Infinity, The Arcade Age

A massive explosion rocked the ship, sending Tobi and Huang Yan flying. The C4-rigged wall behind them shattered into pieces, completely collapsing into rubble.

Before the two men could even scramble to their feet, a cold, mechanical voice echoed from the damaged ship interior.

"Ani ma sexy!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A chain of explosions detonated in rapid succession, engulfing the entire area in flames and swallowing the two adventurers whole.

Inside the ship, leaning against a wall and casually chewing gum, Eri Kasamoto flicked the detonator aside, letting it clatter onto the floor.

She racked her gun's slide, her expression cold and impassive as she stepped out from behind cover.

She had initially rushed over to provide backup, but after realizing that the enemy numbers were overwhelming, she set up a secondary explosive perimeter to slow them down.

Yet before the enemy could even breach the first defense line, two adventurers had suddenly burst out of the ship.

Without hesitation, Eri had decided to welcome them with a round of C4 explosions.

As the thick smoke billowed, she didn't bother checking whether they survived.

She simply stepped forward, machine gun raised, and unleashed a relentless barrage into the smoke.

The silver-tier machine gun roared, its devastating firepower tearing through the air.

Within moments, agonized screams rang out.

Huang Yan, riddled with bullets, frantically dived behind cover. Meanwhile, Tobi let out a piercing shriek, and a second later—

WHOOSH!

His entire body shot into the air, twisting and spinning chaotically like a firework rocket.

He zigzagged at extreme speed, dodging Eri's bullets as he rapidly closed the distance.

Tobi's eyes gleamed with a predatory light.

As he locked onto Eri, his entire body tensed before rocketing toward her like a missile.

His steel claws extended fully—

Special Move: Tornado Gale Slash!

Tobi spun rapidly, his entire body turning into a whirling drill-like spear, streaking toward Eri at blinding speed.

Eri adjusted her aim immediately, spraying another burst of gunfire directly at him.

But—every bullet bounced off.

Tobi's special ability had completely nullified the shots.

Realizing she couldn't stop him, Eri swiftly dodged to the side.

A sharp glint flashed.

A split second later, thin cuts appeared across her cheek.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Tobi, landing lightly, let out another shrill screech before launching himself into the air once again, spinning into another drill-like assault toward Eri.

His technique originated from King of Fighters' Korean Team, specifically from the infamous criminal duo's Cai Baoqi.

Cai Baoqi, a small, wiry, vicious fighter, specialized in speed-based rush attacks.

He was a third-rate martial artist at best—so weak that he was forcibly recruited by Taekwondo master Kim Kaphwan for "rehabilitation."

But in the hands of a skilled player, Cai Baoqi's mobility was unparalleled, earning him the infamous nickname: "The Monkey."

Tobi, with his small frame and lean build, was clearly a disciple of Cai Baoqi.

His mobility was just as ridiculous.

For the entire fight, he never even touched the ground.

Using his abilities, he continuously darted through the air, circling Eri like a relentless hawk.

If she made one mistake and allowed him to land a hit, he would chain together a devastating series of slashes.

Eri, her machine gun still blazing, struggled to keep up with his unpredictable movements.

With every passing second, she was forced to retreat.

She couldn't hit him.

Cursing under her breath, Eri gritted her teeth.

She rolled away from her position and tossed four grenades into the air.

The wooden-handle grenades collided midair—

BOOM!

A massive explosion engulfed the sky.

Flames erupted, filling the space with searing heat.

Startled, Tobi veered away, breaking off his attack as he distanced himself from the fire.

Now safely inside the narrow ship corridor, Eri exhaled sharply.

But just as she steadied herself—

Heavy footsteps echoed nearby.

Huang Yan had arrived.

Roaring fiercely, Huang Yan crossed his arms in front of him and charged straight for the corridor entrance.

Instead of dodging Eri's gunfire, he chose to take it head-on.

Bullets tore through his flesh, but he didn't slow down.

Within seconds, his body was covered in bullet wounds, blood spraying across the floor.

Seeing this, Tobi's eyes lit up.

