Infinity, The Arcade Age

The blood sphere, modeled after the Thunderlight Fist from the King of Fighters world and spinning rapidly in Qin Ming's hand, collided head-on with Ryu's incoming kick.

With a shockwave exploding outward, Qin Ming staggered back two steps, while Ryu was sent flying backward.

This was still the early era of the Street Fighter world. The widely recognized main character Ryu was, at this point, still a green rookie—far from the future martial arts master who would awaken Killing Intent Wave and forcibly merge it, becoming a grandmaster capable of going toe-to-toe with Akuma.

Even so, the current young Ryu was still no pushover.

[Name: Ryu]

[Strength: 60]

[Constitution: 60]

[Agility: 40]

[Spirit: 40]

[Skills: Ansatsuken Martial Arts (A-Rank), Ansatsuken Hadou Techniques (A-Rank), Shoryuken (A-Rank), Vacuum Hadoken (A-Rank), Tatsumaki Senpukyaku (A-Rank)]

[Description: A future monster capable of going head-to-head with Akuma—and even defeating him.]

Stumbling as he landed, Ryu looked down at his reddened and swollen leg, gritted his teeth, and braced his arms. Ki spiraled around his body as he pushed the power of Hadou to its limit.

Just then, the nearby wall burst apart—and Ken, the other main character who had been blown away earlier but barely injured, charged back into the fray.

His body was also wreathed in surging energy, and his momentum was in no way inferior to Ryu's. Stat-wise, he was practically identical to Ryu.

Ken—the eternal second place, much like Iori Yagami in King of Fighters! A genius whose talent was no less than Ryu's!

He appeared in nearly every generation of Street Fighter and always ranked in the top tier in terms of strength—but just like Iori, fate destined him to never truly be the protagonist. He would forever remain in Ryu's shadow.

Taking a deep breath and channeling his Ansatsuken Hadou energy, Ken glanced at Ryu.

The next moment, they both nodded—and charged straight at Qin Ming!

Shoryuken lead-in! Tornado kick follow-up!

One struck high, the other low. Their teamwork was seamless, forcing Qin Ming back repeatedly, struggling to keep up with their rhythm.

Seeing their near-perfect coordination and how he was being overwhelmed, Qin Ming suddenly let out a thunderous shout—his skin abruptly turning golden.

S-Rank Skill—Arhat Golden Body: Activate!

CLANG!

With a metallic bang, Ryu's powerful kick slammed into Qin Ming's neck.

But Qin Ming didn't budge an inch—while Ryu grunted in pain, his leg feeling like it had slammed into solid steel.

Ken, who had followed up with a sweeping kick to Qin Ming's knee, also winced in agony.

The upgraded defense skill, though now active rather than passive, had increased its effect severalfold.

Once activated, Qin Ming's defense reached an absurd, monstrous level!

Realizing their blows were useless, Ryu and Ken exchanged glances and roared, launching another wave of attacks.

Chops to the neck! Shoryuken to the chin! Spinning sweeps to the legs!

Ryu and Ken circled around Qin Ming, launching a frenzied barrage of attacks. The clang of blows rang out endlessly—but they couldn't even make him flinch.

Watching the two of them struggle, constantly switching angles and trying to pinpoint a vital spot, Qin Ming stood perfectly still. And suddenly, he understood why villains in old-school martial arts films with "super armor" skills just stood there and let themselves be hit.

Because watching others hit you with everything they had, only to realize they couldn't hurt you at all—it felt amazing!

"Hyaaah!"

With a synchronized roar, Ryu and Ken launched a combined Vacuum Hadoken at him.

But the raging energy blast crashed into Qin Ming's body and exploded harmlessly—unable to move him even a fraction.

Instead, Qin Ming took advantage of the momentum to grab both of them by the neck—lifting them clean off the ground!

Suspended midair, Ryu and Ken struggled desperately, but no matter what technique they used, they couldn't hurt the golden figure holding them.

Qin Ming now looked just like one of those unbeatable antagonists who shows up early in a story to annihilate the rookie protagonist's team. With overwhelming force, he crushed the so-called heroes.

If this were a standard story arc, the next part would be the villain killing the protagonist's master or family member, then letting the beaten-down protagonist live out of disdain. The hero would then vow revenge, train hard, and return at the climax to defeat the villain in the name of love and justice.

But this wasn't a movie—and Qin Ming wasn't some brain-dead villain.

He was absolutely ruthless. There was no way he would spare someone who had already lost the will or ability to resist.

As his grip tightened and his eyes narrowed, it was clear he had no intention of holding back. He was going to strangle them to death.

Just as Ryu and Ken were turning purple, their tongues hanging out, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out from nearby.

Hearing it, Qin Ming's pupils shrank, and his muscles instantly tensed.

The next moment—BOOM!—a Vacuum Hadoken slammed into Qin Ming, sending him skidding sideways across the ground, his heels carving two deep tracks before he finally stopped several meters away.

The two fighters he'd been holding were also flung aside.

As the dust settled, Qin Ming slowly straightened up and rolled his shoulders.

Feeling the terrifying impact of that attack still tingling in his bones, his eyes flickered with intensity.

Then he looked toward the figure now stepping out of the house—and his eyes narrowed further.

"Old master… long time no see. You're still as strong as ever, huh?"

The opponent whom Qin Ming once couldn't even look straight at—the top-tier martial arts grandmaster, Gouken—had made his entrance!

The bad news? Gouken's strength was still as terrifying as ever. With one move, he'd cracked Qin Ming's defenses. He was likely still stronger than Qin Ming overall.

But the good news? Gouken could no longer instantly defeat him in one strike.

And as long as he couldn't be one-shotted, Qin Ming still had a chance to fight back with all his skills!

From within the clearing smoke, Gouken raised his hands into the Hadoken stance, fingers clawed into tiger-paw form. His brows furrowed, and he dropped his arms, standing tall as his eyes peered through the haze to meet Qin Ming's.

Shock filled his gaze.

"Blood Qi… Buddha's Radiance… even Killing Intent Wave?! Just what the hell have you gone through these past few days?! How did you become this strong?! And how the hell do you know my Ansatsuken's Killing Intent Wave—how did you even master it?! You've fused so many forces inside your body… how are you not dead?!"

Qin Ming grinned widely at Gouken's astonishment. With a deep step forward, he planted his feet, channeling energy—taking up the exact same Ansatsuken stance.

"Because I don't want to die! And as long as I don't want to die—no one can kill me! Master Gouken! It's been a while… I've come to learn once again!"

The breeze blew gently through the courtyard as the two figures once again stood face to face.

On the left, an elder with his entire body wrapped in swirling energy.

On the right, a brawny man exuding a murderous aura.

The atmosphere boiled with tension, their bodies wreathed in power—just like before, just like always…

(End of Chapter)