Infinity, The Arcade Age
Chapter 526: Band of Hades

Chapter 526: Chapter 526: Band of Hades

[Ding! Current world: Selected World – King of Fighters ’97!]

[Mission Difficulty: S-Rank]

[Number of Entrants: 100]

[Main Quest Objective: Prevent the Hakkesshu from resurrecting Orochi]

[Main Quest Reward (on success): 10,000 points, 10 free attribute points]

[Main Quest Penalty (on failure): Death]

[Optional Quest Objective: Participate in slaying one member of the Hakkesshu]

[Optional Quest Reward: 15,000 points, 15 free attribute points]

[Optional Quest Penalty (on failure): None]

[World Overview: After the death of Goenitz, the remaining members of the Hakkesshu have begun to awaken. With the revival of ancient inherited memories, they join forces in an attempt to resurrect the Earth’s Will—Orochi—and bring about the end of the world...]

[Note: This world is in co-op mode. PvP between adventurers will deduct points. In team battles, treasure chest level +1.]

As the memories finished downloading into his mind, Qin Ming leaned on one hand with a raised brow.

Co-op mode? That’s rare...

And failure of the main mission meant death. He hadn’t seen this kind of brutal penalty since the early days when he’d just entered the Nightmare Space and was still a noob doing newbie missions.

Then again, it made sense—this time they were trying to prevent a god from resurrecting. If they failed and Orochi came back... what else but death?

A being that could wipe out the world wasn’t someone a bunch of regular adventurers could take on.

Even in his current peak state—fully enhanced in every category—Qin Ming didn’t dare claim he could win for sure. Who knew how powerful Orochi really was? If he was on the same level as Buddha Tathagata, then one slap might still be enough to flatten him.

Speaking of which, where exactly had he landed this time?

Qin Ming glanced around at his surroundings, blinked in slight surprise, then chuckled and shook his head.

He was in a bar—exactly like the first time he’d ever entered the Nightmare Space.

Still smiling, he took off his sunglasses, leaned back in his chair, raised a hand to signal the waiter for a glass of baijiu, and downed it in one go.

Then, twirling the glass in his hand, he scanned the crowd cheerfully.

His gaze eventually settled on the stage at the far end of the room.

Three performers were onstage, mid-performance—and they were doing surprisingly well.

To the left was a white-haired muscleman in a red dancer’s outfit, his chest mostly exposed and held together only by black leather straps.

To the right stood a curvaceous beauty in a tight mini skirt, long bangs covering her eyes, giving her a mysterious allure.

In the center was a cute, effeminate boy singing his heart out—his features delicate and refined.

This trio was none other than the legendary Band of Hades—a three-member heavy metal group.

But behind their public personas, they had a secret identity: all three were members of the Hakkesshu, and not just any members, but three of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Each of them represented one of Orochi’s elemental forces: Fire, Earth, and Thunder.

The combined power of the Four Heavenly Kings was Earth, Fire, Wind, and Thunder!But at this moment, it was obvious the trio had yet to awaken their bloodline. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be casually singing and dancing on stage.

Without the ancient inheritance, they were still just ordinary people—third-rate fighters at best.

Among them, the only one who could be considered remotely strong was the band leader, Yashiro Nanakase, and even he was only on par with a second-rate fighter.

Let alone Qin Ming—even a regular mid-tier adventurer likely wouldn’t fear them one-on-one.

Watching the trio perform onstage with wild flair, drawing cheers from the crowd, Qin Ming leaned on one hand, raising a brow in interest.

He had just been about to get up when his eyes narrowed slightly—he’d sensed a faint fluctuation of power. Clearly, he wasn’t the only fighter in the bar; there were others present.

And as profit-driven adventurers, the others certainly wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by.Given that the optional mission was to help kill a member of the Hakkesshu, and the awakened ones were terrifyingly powerful, the obvious targets would be these three—still unawakened and practically sitting ducks.

So the moment the other adventurers realized they’d been dropped into a bar... and the performers were the Band of Hades... they didn’t hesitate to act.

Crash! A table flipped!

Armed adventurers leapt up in unison, weapons drawn, charging directly at the trio.

Their attacks were fast and vicious—made all the more effective because the band members were completely unprepared.

After all, they were just singers. Their martial arts training was nothing more than a hobby.

Who would expect that during a casual performance, a bunch of absolute lunatics would suddenly show up—not just picking a fight over bad music like usual, but straight-up trying to kill them?!

To these NPCs, adventurers were insane maniacs—people who could flip out and start murdering at the drop of a hat. Worse than international terrorists!

Caught completely off guard, the three performers were immediately hit.

Fortunately, none of them were truly ordinary. Each had some degree of power, and even though their bloodline hadn’t awakened, it had already subtly enhanced their bodies, making them different from normal humans.

So although they were all struck, and Yashiro Nanakase—who stood in front—was even shot in the chest...

They still reacted quickly, diving behind cover to avoid the ranged attacks, then engaging the melee adventurers who’d closed in.

Yashiro fought with fists, Shermie specialized in throws and locks, and Chris used agile, tricky techniques.

Most importantly, the trio had excellent synergy from years of working together—they could back each other up effortlessly.

Using the furniture and obstacles in the room to their advantage, the three of them clashed fiercely with the adventurers. Chaos erupted. The other guests, seeing the sudden shootout, screamed and bolted in all directions.

Only Qin Ming remained seated, relaxed, sipping his drink like nothing was happening.

His calm demeanor immediately drew attention.

One unlucky adventurer got his head locked by Shermie’s legs and flung across the room, slamming into a table and splintering it into pieces.

Groaning, the man struggled to his feet—just in time to see Qin Ming calmly reaching for a drink, carefully protecting it from the flying debris.

There he sat, wine glass in hand, watching the chaos with a look of quiet amusement.

The adventurer’s face twisted with rage.

Without thinking, he grabbed a chair and swung it at Qin Ming’s head—and then...

Bang!

(End of Chapter)