1996, The Kingdom of Shadaloo

M. Bison watched as the heads were tossed at his feet, one by one. Mishima, forever separated from his iron fists. Geese Howard, whose brawls were now all done with. The most current holder of the Soul Blade also lay dead. But the last head shocked and delighted him, perhaps even more than would have those of Ryu or Colonel Guile. He held it up by its sharp red ponytail, eyes still intense and insane, even in death.

"Gouki Akuma. You have done the impossible, my friend. You have indeed earned your fee. Yet will I pay it----"

The red-suited dictator whistled.

"--or will I show you another kind of respect, by having one so powerful and dangerous eliminated?"

When no one responded, the killer shrugged.

"It would seem, Monsieur Bison, that your lackeys have met a fate not dissimilar to those you contracted me to destroy. Or am I truly the man you hired? Perhaps I am merely an interloper...who seeks power, and to oppose you."

A hideous red glow began to surround Bison, as he yelled out in rage.

"Any one who opposes me will be destroyed!"

The killer seemed largely unimpressed.

"It is true, Monsieur, that I have admired your work. Your ruthlessness is to be applauded. You have not only built an empire to be feared and respected, but you have pushed yourself to the very pinnacle of human limitations."

Bison smiled, and began flying at the killer.

"Your compliments are as welcomed as they are deserved, sir! Now witness the true limits of human power as I destroy you from within. PSYCHO CRUSHER!!!!"

Bison's opened palm lit onto the man's shoulder. Energies meant to drain an opponent's very belief in themselves worked their way through him. Many a foe had died no longer certain they had what it took to breathe, let alone defeat the maniacal dictator.

"Monsieur, I find your attack sorely lacking. Allow me to point out its two major flaws."

Bison's eyes began to widen, and he screamed as he pumped ever more of his chi--his lifeforce--into breaking the very soul of his foe.

"HOW!? How may such as you make sport of the world's greatest warrior?"

A hard slap from the man knocked Bison down to the ground.

"The world's greatest warrior was Ryu. Sadly, he and a number of other supreme fighters gave up their lives to thwart those dragon-worshipping fools of The Order. A pity. He did with streams and mountain paths what you have done with your stolen magic and petty technology. Everything you have boasted of--he could do."

Bison was lifted up by a hard kick to the ribs. He looked up, his own
willpower having been broken.

"No--you-you are wrong. Stronger-better than all of them."

The man knelt and then spat at Bison.

"The woman constable from Hong Kong and the fallow schoolgirl that followed Ryu could have taken you, at any time. That, my friend, is how weak you truly are, and always have been."

Bison rose again, burning as he went.

"Psycho-Crusher-Supreme-Gust!"

But though both hands now held the attacker fast, he showed no ill effects.

"Again, your technique has two flaws. One, it presupposes that the psyche of an opponent may in fact be crushed. For some men, this is simply not the case. As it is for me."

A blow to Bison's upper torso tore a hole in his armor, causing the 'psycho' energies to run wild.

"What aaaaarrreee yoooooooouuuu?"

The killer ignored his query.

"The second flaw is that, while you have pushed yourself to the pinnacles of human limits and human perfection...."

A roundhouse kick sent the flaming corpse of M. Bison into the air, where it exploded. Even as the end came, Bison's face showed a mix of struggle with the energies he once so proudly wielded and disbelief that he had been brought low.

"...there are those who have as their birthright limits that far exceed that of most humans. These are the superior men."

One by one, they filtered in, these superior men. Khan Singh smiled. Shadaloo would be the perfect staging area to begin the next phase. Joachim fetched Bison's hat from the ash-pile, which he offered to his lord.

"No. It is yours, my friend. Something with which to block the harsh sun of this climate. Be certain that the media reports have this as a close battle, and not the rout it was. We should not make them aware just yet of our true power."

"As you say, sir. We are but your generals, living upon your word as sustenance. Bison and the others never stood a chance."

Khan shook his head.

"No. No, they stood every chance, and they wasted every chance. A cadre of superior men still requires an army to back it up. A nigh-unstoppable army."

Joachim held up a folder.

"We may have that, sir. Our former sponsors never stopped their experiments, despite achieving perfection with us. Yet still they failed to comprehend the forces they played with."

Khan nodded.

"A most intriguing virus. Very well, send a small force out to this...what is it called?"

Joachim smiled.

"Raccoon City, Lord Khan."