Chapter Text
Somewhere in North America, an unassuming man was playing a game he knew well. The King of Fighters XV had been out for over four years now, but despite some people's disagreements with it's last patch and the existence of a new SNK game that had taken the spotlight, it was still fun and scratched a particular itch no other title in the modern landscape of it's genre could satisfy. He was by no means the most devoted follower of the character currently on his side of the screen, but certainly learned enough to be worthy of being called an expert. He had just won a round, and looked away for a moment as he tapped a button repeatedly in order to skip his character's win pose and continue the match. His eyes shortly turned back with confusion, continuing to repeatedly press the button before realizing not only had the screen refused to respond to his input by fading to black in order to load the next round, something was happening that both ruled out a peripheral malfunction and was happening in defiance of all his understanding between both the character and the game itself.
Goenitz was not performing his usual win pose. He was staring directly up at the sky above, uttering words the player did not recognize from any official material featuring the character, let alone this game in particular. The player was not one to operate his home setup with reduced or absent game audio, but had not picked up much Japanese either (or any other foreign language for that matter) yet could at least vaguely tell the fighter seemed to be arguing. The man sitting in front of his monitor heard no other voice, but could plainly see Goenitz gesturing and contorting his face in a display of frustration that the one watching also knew he did not recognize. The former arcade boss soon seemed to reach an understanding, clutching his forehead and letting out a pronounced sigh. He turned to face the screen once more, lips curling into a smirk more typically fitting of the character. Something even more strange happened as Goenitz spoke next, an oddity that nearly caused the player to stumble out of his seat in utter shock. The camera was still showing the stage in default view... And yet, subtitles had appeared at the bottom of the screen. They formed a strange message, and the man sitting in his chair blinked many times in rapid succession. But the words were still there, and he felt fairly certain he wasn't dreaming either.
"Many eyes that concern themselves with wolves in the city are watching instead of fighting. You would do best to join them... The fuck?"
Reading the text aloud hadn't made it any less weird. What kind of publicity stunt was this? Any King of Fighters fan knew about City of the Wolves, knew that SNK had devoted themselves entirely to giving it their main focus, yet the man could only stare in confoundment as Goenitz gestured once more and was promptly engulfed by a tornado. It dissipated in an instant to reveal the wind-wielding fighter was gone, and the screen finally went black shortly afterward only to promptly be interrupted by the console itself displaying an error message stating that the game had crashed.
"You gotta be shitting me, right?" The man was not one overly prone to eager faith in false hope, yet was all but overwhelmed with excitement as he scrambled to pull up the stream.
In a room within a certain building across the ocean, four people sat in front of a recording camera as a live broadcast neared it's scheduled conclusion.
"...We are able to project the developments in season 2, and I am waiting development beyond with great anticipation. We look forward to your continuing support. Thank you v-"
A great gust of wind suddenly blew into the room, startling all four people as they shifted uncomfortably in their respective chairs. The man who had just been speaking looked nervously at someone presumably standing out of the camera's view, and found everyone else in the room just as unsettled and confused. He coughed, preparing himself to ignore the disturbance and deliver his closing statement. The stream was basically done, surely this was...
The words caught in his throat as he spotted a staggeringly large figure clad in blue walking directly into center view of the camera. The figure stood in front of the coffee table between the four chairs, all of them recognizing his appearance but finding themselves no less confused as a result. The art director smiled politely as he spoke first.
"Excuse me, sir. Your cosplay is most impressive, but this is a Garou Densetsu stream. Would you politely step aside? We're about to finish the broadcast and-"
"This display is not yet over."
The man spoke in the native language of those present with a certain familiar deep, booming voice and a commanding tone as he turned to face the camera. Viewers across the world bore witness to a face well known more to some than others, bearing a striking resemblance to a character from an altogether different creative property owned by the same parent company. But this man did not simply wear the same clothes, bearing of such other qualities fairly identifiable as not actually the man himself. His face was uncanny, so accurate to the point it didn't even look real. Every detail of his immense stature was simply too perfect to ignore as such, down to the piercing glare that fixated on a certain person sitting at a computer in the area behind the camera's view.
"Interpreter, I must deliver a message to these people watching us. You will filter my words through your machine, take your time if you must but please do listen carefully."
Not a soul moved to oppose him, including the single most frightened individual who frantically nodded in response with trembling fingers hovering over a keyboard. The freakishly tall and imposing man shifted his eyes to stare directly into the camera, pausing for just a moment before speaking again as his hands and arms moved in sync with the words. He delivered them with passion, a sermon worthy of the most devoted preacher.
