Katie Dee froze. She knew it — if she really charged head-on, she'd die before her first punch even landed. But when she saw Natasha Romanoff "unconscious" on the ground, her fear twisted into something else. Determination.
Ryuuto caught that flicker of change in her eyes and felt a small grin tug at his lips. Good. Finally, some fire.
Katie's body began to sink into the ground, the dirt rippling as though it were water. Ryuuto tilted his head, amused. "Oh? So that's your move?"
He didn't budge. He wanted to see just how far she'd push herself.
Seconds later, a flash of motion — her foot burst out from between his legs, aiming straight for his most important weak spot.
"Oi—!" Ryuuto slammed his knees together and trapped her foot just in time. Or so he thought.
Katie vanished from between them, reforming ten meters away, floating up from the earth like a ghost surfacing from a lake. The girl looked exhausted, but the look in her eyes was sharp and alive.
Ryuuto chuckled. "That all you got?"
Katie pouted, refusing to answer, so he smirked and let the transformation wash over him. Muscles bulged, skin darkened — the Abomination form returned in full terror.
"Alright then," Ryuuto said, curling a finger to beckon her forward. "I won't hold back this time. Beat me, and you both walk free. Lose... and you'll have to deal with hell."
Katie clenched her fists. She knew she couldn't win, but she also knew she wasn't leaving Natasha behind. "Fine!" she yelled, charging.
Her kick sliced through the air a heartbeat later — faster, sharper than before. Ryuuto dodged easily, but his eyes narrowed. Huh. She's actually getting better.
Her speed and strength had jumped since the start of the day. The improvement made him grin like a proud devil. This kid's got more potential than she knows.
He raised his middle finger just to provoke her, and it worked — Katie came flying at him again, fury igniting her movements. Ryuuto focused purely on defense, letting her unload every bit of technique she'd learned from Natasha. Every jab, every spin-kick, every feint — raw, messy, but real.
Natasha, still pretending to be knocked out nearby, cracked one eye open to watch. A faint smile crossed her lips. She finally understood what Ryuuto was doing — tough love in monster form. If he'd just told Katie to go all-out, she would've hesitated. But facing "a real enemy"? She had no choice but to fight like she meant it.
Twenty minutes passed before Katie collapsed, gasping for air. Sweat streaked her forehead, but her eyes still blazed.
Ryuuto let his monster form dissolve away, his voice back to its usual teasing drawl. "You did better than I expected."
Katie blinked at him, dazed. "Brother...? It was you?! Why'd you—why'd you do that to me!?"
"Because, idiot," Ryuuto said, smirking, "if the real enemy came back from the dead, do you think you'd get time to hesitate? Nobody in a fight's gonna let you hit them politely."
Before Katie could argue, Natasha stood up, brushing off the dirt. "He's right. Ryuuto wasn't bullying you. He was training you. You're too kind, Katie. If it's me, you'll always hold back — but against a monster, you fight to win."
Katie stared at them both, realization dawning. She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, Brother... for pushing me."
Ryuuto laughed. "If getting stronger means I play sandbag a few times, I'll manage."
Katie rolled her sore shoulders, muttering, "Hmph. Lucky for you I had a defensive brother today — or Sister Susan would've hunted you down for this."
Ryuuto raised an eyebrow. "Hunted me down? For what?"
"You know what!" she shot back, cheeks red. "You pervy brother!"
She hobbled away to sit, legs trembling, muttering under her breath.
Natasha lingered beside Ryuuto. There was something she wanted to say — but stopped herself. He was already living with Susan; whatever she felt wasn't her business. She turned away quietly to check on Katie.
Then, right on cue—
[Ding! New Mission Posted!]
[Battle Objective: Engage Thor, the God of Thunder!]
[Rewards will scale based on combat performance.]
Ryuuto sighed. "Seriously, Shion? Now?"
The timing was classic — the system loved drama. He'd barely finished training one student before being thrown into another storm.
He glanced at the sky. A dark figure broke through the clouds, lightning crackling around it.
"Speak of the devil," Ryuuto muttered, stretching his neck.
Thor crashed down in a burst of thunder, Mjolnir humming with electricity.
Ryuuto grinned up at him. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time?"
"I was careless before!" Thor thundered.
Ryuuto laughed outright. "Oh, that's rich. So every time you lose, it's just 'carelessness'? Man, must be nice living without consequences."
"I'll end you this time! For Loki!"
"Oh, right," Ryuuto's smile turned razor-sharp. "I almost forgot about your brother. You still wanna see him again?"
Thor's whole body tensed. "You—didn't you kill him!?"
"Yep." Ryuuto's grin widened. "And now I'm offering a reunion."
"BASTARD!"
Lightning roared as Thor hurled Mjolnir straight at him—
CLANG!
The hammer slammed into the massive decapitation blade Ryuuto had just summoned. Sparks scattered through the clearing. A thin crack spidered across the blade's edge.
"Tch. Not a magic weapon," Ryuuto muttered, jamming the sword into the ground.
He looked up at the furious god and smirked. "Relax. I'm not your opponent today."
Thor blinked. "What—?"
Ryuuto clapped his hands together, chakra and cosmic energy swirling.
"Your opponent," he said, "is Loki."
The air shifted. The ground darkened. A seal flared under his feet as he shouted—
"Impure World Reincarnation!"