Crack! Crack! Crack—
A series of crisp sounds like chains snapping echoed in everyone's soul!
The soul network inside the frozen Verse was completely severed in that instant!
Time resumed flowing.
The moment it did, Verse in the sky let out a howl of unwilling despair.
Its body, like a slime that had lost its skeleton, began collapsing and disintegrating wildly!
Countless imprisoned soul fragments transformed into streams of light, scattering and fleeing from its collapsing form!
Rugal's mad laughter, Igniz's sighs... They rose like a grand firework display of souls, flying to all corners of the world, seeking chances at rebirth or complete annihilation.
In mere seconds, the soul prison Verse—which had just seemed invincible and left all fighters helpless—completely collapsed under Cloud's incomprehensible attack.
The entire world fell into dead silence.
Everyone stared slack-jawed at the man standing in the center of the arena, as if he had done something utterly trivial.
However, just when everyone thought the crisis had passed—
From the core of Verse's collapse, from that center of purest, most chaotic energy, a soft, gentle female voice carrying supreme majesty suddenly resonated throughout the entire Earth, echoing in every person's mind.
"Thank you..."
"...for opening the door to my feast."
The voice was magnetic, carrying a hint of languid amusement, like a queen who had just awakened thanking her servants for drawing back the curtains.
But everyone who heard this voice felt a fear from the depths of their souls—a terror that could make even gods tremble!
It was absolute suppression at the level of existence itself!
If Orochi was Earth's will, a planetary-level deity...
Then whoever owned this voice felt like the will of the entire solar system!
Cloud's pupils contracted to their most dangerous pinpoint state! The system in his mind wasn't just alarming—it was wailing on the verge of collapse!
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! Unknown divine-class existence interference detected! Cannot analyze! Cannot comprehend! Cannot oppose!]
[Threat Level: ?????? (Completely off the charts)]
That voice seemed to "see" Cloud, the sole "variable," and let out a soft laugh tinged with curiosity and appreciation.
"Oh? An interesting fellow... actually managed to cut my fishing net."
"No matter. The fish escaped, but the door to the pond has been opened."
"Remember my name, interesting little one..."
"I am called Otoma=Raga."
As her words fell, that final core of energy also completely dissipated into the air.
As if nothing had ever happened.
Back at the KOF Mansion, on the massive screen displaying space-time barrier status, the green light representing the world's protective shield now showed a hideous, massive crack visible to the naked eye!
A truly terrifying existence from "The Other Shore" had turned her gaze upon this world.
...
The KOF XIV farce was over.
Antonov Stadium should now be renamed Antonov Ruins.
The once magnificent venue was now a scene of devastation.
The solid gold arena had been twisted into a pretzel. Audience seats had become debris flying everywhere. The gaping hole in the dome stared up at the gray sky, silently accusing what had just occurred.
And the culprit behind it all—Verse—had deflated like a leaky balloon.
But no one felt relieved.
That female voice called "Otoma=Raga" lingered in everyone's minds like the most malicious curse, sending chills through their very souls.
"Thank you for opening the door to my feast."
That sentence felt like your boss saying at the company party: "Thanks for all your hard work this year—next year's workload will be doubled!" Full of "kindness" that no one could laugh at.
In the center of the arena, Cloud's brow furrowed deeply.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that things felt slightly out of his control.
[System Deep Analysis Report: Regarding Otoma=Raga]
[Target Name: Otoma=Raga]
[Identity: Higher-dimensional life form. Suspected planetary devourer.]
[Form of Existence: ??? (Beyond current observable dimensions)]
[Behavioral Motivation Analysis: Based on linguistic patterns and residual energy fluctuations, core motivation determined to be—feeding.]
[Feeding Targets: All dimensional worlds with possibility of existence. Including but not limited to: KOF Main World, Samurai Shodown Dimension, Street Fighter Dimension, Fatal Fury Dimension, Art of Fighting Dimension...]
[Current Status: Has locked onto this dimensional series' coordinates. Currently attempting to breach dimensional barriers for descent. Verse's creation was her 'can opener,' aimed at punching a hole in the dimensional wall.]
[Threat Level: World-ending? No—Dimension-ending.]
[System Recommendation: ...Recommend Host immediately activate Final Escape Protocol, abandon all current dimensions, take harem group to wander unknown higher-dimensional space...]
"Wander my ass!" Cloud mentally flipped the system off. "I just finished renovating my mansion, and the mortgage (though I don't actually have to pay it) isn't even cleared yet. How can I just run away?"
[...System recommendation revised: Please prepare for a desperate battle against a cosmic-level glutton. Good luck.]
Cloud took a deep breath and closed the system panel.
"Cosmic-level glutton"—that description was both accurate and despair-inducing.
Other people fight for world domination, to realize their ambitions.
This one? Pure "I'm hungry, your dimensional universe looks like a big hamburger, and I want to taste it."
This wasn't a clash of ideologies anymore—this was a survival war between species.
...
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