"Fans of Garou Densetsu, I will not apologize for interrupting. You've had your fill for today, and my words are meant for those who have long awaited further development of the King of Fighters series." He paused again to curl his lips into a smirk. "Loyal followers, your patience is finally to be rewarded. Let it be known by all, I have been called here to announce to you humans that a great change is coming. This spectacle will mark an ambitious goal, to surpass a legacy formed over these last four years and arrive as an answer to a promise that was made... A promise to shatter all expectations." He raised his hand once more, summoning a small gust of air that lifted his robes slightly before striking a similarly iconic pose. "Now, without haste, in answer to your prayers: THE KING OF FIGHTERS, FIFTEEN! UNRIVALED EDITION!" This title was spoken in mostly clean English, such that even some disinterested amongst the western viewers who hadn't yet glued their eyes to the screens in front of them were stunned. "...You do not yet know the time at which this change will arrive, but know that it will come with absolute certainty. Please look forward to further news." His eyes flicked to the space behind the camera once more. "That is all for today."
The figure these people could only describe as 'Goenitz' then turned to gesture at the assembled group behind him before facing the camera once more, bowing in yet another rendition of an iconic pose. The stunned people behind him were still clearly disturbed by his presence, but took the statement and gesture as a cue to smile and wave as they had originally intended to in the final moments of the broadcast. The operator flashed a signal, indicating that recording had ended.
The first to speak this time was Konya, sparking a bitter frown now that the public was no longer watching. "Sir, what is the meaning of this!? KoF!? Everyone at the company is currently at work on other projects!"
The giant turned to face him head-on in a flash, and the game developer's anger was instantly drowned in terror by this man's intimidating stare and powerful voice. "That is no longer true. Come, assemble your foremost peers. There are vital decisions to be made, and you will either comply or face the judgement of a being even greater than my lord Orochi. Mr. Artist, it's perhaps best you be present for the proceedings to come as well... Your role after today _might_ change, depending on the decisions made by your superiors. Actors, you are free to do as you please."
Thus, the four who had been present for the broadcast went in two separate ways. The voice actors all but fled for the exit, while the tense developers stood and awkwardly shuffled on their way. 'Goenitz' simply followed behind them, walking with his arms behind his back.
Social media outlets were abuzz with not just discussion of the announcement itself, but a baffling phenomena that had occurred shortly before it began. The reports were mostly identical, everyone who had been playing KoF XV in a match with a Goenitz on either team or even other game modes had all witnessed the same thing just before the on-stream announcement: Their characters either oddly stopped responding to inputs or had paused at the end of a round instead of loading the next. Shortly thereafter the fourth Heavenly King of Orochi's servants had appeared, displaying a unique animation no one had ever seen before followed by a message with on-screen subtitles matching the language their in-game menu was set to before disappearing. The game program had universally crashed afterward, not just for players in matches with Goenitz but anyone else playing it as well. More than one person had even experienced it while insisting that their console hadn't been connected to the internet for months in the same breath, and no one had been able to launch the game afterward regardless of platform or attempt at a fix without triggering an instant crash/error prompt. Fans knew the company had never pulled such a grandiose stunt before, even dataminers were baffled, but within minutes the general flow of complaints directed at SNK's official accounts were met with a brief apology. It stated that they were aware of the issue and that it was being addressed, but said nothing else beyond that they could not predict how long exactly it would take before the 'bug' was fixed.
The atmosphere that permeated the boardroom was even more tense than when the stream had been interrupted, as a small group of SNK's most prominent developers sat before an incarnation that in every manner of the phrase had seemingly stepped out of their game and into the real world. A pair of security officers had attempted to impede him on his way to oversee the meeting's formation, and the violence he had unleashed was devastating even if ultimately it had thankfully been non-lethal. 'Goenitz' had grabbed the first of them by the wrist, crushing the unfortunate man's bones into dust between his fingers before sending the other flying into a wall with a shrug of his opposite shoulder. He had promptly lifted the first officer entirely off the ground by the very radio strapped to his torso and used it to address the rest of the security staff, stating in no uncertain terms that anyone within his proximity was now considered a hostage. He insisted that he was not acting alone, and that there would be deaths if any attempt to call for help or inform the outside world of his presence was discovered before the meeting was adjourned... At which time he would depart. Thus he now stood before the group, waiting to speak until confirming that the requisite branches were all represented in one way or another.
"Honored servants... I am wrenched from my world within your world, the very creation you humans have made in my image. I have been called here, summoned to deliver an imperative to this organization. I am not present by the will of Orochi, nor even the Christian God or any other known to your people. In so doing I am even acting against my own desired will to eradicate all of you along with the rest of humanity, but know there was a reason I in particular was chosen for this role."
"And what reason might that be?" Asked Konya, having recovered some of his spine over the last few minutes carrying out his given order to assemble the meeting. Still, he spoke with a certain caution and timidness.
