My Anime Girlfriends

"If I come, then there will be no one to keep track of your time, right?" Dong Tian immediately retorted with a smile.

"Despicable." Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami couldn't help but show anger on their faces, and said in a low voice at the same time.

"Despicable? How could that be? I'd be happy to participate, but the time will have to be reduced by 20 seconds." Dong Tian couldn't help but reveal a smug smile, his fingers forming an "8" shape as he spoke.

“We agree.” The three angry men agreed without even thinking.

Dong Tian immediately smiled happily, threw down the whistle and stopwatch in his hand, and said, "OK, then the competition begins!" He then jumped into the pool and swam away like a torpedo, leaving a trail of water in his wake. His speed was simply 'fast'.

Chapter 388 The Beginning of KOF96: King vs. Dong Tian

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and 'The King of Fighters '96' officially began. Early that morning, ten of the fastest military helicopters landed on the rooftop of the Tokyo Grand Hotel, transporting all participating teams to the tournament venue located in the mountainous region of Ito, Japan. Due to the inconvenient location of the venue, all ticket holders would board large passenger planes at the nearest airport to fly directly to the venue and watch the spectacle. A temporary airstrip had already been built there to allow aircraft to dock and transport spectators. Those unable to attend in person could also watch the satellite broadcast on their home televisions, thanks to the extensive promotion by the Kagura Group.

Thanks to the efforts of dozens of large passenger planes, all the spectators quickly arrived, and the venue, which could originally accommodate 10 people, was packed to capacity. Now that the audience was in, they waited for the match to begin. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the titanium ring surrounded by a dozen or so strange 'stone pillars', and their emotions reached their peak.

"Welcome, everyone!" As an emcee in a black suit walked onto the stage and spoke these words into the microphone, all the audience members thought to themselves at the same time, "It's starting."

The tall emcee, gazing at the suddenly silent audience in the stands, announced in a passionate voice, "Thank you all for coming to watch the 1996 King of Fighters Tournament. I am the emcee and referee for the event. First, let me explain the rules and prizes!" After a slight pause, he continued, "After more than a month of preliminary rounds, the 10 strongest teams have been selected for the semi-finals. The semi-finals and the remaining matches will be held again. The champion will receive a prize of 1 billion US dollars and the title of world number one." The names of the fighters. The tournament rules have four provisions: 1. All participants must wear the power indicator badge prescribed by the tournament organizers. 2. If a member of the winning team is absent due to injury, they can request a substitution from the tournament organizers, but this can only be one of the 29 selected members. 3. Opponents will be determined by the tournament computer through a draw, and teams cannot object. 4. In the competition, life and death are left to fate. As the emcee announced the last rule, all the participants in the waiting room smiled and affixed an exquisite KOF badge to their chests. This badge was the power indicator badge, used to read values ​​such as heart rate, pulse, and blood volume to calculate a person's 'vitality' and 'energy' status.

The emcee quickly bent the four fingers he had raised during his explanation, waved his arm vigorously, and pointed to the 'stone pillars' at the edge of the arena, continuing, "This year's competition arena is made of titanium metal capable of withstanding over a thousand tons of attack force. Each of the pillars along the edge of the arena will release a protective magnetic field during the competition, forming a protective shield to ensure that the power emitted by the participants will not affect the audience." With that, the emcee took a deep breath and excitedly announced, "Alright, everything is ready. The draw will begin!" As soon as he finished speaking, the huge electronic screen in the venue immediately displayed the portraits of all members of the 10 teams, then began to emit a 'beep beep beep' sound. Two circles of light moved rapidly across the portraits, then suddenly stopped above the portraits of two teams, displaying the names of the two teams facing off in the first match.

"Team Celestials vs. Team Female Fighters!" the emcee announced loudly.

This result left all the viewers speechless, their mouths agape in disbelief. It was too dramatic! Everyone knows that Dong Tian from the "Gods Team" and Mai Shiranui from the "Female Fighters Team" are husband and wife. How are they supposed to fight like this?

