This was an absolutely terrible travel experience.
If previous teleportations were like riding a high-speed train—smooth and swift—this forced teleportation was like being stuffed into a washing machine set to "extreme spin."
Cloud felt like a dust particle caught in a cosmic storm.
Colorful data streams, fragmented time shards, and twisted spatial laws lashed at his body and soul like countless whips.
An ordinary person would have been torn into elementary particles in the first second.
"Damn it, System, you scammer! This is the luxury business class you mentioned? Raw-dogging into another world's server without even giving me a VPN?"
As Cloud roared, the powers within him instinctively moved to protect their master.
Orochi's power opened a domain of "Nothingness," blocking most of the chaotic law erosion.
NESTS technology rapidly analyzed the surrounding energy composition, trying to find the most stable route.
And that usually uncooperative space-time power was now in its element, happily guiding him toward a coordinate point radiating an ancient, bloody aura.
Time passed—perhaps a century, perhaps just an instant.
When that nauseating "motion sickness" finally subsided, only the howling wind remained in Cloud's ears.
He snapped his eyes open to discover he was currently engaged in an extreme sport—high-altitude freefall.
"Holy $#@%!"
A string of expletives burst forth.
Below stretched an endless primeval forest of deep green. His current position was at least several thousand meters above ground.
Fortunately, his reflexes were superhuman. With a stylish midair flip, he condensed air currents beneath his feet, steadied his descent, and floated down like a feather toward a relatively flat clearing in the forest.
Thump.
Both feet landed firmly, pressing into the soft humus soil with a soft sound.
Cloud straightened up, surveying his surroundings, then fell into prolonged silence.
The sight before him was a massive shock to someone who had lived and fought in steel forests for so long.
No skyscrapers, no traffic, no dazzling neon lights, and certainly no Wi-Fi signal anywhere.
All he could see were ancient trees blocking out the sky, each requiring several people to wrap their arms around. Moss and vines climbed their trunks—silent giants standing watch.
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy into countless fragmented spots, scattering sparsely across ground covered with ferns.
The air was saturated with such rich grass and earth fragrance you could almost wring water from it. Each breath felt like a spa treatment for his lungs, offering unprecedented refreshment to someone accustomed to city smog.
"Damn, the air quality index here must be in the negatives. All-natural, pollution-free, original ecological oxygen bar. Back in the KOF world, just selling this air would make that old cheapskate Takuma Sakazaki beg me to marry Yuri."
He looked up at the sky—blue as a pure, flawless gemstone. A few white clouds drifted lazily by. An eagle circled high above, letting out clear cries.
In the distance, he could make out the silhouette of rolling mountains and a winding path leading somewhere unknown. The path was paved with gravel and dirt, clearly well-traveled, but definitely not modern construction.
"Nostalgia trip... This art style, this rendering—did I go back to ancient times?"
Cloud looked down at himself.
On top: a limited-edition silk pajama top printed with the "King of Fighters" logo. On bottom: beach shorts. On feet: flip-flops.
This outfit, in this ancient, primeval environment, stuck out like a sore thumb—like a tourist who had wandered into the wrong room at an immersive historical LARP event.
[DING! Destination reached: Parallel World—Samurai Shodown (Late 17th Century, Japan).]
[World Background: The Tokugawa Shogunate era. Disasters plague the land, and the people suffer. Furthermore, forces from the demon realm have infiltrated the mortal world. The cultist Amakusa Shiro Tokisada has been resurrected, seeking to summon a demon god to overthrow the world. This is an era where swords and sorcery coexist, where humans and demons dance together.]
[Tutorial: Given that the host's current attire clashes severely with this world's aesthetic, it is recommended to acquire local clothing immediately to avoid being gawked at as a performance artist or being mistaken for a demon and cut down on sight.]
[Current Quest: "Dimensional Correction: Samurai Shodown Arc" Phase One—Integration.]
"Alright, alright, got it." Cloud waved dismissively, closing the system interface. "Starting with nothing but a path, equipment all from drops... no wait, my equipment all comes from the System."
With a thought, weapons, items, and even spare clothes from the KOF world's various characters were clearly visible in his system storage.
After considering it, he decided not to change yet. This outfit might sometimes produce unexpected "intimidation" effects.
He carefully sensed this world's "atmosphere."
Besides the rich natural energy in the air, two other scents caught his attention.
One was a faint smell of blood—fresh—indicating that despite this forest's peaceful appearance, killing occurred frequently.
The other was a cold, evil demonic aura. This presence caused both his Yagami blood and Orochi blood to stir with barely perceptible excitement. The instinctive reaction of a hunter catching the scent of prey.
"Blood, demonic energy, and swordsmen... Tsk tsk, way more interesting than dealing with street racers and gangs in South Town every day."
A mischievous grin spread across Cloud's face, like a max-level player who had wandered into the newbie village, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
He stretched, his joints popping in a crisp sequence. The muscles under his pajamas tensed instantly, an invisible "ki" radiating outward from him, startling birds into flight throughout the forest.
"Well then, let's see if this era's fighters are enough to warm me up."
He identified his direction and strolled down the winding path leading who-knows-where.
His pace seemed leisurely, but each step left an afterimage, covering dozens of meters in an instant.
Just as he emerged from the forest and his view opened up to reveal the outline of an ancient village in the distance, piercing screams and the sharp clash of weapons clearly reached his ears.
...
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