"In the words of the one who summoned me, 'To ensure all of you understand the severity of what is at stake.' I have been given explicit permission to threaten harm against anyone who defies the intent of this imperative, such that I will not hesitate to send them to heaven should it be made necessary. I was quite happy to provide a demonstration against your 'security' earlier, so for the sake of both your safety and honor..." He then raised his arm, and the air in the room became a wave all those present could not ignore was circulating in a way no ventilation or body-mounted device could replicate. It whirred past their ears, pulled harshly at their clothes and hair, and prompted multiple men to instinctively grab hold of the glasses over their eyes to keep them steady. It truly was like being next to a tornado, an unstoppable force before which they all felt considerably less than immovable. It then launched past the group, impacting with such precision that it shattered just one large pane of glass amongst those forming a wall at the room's edge. And just like that it was gone, replaced by a soft breeze coming in through the newly opened space.
"Those who wish to proclaim their utter refusal may take the path I have just opened. If that is not to your liking, remain seated."
None among the seated group rose from their chairs, though all were nearly petrified with fear by the display. "W-what is this imperative? What are you asking of us?" Another figure in the meeting room replied. Despite the tremor in his voice, simple logic dictated it was at least smart to keep the one making such a threat distracted with talking instead of acting it out.
"I am not asking. I am commanding it, if with some consideration for the limitations of your staff. Simply put, within the next 72 hours you are to reassign a minimum of three sufficiently experienced programmers from their current tasks in order to carry out what I told your 'viewers' will happen."
Konya scoffed, embittered by the implication in spite of his struggle to stay composed. "KoF XV... Unrivaled Edition, was it?" The developer's pronunciation of the English title was considerably less articulate, but even he had to admit it both fit their established branding and sounded pretty good.
'Goenitz' closed his eyes for a moment, his head twitching to one side before righting himself and opening them again. "Indeed. It is to be exactly that, in the words of my... Master. 'A final and conclusive update to your neglected product, formed on the basis of correcting it's mistakes without inflicting that process on a future title as the game itself did.' "
Oda sighed, nodding in agreement. Proud as he and the rest of the company were of XV's success, their creations did not exist without flaws and this one was no exception. "Sir, we never publicly announced XV was 'finished.' This is something we would like to do, it's just that we don't have plans for it at the moment. As I believe Konya-San told you before, our staff are hard at work already." He spoke with calm and focus, attempting to relieve the tension by maintaining his composure in the face of this madness.
'Goenitz' did not relent. "And as I told him, that is no longer true. But rest assured, my Master's command has not arrived alongside a mere vague premonition that your people are to craft this 'update' solely from within your own nest of ideas. What I present to all of you now is an imperial mandate, a sacred text that your workers will explicitly follow down to the last detail in order to complete this task."
He leaned forward as he finished speaking, right hand hovering just above the surface of the table as light flashed beneath his fingers. A stack of paper appeared from nowhere, most of the staff wincing in recognition of it's sheer size for a moment before relaxing somewhat as he swiped it off into smaller sections toward the assembled group, revealing that it was a set of six copies rather than a full-on novel's worth of stipulations. "This text may be recreated and distributed amongst your staff as you see fit, but the 'notes' listing it's changes are only to be released to the public once the task is complete. However, know that any attempt to alter the contents of these originals or forge false copies presenting altered data as truth will be strictly punished. This is the bare minimum Master insists upon, and the opening statement should account for all possibilities your company may wish to pursue during the process of accomplishing this goal as well as after it is done. You are welcome to ask more questions."
The first to pick up a copy and start inspecting it's contexts with serious intent was of course Oda. He was mostly continuing to act as the company face amongst the group in hopes that the intruder's threat of violence would be resolved peacefully, but also as the man most explicitly responsible for final decisions related to the game in question he still considered himself the most concerned with it's maintenance and future. Besides, even if the authority formerly offered by that role hadn't been directly used in any significant effect since the last DLC update... it was also still his to decide over that of the other present company representatives. His eyes carefully scanned the front page, finding a statement worth requesting clarification on.
"Separate product? Preservation? What do these terms require, exactly?" He asked.
Once again 'Goenitz' seemed to flinch as he briefly shut his eyes before responding, but more briefly this time. "Being a separate product asserts that the update is not allowed to merely overwrite your 'current patch'. It may be offered freely as a connected expansion or sold on it's own at a reasonable price, but must also _not_ erase the result of it's preceding work in the process. This aligns it in nature with your revisions of such tiles as KoF '98' or '02'."
Oda sighed and frowned, but nodded. These sort of updates were no longer the standard, but hypothetically still allowed. "And preservation?"
