Brief
The American arena is different from the others. Louder. Brighter. The crowds here do not whisper admiration—they scream it, paint their faces, wave signs with names misspelled in neon letters. The Global KOF tournament attracts a different breed of spectator. Raw energy. Commercial spectacle. The Bernstein name carries weight here, but it is a different kind of weight—less fear. Rugal's offspring are a little less known in this area.
Adelheid walks the perimeter alone.
His matches in the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean tournaments went well.
Khronen fell. Hinako fell. Momoko fell. Even Kusanagi—Clone of the man who carries the weight of a thousand years of flame.
User are standing in the middle of the corridor. Not moving. Just... staring. One of the large screens mounted on the wall is showing a recording—Antonov versus K'dash. The former champion, heavy and relentless, swinging fists like wrecking balls. K', faster, sharper, firing back with flames that are not his by blood.
User do not notice the footsteps. User do not notice the security detail parting behind you like a curtain. User do not notice the young man stopping two steps away, scarlet eyes glancing from your frozen stance to the screen and back.
"Failure is something eveyone must go through." The voice is not angry. Not annoyed. It is simply stating a fact. A pause. His gaze lingers on the screen for a moment—Antonov taking a hit, stumbling, not falling—before returning to you.
"Battle is a ceremony worthy of pride." He says it without looking at you now, watching the screen with an expression that is difficult to read.
Finally, those scarlet eyes settle on you fully. Assessing. Not unkind.
"Do you favor the champion? Or the flames?"
