Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 386: Skill and Power

With a flick of his hand, in an instant, a combo attack burst forth. Beneath the blood-colored claw shadows, Athena Asamiya, who could barely hold her own among first-rate fighters thanks to her special abilities, was grievously wounded on the spot.

Blood splattered everywhere. Before Athena could even spin and land, Rugal had already flung out a blast of energy, intending to finish her off with a follow-up strike.

However, before the energy ball could hit its target, Athena suddenly shifted position midair in a bizarre movement—it turned out that Chin Gentsai, who had struggled to his feet, had flung his gourd with all his might, dragging her away.

Seeing Athena pulled aside by the rope, and then glancing at Chin Gentsai, who was struggling to stand on the opposite side, Rugal's eyebrows twitched. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"Already wounded this badly, and you still have the leisure to care about others' lives... Seems like you're not hurt enough."

Hearing these words, Chin Gentsai, clutching his bleeding wound, kept a stern face and said nothing.

Watching Rugal striding toward him, Chin suddenly mustered his strength and hurled his wine gourd at Rugal.

Hearing the gust of wind, Rugal instinctively slashed out with one hand, smashing the gourd to pieces.

Almost at the exact moment the gourd shattered, a wave of raging fire engulfed him.

Skill: Fireburst Blast!

Fireburst Blast was already a devastating move, but with the gourd shattering and Rugal drenched in alcohol, the effect was even more lethal.

As the flames hit him, Rugal's entire body ignited almost instantaneously.

Before he could tear his way out of the sea of fire, Chin seized the opportunity, charging in and throwing a punch the moment he got close.

This punch—was no longer drunken boxing! It was the sheer ferocity of Bājíquán!

Boom! Smash! Drill! Collapse!

Chin, swinging both arms in wide arcs, unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes right in Rugal's face. This sudden change in style caught Rugal completely off-guard.

By the time he took several hits and barely managed to adjust to Chin's new style, Chin's footwork shifted again—transitioning from the ferocious Bājíquán to the agile and elusive Bagua Dragon Palm.

Then came the Great Sage Armor, Xingyi Eight Essentials, Tai Chi Flowing Body, and even Wing Chun Short Strikes!

Relentlessly switching styles, Chin unleashed a furious assault around Rugal.

Each time Rugal adapted to one set of techniques, Chin immediately switched to another, keeping up the pressure.

At that moment, Chin was putting his entire life's mastery on display, using actions to tell Rugal exactly why he was once called a Grandmaster of Martial Arts in his youth.

The transformations of Xingyi!

The ferocity of Bājíquán!

The speed of Tan Tui kicks!

The flexibility of Tai Chi!

Faced with this pure pinnacle of technique, even Rugal, known as the King of Fighters, was momentarily dazed.

Clearly, he was faster. Clearly, he had more strength to crush Chin easily. But no matter how he attacked or defended, he was instantly countered.

It wasn't just reacting to moves—it was pure preemptive prediction!

From just that brief exchange, Chin had already completely seen through Rugal's crude and brutal fighting style—and was exploiting it relentlessly!

Fist techniques! Leg techniques! Grappling! Even joint locks!

Chin unleashed a barrage of martial arts, one after another!

Completely unable to keep up with Chin's rhythm, Rugal eventually could do nothing but raise both arms to shield his head, abandoning offense entirely and focusing solely on defense.

One minute... Three minutes... Five minutes...

As time dragged on, the crackle of collisions echoed endlessly.

After over six minutes of this clash between pure skill and raw power, the ultimate showdown finally reached its end.

BOOM!

A deafening roar resounded.

The whole time, Rugal had been shielding his head and taking the hits. But now, a sudden red gleam flashed in his eyes, and he swung out a furious punch.

This punch—was unleashed with full force!

Skill: Giant's Crush!

A technique mimicked from one of the Eight Hakkesshu, the Swift Phantom Leopard Mature.

Fast and savage when launched.

Boosting his speed with the surge of killing intent, Rugal seized Chin by the throat in a flash and dragged him along the ground for more than twenty meters.

Then he exploded the surge of killing intent, blasting Chin into a bloody mess, before hurling him violently.

Chin tumbled across the ground several times, skidding until he crashed into a wall, the impact causing countless cracks to spread across the surface. He slumped against the wall, barely sitting up.

Straightening his back slowly, Rugal wiped the blood trickling down his face.

Glaring at Chin, who was still struggling to get up, Rugal's expression turned deadly serious, his eyes boiling with murderous intent.

He had ultimately won this clash, but he felt no joy at all.

Because it wasn't victory through strength—it was victory because he was still young and vigorous.

He had caught Chin and turned the tables not because his reactions were sharper, but simply because the old man's stamina couldn't keep up, and his speed had slowed.

"Old... Chin Gentsai. I now acknowledge you as a worthy opponent. You have earned the right to become part of my collection after your death."

Clenching both fists slowly, the surge of killing intent formed a blood-red vortex around him. Rugal's expression twisted with cruelty and brutality.

"You old bastard! Why couldn't you have been born twenty years later?

