anguish. Use crisp new bills with sequential serial numbers—shows sincerity."
"Team B, carry all the unconscious fighters to the medical area. Severe injuries go straight to VIP rooms, expenses on my tab. Oh, and find a special box for Terry's hat—that thing's more important than he is."
"Team C, contact the insurance company... actually, forget it, they've probably already fled the country. Just call the construction crew. Tell them I want a new stadium built on this exact spot—bigger, stronger, nuclear-proof! Budget? The budget is there is no budget!"
The Kagura heiress's string of commands perfectly demonstrated what "money power" truly meant.
Meanwhile Cloud, the "director" and "best actor" of this entire incident, was preparing to do what he always did—go home and lie flat.
He stood atop the rubble, closed his eyes, and reached out with his senses. The corner of his mouth curved upward.
"Still two little fish that haven't been caught."
With a thought, his figure transformed into a streak of light, shooting toward an abandoned industrial district on the city's outskirts.
Inside a rusty warehouse in the abandoned factory district.
The atmosphere was tense.
Vice clutched her chest, where the wounds from Mad Iori's claws still throbbed.
She stared at Mature, who blocked her path, eyes filled with confusion, anger, and a hint of betrayal.
"Move, Mature." Vice's voice was cold as frost. "Lord Goenitz has been sealed. Our master Orochi's resurrection plan has been disrupted. We must immediately awaken our other kin and prepare for the next phase. What exactly do you mean by blocking me?!"
"Next phase?" A complex, bitter smile appeared on Mature's face. "Vice, don't you see it yet? Times have changed. Lord Goenitz's old methods won't work anymore."
"Nonsense!" Vice snapped. "Lord Goenitz is our master's most loyal priest. His plan—"
"His plan overlooked the biggest variable from the very beginning." Mature cut her off, her emerald eyes blazing with fervent light. "I've found... the true god! An existence far more worthy of our loyalty than Orochi!"
"You've lost your mind!" Vice couldn't comprehend this. She was certain her sworn sister had been kicked in the head by a donkey. "Besides our master Orochi, what in this world could possibly—"
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