Cloud's "inauguration speech" brimming with swagger and dominance instantly ignited everyone's fighting spirit!
"OHHH——!!!"
Thunderous cheers echoed throughout the entire estate!
All unease, all fear—vanished in that moment!
What was there to fear?
We have Cloud-sama!
The man who dares to beat up "gods"!
The man who treats "savior" as a side gig!
With him here, forget just Those From the Past—even if every demon in the universe showed up, they'd still... charge right in behind him and wreck their shit!
The atmosphere reached its absolute peak!
The curtain on this final holy war—one that would sweep the globe and stake the world's very fate—had been slowly raised in an atmosphere of passion, fervor, and "cult of personality."
Meanwhile, Cloud, the newly appointed "Earth Defense Supreme Commander," looked at his battle-ready "subordinates" while running entirely different calculations in his head.
"Mm, the mood's building nicely," he mused, speaking to the System internally.
"System, calculate for me: when the fighting starts, what pose should I strike to look the coolest, most stylish, and most impressive?"
"Also, prepare a complete set of post-battle speeches—the kind that both showcases my glorious savior image AND sneaks in some advertising."
"Oh, and contact Norton. Have him set up a global broadcast. For a final battle this epic, not selling pay-per-view tickets would be leaving money on the table!"
[...Host, you truly are... a business genius.]
KOF XIII. The final storm was approaching.
And our protagonist was already preparing to greet this "personal showcase" in the most glamorous, most commercial, and most "shameless" way possible.
...
The KOF XIII tournament proceeded in an oppressively tense atmosphere.
Under the "spiritual guidance" of Supreme Commander Cloud, the United Earth Forces' fighters displayed unprecedented strength.
Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, buffed by the "Spiritual Revival" patch, were absolute "bugs" on the battlefield.
Veterans like Terry, Ryo, and K', their power having skyrocketed, fought like they'd been injected with adrenaline, dominating every match.
However, amid this tournament where the "light of righteousness" seemed to shine everywhere, Cloud's attention remained fixed on one person.
Ash Crimson.
He had appeared again, even participating in this tournament.
During a break in the preliminaries, the two "happened to meet" in the competitors' corridor.
"Well, well, if it isn't our great and almighty Earth Supreme Commander, Mr. Cloud?" Ash leaned against the wall, still speaking in that infuriatingly lazy drawl.
"What's this? Not in your VIP box today, surrounded by beauties and sipping wine? Coming down to us common folk's corridor instead? Here to experience how the other half lives?"
He was still provoking with words, but Cloud read something... unusual in the depths of those seemingly frivolous eyes.
A deep exhaustion and resolve hidden beneath the carefree facade.
Like an actor burdened with heavy fate, squeezing out one last smile with all his remaining strength before stepping onto his final, tragic stage.
"Ash." Cloud didn't banter back as usual. Instead, he walked forward, quietly studying him. "What... are you really trying to do?"
Ash's smile froze slightly.
He hadn't expected Cloud to ask such a question.
Even more unexpected was that Cloud's gaze held none of the previous hostility or mockery—only a hint of inquiry and a complexity he couldn't decipher.
"What am I doing? Why, completing our great plan for Those From the Past, of course." Ash quickly recovered his annoying demeanor, spreading his hands.
"Steal the Three Sacred Treasures, liberate Orochi's power, resurrect our King, then completely format this boring world. Hasn't that always been the script?"
"Is that so?" Cloud looked at him and shook his head. "Funny—you seem more like you're putting on an act."
"An act? Heh heh, Mr. Cloud sure loves his jokes. I'm a method actor. Never stoop to performing." Ash laughed, preparing to turn and leave.
"Is that so?" Cloud's voice drifted from behind him. "Then after you stole the Yasakani Magatama, why didn't you immediately hand it over to your Master?"
Ash's footsteps stopped dead.
His back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
This was his greatest secret! The core of his entire plan! Besides himself, no one else could possibly know!
How... how did this man know?!
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ash didn't turn around, his voice carrying a hint of panic.
"No, you do know." Cloud watched his slightly trembling back, a bold theory forming in his mind.
Ash, this apparent "traitor"—everything he'd done, stealing the divine artifacts, backstabbing his teammates... perhaps none of it was for Those From the Past.
Perhaps he was using the most extreme, least understood method to try stopping them single-handedly!
He might be the loneliest "undercover agent" of all!
"Ash." Cloud let out a sigh. "You're playing quite the chess game. But have you considered that alone, you can't win?"
"You're facing a god who can control time."
Ash's body trembled again.
He spun around, staring intensely at Cloud, his emerald eyes storming with turbulent waves!
"You... who exactly... are you?!"
"Me?" Cloud smiled—an inscrutable, knowing smile.
"I'm just... an audience member with god's-eye view."
...
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