Chapter Summaries

During the tournament, Remilia performed an incomplete Blood Clan First Embrace on Cheng Tian, activating the vampire traits in his Dio Brando template and changing his bloodline to Blood Clan Daywalker. Remilia declared Cheng Tian the winner, and the Extreme Breakthrough Challenge began its third stage.

• Cheng Tian and Remilia carried out an incomplete First Embrace Ritual during their match, shocking the audience and Sakuya Izayoi.
• The ritual activated Cheng Tian’s Vampire Bloodline, granted him new Template Skills, and changed his bloodline to Blood Clan Daywalker.
• Cheng Tian began healing and felt sunlight recharge him, while Remilia gained increased resistance to sunlight.
• Remilia explained that Cheng Tian had won by blocking her shot, and Sakuya Izayoi scrubbed the blood from Remilia’s fingertips.
• The host declared Player Orange the winner and announced that the four semifinal teams had been decided.
• The Extreme Breakthrough Challenge entered its third stage, and Cheng Tian’s profession-related icons turned red and became unusable.

After recovering from his injuries, Cheng Tian examined the effects of his incomplete Daywalker transformation and ordered blood-based dishes to test whether they could nourish him. He then noticed Mai Shiranui visiting the laboratory, surrounded by his female members.

• Cheng Tian used the Gene Repair Slot to restore his heart and physical attributes, and Utan collected a DNA sample.
• Utan found that Cheng Tian's genes were 99.9% human and explained that his vampire essence was the remaining 0.1%.
• Cheng Tian's updated bloodline information described him as an incomplete Earth Blood Clan Daywalker with an irreversible feedback effect on Remilia Scarlet.
• Cheng Tian ordered Mao Xue Wang, Stir-fried Pig Blood with Chives, Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup, and Dragon Blood Sausage to test whether blood products could provide nutrition.
• Cheng Tian spotted Mai Shiranui in the reception room, chatting with his female members.

Cheng Tian accepted Andy's hair tissue from Mai Shiranui, while Eileen, Fina, and Bazett asked Wutan to make pheromone spray targeting Cheng Tian. Wutan worked on cybernetic duplicates and improved cloning technology as he began turning Han Juri into a bio-mechanical unit, before Chizuru Kagura called Cheng Tian to ask for help finding Yuki.

• Mai Shiranui gave Cheng Tian a vial containing Andy's hair tissue, and Cheng Tian promised to synthesize Andy-exclusive mating pheromones.
• Eileen asked Wutan to make pheromone spray that would put Cheng Tian into heat, and Fina and Bazett joined her request.
• Wutan continued creating cybernetic duplicates and modifying the cloning production line to prevent clones from aging quickly.
• Wutan placed Han Juri, codenamed Spider, in a nutrient tank as a test subject for biochemical doll manufacturing.
• Cheng Tian discovered that pig's blood food increased his HP regeneration and that mutated Stegosaurus blood gave him a temporary fire-skill buff.
• Chizuru Kagura called Cheng Tian and asked him to help find Kyo Kusanagi's girlfriend, Yuki.

After Yuki was abducted by Hell Band, Chizuru Kagura asked Cheng Tian for help and traced the escape to Goenitz’s descendant, Goeniko. Kyo Kusanagi reached the church where Goeniko waited, while Chizuru set out with the Yata no Kagami and contacted Iori Yagami.

• Chizuru Kagura told Cheng Tian that Hell Band had escaped and abducted Yuki, Kyo Kusanagi’s girlfriend.
• Cheng Tian suggested that the person who freed Hell Band might be connected to Goenitz’s church life and relatives.
• Chizuru Kagura searched Goenitz’s connections and identified Goeniko, a nun raised by his friend Terenlo and given the church title of Wind.
• Chizuru Kagura contacted Kyo Kusanagi, insisted that Cheng Tian be notified, and left with the Yata no Kagami after calling Iori Yagami.
• Kyo Kusanagi arrived at the church in flames, and Goeniko emerged from its doors and looked down on him.

Goeniko fought Kyo Kusanagi with the storm power she had inherited from Gouki, but her inexperience let Kyo land a decisive Solar-powered punch. As Cheng Tian’s group arrived nearby, Eileen received a Space Prompt for [Breakthrough Challenge Laxul Ritual].

