I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 585 Drink up, this is your destiny

In the King of Fighters universe, the emphasis is on making friends through martial arts.

Whether it was Hina Hongo's friendly sparring or Iori Kazuka's claim that it was a misunderstanding, they had both become involved in the most crucial event of this demiplane: the annual KOF tournament, and were ambitious, attempting to use the tournament as a stepping stone for their advancement.

The only difference is that Hina wanted to see more techniques, while Ichika pursued pure power.

As for that 'low-quality eye roll,' it was just something Yu did casually; now his gaze has been drawn to another battlefield:

"America is moving very quickly."

"What do you mean, 'soon'?"

Qiong Mei leaned over and rested her head on You's shoulder, looking at the mirror together.

Ji Nai went to the 'demiplane', and the 'Flame Lord' on Sun Island was setting everything on fire in America. For a while, Sora had nothing to do; so she stayed in Yu's office every day, which meant that Nagisa could only go to play with Akira.

"Look, these guys are getting moving—"

Yu pointed to the scene in the mirror: a group of American workers looking around were quietly moving through the abandoned factory.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Northwest of America, Washington state.

That's right, America has 'Washington State', 'Washington County', and 'Washington Town', which are all far apart and have nothing to do with the location of the White House.

For example, Washington state is located in the northernmost part of the west coast, adjacent to Vancouver, a coastal city in Canada and Massachusetts.

There is also a well-known city here: Seattle!

This city has a large manufacturing sector and is a major industrial center in northwestern America; manufacturing is the mainstay of its economy, along with other industries such as chemicals and steelmaking.

It also has a large number of mid-to-high-end institutions such as law and audit firms, management and technology consulting agencies, and human resources service agencies.

Bill Gates, once the richest man in the world, is one of the city's celebrities.

Unfortunately, we are no longer in the internet age.

Extraordinary power surged forth, and because the city was located in an inland sea—like Tokyo, it was protected by two peninsulas and even shielded by the Olympic Mountains—it was completely unaffected by the aftermath of several major battles.

However, as the Burning Legion set foot on American soil, a large number of wealthy and elite individuals fled, leaving behind a scene of devastation.

No one knows when those fire creatures will arrive here.

and so--

The sky over the industrial zone was overcast.
Soren stepped on broken glass, following the crowd through the rusty concrete jungle; the air was filled with the smell of rust and tar, and the distant roar of machinery carried a desolate sense of dying struggle.

This city is doomed. The superhumans and the rich have all disappeared, leaving only these poor wretches, who numbly persist in their work.

Even with constant work, they couldn't earn the bread and medicine they needed.

Many transportation routes have been disrupted!

"This is it."

The middle-aged white man leading the group stopped.

He used to be the chairman of the union at a car factory, but now he's just an ordinary person trying to save himself after being abandoned by those in power.

Looking up, Soren gazed at the abandoned steel mill before him. Towering chimneys, like giant fingers piercing the sky, and weathered walls testified to its age of the last century, yet now emanated a sweltering heat and a chilling terror.

"Everyone,"

The union chairman's voice was hoarse.
"Once you cross this threshold, there is no turning back."

Soren touched the photo in his pocket; it was of his mother lying in the ICU. Of all the people who come here, how many can turn back?
tap tap tap,

The group entered the steel plant in silence and, led by the union chairman, arrived at the central workshop of the steel plant.

The place has been transformed; rusty steel beams intertwine to form the shape of an altar, with a huge, towering furnace in the center. Although it is not visible, tiny sparks float above the furnace opening, making the newcomers too afraid to approach.

Scorching, violent, savage, destructive!
"Welcome to the new world,"

A figure draped in a red robe stood before the altar. He raised his head slightly, but his face was not clearly visible. Only the flames in his pupils were so intense that no one dared to look directly at him.

"You are all abandoned, exploited, and trampled upon."

Beside the man in the red robe was a large cauldron filled with a crimson liquid.

"But today, you will gain the power to control your destiny."

A stir ran through the crowd. Sauron felt his heart race and his palms sweat. They had been given hints beforehand, but facing the red-robed man's bluntness, they were still extremely nervous: after all, this was—

Extraordinary power?

Can these lowest-level workers also have it?

Without giving anyone time to hesitate, the man in red robes picked up a bronze chalice and scooped out a cup of liquid from a large cauldron beside him, which flowed like molten metal.