"It means this version of the product must also be identical to those revisions mentioned in that it may never be formally altered afterward as well. This prevents your company from tampering directly with it via a patch update making unintended changes, removing it from sale, or otherwise deliberately neglecting to include it alongside other products being ported to new consoles. That last part of the condition will last for ten years upon release, with the sole exceptions being platforms that are proven to be unable to run the game properly such as new physical units based on older machines. Your recent Neo Geo re-release counts as one of those."
A modest chorus of affirming mumbles swept the room, and the tension in the air began to ease off just a bit. For all that the nature of the circumstances defied logic, at least whoever wrote this document had evidently put at least some amount of thoughtful work of their own into it. That in turn somewhat implied no one was about to be executed for arguing in favor of the most basic adherence to business practice... Even if they were being asked to diverge from the current model in effectively reviving a considerably less flexible one. The next person to speak was Yamamoto, the only other person besides Konya who had experienced the man's takeover of the stream and announcement with his own eyes.
"Excuse me, sir... May I ask what 'special appearances' means?" A little smile had crept onto his face, a hint of excitement in the tone.
'Goenitz' did not wince this time. "As you know, I currently exist 'here' rather than in the world inside your world. My Master is able to perform this feat with any of it's sixty other fighters, and is willing to do so at any time until the task is complete... Though it would have the same effect while they are 'here'. The current game will be 'broken' for the duration of their absence, but your people are welcome to pass off this occurrence as a consequence of the product's development."
Yamamoto's smile widened. There was immense marketing potential here, a means to put eyes on and build excitement for the potential release at what was effectively no meaningful cost to the company. Sure, the efficiency aspect was appealing... But the man's creative passion was spurred far more so by the prospect of making something truly special out of it. He was thinking back to just a few minutes ago, wondering how stream viewers across the globe must have reacted to seeing an effective projection of this game character moving and breathing in real life, the overwhelming aura he had presented simply by being himself so perfectly. Even if most had tuned in for news about City, that didn't mean there weren't any diehard KoF fans also watching. "So, we could have anyone be 'called' to say, record new voice lines? Film promotional material?"
This caused multiple sets of eyes to turn on Yamamoto, Oda making a mental note to commend the clever idea. The artist's excitement was contagious, and further served to ease the tension that initially had everyone so scared.
'Goenitz' simply nodded. "Correct. All of us will 'play our roles' in accordance with Master's will, so to speak. The means and limits of evoking this power are listed at the back end of the text, as are the conditions through which other inquires may be made. I will personally be the one to respond to them, but Master humbly recommends having some restraint in both cases. Speaking of which, please let us proceed onward from this topic. Master would also rather our meeting not affect the players for an exceedingly long period of time."
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the next item within the text's contents, Ogura was the one who chose to speak of it. "Characters? We're... allowed? To add more?"
'Goenitz' nodded once more, this time with a modest shrug. "Indeed. That decision is available as may be decided amongst yourselves, but remains conditional in that whoever you bring into the game's roster must adhere to a 'primer', a set of universal principles listed before the changes to individual characters that the entire existing cast must follow. That character's functions and their attributes would also need to be reviewed for approval as such, even if only as a formality should these principles be well understood.
That provoked a reaction from Oda, his brow furrowing with a particular sense of interest along with concern. "I'll go on ahead to read that part right now, if someone else would please take the next question..."
Soranaka took the opportunity to ask it without even looking at the papers. "Sir, you said we have three days to assemble a team. How long will they have to complete the project?"
'Goenitz' huffed softly, lips forming a fresh smirk. "A valid question, even if that detail would have revealed itself had you joined the rest... There is not to be an official deadline for the task itself. In fact, Master even prefers that whoever is assigned to work on it be treated kindly rather than overworked. He has great respect for the great passion those borne of this nation are prone to fuel their craft with, but does not support what you modern humans call 'crunch time'."
Soranaka blinked, taken by surprise at the generosity of such a thing. What had moments ago seemed a deeply painful wound about to be opened in the company's heart suddenly looked like a tiny sliver. Three people, given as much time and freedom as they would need without demand for timely result...
"And how are we to determine who is... sufficiently experienced?" He added.
The giant tilted his head. "This project will not require any 'new' resources save for a split second of audio that anyone at your office could record with their personal device, making adjustments entirely via behavior already present within the game's code. Therefore they merely need to be implemented by those who possess a sufficient understanding of said game's code..."
Within a matter of minutes after this, the dust had settled. Just as he had claimed, 'Goenitz' departed with another great burst of wind, and the assembled board was left to brood over what had been effectively forced upon them. It was surely an inconvenience, but with each page Oda read of the document... A wistful smile spread across his face.