"Haha... No wonder the third rule of the competition is that teams cannot have any objections, so that's what happened!" Dong Tian in the rest room immediately said with a dry laugh. As he spoke, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily, clearly indicating that he did not like this result.

"Do you want me to take action?" Yagami stroked his long hair, looked at Dong Tian with a cold smile and asked with a hint of schadenfreude. He was still very unhappy about Dong Tian's scheme against him the day before yesterday.

"I don't want my wife to get hurt, so leave everything to me," Dong Tian said with a wry smile.

"You said it yourself. If you lose, I won't show them any mercy." As if afraid that Dong Tian would go easy on him and lose without a fight, Yagami hurriedly said a harsh word to prevent Dong Tian from backing down.

"Of course." Dong Tian's expression changed, revealing a hint of indifference. He smiled slightly and walked towards the door with Yagami.

"Please welcome the team for the first match—" The emcee standing on the stage glanced at the time and announced.

As the referee announced the teams' entry, the female fighters team walked out of the players' tunnel. The fiery Mai Shiranui, the petite and charming Kasumi Todo, and the mature King immediately drew shouts and cheers from countless men. Although they all knew that Mai Shiranui was already taken, since her opponent was Dong Tian, ​​that was a different story. What would be the point of not cheering her on?

"Mai-neechan, what should we do?" Having gone through more than a dozen preliminary rounds, Toudou Kasumi wasn't feeling stage fright, but the thought that their opponents were Dong Tian made her look at Shiranui Mai and ask.

"Of course I'll give it my all in the competition, otherwise it would be an insult to Brother Tian." Although Mai Shiranui also felt it was difficult, she still said it.

"Don't just talk the talk; I'll be the one leading the charge," King said with a slight smile. He then glanced at Yagami and Dong Tian, ​​who were slowly emerging from another player's tunnel, a composed expression on his face.

As both teams reached the edge of the arena, the referee hurriedly stepped off the stage and ran to the outside of the stone pillar. The crowd, seeing this, simply smiled and ignored him. "Hah!" King, standing beside Mai Shiranui, suddenly shouted softly, his figure shooting towards the arena, instantly covering ten meters and landing steadily. He beckoned to Dong Tian below the stage, assuming a fighting stance.

"That's quite a taunt! Don't... disappoint me." Dong Tian shook his head helplessly at King's expression. With that, he vanished in a flash, reappearing on the ring without any indication of how he had moved. As soon as they were both on the ring, the referee hurriedly announced the start of the match. The instant the referee declared the start, the giant electronic screen, besides showing enlarged images of King and Dong Tian, ​​displayed images resembling veins and energy bars found in arcade games.

"Sorry, but I won't let you down," King said with a relaxed smile. His gaze sharpened, and with a powerful stomp of his foot, he leaped into the air, charging towards Dong Tian to close the distance. After all, a good fighter knows how to maintain their attack range. With a slight movement of his toes, King gave a soft shout and unleashed over twenty kicks at Dong Tian's upper, middle, and lower body in an instant. The speed was so fast that they even made a 'whoosh' sound as the air was cut through the wind.

Under King's onslaught, Dong Tian swayed like a willow branch in the wind, weaving through her leg shadows, and casually said, "You've improved your speed again, King."

"Tornado Kick!" Seeing that she missed the agile Dong Tian, ​​King suddenly smiled. She turned her body slightly and changed her kick into a sweeping motion, forcibly altering her attack posture. Then, she spun around and kicked continuously with alternating legs, like a violent, constantly spinning tornado. Because the speed was so fast, the power accumulated from the continuous attacks forced Dong Tian, ​​who was unable to defend, to retreat repeatedly and almost lose his footing.