"This is the blood of fire,"

"It is the seed of anger, a gift from the Creator;"

The red-robed man's voice carried a strange, seductive quality, or perhaps it was simply the inner desire of those who came here.

"Drink it, and you will become servants of the flames, inhabitants of the new world!"

"Who goes first—"

As soon as the man in the red robe finished speaking, the middle-aged union chairman stepped forward first.

These people were originally brought by him, and since they were secretly developed into 'insiders', they naturally had to play a 'leading' role at this time.

Taking the Holy Grail, the middle-aged man drank it down without hesitation. His skin visibly turned crimson, as if magma flowed through his veins; a burning sensation throbbed in his chest, and the middle-aged man, his complexion drastically altered, couldn't help but tilt his head back and open his mouth:
call----

A column of fire erupted, turning the steel beams overhead glowing red-hot.

It has good talent and is highly compatible with adult blood.

A feeling of joy flashed through the red-robed man's heart.
"Power? Power!!"

"Praise be to the Creator; praise be to you, Your Excellency."

The union chairman, regaining his senses, found his previously loose skin taut; his muscles were noticeably larger, and he excitedly kept stroking his body; what did it matter that his skin color had changed?

From this moment forward, he is a 'noble' superhuman!

“It’s true.”

"Anyway, I've had enough of this kind of life!"

What's so great about being human? Only the extraordinary can become the master of their time—

A commotion broke out in the crowd, and then people kept stepping forward, taking the Holy Grail from the red-robed man and drinking it down: everyone here is an adult, and since we've all stood here, how can we back down?

impossible!
Those who gain power have no qualms about using them as sacrifices for 'rebirth'.

As one worker after another drank the strange, crimson liquid, their muscles swelled and their skin turned crimson. Yet no one ever again demonstrated the ability to control fire.

When it was Sauron's turn, he hesitated. Drinking the liquid meant giving up his human identity, but the liquid in the Holy Grail smelled crimson and rusty, reminding him of the blood his mother coughed up.

The long list of bills, and the doctor's indifferent gaze.

This world, this country, no longer hold any value for him to hesitate over.

Anger and helplessness overcame fear. The young man named Sauron stepped forward, took the Holy Grail, and drank it down in one gulp. The crimson liquid flowed down his throat, instantly making him feel as if his internal organs were on fire. His vision turned blood red, and a jumble of sounds filled his ears.

The skin began to crack, and a magma-like light seeped from the cracks;
Painful, but accompanied by an unprecedented sense of power.

?

Another suitable candidate?
The man in the red robe revealed a look of surprise beneath his hood.

The extent to which an ordinary person can achieve after drinking an adult's blood depends on their talent: generally, it increases strength and speed, while more advanced individuals will exhibit the ability to use fire, and these are called 'adaptors'.

"Feel the anger!"

The voice of the man in the red robe echoed in the factory.

"Accept it, let it transform you! You will become the flames of vengeance, burning this decaying world to ashes!" "Aaaaaah!!!"

Soren had already knelt on the ground, his hands plunging into the earth; lava-like patterns spread out from his ten fingers, and the entire factory floor began to turn red and hot.

it is good,

It's even a level higher than the fitter!
In an instant, the man in the red robe felt a surge of both elation and jealousy.

The addition of companions is certainly welcome, but if those companions are too powerful, they will threaten his position.
“Hoo~Hoo~~”

A dozen seconds later, Sauron, whose body was covered in wisps of flame, finally calmed down.

He stood up, and apart from his skin being slightly reddish-brown, there was no other change: however, the smaller the change, the more it indicated his extraordinary talent.

It can suppress this so-called 'blood of fire': in essence, it is the blood of a certain fire lord, diluted, diluted, and diluted again.

"Very well, brothers and sisters, let's begin—hmm?"

The satisfied red-robed man was just about to say a few words to boost morale and then lead these 'newborn' fellow humans to set the city ablaze and present it to the adult who had granted them power, but his gaze swept over and he discovered that there was still one person who had not been granted power.

How come I didn't notice that just now?
As the thought flashed through his mind, the man in the red robes habitually scooped out a cup of the Holy Grail from the large cauldron beside him.

“Come forward, you poor thing.”

"Drink it, and we will all become kings of the new world."

Upon hearing what the man in the red robe said, the seemingly ordinary young man stepped forward calmly and accepted the Holy Grail.

