"Cloud!" Billy's eyes were cold as a viper's.
"You can fight. I'll give you that. But you shouldn't have run wild on Lord Geese's turf. Today, I'm going to personally break your limbs—one by one!"
The moment he finished speaking, he moved!
His three-section staff became a blur, sweeping toward Cloud like a raging storm!
"Great Whirlwind!"
Staff shadows filled the air, sealing off every escape route. The howling wind was so fierce that even the front-row spectators felt their faces stinging!
Facing this legendary technique, Cloud took a deep breath—and charged forward instead of retreating!
"Bring it!"
He pushed his Dragon-Tiger Spirit to the absolute limit. Golden light blazed around both fists!
"Shiranui Battle God Style: Wild Dance!"
Cloud's figure became a whirlwind of its own, rushing headlong into Billy's staff shadows!
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG—!
A rapid-fire series of collisions rang out like a blacksmith's hammer, echoing through the cage!
Fist against staff—every impact sent dazzling sparks flying!
Everyone watched in disbelief.
That "Brick Bro" was actually... using his bare fists to clash with Billy's Whirlwind Staff?! And he wasn't losing?!
"Impossible!" Billy's mind reeled with shock.
His staff techniques were fast, precise, and brutal—capable of turning a bull into ground beef in seconds!
Yet this man before him could not only match his speed but even predict exactly where each strike would land, blocking and countering from the most unexpected angles!
What Billy didn't know was that Cloud had not only [Mind's Eye] for prediction, but also the "Billy's Staff Techniques (Fragment)" he'd plundered from Billy himself!
Thanks to the system, Cloud knew Billy's staff patterns inside and out!
"Your staff work is too flashy!"
After a fierce exchange, Cloud spotted a tiny gap as Billy transitioned between moves. He surged forward instantly!
"What?!" Billy's face went pale. He tried to retract his staff to defend, but it was too late!
"This move is called 'Homage'!"
Cloud roared as a fist infused with "Tiger Gleam" qi slammed into Billy's chest!
"HURK—!"
Billy staggered as if struck by lightning. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he flew backward, his three-section staff spinning away from his grip!
Cloud pressed his advantage, pursuing like lightning!
"We're not done yet!"
Mid-air, his legs scissored around Billy's neck. Using the momentum, he flipped and drove Billy headfirst into the ground with a spectacular maneuver!
"Battle God Style Ultimate: Windmill!" (Mimicking Mai Shiranui's technique)
BOOM—!
A thunderous impact shook the entire ring!
When the dust settled, Billy Kane—the fearsome enforcer of South Town's underworld—lay spread-eagled in a humiliating crater in the floor.
Billy climbed to his feet in fury, roaring as he unleashed his ultimate technique!
His long staff spun at incredible speed, forming an impenetrable tornado of flames that roared toward Cloud!
"Super Fire Whirlwind Staff!"
The heat was intense enough to melt steel!
Facing this killing blow, Cloud drew a deep breath. His eyes became utterly focused!
He gathered every ounce of Dragon-Tiger Spirit in his body into his right fist!
"Haoh Shoukou Ken!!"
BOOM—!
A white shockwave blasted toward Billy!
A massive explosion tore through the fire tornado!
One figure flew out of the chaos—Billy! A clear fist imprint was seared into his chest, his work clothes charred and smoking!
The other figure landed steadily at the center of the ring. Despite burns across his body and his clothes in tatters, his eyes blazed with terrifying intensity!
It was Cloud!
Billy lay on the ground, body twitching, completely unconscious.
Cloud stood over him and slowly raised his right hand.
The entire arena fell deathly silent.
Everyone stood frozen, staring at the masked man in the ring, their minds blank.
Lord Geese's right-hand man... the KO King Billy... just... lost?
After what felt like an eternity, Mai Shiranui in the VIP booth was the first to react.
She shot to her feet, her gorgeous face filled with excitement, shock, and a trace of... pride she hadn't even noticed.
The next second, abandoning all composure, she let out a shriek, threw open the booth door, and rushed toward the ring like a swallow returning to its nest!
Under the stunned gazes of thousands of spectators, this sexy, fiery kunoichi charged straight into the ring.
She stepped right over Billy's unconscious body, opened her arms wide, and threw them around Cloud!
"You won! Cloud! You actually won!" Her voice overflowed with excitement and joy—genuine, heartfelt joy.
Soft warmth and intoxicating fragrance enveloped Cloud instantly.
He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
Under the spotlight, this scene—hero and beauty—froze into an eternal fairy tale moment.
In the VIP booth, Andy Bogard silently watched it all unfold. He set down his drink.
He watched Mai laughing in Cloud's arms like a child, her face radiant with a happiness he'd never seen before.
An indescribable mix of bitterness and release washed over him.
He knew... perhaps he really had lost her.
Ryo Sakazaki shot to his feet, eyes gleaming.
Impressive! This kid's fighting talent is unprecedented!
He'd only sparred with Cloud for a short time, yet Cloud had somehow grasped the essence of Kyokugenryu!
Though Cloud had modified the final technique, Ryo recognized it instantly—the core was unmistakably the Haoh Shoukou Ken!
Ryo knew Cloud had figured this out on his own.
Yuri might have feelings for Cloud, but she hadn't even mastered this move herself—there was no way she could have secretly taught him.