Unfortunately, prolonged efforts inevitably lead to failure. Forced to retreat repeatedly, Dong Tian showed no anxiety, but rather a slight smile, because he had grasped King's attack rhythm. "It's time." Dong Tian's gaze sharpened, and his arm, which had been in a defensive stance, moved. In the instant King turned his body again, alternating between attacks, Dong Tian's large hand instantly broke through the layers of leg shadows and pressed against King's right leg.

"Hmm." King's attack paused, and without hesitation, she hastily retreated. "Unleash your power!" But Dong Tian's attack had already begun. A burst of white energy shot directly from his palm, instantly shattering King's trouser leg and revealing a slightly swollen calf. Fortunately, King quickly retreated the moment she was hit, and after dodging, she forcefully stomped on the titanium ring, dissipating all the force of the palm strike; otherwise, it would have just been a little swollen. However, the badge on King's chest faithfully performed its function, displaying the result on the huge screen. The small red line that appeared on King's health bar proved that she had been injured.

It was just a simple exchange of attacks, but it was absolutely spectacular, especially King's kicking skills, which were truly dazzling. The audience immediately cheered, feeling honored to be there in person.

"You dodged it, as expected of King. Now, let's get serious!" Dong Tian said with a smile, looking at King who had dodged him. As he spoke, his black robe and long black hair moved without wind, and a powerful aura suddenly emanated from him—the power of the 'Absolute Domain'. At the same time, the empty space on the electronic screen representing energy instantly turned crimson red, proof that the energy was fully charged.

Chapter 389 The Trouble That Defeated King

Seeing that Dong Tian had already used the power of 'Absolute Domain', King no longer hesitated. She slightly contracted her arms, and a powerful surge of energy erupted from her body. Her hair moved without wind, her clothes billowed slightly, and a red glow flashed across her face. The space representing King's energy on the electronic screen also turned crimson. "Double Viper Strike!" With a surge of unleashed power, King shouted softly, delivering a series of kicks with one foot. Two bullet-like bursts of energy instantly formed out of thin air, striking towards Dong Tian like venomous snakes ready to devour their prey.

A gust of wind swept across Dong Tian's face, and he couldn't help but smile. His arms swayed slightly, like a fish swimming in water, and a circular Yin-Yang symbol appeared out of thin air before him. It collided with the two bursts of energy King had unleashed, completely dissipating all of King's force. Even so, the scattered energy left a dent in the arena upon impact. 'Absolute Domain' is an explosive form of magic, its activation time is short-lived. The instant his energy was dissipated, King charged towards Dong Tian again, instantly splitting into three figures as he approached Dong Tian. They leaped into the air and attacked Dong Tian from three directions simultaneously. For a moment, Dong Tian was surrounded by King's impenetrable leg shadows.

Throughout the entire attack, Dong Tian used roughly the same amount of power as King, without exerting any real effort. Therefore, when faced with such a powerful, top-down attack that displayed masterful strength and technique, Dong Tian could only choose to evade its force. He unleashed over a dozen invisible punches, blocking King's attacks while hastily retreating. 'Bang bang bang…' Because Dong Tian had already dodged, all of King's attacks landed on the titanium ring. The heavy blows left dozens of small craters, each half a foot deep, on the ring, like pits blasted into soft mud by a sledgehammer.

"Don't even think about running!" King pressed his advantage, and upon realizing Qin Yu was escaping, he immediately shouted, his body slightly bent, and with a powerful stomp of one foot, he attacked Dong Tian like an arrow released from a bow. "Dance of Fantasy!" King shouted again, his speed increasing dramatically, instantly covering several meters. A 'whoosh' sound filled the air as King's legs, like two tireless gears, unleashed countless kicks, relentlessly attacking and creating gusts of wind that swept towards the surrounding audience. The titanium metal arena beneath his feet clanged and clashed, proving that power originates from the ground; each stomp of King's powerful attacks carried a force of no less than ten thousand jin (approximately 5,000 kg).