Using Huang Yan as a meat shield, he immediately dashed behind him, following in his wake.

CRASH!

The wooden walls shattered as Huang Yan bulldozed his way into the room.

Tobi followed closely behind.

And right in front of them—

Eri stood her ground, gun raised, staring them down.

Tobi let out a sudden shriek as Huang Yan grabbed him by the collar and hurled him forward.

Mid-air, Tobi stretched his arms out and began spinning at high speed.

B-Rank Special Move: True! Ultimate Tornado Vacuum Slash!

As the move activated, a violent windstorm surged around Tobi, rapidly expanding into a towering tornado that engulfed everything in its path.

This was Cai Baoqi's ultimate technique from The King of Fighters—a lethal death spiral capable of shredding anything it touched.

In an open battlefield, this move had a major flaw—while it looked visually impressive, its movement speed was too slow. If it failed to hit immediately, it became easy to dodge.

But in a cramped space like a ship's interior, once the tornado formed, there was no escape.

No dodging. No running.

The enclosed environment guaranteed a lethal kill.

Everything in the room—furniture, crates, even bullets—was sucked into the raging vortex and shredded into debris, increasing the storm's lethality.

Eri Kasamoto gritted her teeth as she watched her machine gun rounds get swallowed into the whirlwind, only to become part of the deadly storm itself.

Damn it! It even absorbs bullets?!

Pinned into a corner, her eyes flashed with sharp calculation.

In a swift motion, she pulled several small pouches from her vest and threw them directly into the storm.

Then—

She grabbed a nearby wooden crate, flipped it over, and dove inside.

Tobi, still spinning mid-air, caught sight of the objects flying toward him.

And in that instant, his face turned deathly pale.

He recognized what they were.

C4 explosives.

"AHHHH!!!"

Terror ripped through his voice, but he was already trapped in his own attack.

He tried to stop spinning—but the momentum of the tornado was unstoppable.

Before he could break free—

The C4 charges, now fully primed, spiraled straight toward him.

In the next horrifying second—

BOOM!

A towering explosion erupted, engulfing the entire tornado in flames.

The storm itself was detonated from within.

Tobi's charred body shot out of the air like a crashing jet, leaving a trail of smoke before slamming face-first into the ground.

Cai Baoqi had always been a third-rate fighter for a reason.

Despite his flashy mobility and overwhelming speed, his attacks lacked true substance.

Real experts could easily see through the weaknesses in his moves—

And Eri had just turned his own technique into his coffin.

The problem with a tornado…

Is that it absorbs EVERYTHING.

The moment it sucked in something it shouldn't have—the fight was over.

Now, Tobi lay motionless in the rubble, heavily injured and completely incapacitated.

Seeing his comrade go down, Huang Yan's teeth clenched in fury.

With a thunderous roar, he charged at the crate where Eri had hidden.

As he reached it, his entire body glowed, leaving behind a trail of mirage-like afterimages as his fists began swinging at insane speeds.

Unawakened Bloodline Technique! Seven Kusanagi's Super Finisher! Million Hammer Steam!

"Oh la oh la oh la oh la—!!"

His arms blurred, smashing through the wooden crate in a relentless barrage.

Ignoring the bullets piercing into him, his hulking frame tanked the machine gun fire as he landed a direct hit on Eri!

In an instant—

She was lifted off the ground, mid-air—trapped in an unrelenting storm of punches.

Twelve. Fourteen. Seventeen hits.

Only after a final uppercut slammed into her chin, sending her soaring across the room, did Huang Yan finally halt his assault.

His expression twisted with rage.

Eri crashed into the ground, rolling several times.

Yet—

She still wasn't dead.

Huang Yan's eyes narrowed in disbelief.

His breath ragged, he raised his arms, preparing to slam his fists into the floor.

If he activated his full power Earthquake Tremor skill—

The entire room would collapse.

But just as his fists were about to strike the ground—

His eyes suddenly widened in shock.

"AH?!"

His voice cracked into a high-pitched scream.

Right beneath him—

Inside the shattered remains of the wooden crate—

A dozen blinking C4 explosives sat fully armed and primed.

BOOM!