MTLNOVEL Chapter 131: Winning by Chance?
There were a total of fifteen teams, and during the preliminary round almost every player's team was wiped out.
Only Xiang Nan's squad had any luck, because they happened to be matched against another player‑controlled team.
Every other player squad that ran into a story team was basically eliminated on the spot.
At the moment, apart from Xiang Nan's Team Flying Brigands, only one other player team is still alive—the squad that drew a bye in the preliminaries.
On the story side, the Team American Sports was knocked out after meeting Kyo Kusanagi's trio, and the Team Art of Fighting lost to Terry's Team Fatal Fury.
Hence, in the quarter‑final bracket (eight teams fighting for four spots), Xiang Nan's Flying Brigands drew the Team Women Fighters, composed of Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, and King.
…
Within the player contingent, the Flying Brigands' overall strength is considered decent, but the moment they faced a story team their real level was exposed.
Wang (the Flying Brigands' captain) went up first. Even with his sharp palm strikes and poison techniques he still lost to Yuri Sakazaki.
Mao Wei followed and fared no better, losing as well.
Remember, among the three Women Fighters, Yuri is actually the weakest. Although her father Takuma founded Kyokugen Karate and she has talent, Yuri treats training pretty casually—even her brother, Ryo Sakazaki, can't do much about it.
All of this shows that players are still at a clear disadvantage to story characters—though the gap isn't as huge as it was in the Hunter × Hunter world.
So now all of the Flying Brigands' hopes rest on Xiang Nan.
Reaching the final eight already satisfies Captain Wang, but going one step farther would spread his and Mao Wei's names as martial artists and bring more benefits.
Still, after their own defeats, neither Wang nor Mao Wei hold out much hope for Xiang Nan.
…
When Xiang Nan steps onto the stage, Yuri steps down—she's fought two matches in a row—and King replaces her.
King entered this KOF only to earn surgery money for her younger brother. She often disguises herself as a man and competes in tournaments to win prize money. A Muay Thai specialist, her kicking skills are superb.
Xiang Nan smiles lightly as he stands on the platform; King looks relaxed as well, having already judged that this opponent's strength is nothing special.
As soon as the referee signals the start, King dashes in. Using her momentum she leaps, legs flashing like twin blades. Xiang Nan raises his arms to block while dodging with what looks like circus‑style footwork. In his eyes such close‑quarters techniques are child's play, but he deliberately holds back to avoid drawing attention.
Below the stage, besides Wang and Mao Wei, a few other player spectators and some story characters—including the Art of Fighting trio led by Ryo Sakazaki—have gathered to watch and cheer for Yuri.
Onstage Xiang Nan slips left and right, seemingly under heavy pressure. King peppers him with fast Muay Thai strikes, trying to force openings or imbalance him. By outward appearance she succeeds: several gaps in Xiang Nan's guard are hit cleanly and he staggers, looking completely overmatched.
Yet King can't shake a strange feeling. Her attacks land, but not with the expected effect; though she's scoring more hits, Xiang Nan's few "hurried" counters are also connecting. One lazy punch to her flank seemed light at the time, but moments later both her legs are tingling and sluggish.
Alarmed, King tries to disengage and reassess. From behind her raised guard she studies the target: despite his "awkward" movements, the balance of victory has never shifted.
Slide kick, Tornado kick, Crushing knee… Every technique connects yet does little damage. And during the whole exchange he can clearly read my movements—his body just can't quite keep up…
She glances down at her numbing legs and frowns. Suddenly she leaps and fires a burst of energy—the Muay Thai Wave. Xiang Nan crosses his arms to block; the blast explodes and shoves him back a few steps. (In KOF there is such a thing as ki, though King's wave is weak compared with true masters.)
No sooner has he lowered his guard than King's face is already in front of him, cold and determined—she is about to unleash her super move "Illusion Dance." In a blur of kicks she aims to overwhelm him with speed and full‑body coverage before he can react.
King's barrage sends Xiang Nan's black coat whipping in the wind, but the moment her technique ends, his "fatigued" frame suddenly lashes out—a black‑gloved fist smashes into her cheek. King is blasted across the stage, skids along the floor, and slams into a pillar.
Her hair is disheveled and blood trickles from the corner of her mouth. She tries to rise, but the numbness in her legs—worsened by using her super—makes it impossible. She concedes defeat.
Xiang Nan wins the first bout.
Wang and Mao Wei stare open‑mouthed. They were sure Xiang Nan would lose, yet he's pulled off a miracle. Is our teammate really this strong? To them it all looks like sheer luck—Xiang Nan was beaten the whole time and happened to exploit a few gaps.
That's also what most of the other player spectators think. Ryo Sakazaki, though, watches Xiang Nan with serious eyes. As a life‑long Kyokugen practitioner he senses something: although the battle looked one‑sided, the person truly controlling the pace and direction was the man in the black coat.
"Strange…" Ryo mutters.
The man's physique and technique seem ordinary, yet his command over the fight is impossible without real power. It defies logic.
…
Xiang Nan vs. Mai Shiranui
King leaves the ring; Mai Shiranui takes her place, vaulting elegantly, spinning in mid‑air, and landing with her trademark fan in hand. Her gaze is hostile—her best friend has just been hurt.
Mai opens at full throttle, determined to regain face. Her style mixes ninjutsu and flames; her movements are as graceful as a dance, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," with her war fan woven into unpredictable attacks.
But the familiar pattern repeats. Xiang Nan again looks on the back foot, with little ability to counter. He occasionally taps Mai with glancing blows that seem harmless, yet he refuses to fall, displaying astounding endurance. Meanwhile Mai ends up drenched in sweat, her breathing ragged.
Her dazzling techniques wow the crowd, and her figure draws an audible gulp from many male spectators. Don't underestimate her—she can casually lift foes several times her weight and hurl them. Unfortunately she's run into this "shameless" opponent.
Elbow crashes, tassel needles, ninjutsu fireballs—she uses everything, yet nothing truly bites. After nearly fifteen minutes of grueling exchange, drained to her last ounce of strength, Mai is finally tripped by a sweeping leg and pinned with a joint lock she cannot break.
Mai Shiranui is defeated.
…
Wang and Mao Wei look at each other, thunderstruck—the Flying Brigands have actually beaten a story team. They are the first player squad to do so in this tournament. After a stunned silence, joy explodes across their faces.
Onstage, as soon as the referee announces the result, Xiang Nan collapses theatrically, gasping as though utterly spent.
"Damn it, what's your name?!" Mai demands, glaring at him.
"Seventeen," Xiang Nan answers with a faint smile. "I won by luck, that's all. Thanks for the match."
Won by luck? Does he take her for a fool?
Losing back‑to‑back like this has made Mai keenly aware that something is off.
She flicks her thick ponytail, jumps down to help King, and the two women leave the arena.
"He's a genuine master… There's no shame in losing to that team," Ryo tells his sister Yuri.
One lucky win is chance; two in the same fashion is too much. More troubling, Ryo cannot identify any school or style from the man's uncomplicated blocks and counters—yet his control is terrifying. The less flashy it appears, the more frightening it is.
Ryo pats Yuri's shoulder. "Come on—there'll be other chances."
But he makes a mental note of the man on the stage; someone like that can't be without a background. Most likely, he thinks, an "hidden master" has just revealed himself.
~~~
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