"Is this even human?" All the spectators swallowed hard after seeing the data displayed on the electronic screen. What incredible power this was!

Inside the Heavenly Kingdom team's lounge, through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, with her superhuman eyesight, Mai Zhuo easily took in everything on the ring. She couldn't help but smile and said with a smirk, "Hehe... As expected of my little one, she will never go all out against women, even though her strength far surpasses theirs."

"Sister Mai Zhuo, are you jealous?" Upon hearing this, Weiss stuck out her tongue and licked the back of her hand like a cat, a habit she developed when she became Cheetah. She made a claw gesture towards King on the ring, made a few fists, and asked with a smile, a hint of anger flashing across her face.

“Jealous? I don’t know, but I know you seem very angry. Are you worried about him?” Mai Zhuo was slightly lost in thought, then smiled faintly, looking at Weiss who was frowning as she spoke.

"Hmph, if she dares to harm Tian, ​​I will definitely kill her." Having her thoughts exposed, Weiss immediately glared at King, who was relentlessly attacking Dong Tian, ​​a murderous intent flashing in her eyes. She coldly snorted and spoke. Years ago, after meeting Dong Tian, ​​her lifestyle changed. Living with Dong Tian for a while, she gradually developed a strong possessiveness and dependence on him, even regarding him as her most important possession. Fortunately, after the awakening of the serpent within her, this diminished considerably. Now, seeing King treat Dong Tian this way, that inner demon within her was amplified countless times.

"Wow...that's scary!" Mai Zhuo immediately said with a laugh.

"You two stop talking and just watch the game. Don't forget why we're here," Shermie, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly said. Mature and Vice immediately fell silent. As one of the four kings of the 'Eight Generals,' Shermie's words were an order to them.

On the arena, King's attacks were relentless, forcing Dong Tian to retreat and only be able to defend. King held the upper hand, but she was extremely anxious because, from beginning to end, the yellow bar representing Dong Tian's health bar hadn't shown a single red ray. Instead, the crimson bar representing King's energy was gradually decreasing. "Hah!" King shouted again, increasing the speed of her attacks and nearly doubling her kicking power, determined to take down Dong Tian in one fell swoop.

"King, you've known me for so long, don't you remember I've already mastered the strengths of a hundred schools of thought?" Noticing King's attack speed had increased again, and guessing King's eagerness to win, she sighed inwardly and said with a smile. As she spoke, she used the force from her feet to unleash 'Instant Movement,' instantly escaping King's attack range.

"Don't even think about it!" When King realized that Dong Tian had instantly moved five meters away, he immediately shouted and stomped his foot, rushing towards Dong Tian like an arrow released from a bow.

Seeing King rushing towards him, Dong Tian was not alarmed. He simply took a deep breath, brought his fist to his waist, closed his eyes slightly, and suddenly shouted, "One-hit kill!" A punch containing a certain rule of conformity, which could not be avoided, was thrown out and met King's foot, which was rushing towards him.

"Bang!" A visible burst of energy emanated from the point of impact between fists and feet. The power of a person's legs is three times that of their arms. Logically, King at full power and Dong Tian at a restrained level should have been evenly matched after a direct clash. However, after a brief stalemate with Dong Tian, ​​King coughed up blood and retreated rapidly, his long trousers shattering as if they were being torn to shreds. He crashed into a pillar at the edge of the ring before collapsing unconscious. The yellow stripe representing King's life force was replaced by red, indicating that King was no longer able to fight.

In the Dragon Tiger Team's locker room, Ryo Sakazaki and Robert stared in astonishment at the scene unfolding on the stage. Their shock wasn't at King's defeat, but at the punch Dong Tian had thrown. That seemingly ordinary yet unavoidable punch was none other than the highest level of Kyokugenryu, the 'Heaven and Earth Overlord Fist'. Meanwhile, Yuri Sakazaki angrily shouted through the glass at Dong Tian on the distant stage, "Brother Tian, ​​how could you do this to Sister King?" Of course, Dong Tian couldn't hear her.