But instead of drinking it, he asked in return:
"Sir, what is the price?"

? ?
The man in the red robe was taken aback. "You're already standing here, and you're still asking about the price?"

However, since the other party asked the question, as a 'senior' he would kindly answer it.

He lowered his hood, revealing a head engulfed in flames. This "Destroyer Vanguard" under the "Burning Legion" opened and closed his jaws, speaking in human language.

"all of these!"

Abandoning their human identity, they became one of the fire creatures.

Such a posture drew envious expressions from the ruddy-skinned people around him.

They are only the lowest level E-class extraordinary beings, equivalent to dog-level beings in Japan, which means they are just beginners.

This red-robed priest was far more powerful than them; he could not only control flames but also transform himself into a flame creature: was he a D-rank? Or a C-rank?
Faced with the temptation or the intense gaze of the fire priest, the young man who accepted the Holy Grail casually tilted it.

The crimson liquid fell and spilled onto the ground of the steel mill.

? !
"you----"

Bang!
splash,

Tatata!
Before the red-robed priest could utter a scathing rebuke, figures leaped into the factory where the blast furnace was located. They were all dressed in black robes with red clouds and white masks; they were none other than the Akatsuki, an organization that had been quite active on this continent recently.

Of course, everyone knows they are imposters: but their power is real!

"Everyone, please don't move!"

"In the name of the Lord, you are under arrest!"

"Hands up—"

These people quickly surrounded the huge altar, clearly having been prepared beforehand.

"Are you the leader of the Akatsuki?"

Even the slow-witted red-robed priest realized what was happening and pointed at the young man in front of him.

call out----

A beam of light shot out from his fingertips, aiming to destroy the one who had blasphemed the 'ritual'.

puff,

However, a beam of dark light suddenly shot out from the shadow beneath the opponent's feet, blocking the red-robed priest's attack: light may indeed overcome shadow, but if the opponent's strength far surpasses his, the so-called overpowering effect is not so effective.

?

"Fellowship of the Flames, destroy them!"

The red-robed priest retreated while shouting for others to make a move, but was met with silence.

Not to mention the large number of Akatsuki members gathering from all directions, these red-skinned people, who were just ordinary workers before, will definitely not have a quick change of mindset when suddenly they are attacked and killed.

and--

Their gazes fell upon the young man with shadowy tentacles surrounding him.

"Luigi?"

"Is he the leader of Akatsuki?"

"us."

Every American has heard of his deeds;
Moreover, judging from the attitude of the Akatsuki members around him, this young man is the leader of the group.

Although they betrayed humanity, do they really want to fight against such a 'good person'?

If it were about killing capitalists, I would definitely not hesitate—

Hesitation, indecision.

"What are you all doing standing there?!"

The red-robed priest was both shocked and furious, not only because he had been 'ambushed', but also because all the beings he had transformed were completely motionless.

They've utterly disgraced the Burning Legion!

In fact, you can't really blame these workers; an invisible mental fluctuation had long since enveloped the entire steel plant.

Battle Hypnosis
He had only recently become a superhuman.
How could it possibly withstand Luigi's mental power?
Hehehehe~~~~

Suddenly, a deep, echoing laugh rang out, causing the startled and enraged red-robed priest to instinctively lower his head.

Because this laughter belongs to:

"You dare refuse this favor?"

Snapped,

Inside the steelmaking furnace in the factory, a claw reached out and gripped the thick furnace wall.

“You brought these scumbags here—”

The next second, amidst the splashing molten steel, a huge head emerged from the steel furnace, its fangs and teeth burning fiercely.

"Are we here to send you off to your funeral?!"

Boom, boom! ! !

The giant steel furnace collapsed with a crash, and as everyone instinctively ran for cover, a tall figure emerged completely, stepping onto the molten steel.

Its lower body is like that of an elephant, covered with crocodile plates and a tail; its upper body is that of a burly demon, holding a double-headed spear in its hand, and with tattered bat wings behind it.

Mannoroth, the Flame Lord!

Through a special array he set up, he was able to teleport within the magma;
The essence is to move by transforming into light: however, he does not have the strength of Duke Yanyang and must rely on the terrain and formations for assistance.

"No, I'm here to destroy you."

???

Upon hearing Luigi's answer, the towering Flame Lord was first taken aback, then burst into wild laughter.

"presumptuous----!"

(End of this chapter)