Chapter 23: The Fierce Battle of the King of Fighters

To be honest, Ergouzi didn’t take Li Xin seriously at all—a gentle, slightly plump man with an air of refinement, dressed like a white-collar professional or a business owner. How many men like that could truly be passionate about games? Though Li Xin’s gaze just now had been intimidating, Ergouzi attributed it to a man used to wielding authority, someone with a broad perspective—it was hardly surprising.

Yet his indifference faltered for a moment as he lowered his head, ready to press the start button. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a faint white glow shimmering around Li Xin’s character. It was fleeting, but undeniably real.

“What the hell? Is my TV broken?” he muttered to himself, dismissing the thought. “Damn it, after this game I’ll give it a thorough check. If there’s a problem, I’ll go swap it with that shrew Yan Zi! Wasted three thousand bucks on this thing.”

The screen flickered as the game began, and Ergouzi’s demeanor changed entirely—he was all focus now. The controller was pressed tight in his palms, his fingers dancing rapidly across the buttons. Drawing on years of practiced skill, he started with a few tentative moves to test his opponent’s fighting style. Then, without warning, he unleashed a relentless barrage of special combo attacks, leaving no openings.

“Watch closely—Assault Throw!” he shouted.

K leapt high, lunging at Leona, who stood poised in a defensive stance. If he could just grab her shoulder, it would be a perfect 180-degree arc throw!

“Defend!” Li Xin replied with a smile, his fingers moving swiftly on the controller. Leona’s left arm shot up, blocking K’s assault. Seizing the split-second K landed, Li Xin counterattacked, guiding Leona into a lightning-fast back grab—her hands became streaks of red light, clamping onto K’s right arm.

A gasp rippled through the gathered villagers. In all their months of watching, this was the first time anyone had caught Ergouzi’s K at the very start of a match.

Could it be that this man was also a gaming expert?

Ergouzi’s brow furrowed, his expression turning even more serious. “Trying to throw me? You’re still too green!” His fingers flew in a complex sequence, and K instantly responded—spinning rapidly, left knee raised high in a special knee strike. A blue arc of light crashed into Leona, forcefully knocking her away.

“Ultimate move—Crow Bite, with chain combo!” Ergouzi roared, his confidence surging. K’s body arched upward, transforming into a great bird with a gaping maw and unnaturally sharp fangs.

The villagers exclaimed in awe. This was Ergouzi’s signature—an ultimate move chained with rapid combos, overwhelming his opponent’s HP and securing victory. His hands were so nimble he could string together four combos in just 1.5 seconds, maximizing the damage with Crow Bite.

Indeed, as soon as K’s assault began, his whole body was engulfed in blue energy, unleashing a flurry of strikes that battered Leona through the air, blood splattering with each hit. It was only an old FC game, so the depiction wasn’t too gory. But to Li Xin, the scene looked entirely different.

In that moment, he was Leona. After failing in his opening attack, he was immediately beset by a storm of blows—K’s attacks were ferocious, and Li Xin saw wounds tearing open across his body, blood spurting wildly. As his consciousness began to slip from this blurred reality, Li Xin summoned his special move—the Crescent Strike—curling his body into a crescent arc.

Ding!

[System Message]: Current HP: 73/100. Reality-Phantom state lost.

The screen flickered, returning to the colorful LCD display. But rather than frustrated, Li Xin felt exhilarated. The “King of Games” system was truly comprehensive, capable of integrating any game. Now, with his awareness and control restored, he immediately manipulated the controller, unleashing Leona’s Crescent Strike.

“Crescent Strike?” Ergouzi frowned, perplexed. At such a disadvantage, Li Xin dared to abandon defense and risk a desperate counter, even with the threat of an instant kill looming. Was he mad, or simply reckless?

Most villagers didn’t understand these technicalities, but a few of the younger boys did, and they watched Li Xin with deepening confusion. If he kept playing like this, K would finish Leona off in under three seconds.

“Tch, I thought his reaction was fast in the first move—maybe a pro, but turns out he’s just an amateur,” scoffed a boy of fifteen or sixteen, his dark eyes brimming with disdain. In his view, Li Xin wasn’t even at his own level.

The other villagers burst into laughter.

“Pi Zi, you’re still wet behind the ears, and you dare call him an amateur?”

“So what? If I say he’s a noob, he’s a noob. Just watch—it’s embarrassing.” Pi Zi shrugged, unconcerned.

The crowd laughed again—even Ergouzi nearly chuckled. Easy money today—the five thousand yuan prize seemed all but his. Usually, he’d need two or three chained ultimates, or even a MAX finisher, to win. But today, one Crow Bite might be enough.

“Had me worried for nothing, really just a rookie…” Ergouzi began, but stopped short.

Everyone was stunned.

Leona, still airborne, completed her crescent arc and suddenly flashed behind K—moving so fast it defied description. In the second that Ergouzi froze in surprise, Li Xin seized the opening, his four fingers—both thumbs and both index fingers—dancing across the controller.

Yes, everyone saw it clearly—Li Xin was really using four fingers.

How could that be? Wasn’t it normal to use only your thumbs?

But all doubts vanished as Li Xin pressed the attack, guiding Leona into her super ultimate: the V-Shaped Golden Saw! Descending from above, Leona brought her hands together above her head, unleashing a blinding golden light that froze the entire screen.

How was this possible?

Barely seven or eight seconds had passed—neither side had completed a single ultimate. Leona’s energy was nowhere near MAX. How could she unleash a charged super move?

Though the townsfolk weren’t all gaming experts, they’d watched enough to have some idea. The handful of boys exchanged stunned glances, unable to fathom what this stranger had just done.

“Boss, looks like you’re going to lose,” Li Xin said calmly, unshaken even as he seized the upper hand with quiet authority.

“Admit defeat?” Ergouzi laughed wildly. “You haven’t even landed a hit. How do you know I’ll lose?”

Facing such a formidable opponent, Ergouzi knew he couldn’t hold back any longer. He cared little for the old game consoles, but the reputation of Wuzhen’s King of Games was something he could not afford to lose. He couldn’t let future challengers mock him, saying, “Ha! You lost in ten seconds and dare to wager with me?”

Unthinkable!

Ergouzi took a deep breath, forcing down his shock. His thumbs seemed to be enchanted, their speed doubling, the controller clicking furiously. He had already worn down two-thirds of Leona’s HP, and though his energy wasn’t yet MAX for the ultimate finisher, it was enough.

“Chain Drive!”

Ergouzi bellowed as K’s muscles began to ripple with explosive force, every fiber taut with power. Across the screen, Leona’s V-Shaped Golden Saw descended, her delicate hands gleaming with lethal gold.

The villagers held their breath, afraid to disturb the intense showdown. In their eyes, Li Xin’s character had seized the advantage, but Li Xin himself frowned.

Though he was no longer in the reality-phantom state, he could still sense everything in the game. At this moment, K was counterattacking with strength worthy of a king.

Finally, the two characters collided, the screen awash in blue and gold light, everything else drowned out. The TV blared with the sounds of violent impact. Suddenly, Ergouzi burst out laughing as the bloody scene faded, revealing K standing alone over Leona’s fallen body.

In this breathtaking clash of ultimate moves, Ergouzi had triumphed—with only ten HP remaining.

Because this was a wager, they’d chosen not the usual best-of-three, but a single, all-or-nothing match. Victory or defeat was decided in an instant.