When Mai Shiranui and Kasumi saw King lying unconscious on the ring, they were shocked and rushed onto the ring to check on King's injuries, their faces filled with worry.

"Mai, Kasumi, let me handle this." Seeing the worried looks on Mai and Kasumi's faces, Dong Tian immediately realized that he shouldn't have used the same force as King in his punch. He quickly went to their side and looked at King, whose face was a little pale, and said, "I'll handle this." He then squatted down and tapped King's body several times with his fingers, injecting a stream of his own energy into King's body. After a few seconds of treatment, King, who had been unconscious, coughed a few times and woke up. After looking at the worried Mai, Kasumi, and Dong Tian with a somewhat dazed expression, King lowered his head with a hint of disappointment and said, "I lost."

"Then the first match will begin with the Heavenly Gods team, led by Dong Tiansheng!" the referee announced at the opportune moment.

"Next match, I'll take it." Perhaps still angry with Dong Tian, ​​after helping the injured King off the stage, Xiangcheng's face flushed with rage. Her eyes were filled with fury as she glared at Dong Tian and shouted. Although she knew Dong Tian hadn't meant it, she felt it was unforgivable that a man and King's friend would beat him so badly.

Seeing Xiangcheng's appearance, Dong Tian couldn't help but feel helpless. It seemed that his act of injuring King had caused quite a bit of trouble.

Chapter 390 The move that defeated Kasumi: 'Heaven's Gate'

Looking at Kasumi Toudou, dressed in her white and blue taekwondo uniform, Dong Tian could only smile wryly to himself. Kasumi was currently puffing up her cheeks, her eyes full of reproach as she looked at Dong Tian. Seeing her expression, Dong Tian couldn't help but think to himself, "This little girl looks quite cute when she's angry." As the bell rang for the competition, Dong Tian's face immediately turned serious. He dared not show even a hint of a smile, lest he anger this little girl.

Kasumi Toudou couldn't resist making the first move. She slightly raised her hands, and white energy emanated from her palms. "Hah!" Kasumi shouted softly, and her palms pressed down as if she were holding something. A white energy like a sharp sword appeared and slashed towards Dong Tian. It was the move "Kōhachi" created by combining the highest technique of Jujutsu in the Toudou style, "Air Throw".

Seeing the white energy rushing towards him, Dong Tian was not fooled by what he saw. Having spent some time with and fought with Toudou Ryuhaku, he knew that this move could not be dodged. The only way to break it was to block it head-on or to directly disperse the energy. Of course, Dong Tian would not choose to block it head-on, as that was not in line with his style. So he directly unleashed a 'Tiger Blaze Fist'. The fiery red energy easily dispersed the white energy that Kasumi had unleashed and shot towards Kasumi's face.

While surprised by the power of Dong Tian's punch, Kasumi suddenly took a step forward and thrust her right hand upward, dispersing the incoming energy blast. This seemingly simple move was a defensive technique that simplified complex movements, similar in concept to the "Crane's Plucking" technique from Kusanagi Kung Fu. After resolving the danger of the energy blast, Kasumi immediately rushed towards Dong Tian, ​​preparing for close combat. Perhaps this wasn't a wise choice, but Kasumi had witnessed Dong Tian's fight against Toudou Ryuhaku and knew that Dong Tian had a long and powerful breath control, and his mastery of the "Absolute Territory" was at its peak. Her "Retreat Break" technique would be ineffective against him, and Dong Tian was far superior to her in ranged attacks. The only way to win was through close combat with Dong Tian using jujitsu. Moreover, Kasumi wanted to test whether Dong Tian was truly going to use his full strength.

Dong Tian seemed to have guessed Toudou's intentions, letting her approach and disengaging from his fighting stance, tucking his hands into his black robe and smiling as he exposed all his weaknesses to Kasumi.

