Once again, Wind tried to engage Qin Ming in close combat, attempting to unleash a devastating burst of attacks. Yet, at the critical moment, he hesitated.
He dared not use Raging Eight Maidens, his ultimate skill, fearing that Qin Ming would endure the assault, grab hold of him, and counter with a vicious retaliation.
With a Frozen Step, Wind retreated, creating distance between them. Staring at Qin Ming, whose ferocity seemed unrelenting, Wind finally abandoned the notion of redeeming his previous defeat with a one-on-one duel.
Instead, he turned and shouted, "Anger! What the hell are you waiting for? You still want to get paid, right? Get over here and help me take him down!"
The call had barely ended when Anger, who had been leisurely smoking a cigar nearby, flicked the stub away with a sigh.
"Weren't you the one who told me not to interfere at first?"
"Cut the crap and help me kill him!"
"You got it!"
Wrapping a headband tightly around his forehead, Anger charged toward Qin Ming like a bull.
Dodging one of Qin Ming's Sonic Hand Knives, Anger leaped into the air and launched a ferocious kick… only to find it utterly ineffective.
Landing smoothly, Anger growled as his left arm burst into flames. He roared and unleashed a flurry of upward strikes.
"Ora ora ora ora!"
Skill Activated: Galactica Phantom Barrage (C-Rank)
Straight from the King of Fighters' Ralph's playbook.
A rapid succession of fiery uppercuts slammed into Qin Ming's body. Sparks and flames erupted with every strike as the deck seemed to quake under the relentless assault.
Yet, when the barrage subsided, Anger froze in disbelief.
Qin Ming remained standing, completely unfazed. His expression was indifferent, his body unflinching.
Anger's fists, once blazing with power, had done nothing more than graze Qin Ming's skin.
"No way..." Anger muttered, his eyes wide in horror.
Before he could react further, a blazing Sonic Hand Knife whirled through the air, striking him square in the neck.
The intense heat and rotational force tore through his flesh, drawing an arc of blood as Anger's body spun violently, crashing into the deck with a thunderous thud.
The impact left cracks spiderwebbing across the wood, yet Anger managed to roll away just in time to evade Qin Ming's follow-up stomp.
Staggering to his feet, clutching his bleeding neck, Anger stumbled back to Wind's side.
"Captain, something's seriously off about this guy!"
Wind shot him a glare. "No kidding! If he were easy to deal with, why would I even hire you for backup?"
"But you never said he was this tough! He's got some kind of advanced defense ability. I'm gonna need extra pay for this!"
"Stop whining and take him down already!"
Gritting his teeth, Anger roared as his body began to glow with a fierce white light. He charged at Qin Ming, his every step thundering across the deck.
Skill Activated: Galloping Vulcan Punch (B-Rank)
Another devastating move from Ralph's arsenal—renowned for its sheer destructive force.
Anger closed the distance in a flash, launching himself into a full-body tackle aimed at Qin Ming's chest.
This was a notorious skill, often called the "Face-Sitting Finisher" for its brutal close-quarters effectiveness.
He hit his mark, crashing into Qin Ming with all his might…
…only to find that he couldn't budge him an inch.
(Ding! Skill Hit. Initiating strength contest. Target's strength is not lower than yours—skill activation failed.)
The system's cold notification echoed in Anger's ears.
Eyes wide with disbelief, he realized he had lost the contest of raw power. Instead of toppling Qin Ming, he was the one being repelled, bouncing off like a ragdoll.
"Impossible!"
For skills like this, which involved throws or grapples, raw strength often determined their success. If the target's strength surpassed the user's—or if the user failed to disrupt their balance—the skill would fail outright.
To compensate for this weakness, Anger had focused all his training on increasing his strength, boasting a staggering 50 points in the attribute.
Yet… he had still lost.
The realization sent chills down his spine.
How strong is this guy?! I thought he specialized in endurance, not raw power!
Before Anger could recover, Qin Ming grabbed him by the head mid-air.
With a terrifying roar, Qin Ming swung him like a ragdoll, slamming him repeatedly into the deck.
CRACK!
Wood splintered as Anger's body was smashed again and again, leaving the deck riddled with fractures.
Although battered and bloodied, Anger somehow managed to endure. His resilience, honed by countless battles, allowed him to cling to consciousness.
Seeing that Anger was still alive, Qin Ming's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Fine then… let's see how you handle this!
Opening his mouth wide, Qin Ming prepared to bite down, activating Essence Drain to finish the job.
But before his teeth could sink into his target, a sharp gust of wind whistled through the air.
Wind, who had been circling like a predator, finally struck.
Skill Activated: True Raging Eight Maidens (A-Rank)
"Die already!"
Wind's frenzied screams accompanied the flurry of strikes that rained down on Qin Ming's back.
Unlike before, this attack ignored all defenses.
The vicious slashes tore into Qin Ming's flesh, leaving his back bloodied and raw.
Yet despite the carnage, Qin Ming remained standing.
His back was a mess of shredded skin, but the damage was only superficial.
(Ding! Passive Effect Activated: Flat Damage Reduction -11)
The relentless barrage of Wind's slashes, while devastating, had its lethality dulled by Qin Ming's flat damage reduction.
Even an A-Rank skill like Raging Eight Maidens couldn't achieve the same level of devastation as before.
With a furious growl, Qin Ming hurled the battered Anger toward Wind.
Wind barely managed to dodge the incoming human projectile with a quick Frozen Step, but Anger wasn't so lucky.
The unfortunate mercenary slammed headfirst into the ship's hull, smashing clean through the wooden planks and disappearing into the shadows.
The two rising stars of the King of Fighters' camp—renowned for their raw talent and devastating skills—had been utterly outclassed.
Instead of defeating Qin Ming, their combined efforts only resulted in one of them being incapacitated.
Farther back, Eye, the blindfolded girl who had been watching the fight from a distance, paled visibly.
Her body trembled as she turned to flee, too terrified to continue spectating.
"I… I can't handle this! If he catches me, I'm dead for sure!"
And with that, the self-proclaimed tactician of the group fled into the night, leaving her companions to face the monstrous Qin Ming alone.
(End of Chapter)