"Chun-Li!" Vega's sick gaze locked onto her. "Last time, you destroyed my beauty. This time, I'll turn you into my most perfect collection piece! You'll stay with me forever!"
His figure once again transformed into a ghostly blur, pouncing at Chun-Li!
"Get away from me! You monster!"
This time, there was no trace of fear in Chun-Li's eyes!
Her mental state had already completed its transformation under Cloud's guidance!
Facing the incoming Vega, she advanced instead of retreating!
"This time, I'm no longer fighting out of hatred!"
A blue aura, purer and more dazzling than during the tournament, erupted from her body!
"I'm fighting to protect the most important person beside me!"
"Hyakuretsukyaku!"
Her long, shapely legs became hundreds of blurred afterimages in the air!
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!
This time it wasn't passive defense!
It was an aggressive storm of attacks!
Vega's eerie footwork found nowhere to hide before Chun-Li's "Absolute Domain"-like barrage of kicks!
Every time his sharp claws clashed with Chun-Li's boots, they were forcefully repelled by an even stronger "ki"!
"No... impossible! Your power... why has it become so strong?!" Vega shrieked in disbelief.
"Because I'm no longer lost!"
Chun-Li shouted, seizing an opening when Vega's old force was spent and new force hadn't yet arrived!
Her body traced a brilliant, gorgeous arc through the air like a dancing phoenix!
Countless leg shadows wove together into a massive "fan" shape in the air!
"Take this! This is my ultimate finishing technique!"
"Hou... Yoku... Sen!"
BOOM——!!!!
"NOOO——!!!"
With a wretched scream—
Vega's body, remade by Psycho Power into "perfection," shattered like fragile porcelain before Chun-Li's ultimate technique infused with the will to protect!
It finally dissolved into countless purple points of light.
This time, it was true annihilation of both body and soul.
Chun-Li landed gracefully, maintaining her single-leg finishing pose—valiant and beautiful, like an invincible Valkyrie.
Cloud stood behind her, watching her resolute yet beautiful silhouette, a gratified smile appearing on his face.
The beautiful girl had finally grown up.
...
After Chun-Li "physically deleted" her lifelong nightmare—Vega—with a gorgeous Houyoku Sen, the entire underground core of Shadaloo fell into an eerie silence.
Ken's boisterous voice came through the communication channel: "Hey hey hey? Cloud, Chun-Li! How's it going over there? Guile and I already retired that money-obsessed boxer! We're heading to rendezvous with Ryu and the others!"
"We dealt with a little bug over here too." Cloud picked up the communicator and replied in a relaxed tone. "Proceed according to plan. Go free the hostages and create more chaos. Remember, our motto is—Cause trouble! Cause trouble! Keep causing trouble!"
"Roger! Mission will be accomplished!" Ken replied excitedly.
Ending the communication, Cloud looked at the girl beside him—who had just won her "fated battle," slightly out of breath, but with incomparably bright eyes—and extended his hand with a smile.
"Shall we, my princess?" he teased. "The final ball is waiting for its two leads."
Chun-Li's pretty face reddened as she shot him a look, but without hesitation, she placed her hand in his warm, broad palm.
The two walked hand in hand, continuing deeper into the base.
The further they went, the thicker the evil, tyrannical aura of "Psycho Power" became.
On the walls, futuristic-looking conduits like thick blood vessels continuously pumped purple-black energy in one direction.
Finally, passing through a massive circular gate, they arrived at a place that would remain unforgettable for the rest of their lives.
It was a circular space as vast as an underground cathedral.
The domed ceiling was embedded with countless crystals flickering with ghostly blue light, like an inverted galaxy—eerie yet magnificent.
And at the center of the space, one thing captured all their attention.
It was an enormous spherical device!
Dozens of meters tall, its surface was covered by a layer of purple-black biological tissue that seemed alive and constantly writhing.
Countless thick energy conduits, like blood vessels, connected to its top and bottom, continuously channeling "negative emotions" collected from around the world into it.
It was like a living evil heart!
THUMP... THUMP... THUMP...
Each beat produced a deep, drum-like sound that made the entire space tremble! Simultaneously, waves of pure Psycho Power spread outward with each pulse.
"This... this is..." Chun-Li's voice trembled slightly as she looked at this Lovecraftian horror before her.
"That's right." Cloud's gaze also turned grave. "The Psycho Drive. The source of all Bison's power, and the superserver that lets him control global networks."
"This guy is absolutely insane!" Looking at that constantly beating "heart," Chun-Li felt her stomach churn. "How much fear and despair did he collect from people to create this monster?!"
"Wait, there's more."
Cloud pointed to the area around the "heart."
Surrounding that massive heart like satellites were hundreds of transparent cultivation tanks filled with green nutrient fluid!
And inside each tank floated a naked, sleeping male body!
Those bodies had the same appearance, the same physique, the same evil and domineering features!
They were all—Bison!
"These... these are..." Chun-Li was completely stunned by this "clone factory" horror scene.
"Power banks and backup bodies." Understanding flashed in Cloud's eyes. "I finally get why this guy is called immortal."
"The Psycho Drive is his power source, continuously providing him with energy."
"And these clone bodies are his respawn points. Even if we destroy his current body, his consciousness can transfer to any of these new bodies and come back online."
"Infinite power, plus infinite respawns... Tsk tsk, this guy has basically turned himself into a pay-to-win player with GM privileges."
This was Bison's greatest secret!
And the ultimate trump card that gave him the confidence to declare war on the entire world!
...
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