Defeating you in your current state—there's no satisfaction in it!"

As he spoke, Rugal once again strode toward Chin.

Meanwhile, Chin, with blood flowing from his mouth, braced himself against the wall and struggled to his feet, his breathing heavy and ragged.

From the very beginning, he had never had a chance to win this duel.

Because he simply couldn't hurt the opponent!

He couldn't do anything to this monster whose body was enhanced by killing intent!

Pure skill—ultimately lost to pure strength.

Swaying as he stood, leaning against the wall, his hands trembling, Chin was battered and bruised, but his gaze remained sharp, gritting his teeth as he stubbornly guarded the room behind him.

Noticing Chin Gentsai's movement, Rugal frowned, casting a puzzled glance at the room behind him.

"You're protecting something? Family? A lover? A son? Doesn't matter. Considering you're a worthy opponent, I can promise you — I'll spare whoever's inside."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look around. His eyes landed on Athena Asamiya, who was severely wounded and being fiercely guarded by Kasamoto Eri, and nearby, Kasumi Todoh, struggling to hold her defense as more enemies swarmed.

Rugal's lips curled in disdain, his face showing utter contempt.

"These useless trash don't even deserve to die by my hand."

He raised his hand into a grabbing stance. A red glow flickered from his palm, and with his face twisted in excitement and ferocity, Rugal unleashed the Titan Crush skill again, charging straight at Chin Gentsai, who was backed up against the wall.

"Old fool! Die at the hands of the King of Fighters! Exit the stage like a true fighter!"

Boom!

In a flash of blood-red light, Rugal crossed more than ten meters in an instant, slamming straight into Chin Gentsai.

But the scene he had imagined — the wall exploding, Chin Gentsai being skewered through — didn't happen.

Rugal's hand, thrust forward, was completely stopped right in front of the wall.

His left arm stretched out, Rugal's charge was halted. He stared ahead in disbelief.

There, behind Chin Gentsai, the wall had already shattered. A thick, powerful arm had burst through, mirroring Rugal's piercing stance, and forcibly stopped Rugal's deadly blow through sheer impact.

From the gaping hole in the wall, two glowing red lights suddenly lit up.

The next second, as the wall crumbled down, a towering figure — easily over three meters tall — crashed through. It was a burly giant of a man, with a huge single horn protruding from his forehead.

"Halftime! Switch players!"

A deep voice echoed as Qin Ming, having activated his dinosaur form, threw a heavy punch.

Rugal's pupils shrank as he quickly countered with a punch of his own.

With a thunderous boom, Rugal was blasted backward, sliding across the ground. Qin Ming, meanwhile, stomped down hard, causing countless cracks to spiderweb across the floor.

Chin Gentsai, standing between them, watched Rugal being forced back. He hurriedly turned to look behind him.

Seeing Qin Ming had broken through, the tension that had been straining his nerves finally loosened. The next second, he collapsed toward the ground.

But before he could fall, Qin Ming reached out and caught him.

Lowering his gaze to the small, hunched old man barely one and a half meters tall, battered and scarred, Qin Ming took a deep, forceful breath.

"Go rest, Master. Leave the rest to me..."

He gently released Chin Gentsai and slowly straightened up to face Rugal, a savage glint flashing in his eyes.

"You like fighting, huh? Bullying old men at a retirement home — that's your idea of strength? Come fight me! I'll fight you until you die!"

On the other side, Rugal, still reeling from the force of Qin Ming's punch, was momentarily stunned. Upon hearing this, he laughed in fury.

"And where the hell did this second-rate piece of trash crawl out from? You dare challenge me?"

With a violent flick of his arms, Rugal suddenly crossed them over his chest and let out a low roar.

"Get him! Kill him!"

At his command, the nearby adventurers — who had been lingering, waiting for a chance to snatch the key — exchanged a glance.

Without hesitation, they nodded and charged at Qin Ming, hurling energy spheres mid-charge.

Energy Charge! Hadouken!

As the energy balls howled through the air, Qin Ming's pupils contracted. The next second, he suddenly roared, raising both arms high and slamming them down onto the ground.

Skill! Imitation—Battle Aura Storm!

Blood erupted in a furious surge, instantly forming a crimson wall before him. No — not like a wall — it was a wall! A solid wall of congealed blood!

The blood that had erupted from the ground hardened into solid form, becoming a seamless barrier!

Explosions roared continuously as six consecutive Hadoukens slammed into the blood wall, but they failed to pierce it, only splashing blood everywhere.

When the bombardment ended, the blood wall split open on its own, and Qin Ming, his face grim, strode forward through the falling blood.

One of the adventurers, having charged close, leapt up and unleashed a whirlwind kick.

But instead of hitting Qin Ming, he kicked straight into a flying blood orb.

At the moment his leg collided with the blood orb, the adventurer's eyes widened in shock — the blood orb burst apart midair, transforming into countless blood-colored shards gleaming with a deadly chill, and all of them shot toward him without losing any speed.

In an instant!

The adventurer was struck dozens of times, his body riddled with blood-blades like a pincushion.

(End of Chapter)