The ground shuddered under Ryuuto's feet as he shouted.
A swell of earth erupted a few meters ahead, cracking violently, and a coffin shot out from beneath the soil. It landed with a thud, then slowly, deliberately, the lid creaked open.
Thor stepped back instinctively, eyes widening. Inside the coffin lay Loki.
Thor's mind screamed confusion. Dead… but alive?
Loki stepped out gracefully. "Brother… it's been a long time."
"You… you're alive?!" Thor's voice trembled with disbelief.
Ryuuto smirked faintly. The Loki standing before them wasn't the true Loki — it was a puppet, summoned through Ryuuto's Impure World Reincarnation, anchored using a strand of hair he'd collected long ago from their last encounter. The perfect loophole: DNA to tether a soul.
Thor's fury surged. "That's… impossible!"
The puppet-Loki lowered his gaze. "I am dead… but my soul is summoned into this vessel by Ryuuto. Brother, I regret everything. If not for my father's approval, I would never have joined Zeta Rising, let alone fight you twice. I cannot control myself. I… I beg you — end me."
"Ryuuto!" Thor roared, veins pulsing. "You dare toy with the soul of the dead? You are insane! Such acts are unforgivable!"
Ryuuto shrugged, calm as ever. "The weak always cry foul when tricks are played… just like you."
Thor charged, but Loki intercepted, landing a solid punch that staggered the God of Thunder. Despite the puppet's frailty, he inherited the Jotun strength of his lineage — Thor had to take a step back, teeth gritted.
"Kill me, or I'll keep pestering you!" Loki taunted, launching a flurry of strikes. Thor blocked with restraint, unwilling to harm him, and found himself on the defensive.
Ryuuto, for once a spectator, leaned casually against a tree, plucking an apple mid-observation. He wiped it, took a bite, and even offered, "Which one of you wants some?"
Neither Thor nor Loki acknowledged him. Ryuuto smirked and nibbled alone.
"Ryuuto!" Thor shouted, kicking Loki away. "Stop him! Or I swear, I'll kill you!"
"Even if I stop him, you'll still want to kill me," Ryuuto said lazily. "Thor, this isn't the real Loki. You can vent all you want — but the soul is tethered to this body. I promise: if you can endure him, he survives. Treat him like a brother. You get hurt, you survive. That's my word."
"Loki is not your puppet!" Thor bellowed, Mjolnir crackling with lightning as dark clouds consumed the sky. Thunder struck, aiming straight for Ryuuto.
Without a flinch, puppet-Loki leapt, intercepting the lightning with his body. BOOM!
The blast tore him apart. Thor's chest tightened, horror flooding his veins. He hadn't killed Ryuuto — he'd destroyed Loki's body instead.
And yet, as Thor's gaze stayed fixed, the fragments of the puppet's body slowly reformed, unscathed, his eyes glowing with life.
Thor rose, fury unrelenting. "Ryuuto! You fiend!"
Ryuuto smirked, apple in hand. "I gave Loki regenerative power. You're welcome. Ever since I summoned his soul, he's bound to me — a loyal instrument. One day, you might see him turn against Odin himself. I can send him anywhere, do anything. Your brother… is now my puppet."
Thor, reeling with outrage, summoned lightning across his body and charged. He struck puppet-Loki with a hammer swing, then kicked Mjolnir toward Ryuuto.
Ryuuto dropped the half-eaten apples, summoning a gleaming weapon with a flick of his hand — Bloody March Sickle.
He didn't meet Mjolnir head-on. Instead, he leaped, evading the thunder god's strike and slashing at him with the sickle.
Thor didn't dodge, and a confident smirk lingered on his face. Ryuuto's brow furrowed. Why is he smiling like that?