• Goeniko used miniature hurricanes to throw Kyo Kusanagi into the air and slam him toward the ground.
• Kyo Kusanagi blinded Goeniko with Solar Punch and charged at her with Kusanagi flames.
• Cheng Tian’s group followed the disturbance to the church, where Eileen sent the Spirit of the Owl to scout the fight.
• Goeniko noticed the Spirit of the Owl and briefly diverted her attention, revealing the gap between her and Gouki.
• Kyo Kusanagi struck Goeniko’s shoulder with 114th Style: Arashi, setting her ablaze and sending her crashing into the church.
• Eileen ended her synchronization with the owl and received the [Breakthrough Challenge Laxul Ritual] Space Prompt.

Eileen’s breakthrough challenge against Goeniko triggered, forcing her and Cheng Tian to choose between a solo duel and a party Ragnarok Ritual. Cheng Tian used Dominator Remote Control to make Eileen accept the party challenge, and Goeniko appeared before him as he descended toward the church.

• Eileen received the Laxul Ritual challenge, which could break through her Agility limit and improve her Wind Runner ability if she defeated Goeniko.
• Cheng Tian advised Eileen to choose the party challenge, which would pit them against Goeniko and other hostile Heavenly Kings.
• Eileen hesitated and moved to abandon the challenge, but Cheng Tian used Dominator Remote Control to make her select the party challenge.
• Cheng Tian returned Helion to the Void Garage and dropped toward the church, while Terenlo watched its roof get torn off by Goeniko’s wind.
• Goeniko spotted Cheng Tian, vanished in a halo, and appeared before him with True Eight Maidens Target.

Goeniko attacked Cheng Tian with True Eight Maidens, but his Guardian Barrier absorbed the damage while his mana regenerated. After Goeniko's allies intervened and revealed that Yuki had been sacrificed, Kyo Kusanagi erupted in fury as the Sun God Gem Shards resonated.

• Goeniko abandoned Kyo Kusanagi and unleashed True Eight Maidens on Cheng Tian, whose Guardian Barrier absorbed the attack and whose mana regeneration accelerated with every hit.
• Goeniko's final strike failed to injure Cheng Tian, and he summoned the World to attack her alongside Kyo Kusanagi.
• Three awakened members of the Hell Band appeared and protected Goeniko from the incoming attacks.
• Kyo Kusanagi demanded to know where Yuki was, and Goeniko said that Yuki had been sacrificed to the great Deities.
• Kyo Kusanagi erupted with Kusanagi Flame and Sun Attribute power as the Sun God Gem Shards resonated with the shard in Cheng Tian's Tai Chi True Eye.

Cheng Tian and Kyo Kusanagi used the Sun God Gem Shards’ resonance to unleash a blazing solar attack against the Eight Heavenly Kings. Cheng Tian pierced Shermie’s lung with a laser and followed up with a blood-draining attack, leaving her in mortal danger.

• Cheng Tian’s Blazing Sun Fist illuminated a district and blinded and burned the Eight Heavenly Kings, while Kyo Kusanagi gained the ability to attack with Blazing Sun flames.
• Kyo Kusanagi charged Yashiro Nanakase, but Goeniko redirected him with wind and Yashiro countered by sensing his approach through the ground.
• Cheng Tian chose Shermie as his target and struck her lung with a laser fired from his Blazing Sun True Eye, causing a dangerous tension pneumothorax.
• A figure appeared beside Shermie, pressed a hand to her wound, and used Dio Template: Blood Summon to drain blood from her body.

Cheng Tian siphoned Shermie's blood to gain a temporary Frenzied Lightning enhancement and used her Moonless Thundercloud move to disrupt the Eight Heavenly Kings. As Goeniko raised a tornado to protect them, Shermie transformed and attacked Chris with a High-Pressure Blood Pillar.

• The World used Blood Summon to drain Shermie's blood, worsening her injuries before her electrical counterattack blasted it away and hurt Cheng Tian.
• Cheng Tian absorbed Shermie's stored blood and gained her Frenzied Lightning enhancement, then struck Yashiro Nanakase with Moonless Thundercloud to help Kyo Kusanagi land a hit.
• Cheng Tian used more lightning balls to interrupt Goeniko and Chris, while Goeniko recognized Shermie's critical condition and created a tornado around the Eight Heavenly Kings.
• Chris went to check on Shermie, but Goeniko warned him to get away as Shermie turned corpse-like and struck him with High-Pressure Blood Pillar.

Cheng Tian’s Dominator turned Shermie into a living corpse, and she killed herself with a High-Pressure Blood Pillar that struck Chris. Shermie’s death weakened Orochi’s future resurrection and sent Yashiro Nanakase berserk, but the resulting earthquake and tornado abruptly stopped, leaving all the Eight Heavenly Kings gone.

