Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 361: The Love Rival Who Came Knocking

Oh no. This woman's probably even stronger than I expected! Being an heir of one of the Three Sacred Treasures families... she might be a top-tier fighter!

This tournament has way more hidden depths than I thought...

As Qin Ming quickly looked away, Chizuru Kagura also frowned and quietly withdrew her gaze.

In truth, with her own power, she wouldn't have been able to detect someone spying on her with such precision. The reason she was able to notice and block the scan was thanks to the artifact she possessed—the Yata Mirror.

As she gently touched the sacred mirror resting against her chest, Chizuru didn't show any anger at having been watched. Instead, the corners of her lips curled up into a faint smile.

After all, the entire reason she was holding the King of Fighters tournament was to gather the world's strongest fighters to combat the terrifying Orochi Eight.

So, the stronger the participants were, the happier she actually felt.

Come on, all of you! Respond to the call and come forth! I want to see if that damn Goenitz really thinks he can take down all the top fighters in the world by himself!

At the thought of Goenitz, Chizuru's eyes involuntarily flashed with hatred.

Just a month ago, she and her sister Mankuko Kagura were ambushed by Goenitz. Even fighting together, they couldn't beat him. Instead, one died, and the other was severely injured.

Goenitz, known as the Whirlwind of Destruction, used Mankuko's blood to loosen the seal that bound the Orochi's will to the Earth, which caused the Orochi's awakening.

Realizing the massive gap in power, Chizuru had no choice but to urgently recruit fighters, hoping to rely on sheer numbers to defeat Goenitz and stop him from completely breaking the seal.

Of course, if possible, she'd rather gather the other two heirs of the Three Sacred Treasures—Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami—and have the three of them take on the enemy together.

If the Three Sacred Treasures joined forces, Goenitz would be as good as dead!

But the problem was... Kyo and Iori hated each other. The moment they met, they'd be at each other's throats. If she really summoned them both on her own, they'd probably beat each other to a pulp before Goenitz even appeared.

So using the name of the King of Fighters to lure them in was the best solution. Not only could she get those two troublesome guys to show up, she could also gather a bunch of extra allies.

Even if the other fighters didn't have sacred power, their strength was still no joke. Even if they only served as backup, it would still be helpful.

After giving her speech and announcing the tournament's grand prize—a legendary artifact and a $30 million check—Chizuru gracefully stepped down from the stage.

Waiting for her offstage were several familiar female figures.

They were the Shiranui Team, led by Mai Shiranui, and also Chizuru's closest girlfriends.

Standing next to them was a new face—a young girl wearing a snug white training outfit, her hair tied back with a ribbon, looking full of energy and around sixteen or seventeen years old.

This was none other than one of the top fighters from the Kyokugenryu school—Yuri Sakazaki, the younger sister of Ryō Sakazaki. Master Takuma Sakazaki himself had once said she had even more talent than her brother!

As one of the few female fighters, she got along well with the other girls—they were all part of the same social circle.

Seeing Chizuru walk down from the stage, Mai and the others immediately went up to greet her.

They all knew Chizuru had lost her sister not long ago, and that her mood hadn't been great lately, so they made sure to be especially caring. Mai, in particular, tried her best to liven up the atmosphere.

As for her method of lightening the mood? Performing a classic double-act comedy routine with Blue Mary, where they took turns roasting Qin Ming...

While Mai was off to the side complaining to her girlfriends about her little junior's recent shameless behavior, Qin Ming—who had just finished drawing lots and confirming his match schedule—found himself face-to-face with some unexpected visitors.

This time was no exception. Feeling the intense hostility emanating from the leading man among the three approaching figures, Kasumi Todoh instinctively stepped forward, placing herself between Qin Ming and Eri Kasamoto, her legs pushing off the ground as she assumed a standard Aikido opening stance.

Kasumi's action was purely instinctual and out of goodwill. As the strongest fighter in their group, she had long been used to protecting others.

However...

