Years after the last fighting tournament, "The King of Fighters", a fighter Antonov opens his own competition. The elder martial artist
Tung Fu Rue brings his students, Shun'ei and Meitenkun's, to enter the competition and test their new powers. In the first team battle, Japan Team composed of
Kyo Kusanagi,
Benimaru Nikaido and
Goro Daimon faces the Yagami Team composed of
Iori Yagami, Vice and Mature. As Benimaru and Daimon win their respective fights, Iori gets turned into a berserker by the demon Orochi brought by unknown, resulting in a double knock out of both Iori and Kyo. In the next match, Shun'ei faces off Art of Fighting Team's
Ryo Sakazaki, but is defeated due to losing control of his powers. However, Tung and Meitenkun defeat Ryo's teammates
Robert Garcia and
Yuri Sakazaki. In the third match a trio of mercenaries, The Ikari Team, face the team of Mexican wrestlers. Angel, formerly a terrorist working for NESTS, loses her match against
Leona Heidern, almost getting mind controlled by the power of Orochi, similar to Iori. As
Ralf Jones and
Clark Still win their battles against Team Mexico,
Athena Asamiya and
Sie Kensou aid the investigation into Angel's recent change. The tournament progresses with the K' Team, composed of the former NESTS experiments
K',
Kula Diamond and Maxima, face against the Team South America, composed of Nelson, Zarina, Bandeiras Hattori. NESTS's influence cause Nelson and Kula to go out of control and nearly kill K'. Meanwhile, Kyo helps Athena and Sie find an army of Kyo's replicas created by the former NESTS leader, Igniz, who aims to control one of them as his new body. Enraged, Kyo decapitates Igniz and destroys all of his replicas. Igniz tries to escape but gets incinerated by K', freeing the NESTS experiments. With NESTS defeated, the tournament is interrupted by a supernatural creature, responsible for the Orochi's summon who starts to yell Verse. A criminal fighter
Geese Howard battles Verse and absorbs its power, resulting into a fight against Fatal Fury Team and Team China. As this happens, the wraiths of previously deceased beings who supported Orochi and NESTS are risen by Verse's power, and face Kyo and other teams from the tournament. Once Shun'ei defeats Geese and dislocates him from his Verse-powered Nightmare form, the wraiths disappear. However, the Ikari Team learn after Verse's was defeated, its power produced the revival of more people, including the wraiths they fought and the missing
Ash Crimson. ==Publication==