• Cheng Tian used Dominator to control weakened Shermie and transform her into a living corpse.
• Shermie unleashed a High-Pressure Blood Pillar at Chris, then collapsed and died.
• Cheng Tian received notice that Shermie’s death reduced Orochi’s strength after resurrection.
• Yashiro Nanakase went berserk after realizing Shermie was dead, shaking the earth.
• The earthquake stopped and the tornado dispersed, with Shermie’s corpse, Chris, and all the other Eight Heavenly Kings gone.

Cheng Tian pursued Goeniko’s fleeing group in Helion while Goeniko tried to protect Chris and escape with Yashiro Nanakase. Cheng Tian stopped time and used Helion’s propeller to cut Chris in half, leaving Goeniko horrified.

• Goeniko fled with Yashiro Nanakase, the injured Chris, and Shermie’s corpse, while Cheng Tian tracked them from a distance.
• Cheng Tian caught up in Helion with Kyo Kusanagi hanging beneath it, as Eileen pursued on the Lightning Rhythm Motorcycle.
• Goeniko prioritized getting Chris, the vessel for Orochi’s descent, to safety and suspected Cheng Tian had gained Orochi Power.
• Cheng Tian stopped time with “Smash! The World!” while Helion continued toward Goeniko’s group.
• When time resumed, Helion’s propeller sliced Chris in half at the waist, leaving Goeniko terrified.

Cheng Tian used Helion and a time stop to kill Chris, weakening Orochi and capturing the souls of Chris and the Flame of Destiny. Chris’s death freed Goeniko from her self-seal, but as she turned her fury on Cheng Tian, attacks from many other fighters converged on her.

• Cheng Tian struck Chris sixteen times with Helion’s rotor during the time stop, killing him as the helicopter crashed.
• Chris’s death increased the team’s damage reduction against Heavenly Kings and Orochi Blood units and reduced Orochi’s HP and attributes.
• Cheng Tian used the Ghost Gauntlet to separate Chris’s soul from the Flame of Destiny imprint, freeing Chris while sealing the imprint.
• Chris’s death lifted Goeniko’s self-seal, and she rose into the air intent on killing Cheng Tian.
• Fighters including Bao and Haoh launched attacks at Goenitz from multiple directions.

Cheng Tian and the fighters defeated Yashiro Nanakase after Goeniko escaped, reducing Orochi’s future resurrection strength further. After helping with the disaster cleanup, Cheng Tian knew the conflict with the Eight Heavenly Kings was not over and expected Goeniko to return changed.

• Terry, Ryo Sakazaki, and the other fighters joined Cheng Tian’s group and blasted apart Goeniko’s storm.
• Goeniko vanished beyond Cheng Tian’s scanning range, leaving Yashiro Nanakase to fight the gathered humans.
• Cheng Tian and his allies defeated Yashiro Nanakase, sealed the three Hell Band souls’ Orochi imprints, and reduced Orochi’s resurrection strength to 60% of its original total HP.
• Cheng Tian, Eileen, and the fighters stayed to help rescue civilians and clear debris, while Chizuru told Kyo Kusanagi that Yuki had been found and was in intensive care.
• The players who stayed gained reputation with the Kagura Zaibatsu and Kaiba Corp, and Cheng Tian anticipated that Goeniko would return in a different form.

Cheng Tian and Eileen opened the treasure chests dropped by the defeated Hell Band members and discovered unusual equipment and a skill book. Chris's chest granted Cheng Tian the Flame of Destiny, which changed his psychic flame and let him mimic abilities related to Remilia Scarlet.

• Cheng Tian kept the three purified Spirit Bodies sealed in the Ghost Gauntlet and chose not to create clones from their bodies.
• Eileen opened Yashiro Nanakase's bronze chest and obtained the green-quality electric guitar Hell Skeleton.
• Cheng Tian and Eileen opened Shermie's silver chest, finding a tactical-rifle keyboard and the C-rank skill book Dark Thunder Fist.
• Cheng Tian and Eileen opened Chris's gold chest, and Cheng Tian absorbed the Purple Soul Flame of Destiny.
• The Space reported that Cheng Tian's psychic flame gained a Flame of Destiny attribute option and that he could mimic abilities related to Remilia Scarlet.

Cheng Tian and Seto Kaiba began the first semifinal as Cheng Tian tested Kaiba’s summoned Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Cheng Tian fused with the World and used Night Parade of a Hundred Demons on himself, then escaped Kaiba’s Dark Binding with Mercury Time and appeared before him.