"What is he trying to do?" All the fighters participating in the competition were stunned when they saw Dong Tian's actions. They couldn't understand what Dong Tian's purpose was. At this moment, Dong Tian had no fighting spirit and was full of openings.

"Haa!" Kasumi also noticed Dong Tian's strange behavior. She didn't give up her attack. Now that Dong Tian's defenses were wide open, if she didn't seize the opportunity, she had no chance of winning. So, she decisively used the power of 'Absolute Territory'. A powerful aura immediately erupted from her body, and the energy squares instantly filled, turning crimson red. Raising her hands high, she swung them downwards fiercely. A dozen white energy blades, containing all of Kasumi's power, left a wound about an inch deep on the titanium arena, while simultaneously attacking Dong Tian wave after wave. This was Kasumi Toudou's strongest killing move, 'Super Descendant Break'. After unleashing her ultimate move, Kasumi Toudou's energy squares immediately returned to their original shape, indicating that her energy was exhausted.

After unleashing her strongest attack, Kasumi Toudou felt a wave of exhaustion. She looked expectantly in Dong Tian's direction. She had only learned to use the 'Absolute Territory' for a very short time, less than two years, so she had almost no advantage in terms of endurance. She could only launch such an attack once at most, so she was eager to know the result of her attack.

It hit! The dozen or so waves of blade-like energy from the 'Super Descending Break' struck Dong Tian, ​​who offered no resistance, sending his tall body flying. "Ah!" Kasumi cried out upon seeing this result. She hadn't expected Dong Tian to take the full force of her powerful attack—an attack capable of destroying several train carriages lined up side by side—without dodging. "Brother Dong!" Kasumi cried out and rushed towards Dong Tian, ​​who was lying on the ground. Just then, an astonishing scene unfolded: Dong Tian suddenly jumped up and instantly appeared in front of Kasumi. The change happened too fast. Before Kasumi could react, she felt herself being pulled backward by a powerful force, her body simultaneously immobilized by a powerful aura, unable to resist. A slightly cold voice suddenly reached her ears: "Gate of Heaven." The instant the cold voice arrived, Kasumi felt as if she had crashed into an invisible wall, her blood surging. Before she could even understand what was happening, a powerful crimson aura erupted from the ground, enveloping her. When the pillar of light formed by the aura disappeared, Dong Tian, ​​carrying the unconscious Kasumi, stood at the edge of the arena.

"This move is..." On the top floor of the hotel building, Kagura Manki exclaimed immediately after seeing the move Dong Tian used.

“…Gate of Heaven.” Mai Zhuo murmured with a smile on her face, because the move Dong Tian used was the 'Gate of Heaven', a fighting technique unique to their Orochi clan.

"Sister Mai Zhuo, when did you teach him this move?" Wei Si asked excitedly. She had never thought Mai Zhuo was so good.

"I don't know either. He probably learned it himself after seeing me use it," Mai Zhuo said with a smile, shaking her head as she reminisced about the past.

On the arena, Dong Tian looked at Kasumi, whom he was holding in his hand, and said with a wry smile, "Damn it, I accidentally used my ultimate move again. Now there's no way to explain myself." As he spoke, he glanced at the unconscious Kasumi with a hint of fear.

After repeatedly assuring Mai Shiranui and King that Kasumi had only suffered a minor shock and fainted, and that there was no need to worry, Dong Tian was finally spared the two women's glares, and the match continued. Dong Tian's opponent changed from Toudou Kasumi to his wife, Mai Shiranui.

On the arena, Dong Tian removed his stylish black robe, revealing a simple white training uniform, and stood facing Mai Shiranui, who was dressed in a fiery red ninja outfit. Then, both simultaneously offered a fist-and-palm salute, a gesture of respect used by Shiranui-ryu disciples during sparring. Although Dong Tian had previously asked his master, Shiranui Hanzo, why the Shiranui-ryu used this Chinese-style etiquette, Hanzo couldn't provide a clear answer. However, after exchanging this salute, it signified that during sparring, disciples of the Shiranui-ryu were not permitted to use any techniques other than the school's own ninjutsu and martial arts.

