Chapter 479: Women Fighting is Still the Most Exciting
Bazett was transformed into a woman a day earlier, but this didn't mean that Bazett was entirely without problems.
On the contrary, Bazett was affected much more intensely than Terry, and the reason was that while the Midnight Blessing changes gender, it does not change age.
Terry is currently in his prime, 26 years old; as a fighter, his energy and physical strength are still at their peak, and they will likely remain so for a long time.
As for Bazett... she is currently 44 years old.
Even after being blessed by the Midnight Blessing, she doesn't look her age in terms of appearance or strength; people would absolutely believe she is only in her early 30s, but the body itself is the most honest.
In terms of organ function, hormone secretion, and so on, even with the double blessing of a fighter and evil magic, she certainly cannot compare to a 26-year-old Terry.
So, the question is, what problems do middle-aged women of 44 generally encounter?
Menopause!
In a word, the current Bazett has ascended to become the emotional animal among emotional animals; the degree of fluctuation in her emotional swings is no longer comparable to when she was a man.
Even more terrifying is that Bazett cannot even control this; everything is driven by biological instinct.
If he had still been a man, Cheng's scolding, though quite damaging, would never have escalated to the point of causing him such acute anger that he would spit blood.
Let alone the contestants and the audience, even Cheng himself had never expected such a situation to occur.
In a way, Cheng's actions were tantamount to severely disrupting the course of the match... but what replaced it was a surge in viewership!
Ever since Cheng was specially invited as a host, global viewership had shown a significant increase; while the love for fighting itself varied from person to person, the love for gossip was almost written into human genetic code.
In an era without smartphones and without the bombardment of short videos, relying on word-of-mouth among the audience, people who originally had little interest in fighting also flocked to the King of Fighters '97 channel with the idea of listening to gossip and watching the excitement. The organizers went crazy seeing the viewership ratings visibly soaring.
And so, the 'unethical' organizers, almost at the same moment Bazettspat blood and knelt on one knee, immediately edited down the recorded segment of Cheng fiercely berating Bazett, quickly added multi-language subtitles, and began broadcasting the replay directly, ending with the scene of Bazett spitting out a rainbow of blood.
What? Aren't they afraid of offending the Lord of South Town in Great America?
Yes! They are not afraid at all!
The organizers even dared to show the scene of their own sponsor's head, Kagura Chizuru, bleeding on the stage; what is there to be afraid of offending a mere Bazett!
"Medical team! Quick!"
The mustachioed man in sunglasses, who seemed to find strength from nowhere, snatched the microphone from Cheng's hand and repeatedly called for the medical team to follow.
But the next second, Bazett, pale and bloodless, straightened up again, raised her right hand, and made a shocking declaration.
"I, Bazett Howard... withdraw from the competition!"
Bazett's expression was incredibly serious, and the scene erupted in an uproar.
"Contestant Bazett? Are you serious—"
"Don't make me repeat myself!"
Facing the astonished mustachioed man in sunglasses who wanted to reconfirm, Bazett interrupted him forcefully.
Only those who understood Bazett and had a thorough understanding of the competition rules could immediately realize why Bazett suddenly chose to withdraw at this critical juncture.
Because only by withdrawing would the 'contestant' tag on her be removed, and this would mean... Bazett would no longer be subject to any restrictions from the organizers!!!
"You can't do this! Hey!"
Facing his true nemesis, Terry's questioning, Bazett completely ignored it, letting it go in one ear and out the other. Her vision was fixed solely on Cheng.
This man who had brought her such great humiliation!
Bazett took a deep breath, then opened her teeth, which still bore clear traces of blood, and unleashed her fighting spirit mixed with her voice.
"You! Get down here! Death match!!!"
"Today, only one of us will walk out of here alive!!!"
"If you dare refuse..."
Bazett's murderous gaze shifted to the waiting area of the female members of Team Orolili.
"Then I will slaughter all your women! And send you to hell to reunite with them!"
The Lord of South Town stopped pretending, completely tearing down the persona she had barely maintained outside of South Town.
How could someone who could betray her master, destroy her ancestors, abandon her wife, and forsake her children be anything good? The vast industries this person owned were built upon mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a darkness truly beyond the imagination of outsiders.
However, directly revealing murderous intent in a globally broadcast King of Fighters tournament... it seems few have good endings, right?
The roar mixed with fighting spirit momentarily even overpowered the clamor from the audience, and the audience, very cooperatively, collectively quieted down, all looking at Cheng with a hint of anticipation in their eyes.
This world is abnormal, and the audience is also abnormal. Just like yesterday's match between Team Neon and the Hell Band, the words 'death match' would only further stimulate their excitement.
After hearing Bazett's declaration of a death match, Cheng was first stunned, then, as if he hadn't heard clearly, he vigorously dug at his ears, and then once again turned his gaze to Bazett. Bazett's killing intent was firm and lingering.
He had never been so serious, not even when facing Terry; his mental focus had never reached this level.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!! Cough, cough, cough—"
Under Bazett's angry and surprised gaze, Cheng, who had been dazed for a few seconds, suddenly burst into an unprecedented fit of laughter, laughing so hard he was almost out of breath.
Bazett, who was already at her angriest and had consequently completely calmed down, said nothing, merely continuing to stare at the women's area, her intentions clear.
"Did you hear that? This guy thinks you're weak chickens waiting to be slaughtered!"
Cheng, showing no signs of stopping, snatched back the microphone and casually pointed out a few of his female companions.
And Eileen and the others, who had been called out by Cheng, had already stood up from their respective seats with displeased expressions, and then—
"The usual!"
"Mhm."
"Rock, paper, scissors~~!"
One black and two white, three hands, a total of two scissors and one rock appeared.
Bazett, who threw the only rock, made a victory gesture, while the black and white archers looked regretful.
"Old hag, your opponent is me."
Leaping lightly onto the stage, Bazett, with a rare look of anger, beckoned to Bazett.
This girl hadn't learned anything good from Cheng either; her mouth was clearly a few shades sharper than before.
In an instant, the string in Bazett's head snapped; she immediately abandoned Terry and, without a word, charged directly at Bazett!
"After the organizers' judgment! Contestant Bazett's withdrawal is effective! Team Fatal Fury successfully advances!"
"Now adding a special exhibition match!"
"Contestant Bazett versus Contestant Bazett!"
"The match format is—"
"Death match!"