• Tokyo’s sleep-deprived spectators returned to the arena for the semifinals, where Cheng Tian’s match against Seto Kaiba drew the most attention.
• Kyo Kusanagi slapped his face to refocus after learning that Yuki remained in intensive care.
• Cheng Tian and Kaiba took the ring, traded insults, and summoned the World and Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
• Cheng Tian dodged the dragon’s wind bullets while Kaiba drew Virus of Death and Dark Binding.
• Cheng Tian fused with the World and activated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons on himself.
• Kaiba cast Dark Binding, but Cheng Tian used Mercury Time to escape and appear in front of him.

Cheng Tian used Dante’s Mercury Style to keep Seto Kaiba airborne and overwhelm him with a nonfatal combo. He ended the attack by invoking Kaiba’s plan to clone Atem, and Kaiba conceded the match.

• Cheng Tian activated Mercury Time and rapidly battered Seto Kaiba in midair while dodging the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
• Spectators argued over whether Cheng Tian’s speed was unfair against Kaiba’s summoned monsters.
• Cheng Tian whispered to Kaiba about wanting Atem’s clone, revealing he had guessed Kaiba’s plan to clone Atem and challenge him to a duel.
• Cheng Tian stopped attacking, and Kaiba held back the Blue-Eyes White Dragon before admitting defeat.
• The match ended with Orange declared the winner.

Cheng Tian advanced to the King of Fighters '97 semifinals despite having his abilities sealed, while he and Eileen prepared for the threats they expected. After watching the Japan Team face the Ikari Warriors, Cheng Tian wondered whether Leona’s Orochi Blood could be treated as a Bloodline Curse and repaired.

• Cheng Tian reached the semifinals after defeating Kaiba, but his items, equipment, profession, and skills were sealed for the rest of the tournament.
• Cheng Tian assessed the abilities he could still use, while Eileen steadied herself for her challenge ritual and watched for danger.
• The Japan Team and Ikari Warriors began their semifinal match, with Kyo Kusanagi and Ralf as anchors, Goro Daimon and Clark in the middle, and Benimaru Nikaido and Leona as vanguards.
• Benimaru Nikaido defeated Leona with his MAX Great Generator, but Cheng Tian detected neither the threat he expected nor any sign of Leona going berserk.
• Cheng Tian considered using the Gene Repair Slot on Leona and wondered whether Orochi Blood counted as a Bloodline Curse.

Goro Daimon defeated Clark, and Kyo Kusanagi beat Ralf, sending the Japan Team to the finals against Cheng Tian's Oli-Oli Team. As the organizers moved the final to that afternoon, a female priest appeared beside the dead Ryo Yamazaki and spoke of humanity paying the price.

• Goro Daimon defeated Clark with Hell Unleashed, then prepared to face the Ikari Warriors' ace, Ralf.
• Kyo Kusanagi asked Daimon to let him fight Ralf and unleashed Mugan, knocking Ralf out.
• The organizers asked Cheng Tian to move the finals to that afternoon, and he agreed after consulting Eileen and the others.
• The Moustache with Sunglasses announced that the Japan Team would face the Oli-Oli Team in the finals.
• Eileen sensed something ominous as a female priest stood beside Ryo Yamazaki's corpse and said humanity would pay the price.

Cheng Tian and the Kagura sisters realized Goenitz might sacrifice Orochi’s remaining bloodline holders to strengthen Orochi’s resurrection. Goeniko triggered Leona’s Orochi Power and completed the ritual, and Orochi descended above the arena.

• Cheng Tian warned Chizuru Kagura and Kagura Mame that Goenitz might sacrifice Leona, Iori Yagami, and other survivors to strengthen Orochi.
• Eileen sensed that the Spirit of the Owl had been killed, and Cheng Tian and the others rushed toward the medical room to find Leona.
• Goeniko confronted Leona and brought back her memories of her parents’ deaths, causing Leona’s hair to turn blood-red as she began to go berserk.
• Goeniko seized Leona and used Darkness Wail to drain her blood, while Ralf burst through the wall with Cosmic Phantom but arrived too late to stop the ritual.
• Goeniko transformed and appeared above the arena as Orochi descended.

Orochi appeared through Goeniko, declared humanity a cancer on Earth, and began a mission for players to survive. Cheng Tian challenged Orochi's claim to embody the planet's will and asked if she was actually Japan's local Earth God.

• Orochi emerged in Goeniko's body and used her Psychic Power to force the crowd to recall their evil deeds.
• Orochi announced that humanity would be purified and that the Sacred Treasures families were unworthy opponents.
• Players received a hostile-faction notification and the mission to survive, while their return options turned unusable.
• Cheng Tian arrived from the medical room and questioned whether Orochi truly represented the planet's will.
• Cheng Tian asked Orochi if she was Japan's local Earth God.