"Mai, are you ready?" After performing the fist-and-palm salute, Dong Tian looked at Mai Shiranui in the starting stance and asked with a smile.

"Yes, Brother Tian." Mai Shiranui waved her hands, and two small folding fans appeared in her hands. She then nodded and said, assuming an attack stance.

Looking at the folding fan in Mai Shiranui's hand, Dong Tian couldn't help but smile, lost in thought. It turned out that the Shiranui-ryu ninjutsu didn't actually use any techniques with folding fans. Mai Shiranui's techniques using the Flower Butterfly Fan were all derived from the methods of using shuriken. As for why she used a folding fan instead of shuriken, that was Dong Tian's doing.

As Mai Shiranui and Dong Tian assumed their attack stances, all the spectators widened their eyes involuntarily, wondering, "What will be the outcome of this battle?"

Chapter 391 The Battle with Mai Shiranui

As soon as the match began, Mai Shiranui attacked first. After a soft shout, she swung her arms and threw out four folding fans in an instant. The fans spun around like butterflies fluttering among flowers, leaving white arcs in the air as they attacked Dong Tian from three directions.

Seeing the incoming 'Flower Butterfly Fan', Dong Tian, ​​who was standing still, smiled slightly, turned his body to the side, and with light and gliding steps, his figure swayed continuously, instantly turning into a line of six people, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake. He easily dodged Shiranui Mai's Flower Butterfly Fan, and then rushed in, quickly moving towards Shiranui Mai.

Upon seeing Dong Tian transform into six people, the audience in the stands erupted in cheers, bursting into applause and exclaiming in surprise, "Ah... he's become six people!"

"A clone technique?!"

"Is this the ninjutsu of the Shiranui school?"

"That's so cool..."

In fact, what Dong Tian used was just a ninjutsu footwork technique created by combining 'bone technique' from the Shiranui school. Because this technique is not suitable for women to practice, Shiranui Mai did not learn it. In addition, Dong Tian rarely used this technique in battle, so apart from the direct disciples of the Shiranui school, very few people knew about this move.

The six Dong Tian figures, though their movements were unreadable, slid forward in a strange manner, rapidly moving towards Mai Shiranui. Seeing this, Mai Shiranui, having frequently sparred with Dong Tian using only Shiranui-style ninjutsu, was already familiar with countering his attacks. Instead of retreating, she advanced, shouting "Dragon Flame Dance!" She swiftly rushed in front of Dong Tian, ​​instantly spinning her body. The hem of her ninja outfit unleashed a blazing fire dragon, sweeping across the six 'Dong Tian' figures and engulfing them in flames in an instant. Dong Tian, ​​struck by the flames, paused, and all five illusory figures besides his true form vanished.

Having landed a successful blow, Mai Shiranui knew her flames couldn't harm Dong Tian. With a sharp cry, a folding fan appeared in each hand, and she spun around, unleashing a flurry of white fan shadows that danced like egrets around him, striking towards Dong Tian's true form – the move 'Dance of the Egrets' from King of Fighters '97. Dong Tian was slightly surprised by Mai Shiranui's rapid attacks; he hadn't expected her to have improved so much and mastered such a technique. He retreated swiftly, leaping into the air, a crimson flame suddenly igniting at his toes. As he stabilized himself in mid-air, his right foot traced a perfect arc. "Dragon Flame Dance!" With a soft shout, a blazing fire serpent materialized out of thin air, attacking Mai Shiranui below.

