They went to South Town's most famous jazz club, listening to the melancholic, romantic blues from a saxophonist.
On a whim, Cloud even took the stage and used his system-enhanced heavenly voice to sing a hit song by a certain rock singer named Iori Yagami from the KOF world.
His magnetic voice, carrying a hint of wild wickedness, instantly ignited the entire bar's atmosphere!
Countless men and women went wild, screaming with excitement! There was even a wealthy woman who immediately offered a seven-figure sum to "keep" him on the spot.
Chun-Li and Lien watched that man on stage, radiating light like a born superstar, their eyes filled with intoxication and pride.
Just how many more "surprises" did this man have that they didn't know about?
...
Of course, while enjoying the sights, Cloud hadn't forgotten his real business.
He secretly made a trip to the Kyokugenryu Dojo.
When he saw Ryo Sakazaki—once so spirited and known as "The Invincible Dragon"—now so worried about the dojo's poor management that he was nearly going bald, Cloud couldn't help but sigh. (This can be understood as a parallel world version of Ryo, not the one from Cloud's original world.)
He didn't reveal his identity. Under the guise of "a concerned citizen who wishes to remain anonymous," he made an anonymous donation to the Kyokugenryu Dojo—an amount "large enough for them to open a branch on the moon."
When Ryo received this windfall from heaven, he immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times toward the sky, repeatedly muttering: "Which living Buddha has blessed us?!"
After completing this "good deed"—
Cloud finally boarded a private jet bound for Europe with his two "beauty bodyguards."
(The jet? Naturally one of the "inheritances" acquired from Duke.)
...
Europe. A small mountainous nation famous for its "permanent neutrality" and "banking."
Before a massive castle hidden deep in the Alps, filled with classical and luxurious atmosphere—
Cloud, Chun-Li, and Lien stepped out of a low-key yet extravagant Rolls-Royce.
"This is the place." Cloud looked at Gustav Manor—ostensibly a "historical cultural heritage site," but actually a "military fortress"—and his face broke into a "demolition crew captain" smile.
"According to that unlucky bastard Duke's memories, Gustav Munchausen, the final boss behind Addes, should be in his underground base right now, admiring his precious collection."
"Shall we attack?" Lien's hand had unconsciously moved toward the ring blade hidden on her inner thigh. Her eyes burned with the flames of revenge.
"Don't rush." Cloud stopped her. "For dealing with old farts who like to show off, we need a more ceremonial way to say hello."
With that, he cleared his throat and took a deep breath.
Then, toward that seemingly impregnable castle, he bellowed at a volume capable of triggering an avalanche:
"GUSTAV!!! YOUR MOM'S CALLING YOU HOME FOR DINNER—!!!"
The sound rolled through the entire valley like thunder.
...
Inside the castle.
In a collection room made of pure white jade, filled with "perverted" taste, hidden in the deepest reaches—
A golden-haired elderly man in an immaculate tailcoat, hair combed meticulously, looking like a refined scholar, was wearing white gloves and carefully polishing something inside a display case with a velvet cloth.
It was a biological heart still slowly beating, suspended in special nutrient fluid.
The heart was covered in hideous scars, with one particularly prominent "X"-shaped scar.
This was none other than the heart of the man once known as the "Emperor of Muay Thai"—Sagat!
"Oh, my dear Sagat." Gustav looked at this heart, his face showing an obsessed, morbid smile. "Your indomitable fighting spirit—even after I carved it out of your body—is still so full of vitality. You truly are one of my most perfect collection pieces."
This was the founder of "Addes"—Gustav Munchausen.
An ultimate pervert who derived pleasure from collecting the organs and power cores of the strong.
Just as he was still reveling in self-admiration—
Cloud's earth-shattering "friendly greeting" reached his ears.
Gustav's movements froze.
The refined smile on his face instantly solidified.
"Who...?"
"Who dares interrupt my appreciation?!"
He whipped around and pressed a red button beside him.
Dozens of surveillance screens instantly appeared on the collection room's walls.
Then he saw those three figures at the castle gate, looking as casual as tourists on an outing.
"Lien Neville... the only surviving defector from the Jiao Organization." He recognized Lien at once.
Then his gaze fell on Chun-Li.
"Hmm? Interpol's little kitten? Why is she here too?"
Finally, his gaze settled on Cloud, standing in the center position.
The moment he saw Cloud—
His blue eyes, always filled with the confidence of having everything under control, flashed with uncontrollable horror!
Because the most sophisticated "life energy detector" installed throughout the entire manor was now emitting an unprecedented piercing red alarm!
On the screen, the data model representing Cloud couldn't even be constructed!
It displayed only rows of garbled text made up of countless question marks and "ERROR"!
That meant this man's "life energy level" had far exceeded the upper limits of what his "supercomputer" could calculate!
"A monster...!"
"What kind of monster is this man?!"
"Someone! Activate the highest-level Divine Punishment defense system! Blast them to smithereens!!!"
Gustav shrieked hysterically into his communicator!
However—
Before his command could even be transmitted—
A terrifying boom, ten thousand times louder than that earlier "greeting," came from outside!
The entire castle shook as if in an earthquake!
On the surveillance screens, he watched in terror as—
The man named Cloud simply threw a punch at the castle gate.
Then that gate—forged from hundreds of tons of special alloy, capable of withstanding a nuclear blast—along with the dozens of meters of fortress wall behind it, crumbled like "tofu construction" hit by an iron fist, instantly reduced to powder filling the sky.
A massive fan-shaped vacuum zone that penetrated the entire castle courtyard appeared on the screen.
...
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