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~~~

Based on Xiang Nan's assessment of the woman's condition, there was no way a craniotomy could be performed in this environment.

So…some things he had to ask in person.

But he did not expect her to answer.

"Which world are you from?"

"What race are you?"

"…"

The white-haired woman lay on the ground; the blood beneath her had long since clotted.

By rights she should have been dead, but Xiang Nan had forcibly prolonged her life with Nen.

Even so, it was only enough to keep her consciousness clear for a short while.

"Why…why did I lose to a weakling like you? Unforgivable…unforgivable…"

On the verge of death, she muttered, eyes already devoid of light—words of regret mingled with bitter resentment.

"I trained so hard… So many people pinned their hopes on me.

In this placement match I was supposed to make a stunning debut, to make the other worlds realize our existence and our strength. Why…"

It was as if she heard nothing he said, venting her feelings without pause.

"The organization poured so much effort into creating me—a weapon meant to slay our enemies and shine in the new era.

I was going to be like the others and leave my name among the myriad worlds.

It's all your fault! Damn you! You ruined everything!"

"Aaaah!"

Her earlier calm broke; rage twisted her face, and her eyes went mad as she stared at the man before her, screaming like someone deranged.

"You want intel on our world? Dream on!

Hahaha… You'll die miserably! My world will soon stand atop the strongest ranks of the multiverse. Even if I die, others no weaker than I will rise in this era—they'll avenge me. I'll be waiting in hell for you.

Sharing the same reincarnation cycle with your generation is your misfortune!"

Xiang Nan smiled pleasantly, ignoring her frenzied curses.

At last he raised his foot.

Bang.

He crushed her skull.

Strangely, no corpse remained. Her body turned into wisps of black-smoke shadows that drifted away with a chill.

"Hm?"

The sight surprised Xiang Nan. Sensing something, he glanced toward the corner of the street—then vanished.

Dawn's pale light already tinged the sky; night receded into morning.

No sooner had Xiang Nan left than a group of people appeared on the street.

At their head was a man with shoulder-length parted hair, dressed in a classic taekwondo dobok. Behind him strode an enormously muscular bald giant carrying a massive iron ball chained to his shoulder. Perched on the giant's other shoulder sat a small figure in a cap and sunglasses, claws on both hands.

These three were none other than the Team Kim from this year's King of Fighters tournament—

Kim Kaphwan (team leader), Choi Bounge, and Chang Koehan.

But they weren't the only ones; another yet-to-debut fighting team arrived as well, little known in South Town for the moment.

Their outfits were unmistakable: one wore American-football gear, another a basketball uniform, and the third had his fists wrapped in boxing tape—American Sports Team, actually agents of Geese Howard: Lucky Glauber, Heavy D!, and Brian Battler.

Altogether six canon characters.

At the same time a police squad armed with firearms, and what looked like a private-military contingent, took up positions.

Originally, per the storyline, Lucky, Heavy D!, and Brian were supposed to stay hidden until the tournament began—Geese's "surprise" for the other fighters and a test run for the black crystals.

No one had foreseen the sudden chaos in South Town: mysterious forces and lethal intruders appearing everywhere. Under official pressure, Geese had to deploy personnel to assist police in suppressing suspicious targets and buying time.

"Are you sure it's here?"

Kim Kaphwan—national taekwondo grandmaster and multiple world champion—walked to the battle-scarred center of the street, surveyed the area, and looked back at the civil servant.

No sign of the culprit.

"This is definitely the place," the official nodded at once.

"Slipped away already…" Kim drew a long breath. "Keep searching."

"Understood."

…

Elsewhere, Xiang Nan had long since left the combat zone, heading toward the outskirts of South Town.

He guessed the KOF characters were not yet meant to show up…but now was no time to clash with them. The army would arrive soon.

Helicopters still scoured the sky for intruders, but because Xiang Nan hid carefully, the authorities had yet to obtain a clear photo—at most some blurry silhouettes. Without a face, even a city-wide sweep would struggle to pinpoint him.

"Things have quieted down…"

Several districts had turned into battlegrounds, yet combined they covered barely a tenth of the city. Still, the night's fierce fighting had been "earth-shaking." His own team had burned and blasted plenty of buildings, to say nothing of the dead. Every combat zone was now cordoned off, civilians barred entry.

Through the dawn glow on the horizon, Xiang Nan looked toward those disturbed areas. The giant was gone. The artillery booms had ceased—as if daybreak had hit pause on every front. Perhaps the official forces had pulled back…perhaps the intruders had killed the main-world players, lifted the area restrictions, and fled. Or perhaps the intruders themselves had been wiped out.

Walking the hidden alleys, Xiang Nan replayed the white-haired woman's delirious words.

Even though she'd refused to give up intel, emotional outbursts invariably leak information:

"Most players, including Pigeon, act for maximum profit; not everyone shares the same ideals. Even someone as capable as Beishi weighs things rationally and fights mainly for the Hunter World's 'honor' in the reincarnation dimension. When personal survival is on the line, self-preservation comes first—his choice is correct."

Xiang Nan's eyes gleamed.

He approved of Beishi's decision. In hindsight, jumping the white-haired woman had been unwise. But perspectives differ: beyond the overall strategy for this placement match, he wanted to acclimate quickly to the multiversal contest, to compare energy systems across worlds, and to gain combat experience against them.

Real combat here was not the same as leveling up within Hunter World; it prepared him specifically for the reincarnation dimension. With the full game not yet begun, every "low-difficulty" placement match was, to Xiang Nan, precious training he refused to waste.

"But…that woman was clearly different."

If he fought for the broader game, she had arrived with a mission: kill every intruder and showcase her world's might. She understood the reincarnation rules intimately—knowledge that could only come from high-level players of the main world, coupled with the "organization" she mentioned. Evidently she belonged to an elite group akin to "Star" in her own world.

"The Hunter name became legendary back in that era…but Hunter World has been reset who knows how many times. When a world collapses, it too is rebooted, and new players have no idea how strong Nen users are. The reason the player Orban met in another world knew is because that world has never collapsed."

"Looks like…her world is the same."

A world that remains stable for ages—withstanding heavy dimensional incursion—must boast exceptionally strong players and world power.

Moreover, she showed none of a player's customary selfishness; instead she fought with a ready-to-die resolve, waging war for her home world's benefit. While that might be blind confidence in her strength, it also defied ordinary human nature.

High-level veterans who've battled through many worlds possess the most accurate perspective on the reincarnation dimension. Their vast experience shapes how they see its rules and dangers. The woman's stance surely reflected that shared wisdom.

"In other words, the reincarnation dimension must contain rules that threaten one's own world—serious enough that players feel compelled to abandon personal gain and stand together."

"Perhaps…it isn't just about dimensional coins."

Xiang Nan pondered.

~~~

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