Infinity, The Arcade Age

Shing!

A flash of cold light—Baroque's steel claw slashed toward Chun-Li's chest, tearing straight through the bath curtain. But just at the critical moment, his arm abruptly halted.

An arm had reached in from the side, tightly grabbing hold of Baroque's forearm and refusing to let go.

Kasamoto Eri had blinked over in an instant. Her sharp eyes locked onto Baroque as she coldly declared:

"You dare touch what I've set my eyes on?!"

Voom! A burst of energy flared. With a single palm strike, Kasamoto Eri released a burst of internal force that slammed directly into Baroque's chest.

Baroque was sent flying, smashing through chairs and tables before rolling to a stop. He managed to steady himself mid-roll, dropped to one knee, clutching his chest, and glared up at the crowd with a grim expression.

His eyes flicked from the panicked Chun-Li—still clutching her chest—to the other hostile-looking figures rapidly closing in on all sides.

Sensing that none of these opponents were pushovers, Baroque gritted his teeth and suddenly turned, dashing straight for the window in a desperate attempt to flee.

There were clearly far too many top-tier fighters here. He'd already failed the mission—survival came first.

To be fair, as one of the Four Heavenly Kings under Vega, Baroque did have some skills.

His reaction speed was extraordinary, and his agility allowed him to contort his body in seemingly impossible ways, enabling him to dodge attacks with finesse.

Kasamoto Eri blinked ahead and swung her sword in a wide arc—but Baroque twisted away just in time.

Mai Shiranui surged forward, cloaked in flames, unleashing her Ninja Bees finisher—but again, he evaded effortlessly.

With a shoulder smash, Baroque burst through the glass window, diving out of the building. Then, placing his feet against the side of the glass, he began running straight down the skyscraper at astonishing speed.

But after only a few steps, Baroque's ears twitched. He abruptly twisted his head around.

And what he saw made his pupils contract and his expression twist in horror.

Because behind him, a figure was gliding down the building as well—arms folded, posture upright, descending in a straight vertical line—rapidly closing the distance.

That's right—gliding.

Qin Ming had leapt from the broken window right after him. But instead of running, he was drifting downward like a ghost, sliding along the glass as though he were flying.

His gaze locked onto the fleeing enemy, arms still folded in front of him—until they suddenly parted.

His right arm dropped down, and a swirl of blood coiled in his palm.

Skill: Homing Hadoken—Quad Burst!

Vroom! Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!

Four crimson Hadoken blasts roared through the air, curving in midair like guided missiles, speeding straight toward Baroque.

Seeing this, Baroque broke into a cold sweat. While continuing to sprint downward, he twisted his body into bizarre shapes, narrowly evading the four blood-red projectiles.

But the moment they passed by, in the next instant—under his stunned gaze—the Hadokens turned around and looped back!

The Homing Hadoken—a skill that didn't boost Qin Ming's stats in any obvious way and might seem underwhelming at first glance for an S-rank technique…

But in truth, it was terrifying.

Once it locked onto a target, it would track them relentlessly, almost to the death.

And when combined with Qin Ming's eerie fighting style—able to redirect and command the blasts at will—the threat level of the skill doubled.

Just imagine—you're playing a fighting game, and your opponent keeps spamming projectiles. You finally manage to jump over them and get close enough for a combo, only for those projectiles you'd already dodged to loop back and start hitting you again.

Now tell me—how the hell are you supposed to fight that?! This ability is outrageously busted!

Your opponent doesn't even need to do anything else—just by spamming energy blasts, they could grind you to death!

Right now, Baroque had the honor of becoming the first character in the Street Fighter world to experience the full power of the Homing Hadoken firsthand.

He frantically tumbled and twisted across the slick glass facade of the building, desperately dodging the four Hadokens as they relentlessly pursued him.

Qin Ming, trailing behind, didn't even bother attacking again. He simply crossed his arms and resumed spectator mode—his body held perfectly straight in free fall, watching with cold amusement as Baroque danced around trying to outwit the projectiles.

After dodging for what felt like forever, Baroque noticed something terrifying: the Hadokens, despite flying for so long, had only shrunk slightly in size. It was clear now—he couldn't outlast them.

So he made a decisive move. Seeing one of the Hadokens approaching from ahead, he lashed out with his claw without hesitation.

BOOM!

A deafening blast echoed out as the building's glass shattered in a wide radius. Even the inner wall behind it began to collapse from the shockwave.

At the impact site between the Hadoken and Baroque, a massive crater—more than ten meters in diameter—was blasted into the side of the building.

Baroque, caught off-guard by the sheer destructive force, let out a scream as he was flung into the air. Ironically, the explosion also helped him accelerate, allowing him to narrowly avoid the other three incoming Hadokens… for now.

With Killing Intent Wave enhancement, Qin Ming's Hadoken became insanely powerful—comparable to a high-caliber artillery shell.

Earlier, when he fought those two adventurers, he had actually held back. If he'd used the same enhanced Hadoken on them, they wouldn't have survived—no question about it.

BOOM!

Baroque's body plummeted like a missile, slamming into the ground with such force that it cracked the pavement into a web of fractures. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his back exploded with pain.

But before he could catch his breath, his pupils suddenly shrank. With a push of both hands, he launched himself off the ground, dodging away just in time.

BOOM!

At that exact instant, another explosion erupted behind him.

Qin Ming had landed.

Adjusting his stance mid-air, he came down with both legs together—directly stomping the spot where Baroque had just been lying.

The earth quaked. The impact sent tremors through half the block.

A deep crater several meters wide was smashed into the ground beneath his feet.

If Baroque hadn't dodged in time—if that stomp had landed—forget survival, there might not have even been a body left to bury.

Qin Ming frowned at the miss and glanced up at Baroque.

Baroque, kneeling on one knee, snarled and flicked his claw. He was just about to charge when—

A piercing whistle echoed from above.

The remaining three Hadokens, which had been trailing in the sky, suddenly arced downward. They curved around Qin Ming's sides and once again shot toward Baroque like lightning bolts.

Baroque's eyes went wide. He leapt into the air and kicked the side of a nearby car.

CRASH!

The heavy vehicle flew forward, slamming directly into the path of the incoming Hadokens.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Three back-to-back explosions ripped through the air. The car was instantly torn to shreds, molten metal and shrapnel flying in every direction.

Though he'd narrowly survived, Baroque was drenched in cold sweat. Just as he gulped nervously…

HISS—WHOOM!

The smoke parted.

A towering figure stepped through the haze, arms crossed, striding forward one step at a time.

Qin Ming loomed above Baroque, his massive frame casting a heavy shadow. A ferocious smile slowly spread across his face.

"Not bad. You actually tanked four of my Homing Hadokens and lived. I'll admit—you qualify as a proper opponent."

His tone dropped.

"In that case, I'll play with you myself."

(End of Chapter)