As soon as her attack ended, Mai Shiranui saw the fire serpent hurtling towards her from the sky. She parted her red lips slightly, exhaled a white burst of energy, instantly regained her breath, and leaped into the air, unleashing an "Aerial Dragon Flame Dance" that perfectly neutralized Dong Tian's fire serpent before slowly descending. However, Dong Tian's attack didn't end there. He unleashed a modified "Dragon Flame Dance," his entire body twisting in a bizarre manner. The air-to-ground technique "Flying Squirrel Dance" followed, and he hurtled towards the slowly landing, powerless Mai Shiranui like a falling meteor.

Just as everyone thought Mai Shiranui would be hit, she suddenly smiled, her body flashing as she vanished from Dong Tian's sight. Dong Tian, ​​who was charging towards her, was startled. Before he could even turn around and abandon his attack, he felt his neck being clamped between his legs, and a sharp shout rang in his ears: "Windmill Collapse!" He was uncontrollably flipped around and slammed heavily onto the hard arena. It turned out that when Mai Shiranui couldn't dodge in mid-air, she immediately shrank her body, using a "thousand-pound drop" technique to accelerate her descent, seemingly disappearing suddenly. Then, just as Dong Tian was about to change his attack, she used one hand to press down on the ground and her legs to clamp around his neck, slamming him to the ground.

Looking at Dong Tian, ​​whom she had slammed heavily onto the arena, Mai Shiranui parted her lips slightly and exhaled another puff of white breath. She quickly caught her breath, glanced at the huge electronic screen, and couldn't help but frown. Dong Tian's health points remained unchanged, without a single drop of damage or redness.

At the same time, Dong Tian leaped up from the arena with a flourish, a smile on his face. He lightly brushed the dust off his clothes, turned to the astonished Mai Shiranui, and said, "A beautiful strike. Even I was fooled." As he spoke, Dong Tian's hair suddenly moved without wind, a red glow appeared on his face, and his aura surged dramatically. The sheer power of his aura forced Mai Shiranui to take several steps back before she could barely withstand the force emanating from him. However, Dong Tian's aura didn't remain static; it steadily increased. At first, she could barely hold on, but gradually, Mai Shiranui could no longer resist and unleashed her 'Absolute Domain.' A look of resentment appeared on Mai Shiranui's face.

"Mai, make your move! Use your strongest technique." Dong Tian looked at the stubborn Mai Shiranui and sighed slightly as he spoke.

Hearing Dong Tian's words, Mai Shiranui was filled with resentment, but she still chose to obey him because her strength was indeed inferior to his. "Hah!" With a shout, Mai Shiranui suddenly erupted with scorching flames, a prelude to using the "Super Special Move Ninja Bee," and she charged towards Dong Tian like an arrow released from a bow.

"Haa!" As Mai Shiranui unleashed her crimson flame energy, Dong Tian immediately let out a soft shout, his palms clasped together, his entire body instantly enveloped in crimson flame energy, his palms turning a branding red like irons. This was the level that the 'Shiranui-ryu Ninjutsu' could achieve—condensing energy into fire.

Mai Shiranui's Ninja Bee attack was incredibly fast, even exceeding the speed of sound, and its impact was immense. Moreover, the energy wasn't released in a single burst, but rather in successive, increasing bursts. The moment the two, engulfed in flames, collided, the crimson flames instantly transformed into a ring of red energy that swept outwards, like a ton of C4 suddenly exploding. Fortunately, an energy shield had already been erected around the arena; otherwise, the surrounding spectators would definitely have been injured by the aftershocks.

After a stalemate lasting more than ten seconds, Mai Shiranui's energy was completely exhausted. Even so, she couldn't move Dong Tian back a step. In the end, she collapsed into Dong Tian's arms due to exhaustion of her 'qi'.

Seeing this, the referee hurriedly announced that Dong Tian had won and the "Gods Team" had successfully advanced to the finals. The second round of the semi-finals would begin in ten minutes. There was no point in continuing the competition. Did they really want the couple to fight to the death?