Looking at Kasumi Todoh, standing right in front of him, firmly shielding him with her not-so-tall frame that only reached his chest, Qin Ming was utterly speechless.

With a single grab, he seized the back of her collar and effortlessly lifted the stern-faced little girl off the ground, placing her to the side like picking up a kitten.

Only after doing this did Qin Ming step forward himself, expressionless, staring at the people across from him.

The three who had approached now stopped as well. And almost as soon as they halted, the blond man leading them clenched his teeth and snarled.

"Qin Ming! Do you remember who I am?!"

"Of course I do. You're the loser I beat," Qin Ming replied flatly.

"You—!"

The blond man was none other than Andy, the former disciple of the Shiranui clan, now exiled from the school—and Mai Shiranui's childhood sweetheart.

As the saying goes, enemies meet and tempers flare. Not only had Andy lost his position, but even his almost-guaranteed fiancée was taken from him. His resentment toward Qin Ming was intense.

If it weren't for his older brother holding him back, he probably would've thrown punches already.

Watching Andy fume, Qin Ming suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked with a weird look on his face:

"Wait, why are you so worked up? Didn't you join the Shiranui clan just to learn ninjutsu? You never even cared about Mai Shiranui, barely responded to her feelings. Now you've mastered the Shiranui techniques, and I even helped get Mai off your back. Shouldn't you be thanking me? What are you mad about?"

"That's not the same!"

Andy roared, suddenly dropping into his stance and assuming the Shiranui-style opening form.

"I challenge you to a duel! Let's fight!"

Before Qin Ming could even respond, Andy charged forward, accelerating like a bullet. He leapt into the air, legs drawn together, flames erupting around him as he launched his super move:

Super Deadly Flame Bomb!

The sudden attack caught everyone off guard—no one had expected him to actually strike on the spot.

After all, in the world of The King of Fighters, even if martial artists held deep grudges, they'd usually fight it out properly in the ring. Sneak attacks were considered dishonorable, even if you won.

True fighters defeated enemies fair and square—that was ingrained into them.

But Andy, breaking that rule and launching his ultimate move without warning, clearly wasn't thinking straight anymore.

"Andy!"

Seeing this, his big brother Terry's face twisted in alarm as he shouted.

As for Qin Ming, although he reacted quickly, there was no time to dodge. He could only take a deep breath, brace his chest, and prepare to tank the blow head-on.

The spiraling flames reached Qin Ming in a flash. But just as Andy's fiery kick was about to hit his chest—it stopped.

No, not just stopped—it was blocked.

Standing right next to Qin Ming, Kasumi Todoh let out a sharp cry and stepped forward, charging straight at Andy.

In the instant they collided, she brought her hands together, caught Andy's incoming leg, and, with a twist of her body, performed a textbook shoulder throw.

Special Move: Deathless Throw!

BOOM!

A thunderous crash rang out as the high-speed Andy was violently redirected and slammed into the ground like a human cannonball.

And before he could even bounce up again, Kasumi—having landed the Deathless Throw—roared once more, raised her arms, and slammed them down hard.

Ultimate Move: Super Heavy Drop!

BOOM!

A violent shockwave exploded outward as the airborne Andy was blasted away, sent tumbling across the ground in pain.

In the blink of an eye, Kasumi had launched a full counterattack. She stepped forward, preparing to follow up, but just then—the ground beneath her feet suddenly trembled.

Sensing something, Kasumi quickly turned around and adopted a defensive stance.

Across from her, seeing his little brother in trouble, Terry Bogard had slammed his fist into the ground.

Special Move: Power Geyser!

HUMMMM!

Violent energy surged into the earth, racing toward Kasumi. Terry wasn't aiming to hit her—only to interrupt her pursuit.

It was a fast, fierce move. The geyser of energy surged toward Kasumi in an instant. But before it could erupt—

Qin Ming, standing behind Kasumi, also slammed his fist into the ground, mimicking the exact same motion!

Imitation – Power Geyser!

(End of Chapter)