Infinity, The Arcade Age

Chris of the Flames, one of the Eight Executives, and a member of the Four Heavenly Kings. He wasn't the strongest among the Eight Executives, but he was undoubtedly the most revered—because the flames he wielded came from the most powerful of Orochi's eight heads! Chris was the counterpart to Kyo Kusanagi, the main protagonist of The King of Fighters! The dark Orochi flames in his hands were said to be the bane of Kusanagi's blazing crimson flames, even allowing him to wield a dark version of the Orochi Nagi technique!

Of course, just like water and fire, which element truly countered the other was never definitive. After all, in the original story, Awakened Chris still lost to Kyo Kusanagi.

As the backup vessel for Orochi, the will of the world itself, Chris possessed exceptional talent and an incredibly pure bloodline. But due to his young age—only 14 years old—he was unable to fully unleash the true power of his flames. That was the only reason he lost to Kyo.

And Onien, the senior adventurer of the King of Fighters battle squad—his power was the Orochi Flame! Bloodline of the Great Serpent! Combined with a full set of Flame of Fate skills! He was, in essence, another version of an adult Chris! A fully matured member of the Eight Executives!

Raising his hand, he immediately unleashed an A-Rank Super Move—his entire body igniting into a massive sphere of purple fire, hurtling straight toward Qin Ming!

The six-shot Sonic Hand Blade, which had never met an enemy it couldn't cut through, finally encountered a worthy opponent.

A-Rank Super Move versus A-Rank Super Move!

The two forces collided head-on!

With a deafening howl of wind, Onien's blazing ghostfire shattered all six of Qin Ming's white-hot slashes! Flames erupted in all directions, and in the brief instant Qin Ming's expression shifted in shock, Onien broke through the flames unharmed—smashing into him with full force!

Boom!

Qin Ming was sent flying backward, Onien's flaming body ramming him through the air for more than ten meters before finally crashing him into the ground. As he tumbled to a stop, his body was completely engulfed in violet flames!

The unrelenting searing pain coursing through him made the veins on his forehead bulge. When he saw Onien raise both hands again, forming another ball of ghostly fire to hurl at him, Qin Ming gritted his teeth, pounded the ground with his fist, and vaulted back onto his feet—dodging just in time.

Panting, he glanced at his body, which was still burning with that eerie purple fire. It wouldn't go out!

A chill crept into his expression.

In the King of Fighters world, there were four supreme flames, each with unique properties. The Crimson Flames of the Kusanagi Clan—the Sun's Fire! Extreme heat, devastating power, capable of incinerating anything in its path. The Azure Flames of the Yagami Clan—the Moon's Fire! Originally born from the Kusanagi's Sun Flames, but corrupted by Orochi's blood, resulting in a twisted, mutated power. The Yagami clan, once sharing the same bloodline as the Kusanagi, found their power fading over generations—so they willingly merged with Orochi's blood, becoming a unique faction separate from the Eight Executives. Azure flames were known for their freezing properties, capable of stopping the flow of energy and even halting blood circulation. Rumors claimed that at its peak, this flame could even freeze time itself!

The Flames of the Underworld—the Fire of Time! A divine flame said to possess the power to reverse time itself. Only a true deity could wield such a force.

The Ghost Flames of Orochi—the Fire of Poison! The very flames now consuming Qin Ming! This fire never stopped burning—once it latched onto a body, it became impossible to extinguish. Like a curse, it clung to its victim until they were reduced to ashes. Worse still—it dealt true damage, completely ignoring all forms of defense!

Qin Ming desperately slapped at his burning body, but no matter what he did, the purple flames refused to go out!

Across from him, Onien—having successfully delivered his opening strike—raised his hands again, grinning arrogantly. The twin ghostly flames in his palms crackled hungrily.

"How's the taste of my Ghostfire?" he sneered.

Qin Ming's eye twitched slightly. Then, his fists clenched.

In the next second, he lifted one hand high into the air—his fingers suddenly spreading wide!

Fwoosh!

A brilliant, crimson flame erupted from his palm, blazing with the light of the sun itself!

With a loud whoosh, a surge of crimson flames erupted from Qin Ming's hand.

The Kusanagi Gloves activated! The Fire of the Sun—Crimson Flames!

As his spiritual energy drained to summon the flames through the gloves, the surrounding temperature skyrocketed.

The violet fire that had been clinging to Qin Ming, refusing to extinguish no matter what, reacted as if encountering its natural enemy. Under the radiance of the crimson flames, it was rapidly devoured and burned away completely.

Now engulfed in roaring flames, Qin Ming's gaze turned icy cold. "To be honest, it wasn't that impressive!"

Seeing this, Onien's grin stiffened.

He hadn't expected Qin Ming to wield the very flames that countered his own—Kusanagi's Crimson Flames. Veins bulged on Onien's forehead as he locked eyes with Qin Ming.

Then, with a furious roar, he lunged forward with a quickstep, hurling more ghostly violet flames ahead.

Qin Ming charged as well, his entire body shrouded in crimson fire, forcibly activating his Sonic Hand Blade ability!

Ultimate Techniques!

Dark Orochi Thrust vs. Imitation Orochi Nagi!

Boom!

The two fires collided with an explosive roar! Violet and crimson flames entwined, fiercely devouring and neutralizing each other.

After their initial clash, the two combatants closed the distance, unleashing a flurry of rapid punches and kicks at each other with lightning speed!

Fire-wrapped fists and arms met in relentless attacks and counters, clashing violently.

In terms of raw attributes, Onien had the upper hand!

After all, he was a high-level adventurer. Even though using an item to forcefully enter a lower-level zone had severely restricted him—limiting all his stats to a maximum of 40—his combat strength remained terrifying!

But while Onien had superior speed, Qin Ming had superior technique!

With an A-Rank proficiency in martial arts, Qin Ming's fighting skills surpassed even those of Onien, who, despite being a high-level adventurer, had never acquired such mastery!

One relied on speed, the other on skill. The result? A deadlock. No one could gain the upper hand.

Their fierce battle finally concluded with a mutual Orochi Nagi clash, sending both skidding backward to create distance.

Glaring at Onien, who remained virtually unscathed, veins bulged on Qin Ming's neck.

He hadn't dared to unleash a full burst of his Sonic Hand Blade. While the move was undoubtedly powerful and would have overpowered Onien's Orochi Nagi, the problem was its excessive energy consumption. Even the weakest version required 6 points of spiritual energy per use—who could afford that kind of drain?!

Mental energy restoration items were extremely rare, and their cooldown times were long. He couldn't recklessly waste his energy.

It was the same reason why Onien hadn't used his stronger A-Rank Super Ultimate attacks recklessly.

Powerful techniques came with high costs. Using them repeatedly would drain even him dry!

Qin Ming's left arm burned with crimson fire, while Onien's hands crackled with ghostly purple flames.

For two silent seconds, they stared each other down.

Then, Onien suddenly took a deep breath, and a twisted grin crept onto his face.

"No wonder you managed to kill my brother. I'll admit it—he was no match for you. But you better not underestimate a high-level adventurer!"

As he spoke, realizing he couldn't defeat Qin Ming quickly, Onien finally unleashed his trump card!

With a thunderous roar, a pillar of violet flames burst from his body! His face became covered in intricate, glowing purple markings!

Orochi Bloodline—Activated!

Also known as… Berserk Mode!